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The Pursuit Of Equitable Virtual Learning: District Leaders’ Understanding Of The Influences On Designing 100% Virtual Learning Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kathleen Wolfe Maxlow

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam required all schools to close their doors from March 13, 2020, through the remainder of the school year, causing districts in the Commonwealth to create distance learning plans for PreK-12 education within a matter of weeks. The continued fluctuation of COVID-19 positive case numbers throughout the spring and summer led to several school districts choosing to open the 2020-2021 school year using a 100% virtual model for all students. This qualitative, grounded theory study sought to determine how superintendents understood the influences on the design of their district’s 100% virtual learning plans. …

Initial Development Of The Escala De Fortaleza En Jóvenes Para Padres, David Moran

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

National statistics indicate substantial mental health and academic challenges experienced by a sizable proportion of Hispanic children and adolescents in American school settings. School counselors can provide culturally responsive supports to this population and would benefit from contextually grounded, ecologically valid assessments that focus on the positive development of Hispanic children and adolescents. To address this instrumentation gap, this study sought to develop initial items for the Escala de Fortaleza en Jóvenes para Padres in both English and Spanish. A qualitative approach was implemented to explore the perceptions of Hispanic parents/caregivers of their child or adolescent’s resiliency. Eight Hispanic parents …

Get Tools, Advice And Support For Your Career At Uab Starting April 7, Matt Windsor

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No abstract provided.

Uab Student's Research Selected For Presentation On Capitol Hill, Staff

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No abstract provided.

Fizzing Out: A Correlational Study Of Burnout And Worklife Perceptions Among Student Affairs Professionals In The Mid-Atlantic Northeast Region Of The United States, Ashante Connor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine level of burnout and the employee perceptions among student affairs professionals (SAPs) in the Mid-Atlantic Northeast Region of the United States. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) collectively known as the Maslach Burnout Toolkit was electronically completed by 323 student affairs professionals at institutions located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The research designs utilized demographic and inferential statistics including Pearson Product Moment correlations. The response rate was high enough to make statistically significant associations. The scores obtained from the MBI and AWS subscales …

Academic Advisors’ Experience With Academic Entitlement: A Phenomenological Study, Felicia A King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic entitlement is on the rise in higher education. Research on academic entitlement typically focuses on faculty and behavior inside the classroom. Academic entitlement affects the college as a whole, both inside and outside of the classroom. This phenomenological study explored academic entitlement within student affairs, specifically, academic advisors' experience with academic entitlement. Additionally, the study focused on a large community college, whereas previous studies were situated within 4-year colleges and universities. The phenomenological study aimed to determine what academic entitlement behaviors were present in academic advising and examine how academic advisors reacted to the academic entitlement behaviors. Twelve academic …

A Case Study Of One Small Christian College Overcoming Decline And Implementing An Institutional Turnaround, Richard H. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies and national data show a growing number of small, private, Christian colleges face extreme difficulties, which often result in decline, followed by closure or merging with larger, higher education institutions. Attempting to overcome the loss of student revenue from a declining enrollment, many small colleges raise tuition prices, spend endowment funds, and overextend themselves with high debt payments. Countering the increased tuition prices, these colleges often increase scholarships and financial aid, which reduces available funds for other institutional needs. Other challenging issues include meeting accreditation standards, raising money for operational and capital needs, and the general public losing …

2nd Place Contest Entry: Loneliness As A Predictor Of Physical And Mental Health Problems In University Students, Jolie Binstock

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is Jolie Binstock's submission for the 2021 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won first place. It contains her essay on using library resources, a three-page sample of her research project on the association between loneliness and mental and physical health in university students, and her works cited list.

Jolie is a sophomore at Chapman University, majoring in Health Science. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Julia Boehm.

