Adult and Continuing Education Commons^™

Facing A New Normal: Uncovering The Psychological Effects Of Loneliness On Student Mental Health, Courtney Thoreson

Counselor Education Capstones

In anticipation of the burden loneliness will have in combination with distressing psychological and emotional burdens carried over from the COVID-19 prevention strategies i.e., social distancing, quarantine measures, and lockdowns, colleges and universities are facing a broad spectrum of challenges as they shift to adapt to a new normal. Besides the physical health impact of COVID-19, this global pandemic has unleashed a psychological toll on society that has yet to be fully realized for its potential long-lasting effects. As campuses navigate the broader impacts of COVID-19, understanding the psychological effects of loneliness will be a primary focus in understanding it’s …

Pathways To Retention Of Alternatively Licensed Special Education Teachers, Meghan W. Sinning

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Special Education teacher retention has been a chronic concern for administrators for the past 45 years. Since 1975 when the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was passed, providing Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to students with exceptionalities, school districts' ability to hire appropriately licensed Special Education teachers has been a continual concern. Additionally, Special Education teachers’ turnover rate exceeds that of many other content areas in education. The Special Education teacher's attrition rates who have completed an alternate route to licensure program have been even greater than traditionally trained Special Education teachers. The study’s quantitative research has focused on a …

Dnp Proposal: Implementing Staff Education To Reduce Stress And Increase Resiliency, Samantha Lambert, Mariana Corpus

Nursing DNP Projects

Problem: Increased stress and decreased resiliency are concerning concepts that continue to be common themes within nursing practice. Stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout among nurses pose a great risk to the health care system, the patients it serves, as well as the nurses. Persistent levels of high stress additionally impact work activities and job performance, leading nurses to experience burnout, compassion fatigue, lower job satisfaction, high workplace turnover, and poor quality of care for patients. Nurses who demonstrate resiliency can adapt to unexpected events with a positive attitude, self-esteem, and tolerance.

Purpose: To decrease stress levels and improve resiliency among …

Prologue, Barbara D. Holmes

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This edition focuses on the need to support graduate student writers in the process of developing academic identity. Graduate students benefit from encouragement to write more and to have reliable outlets for the publication of that writing. The editorial staff of JAEP is committed to creating student-friendly, intentional, targeted support for advanced graduate writers.

Black Women Leaders In Municipal Government: Leading With Ability, Agility, And Authenticity, Chao Mwatela

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This research study explored skills and competencies that Black women need to achieve upward mobility into leadership roles in municipal government in the United States (US). The study also reveals how Black women navigate the intersection of race and gender in upward mobility. Three Black women in leadership roles in municipal government during the fall semester of 2021 participated in the study. Feminist leadership theory for social transformation and the theory of intersectionality supported this study. Responses provided insights into abilities needed for upward mobility, strategies Black women use to address the intersection of race and gender in upward mobility, …

Speaking Of Disruption: Experiences Of Speech Faculty In Transitioning Face-To-Face Courses To Remote Instruction, Amanda Ratcliff

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Online learning is not new to higher education, but the rapid transition from face-to-face instruction to virtual course delivery in the middle of an academic term due to the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the need for better training and preparation (Mseleku, 2020). This qualitative study explored the experiences of speech and communication faculty members (N = 5) who were required to swiftly transition to online teaching with short notice. Based on faculty perspectives, findings reveal the need for recognizing different pedagogical approaches to distance education, the need for more faculty training to teach online, the need for engagement and interaction with …

College Athletes’ Safe Return To Play: Perceptions Of Strength And Conditioning Training In A Midwest University, Reid Peters

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This study focused on exploring the lived experiences of student-athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic at a midwestern university in the United States of America. Survey responses from collegiate athletes regarding perceptions of strength and conditioning training during the pandemic uncovered meaningful information to inform practices of strength and conditioning personnel during unexpected disruption to daily operations. Sixteen student athletes from a Midwest university were the respondents providing feedback to open-ended survey questions during fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Student perspectives offer important insight about cares and concerns that athletic administrators, coaches and institutional leaders should consider when developing …

University Admissions Leaders Rethink Recruitment Strategies In The Wake Of Covid-19, Emily R. Albright, Elizabeth A. Schwanke

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

In the wake of COVID-19, university admissions leaders were challenged to rethink recruitment strategies and practices. This qualitative research inquiry explored how admissions leaders changed student recruitment strategies in response to the inability to connect with prospective students in-person. The study collected data from six university admissions leaders in the Midwest region of the United States. Systems theory and the concept of organizational adaptation supported this investigation. Findings of the study reveal challenges admissions offices faced in response to the pandemic, identify new recruitment strategies developed by admissions leaders, and information what strategies may comprise the future of recruitment. Three …

