Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Eat Glass And Walk On Fire, While Managing A Pandemic: A Narrative Study Of African American Women Who Serve As Chief Housing Officers, Valronica Marie Scales

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Creating uncertainty and stress, the COVID-19 pandemic and increased attention on racial relations, drastically changed how higher education and student affairs operated. For African American women, combatting racism and sexism has always been a daily occurrence in their professional and personal life but the pandemic heightened the challenges African American women had to overcome. This narrative inquiry study explored the lived experiences of African American women who were serving as Chief Housing Officers at Predominately White Institutions during the first 18-months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings highlight how the intersection of sexism and racism shaped the lived experiences of the …

Creating A Sense Of Belonging For Latinx Students In Community College: You Matter, You Fit In, And You Belong, Francisco Javier Bataz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the perceptions of Latinx sense of belonging in a Midwest community college and how their academic and social experiences are impacted. Sense of belonging is meaningful to community college students because Latinx students are historically underserved in postsecondary education. The goal is to better understand the perceptions of Latinx students in a community college setting and to find out what factors impact sense of belonging. This study is significant because Latinx student retention outcomes in higher education are very low. The Latinx population is the fastest growing group in the United States. Therefore, providing support and an …

“It Takes A Village”: Student Mothers’ Experiences With Barriers And Support While Navigating Community College, Jeanine Mcmillen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Student parents may feel invisible on college campuses, especially student mothers, who often feel ignored and overlooked when institutional policies and practices are not tailored to their needs and challenges. These students are especially vulnerable to withdrawing from college, even in institutional contexts that boast a positive and welcoming climate for underrepresented students. Using validation theory with a critical lens as the guiding theoretical framework, this qualitative case study examined how student mothers at one community college navigate barriers and supports within and outside of the institution. Findings revealed three themes, indicating that student mothers must cobble together a village …

A Phenomenological Study Exploring Arab Muslim Students At Community College And Islamophobia, Dustin French

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Arab Muslim students continue to face various forms of islamophobia on campus despite efforts from the college to make campus more welcoming and inclusive. As Muslim students express concern about the rise of islamophobia on campus and bigoted rhetoric on social media, college leaders, administration, and faculty have an imperative role to play in curbing anti-Muslim sentiments, xenophobia, and racism across campus and in the classrooms. To address these concerns effectively and meaningfully, it is important for colleges to understand who their Arab Muslim students are and the challenges they face as college students amid islamophobia. This dissertation explored how …

Using Logistic Regression To Examine The Relationship Between Early Alert Systems And Success In Mathematics, Jennifer-Anne Tekawitha Hill

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Early alert systems are an intervention at community colleges that aim to identify and informally intervene with students who are struggling in their courses. This study examined the relationship between early alert systems and student success in developmental and gateway math courses. This study also examined if the impact of early alert referrals differed by class modality, as students in online classes were often unaware of resources available to them. Method: The sample was taken from one large primarily midwestern community college. Data was sourced from the institutional research department. Individual student transcript records were used, early alert referral information, …

The Co-Requisite Model: A Quantitative Analysis Of Its Relationship With Gateway English Course Success, Anita Moore-Bohannon

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if students’ participation in the ALP co-requisite developmental English program relates to the likelihood of passing gateway college-level English. Data was collected to allow for analysis of gateway college-level English passing probability for all students who participated in gateway college-level English courses during the fall and spring semesters between Fall 2018 and Spring 2021. To show trends in the data, descriptive statistics were calculated using the frequencies procedure, which shows counts and percentages of study participants that fall into each category of data. The chi-square test was used to show relationships …

Advising Matters: An Exploration Of Trio Students’ Experiences With Advising, Kari Schimmel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Academic advising has been identified as a key strategy in helping students to persist and complete their academic goals. This exploratory case study investigated student perceptions of advising, particularly low-income and first-generation students participating in a TRIO Student Support Services program at a midsize midwestern community college. Themes that emerged from interviews and document analysis were categorized by the researcher and found that students identified self-efficacy, proactive advising, relational development, and belonging and support as key practices. Institutional messages were also categorized as confirming or disconfirming. Results indicated effective advising practices that can be implemented into existing advising structures, with …