The Role Of Social Support In Mitigating Parental Burnout For Mothers Of Children With Medical Complexity, Jaymi Yamoah

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Parental burnout is a complex syndrome resulting from chronic parenting stress. The components of parental burnout include overwhelming exhaustion, emotional distancing, and a sense of ineffectiveness in the parenting role. Parents of children with medical complexity (CMC) face a wide range of parenting stressors related to their child’s diagnosis. The purpose of this case study was to explore the role of social support in mitigating parental burnout in mothers of CMC. Five mothers participated in semi-structured interviews using Zoom video conferencing. Results of the study revealed three salient themes: types of social support, isolation, and helping others. Types of social …

Perceptions Of Cardiac Screening Of High School Athletes Among Athletic Trainers And High School Coaches, Vanessa C. Smith

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Regular participation in competitive exercise is associated with cardiac anomalies that can exist in a high school athletes’ heart. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine the perceptions of athletic trainers and high school coaches on cardiac screening high school athletes prior to athletic participation. The study also examined seven barriers that are present with the implementation of cardiac screening. The current study was carried out with 104 participants composed of two categories: athletic trainers, and high school coaches. Study participants perceptions were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale survey consisting of 12 questions. Although studies have …

Readiness Of The Administrative Team To Respond To An Active Shooter On A Campus, Erin K. Newberry

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Philanthropic efforts and community responses to mass school shootings have generated an evolutionary change to the legislation surrounding school safety. An in-depth review of major school-related active-shooter incidents indicated a prioritized need for change across school campuses. Recent laws in the state of Florida created the eminent responsibility of site-based administrative teams in collaboration with the local sheriff’s office, to effectively implement and participate in synergistic crisis planning. While school safety has been at the pinnacle of community leaders’ political platforms for over 20 years, researchers have almost exclusively concentrated on identifying the role of the School Resource Officer (SRO) …

A Qualitative Case Study Exploring How Title I Schools Build The Capacity Of Staff And Families In Support Of Academic Achievement, Denise D. Atwell

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative case study explored family-school partnerships in five Title I elementary schools in one central Florida school district. Literature confirms that engaging parents and families in their children's education provides positive results for a child's well-being socially, emotionally, and academically. Furthermore, partnerships between families, schools, and communities, in which all stakeholders share in the responsibility of a child's academic success, are beneficial to everyone, especially children and schools. The existing problem is that most educators do not know how to do this and many educators receive little, if any, support to build their capacity or aid their efforts in …

Evaluation Of The Alignment Of Student Perceptions Of Parental Expectations Regarding Academic Success In Private College-Prep High Schools, Ryan C. Dupee

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The stresses of high school students, and the variables that add to their stress, have been researched for decades in numerous formats, but many of these studies do not survey the students’ perceptions on various levels. The purpose of this study was to gain data that would give further insight into the stressors and variables about perceptions of academic success from the context of a private high school student. Eighty-two juniors and seniors in private, college-prep high schools were surveyed concerning their perceptions of parents’ views of academic success. The researcher created a quantitative survey that was completed digitally by …

The Pastoral Leadership Crisis In Baptist Churches In Togo, Kossi M. Eklou

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The issues of leadership in Calvary Baptist Church in Lomé are unique. From the time the Baptist denomination entered the country of Togo in 1964, the election of pastors in the Baptist churches has been arbitrary. This system has engendered severe pastoral leadership flaws and the present crisis in Baptist churches in Togo. Calvary Baptist Church is no exception. The main problem is the lack of biblical training for men who lead the churches as pastors. In this project, I research and investigate what a lack of biblical training does to a pastor and the church. Though there are many …

Differences In Integration And Persistence Between Black Males And Their Peers At Predominately White Christian Institutions, Dion Edward Leonard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over the last several decades there has been much conversation, dialogue, and research around the topic of African American persistence, and more specifically African American male persistence within the higher education sector. Studies have shown that there is a major achievement gap among African American and white males. Studies also show that this persistence gap has been sustained over the course of several years. While there has been much research done on the topic, the researcher specifically addressed the persistence gap of African American men within the predominantly white private Christian higher education community. This particular study addresses how faith-based …

The Influence Of Building Positive Student-Teacher Relationships On Classroom Management In A South Carolina High School: A Phenomenological Study, Amanda L. Vipperman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how secondary school teachers develop positive relationships with students and the resulting impact of these relationships on classroom management in South Carolina public secondary schools. An extensive review of the literature was conducted which included the topics of classroom management and teacher training. This study was based on a qualitative research design, combined with Glasser’s theoretical framework to add more extensive information to the current body of research on classroom management components, design, and impact. Secondary students possess a human desire to belong and feel connected in the world; therefore, …