Midwest University Coach Perspectives On Student-Athlete Recruitment During Unprecedented Disruption, Jonah Bradley

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Recruiting student-athletes is one of the fundamental elements of success for college-level athletic coaches. The COVID-19 pandemic made student-athlete recruitment next to impossible due to restrictions on in-person activities. Utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR), this study sought to understand the experiences of four athletic coaches in one Midwest college basketball program. Three themes from this study that informed the recruitment process during disruption were: theme 1: traditional recruiting replaced with technology-enabled recruiting. theme 2: inability to engage in person hinders interactions and communication, and theme 3: roster management and player development inconsistent with disruption. This study reveals a need for …

Non-Profit Leaders Confronting Challenges Presented By Covid-19, Tennille Spears

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Little is known about the totality of the challenges non-profit leaders are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores how non-profit leaders are adapting to challenges caused by COVID-19. This paper presents an inquiry into participatory action research questions with responses from non-profit leaders’ firsthand experience with the challenges faced during the pandemic. The study collected data from three non-profit leaders in Wisconsin. Crisis management conceptual framework supports this investigation. The findings of this study reveal challenges non-profit leaders face in response to the pandemic include identifying new skills needed by non-profit leaders, and gaining information on the financial …

Doctoral Student Online Learning: Addressing Challenges Of The Virtual Experience, Dejuanna M. Parker, Kent Willis, Barbara D. Holmes

Education Doctorate Faculty Works

Doctoral student attrition is a major problem in higher education. This qualitative study sought to understand student beliefs and perceived confidence levels in a primarily online professional doctoral degree in education. Before accessing course material and formal instruction, respondents assigned scores to a Likert-style survey and answered open-ended questions about their understanding of basic educational research methodology. The rise of distance education follows the rapid growth of technological advancement. Yet, much is still unknown about pedagogical practices that contribute to improved learning outcomes for students in the virtual environment. Themes that emerged from this study suggest that (1) student expectations …

Spreading The Good Word: What Student Affairs Can Learn From The Jehovah's Witnesses, Z. W. Taylor

Essays in Education

Although institutions of higher education are thoroughly polylingual, evidenced by the linguistic diversity thriving on college campuses all over the United States and beyond, postsecondary communication is primarily in English. As a result, this conceptual essay introduces the translation and equity work performed by the Jehovah's Witnesses and how that work may translate into student affairs and higher education work.

Black Lives Matter And So Do Black Men With A Phd, Jamel A. Gibson

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

It is crucial for the Black Lives Matter movement that more Black men pursue and earn doctoral degrees. American society must be made aware of intellectual contributions that underpin the fact that Black men are intelligent, eloquent in speech, and able to research and present any given topic. Black men are often underrepresented in terminal degree programs, and those who do advance to advanced study fall short due to doctoral attrition. These troubling phenomena highlight the need for research concerning motivational factors that may improve the odds of Black men entering and completing postgraduate programs across disciplines. This opinion paper …

Doctoral Student Perspectives On Motivation And Persistence: Eye-Opening Insights Into The Ideas And Thoughts That Today's Doctoral Students Have About Finishing The Doctoral Degree, Barbara Holmes, A. Brooke Boulton, Bryan Boysen, Carson L. Perry, Donavan Bailey, Amanda Durnen, Joe Mollner, Kara De La Fosse, Meghan W. Sinning, Nichelle Guillaume, Richard Breuninger, Sam Jones, Susan Webber

Education Doctorate Books

"It all comes down to this: we have an amazing team of faculty working with us who are present, supportive, intelligent, and motivated to help us succeed. They designed this program with those objectives in mind. We are in good hands, and any questions we have will be answered, so long as we ask them. Having the support system of our faculty, along with the tools we need to be successful, are major parts of the battle, already won. The rest is up to us." - A. Brooke Boulton

Problems For Teacher Education For Primary Schools In Nigeria: Beyond Curriculum Design And Implementation, Olusegun Akinbote

Essays in Education

Primary education is the core of development and progress sin modern societies. However the quality of teachers who are to ensure the realization of the aspirations we hold for our children has fallen below expectations. This study therefore investigated the entry qualifications, the mode of entry into and the reasons why students enroll in Colleges of Education. The findings showed that majority of the student teachers are not ‘good materials’ for teacher education and that only a few of them really have the genuine desire to become teachers. Recommendations are made on how to improve on the quality of entrants …

Virtual Programs And Assessment In Graduate Teacher Education, Nedra Atwell, Marge Maxwell

Essays in Education

This research goes to the very heart of professional education preparation in higher education today. Colleges and universities face increasing demands and many of the systems and structures currently in place will not meet future needs. This research focuses on enhancing present preparation options, developing additional options, collaborating with multiple partners, and coordinating all these in alignment with state and national standards, while focusing on the student’s ability to affect K-12 learning.