“They Just Think No One Struggles Here”: A Qualitative Case Study On The Experiences Of Students With Food Insecurity At A Small, Liberal Arts College In The Midwestern United States, Rachel Costello Pridgen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Food insecurity is more prevalent on college campuses than nationwide, though many assume it is not an issue. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of students with food insecurities at a small, liberal arts college. This study particularly focuses on how the liberal arts context influences the experiences of students with food insecurities. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis and analyzed through a single qualitative case study. Five themes emerged from the research: a) the perceptions of students as well-off created unique barriers; b) student participants had limited access to food …

Assessing Faculty Perceptions Of A Guided Pathways Model, Lesley Lynn Zimmerman-Cooper

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since the inception of the guided pathways model in 2015, most related research has focused on the interconnecting processes and practices that lead to student persistence and completion. While the processes and practices are the basis of the model, scholars acknowledge that the model's human capital and change management components are just as significant. An institution must have a majority of its faculty and staff engaged in and excited about shifting to guided pathways for the model to succeed and be sustainable. Buy-in across the institution, but especially from faculty, is essential to the model's overall effectiveness.This qualitative case study, …

Avoiding "Oh My God" Experiences: How White Female Developmental Literacy Instructors (Dis)Engage Race In Their Instructional Decision Making, Alison Michelle Douglas

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the instructional decision making of White female community college developmental literacy instructors in order to better understand pedagogical practices that impact educational inequities for Black male students in developmental literacy classes. Historically, the U.S education system has underserved Black male students, and college success rates demonstrate that educational inequities persist for Black male students today. Although much research has focused on educational inequities for Black male students in K-12 and university environments, little research has focused those inequities for Black male students in community colleges. In addition, although research that explores Black male experiences in educational settings …

Oh, You're The One That's Keeping Us Open: Senior Student Affairs Officers' Crisis Leadership And Decision Making In Response To Covid-19, Michael R. Lango

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the experience of higher education crisis leaders while facing an unprecedented crisis. COVID-19 thrust senior student affairs professionals, who most often serve as crisis leaders on small college campuses, into the position of decision-maker guiding the campus response to the pandemic. The research explored the crisis leadership experience of SSAOs during the first year of their crisis response. Five themes emerged from the data collected during the research: a) the influence of institutional structure and culture on decisions, b) uniqueness of crisis decision making, c) engagement and utilization of human resources, d) …

Sociodemographic Factors Influencing Choice Of Career Training Program: An Analysis Of Washington State Technical Colleges, Scott J. Latiolais

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Over 219,000 students enroll in Washington State’s 34 community and technical colleges annually. The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) also reports that of these students, 88,000, or 40%, are in career training programs. The need to examine these career training students’ decision-making behaviors is vital, given the $20.5 billion annual contribution these students make to the state economy. This study examines the factors that impact students’ selection of a high or low wage-earning program of study, determines the extent to which the impact varies for historically underserved student populations, and delineates which sociodemographic variables influence student …

What Does The Staff Say?: Front-Line Staff Perceptions Of Their Role In Student Success, Lee A. Helbert

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study focused on exploring the perceptions of front-line staff in supporting student success at a mid-western community college. These staff are generally the employees who are not generally involved with teaching or administration, but work in offices like the business, financial aid, enrollment services, or are administrative assistants to the different departments. Nine participants participated in individual interviews and/or a focus group discussion. These front-line staff shared their stories that related to how they saw themselves contributing to student success, what they saw as the challenges and benefits of supporting students, and what professional opportunities were provided by the …

Identifying Barriers Faced By Adult Learners In General Educational Development Programs, Matthew Patrick Beasland

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

It is estimated that 70% of all newly created jobs in Illinois by 2020 will need education beyond a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) diploma. In Illinois, 12% of adults 25 and older do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Individuals without a high school diploma or GED are twice as likely to be unemployed and if they are employed are more likely to be in a low-wage position. On average an individual without a high school diploma or GED will earn roughly $10,000 less annually. Given the increasing need for a high school …

I Belong At Harper College: A Qualitative Case Study On Fostering Community College Students’ Sense Of Belonging Through A First-Year Seminar Course, Emily Reabe

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

While community college is often seen as an avenue that provides access to higher education to a greater part of the population, community colleges have struggled with improving retention, persistence, and degree completion. Research highlights the importance of helping students develop a sense of belonging at the institution, which has been found to improve retention, persistence, and degree completion. One avenue to do so may be through requiring students to enroll in a First Year Seminar course. This qualitative case study explored the way in which a First Year Seminar course may influence students’ sense of belonging at a community …

Becoming Internationalized: Faculty Directors Of International Programs At Universities In Japan, Robert Joseph Schalkoff Ii