The Effect Of Training Upon Faculty Stages Of Concern About Making Color Vision Deficiency Adaptations, Marlena H. Pinner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although color vision deficiency affects an appreciable portion of the human race, those with the condition do not enjoy mandatory educational accommodations. The purpose of this quasi-experimental investigation was to quantify the effect of professional development training on university faculty concerns about adapting their instruction for color vision deficiency. This investigation used a static-group comparison design with a professional development intervention for the experimental group at a liberal arts university (N = 98) in the Southeast of the United States, collecting data through an online fielding of the Stages of Concern Questionnaire. Independent Samples t Tests between the two groups …

Continuous Enrollment Experiences Of Nontraditional Career And Technical Education Students At The Community College, Natunya Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study described the continuous enrollment experiences of nontraditional career and technical education (CTE) students at the community college. The focus was on understanding the collegiate experience to decrease students' chances of dropping out of college and contribute to the retention scholarship in higher education. The theory guiding this study was Bean and Metzner’s (1985) conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. It explains how background, academic, environmental, psychological outcomes, and social integration affect student retention. The design of this study was grounded in transcendental phenomenological research that explored the continuous enrollment phenomenon from the personal lived experiences …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Cell Phone Use In The Classroom: A Case Study, Summer Dawn Dupont

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study discovered high school teachers’ perceptions of student cell phone use in the classroom at Battery Creek High School. The theory which guided this study is based on Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory and social constructivism as it pertains to the environment children grow up in affects how they think and what they think about. The case study utilized semi-structured interviews of teachers, a teacher survey, and followed by focus groups created from common themes found. The data gathered was analyzed through the method of open coding and selective coding using bold/italics and then …

Hope As A Mediator Between Professor-Student Rapport And Student Achievement, Analisa Marie Wellington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The United States experiences unfavorable outcomes in undergraduate academic achievement despite years of research, especially for historically marginalized students. Accepting that student achievement is the result of the complex interplay between individual and environmental characteristics, tertiary institutions seek useful levers by which to raise academic achievement. Previous research has established that the relationship between a teacher and student can affect student achievement, making professor-student rapport one of the aforementioned levers. However, the mechanism through which professor-student rapport acts remains unclear. The current study explores the mediating effect of hope on the relationship between professor-student rapport and achievement. Utilizing a quantitative …

Black Effect: Black Students' Experiences In Cacrep Master's Programs At Hbcus, Angelia M. Lomax

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

African American students’ experiences in graduate programs at predominately White institutions (PWIs) have been explored in previous research. Said experiences were described using the following constructs: underrepresentation, invisibility, isolation, lack of support, and silence. There is minimal research that focuses on Black students’ experiences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), where the environment was reported to be welcoming, nurturing, and supportive. This study adds to the literature by exploring the lived experiences of African American students in CACREP-accredited master’s counseling programs at HBCUs, with critical race theory (CRT) as the theoretical framework. After being identified as eligible based on …

An Investigation Of Teachers' Descriptions, Understandings, And Perceptions Of Intervention And Prevention Tactics Addressing Students With Disabilities: A Collective Case Study, Will Lela Combs-Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to describe and understand teachers' perceptions of anti-bullying intervention and prevention strategies, or programs, that address the bullying of students with disabilities in elementary schools found throughout a large, suburban school district that is in the central region of the United States. The theory that guided this study was Bandura's (2002) social cognitive theory, which describes how individuals' (teachers specifically) self-efficacy beliefs play a significant role in considering and dealing with situations. The guiding research questions that evoked participant responses and revealed their self-efficacy beliefs surrounding the phenomenon included delving into the …

Work-Life Balance: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study On Female Assistant Principals' Approaches, Felicia Daniels-Colbert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the work-life balance approaches for female assistant principals at Middleburg School District (pseudonym). Two theories were used to answer the central research question: What are the lived experiences of female assistant principals in connection with their role and approach to balance work and life responsibilities? Work/family border theory by Clark (2000) guided the study as it explains how people manage and make decisions on how to spend their time between work and family obligations. Additionally, the role theory by Biddle (1986) expounded on how an individual’s role influences decisions for finding …