Defining Excellence In Graduate Studies, Laurie Carlson Berg, Linda Sabatini

Essays in Education

This article provides an analysis of definitions of excellence in graduate study provided by Master’s degree and doctoral candidates, identified by their department as “excellent,” and by chairs of graduate programs (n = 43) at two western Canadian universities. Faculty members’ definitions tended to focus primarily on external markers of success rather than on personal characteristics of graduate students. Both graduate faculty respondents (n = 20) and graduate student interview participants (n = 23) mentioned the importance of visibility in the department and the community. The graduate student participants made infrequent mention of external indicators, such as grades and ability …

Tenure And Promotion Considerations: An Analysis Of Cultural Issues, June Ovington, Thomas Diamantes, Douglas Roby, Charles Ryan

Essays in Education

A purposive review of selected literature related to promotion and tenure in the university was conducted during the last year. From this literature review a constant comparative method of document data analysis was conducted. This method involves reviewing all documents, i.e. articles, handbooks, cases, field notes and interview data. The findings of our study suggest that the tenure and promotion process is impacted by differing values and literal interpretations after review of the candidates’ tenure file. We recommend that sustained review include senior colleagues and use of a productivity schematic to document professional activity over the tenure time frame.

The Evolution Of Portfolios In Teacher Education, Nancy D. Turner

Essays in Education

Portfolios have been used in many fields of study to highlight the best work of individuals. In teacher education, portfolios serve as an authentic assessment, in that they contain artifacts representative of the preservice teacher’s performance in the classroom. As teachers are accountable for an in-depth understanding and implementation of teaching standards, portfolios can become the avenue for documenting how these standards are being met. The teacher preparation program at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana has utilized portfolios since 1994. Over the years, these portfolios have evolved from their inception to a performance-based evidence that indicates the attainment of …

Missing In Action: Research On The Accountability Of Multicultural, Inclusive Teacher Education, Sheryl V. Taylor, Donna M. Sobel

Essays in Education

While a substantial amount of research has been conducted on the effects of various teacher education programs to prepare teachers for multicultural, multilingual, inclusive classrooms, very little of it examines the impact of multicultural, inclusive teacher education on how pre- and inservice teachers actually teach children in the classroom. Few researchers have followed teachers into the classroom to find out if or what “carry over” exists from multicultural teacher education (Sleeter, 2001). Even if teachers show growth through their course work and learning experiences in multicultural education, what evidence is there that they are or are becoming strong teachers in …

“Been There---Ah, Haven’T Tried It That Way”: A Professional Effort To Differentiate Instruction, Donna M. Sobel

Essays in Education

It goes without saying that the most critical component of preparing educators lies in their ability to competently teach. Differentiation provides a framework to develop classrooms where realities of genuine student variance can be addressed with curricular realities. The author describes a professional development project that differentiated a series of teacher workshops that were designed to increase teachers’ perceived competency to differentiate instruction. The purpose here is to describe a collaboratively created and implemented professional development program designed to train staff in ways to differentiate instruction for all learners. Sample training activities, along with perceptions from participants and suggestions for …

Bring Context To Mentoring, Dean Cristol

Essays in Education

The nature of mentoring varies, but shares a commitment to nurture on-going, indepth relationships through dialogue, decision-making, and reflection that has often been absent in traditional university-field site settings. One of the most exciting aspects of this new approach to teacher education is sharing power and wisdom with a variety of participants. Teachers and teacher educators provide avenues for beginning teachers to teach from real world contexts in order to study the complexities of their own teaching. School-university partnerships inherently provide a rich resource for modeling problem solving and effective decision-making. This article will describe and examine staff development delivery …

The Best Of Both Worlds – The Hybrid Program, Hope Jordan, Marcia G. Derrick, Jill Crandell, Rhiannon Schuster

Essays in Education

The special education teacher shortage in the United States is a critical issue and becoming a national crisis. Universities struggle to provide sufficient numbers of trained and licensed teachers to fill this need. These shortages are intensifying as modern universities also struggle with concepts of on-line learning and adult learning styles. The Hybrid Model developed at Regent University, incorporates the best components of the traditional classroom with those of the on-line learning environment, and provides a program resulting in the best of both worlds. This article describes one such model, its successes, and suggestions for on-going improvement.