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Internationalization is a key component in the strategic visions of universities worldwide. Japanese universities are no exception. The strategic internationalization or Kokusaika of universities in Japan is led at the national level by the central government. Faculty members, in particular those charged with campus internationalization, are the drivers of internationalization at the institutional level. These faculty members are highly internationalized themselves. However, little is known about how faculty members at Japanese universities become internationalized. Research on the paths they take, what factors play a role in the process of internationalization, and what influence their internationalization has on the institutions they …

Connecting Evidence Use And Practice In K-12 Education: Discovering And Planning For Research Practice Partnerships, Amy Jo Clemens

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation, I begin with a paper exploring K-12 educators’ use of evidence. I give several examples of how practitioners are delivering programming that is in direct opposition to commonly held evidence-based understandings, explore the reasons why this is happening and then offer a relatively new type of partnership between practitioners and researchers that looks promising in the ongoing pursuit of greater research engagement and use of evidence by practitioners. This paper also applies the Outcomes Based Concern Model for deconstructing the reasons practitioners do not use evidence to the degree desired by policymakers.

In the second paper I …

Remodeled Classrooms: Experiential Learning And Its Impact, Mindy Kinnaman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined how faculty learn how to host and facilitate experiential learning activities for their classes and how the faculty are impacted by the work. Findings based upon nine semi-structured interviews indicated that fewer than half of participants had been formally trained to host experiential learning activities and some received no training at all. Findings also indicated that faculty experienced several personal benefits to hosting experiential learning activities, as did their students. Recommendations that emerged from this project include training programs for faculty, mentoring programs, and funding of experiential learning programs.

A Phenomenological Study Of First-Generation Latin@ Community College Students As They Successfully Persist In College, Michelé Elaine Smith

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research has shown that community colleges are essential to the economic development of the communities they serve; therefore, it is imperative attention be given to ensuring the academic success of today’s fastest growing college population: first-generation Latin@ students. This study was founded on the principle that understanding the supports (experiences that decrease individual stress levels), challenges (experiences that increase individual stress levels), and coping strategies (behaviors used by the individual to relieve stress) described by first-generation Latin@ community college students who successfully persist in college will provide valuable information for reform efforts in higher education for all students.

Utilizing the …

Exploring The Cultural And Structural Barriers Justice-Involved Individuals Of Color Encounter In Urban Community Colleges, Eddie J. Phillips, Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the cultural and structural barriers justice-involved individuals of color encountered at an urban community college and the construct of stigma as a mechanism for creating cultural and structural barriers. Additionally, this study explores justice-involved individuals’ sense of belonging and self-efficacy as community college students. Findings revealed that all justice-involved individuals participating in the study encountered barriers. Despite the cultural and structural barriers participants encountered, many expressed a positive sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and “gifts” based on their newly discovered purpose as college students. Cultural and structural barriers, as well as a new sense of pride and purpose, …

Excess Credit Accumulation Impact On Degree Attainment For Community College Students, Stacy Riley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between excess credit accumulation and timely degree completion for community college degree-seeking students. The research model used in this study is based on quantitative logistic and linear regression models, whereby the dependent variable was degree attainment within 150% of normal time and time to degree measured in months respectively. This study included all students admitted to a technical diploma or associate degree program excluding one-course technical diplomas over a five-year period (2011-2016) for a total of 27,133 observations at a southeastern Wisconsin technical college.

The study’s findings showed there was no statistically …

Student Financial Aid Processes And Borrowing Perspectives, Carol Pierson Milhous

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

There is a rising level of debt associated with attending college. Educational investment decisions, knowledge of financial management, attitudes and practices of student borrowing can have a significant impact on students’ futures. Student loan debt has been linked to adverse effects post-graduation in terms of employment, savings and making major purchases. Financial aid and money management skills of federal student loans are needed to help students achieve a quality life as working adults (Wolber, 2012). Approaches toward basic financial aid literacy and managing student debt should be addressed on college campuses.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to …

Exploring African American Students’ Perceptions Of Belonging At An Urban Community College In The Western United States, Sylinda Nicole Gordon Musaindapo

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

African American students’ perceptions of belonging impact their experiences on community college campuses and in their local communities. This research study explores the impact of gentrification on a group of resilient African American college students in an urban community college located in the western region of the United States. Participants used negative experiences with onlyness and otherness as opportunities to build community for other African Americans.