Military Mothers Serving As Command/Sergeant Majors In The Army: A Heuristic Phenomenological Inquiry, Yvette Kennedy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There are significant changes to women's rights to employment that create opportunities to earn higher leadership positions. The number of women entering the military in low to mid-level rank has increased over the last few years. However, the proportion of women reaching senior leadership position all the way through to the highest enlisted rank of Sergeant Major remain comparatively small. This qualitative study examines the experiences of military mothers who are Sergeants Major in the Army and the personal attributes, factors of resilience, and strategies that promote well-being—by highlighting the key factors reported that were crucial to their success supporting …

A Phenomenological Study Of Instructors’ Experiences With Receiving And Utilizing Student Feedback In Online Course, Stanley T. Triplett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how community college online course instructors at a large community college in the Deep South experience students’ feedback to reevaluate course quality and instruction. The central question of the study regarded how community college online instructors experience receiving and engaging with student evaluations. The theory guiding this study was Knowles’s theory of andragogy as it provides a framework for understanding adult learning, including those of adult learners in community college contexts as well as those instructors receiving and responding to student evaluations of teaching. A total of 11 instructors …

A Predictive Correlation Study Examining Attrition Among Ncaa Diii Student-Athletes Based On Roster Gender, Sport-Type, And Sport-Attrition, Rebecca Jean Kayda

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, correlational study examined whether gender, sport-type, and sport attrition can predict university attrition of student-athletes from a small, private, NCAA DIII institution. Student-athletes attending DIII institutions are considered a vulnerable population and are largely under-studied. Participation in extra-curricular activities, such as belonging to an athletics team, has been linked to higher rates of social integration on campus and smoother transitions into college life overall. This participation has not been shown to decrease academic performance; however, university attrition of student-athletes remains a problem. This problem is especially relevant in smaller schools, where a small percentage of student attrition can …

Educators' Perspectives Of The Benefits And Barriers Of Cross-Level Teaching: A Collective Case Study, Lela Kristina Andrews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the benefits and barriers of cross-level classrooms from the perspective of educators at a rural secondary school. For this study, cross-level learning is defined as a classroom that includes multiple grade bands who are working together in a classroom setting to learn a specific set of standards or objectives (Peñafiela & Tomàs, 2014; Scamati, Kent, & Mackenzie, 1993). This research study operated within the collaboration theory identified by Lev Vygotsky that highlights the value of collaborating with others to gain a greater understanding of a particular task or process that the …

The Serial Mediation Of The Relationship Between Sexual Shame And Marital Relationship Satisfaction By Sexual Communication In A Parallel Relationship Of Sexual Satisfaction And Marital Relational Intimacy, Mark A. Saunders Sr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Sexual shame is a construct that has garnered increased research and interest in recent years, with much of the research targeted towards how sexual shame is affected by pornography use, moral disapproval of certain sexual activities, and shame about one’s belief about the sexual self. There is little research on the etiology of sexual shame and the determination of whether it is domain-specific or a component of global shame. This research studied how marital satisfaction may be affected by sexual shame through the mediation of sexual communication, relational intimacy, and sexual satisfaction, based on the belief that a couple’s satisfaction …

Sergeants Major Course Instructor Self-Efficacy Across The Departments At The United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Anson Cordell Jordan Sr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research has highlighted teacher self-efficacy as an influential variable in many educational studies. Teacher self-efficacy not only impacts and influences educational outcomes such as teachers’ persistence, enthusiasm, commitment, and instructional behavior, but also affects student outcomes such as motivation, student achievement, and the students’ own sense of self-efficacy. The current study utilized a causal-comparative research design and one-way between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the self-efficacy of instructors across the five departments of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy’s (USASMA) Sergeants Major Resident Course. This study also used an independent samples t test to observe differences between sample …

Students' Evangelical Worldview In Public High School Content Areas: A Phenomenological Analysis, Russell Allen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although much research has been conducted regarding Christian worldview in private high schools and Christian colleges, very little information exists regarding Christian worldview at public high schools. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe how 10 evangelical students in public high schools interpret content areas through their worldview. The study answered the following critical question: How do evangelical students in public high schools interpret content areas through their worldviews? Participants were found using criterion sampling in central Pennsylvania and document analysis, interviews, and focus groups were used to collect data. Moustakas’s (1994) approach was used for data …