Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

The Undergraduate Teaching Assistant: Scholarship In The Classroom, Sarah M. Flinko, Ronald C. Arnett

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This essay casts the role of the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) within a Kantanian sense of imagination—the not yet pushes off of the actual and the tangible (Kant, 1781/1963). The UTA accesses a temporal glimpse into a professional scholar/teacher vocation through experience in a lived context that unites teaching and scholarship. The role of the UTA offers what Martin Buber (1965/1988) called “imagining the real” (p. 60), a moment of creative ingenuity that begins with the doing of concrete tasks within the profession.

Editor's Note, Janie M. H. Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the Editor’s Note to Volume 33, Issue 2 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Teaching Communication Ethics As Central To The Discipline, Robert L. Ballard, Leeanne M. Bell Mcmanus, Annette M. Holba, Spoma Jovanovic, Paula S. Tompkins, Lori J. N. Charron, Melba L. Hoffer, Michelle A. Leavitt, Tammy Swenson-Lepper

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Communication ethics as a field of study within the communication discipline has made significant contributions in a variety of areas, including teaching. This paper offers an historical overview of communication ethics, with special attention to four major approaches to pedagogy – ethics in human communication, moral psychology and intuition, a communication ethics framework, and a critical communication ethics pedagogy. For the department seeking to incorporate communication ethics through stand-alone courses or throughout curricula, the authors suggest ways for communication administrators to address questions of desired competencies for communication graduates, and to articulate related learning outcomes. Future recommendations for the field …

From The Voice Of The President: Advancing The Discipline Through Communication Leadership, Amanda Mckendree, Christina Mcdowell Marinchak

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

College and university presidents hold significant leadership positions not only in an administrative capacity, but also in their respective academic disciplines. This summary report presents results from a study of college and university presidents who hold an academic degree in communication at any level (BA, MA, and/or Ph.D.). The interview findings are organized according to the following major themes: Disciplinary identity, Ethical communication, Communication leadership, and Advocacy within the discipline. The summary report concludes by highlighting responses to the interview findings from top leaders within the communication discipline.

Practitioner Strategies For Effective Advocacy Engagement In The Usa, Elizabeth Ann Burns

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Increased defunding and destaffing of school libraries in public schools in the United States makes advocating for school library programs increasingly important. Practicing school librarians must develop an understanding of advocacy so they will know how and when to act for their program. Additionally, it is important to identify advocacy strategies so that strong advocacy plans may be developed. This study identifies the activities and practices of advocacy within the library programs of a group of practicing librarians. Findings suggest successful strategies of advocacy follow three themes: building awareness for the school library program, engagement of the librarian in the …

Social And Psychological Factors Related To The Career Exploration Process Of Young Adults, Joanne N. Hellmann

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This study examined social and psychological factors influencing the career exploration process of young adults. The predictor variables of this study were parental attachment, peer attachment, and self-efficacy; the outcome variables were environmental/occupational exploration, self-exploration, and career indecision. Data for this study were collected using various measures that were compiled into one survey hosted on Qualtrics. Results indicated that secure maternal attachment predicted secure peer attachment and high self-efficacy in young adults. Greater peer attachment was negatively correlated with environmental exploration. A higher level of self-efficacy was positively correlated with environmental exploration and negatively correlated with career indecision. These results …

Seclusion And Restraint Policy And Practice: Are We Doing The Right Thing?, Laura L. Strunk

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The overall purpose of this research study was to gain an understanding of the significance of the policy and practice of seclusion and restraint interventions used with individuals in the public school system in the United States and to determine how the policy and practice of those interventions are currently being implemented in schools across the United States. Despite the research that shows that the use of seclusion and restraint interventions is harmful, these interventions continue to be used in school settings across the United States. Policies and regulations have been established regarding the use of seclusion and restraint in …

Revisiting The Determinants Of Students' Performance In An Undergraduate Accountancy Degree Programme In Singapore, Poh Sun Seow, Gary Pan, Joanne Siok Wan Tay

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The current study investigates the association of prior academic achievement, admission interview, critical thinking, mathematical aptitude and gender with successful academic performance in an undergraduate accountancy degree programme at a Singapore university. The purpose of revisiting the determinants of academic performance in the Singapore context is twofold. First, university accounting education in Singapore has changed greatly since Koh and Koh’s earlier study (1999); the current study examines if determinants previously identified as significant continue to be so in the new setting. Second, the study tests the usefulness of admission interview in identifying applicants who achieve subsequent academic success. Data on …

Determining Undergraduate Factors That Predict Academic Success In Pharmacy School, Stephen Polley

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Admission into pharmacy school is a very competitive process, and as a result multiple authors have looked at a variety of factors in an effort to create a systematic process that admissions committees can use to identify candidates who are likely to succeed in the rigorous pharmacy curriculum. One of the issues with this approach is that these analyses tend to be very institution-specific. In this paper I hope to identify a mechanism that the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Pharmacy admissions committee can use to efficiently and thoroughly evaluate candidates using scientifically validated factors.

This study uses a …

Do College Presidents Matter? An Analysis Of The Effects Of College Presidents On Retention And Graduation Rates, Wesley Whistle

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Higher education is going through a transformative time. Effective leadership of these institutions is increasingly important. Public institutions are losing more government support from both the state and federal level. Colleges and universities are also facing higher standards from the federal government. When presidential search committees are looking for candidates for their college or university, they are seeking a leader who addresses these issues, as well as many others.

Addressing falling financial support requires increased attention to fundraising. Some accept that presidents are hired primarily for fundraising for the colleges and do not expect them to play a role in …

Project Reconnect Program: Engaging Truant Adolescents Through Pre-Court Diversion, Trevis C. Killen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The current literature on truancy diversion court programs has failed to examine middle and high school truants’ perceptions regarding how well truancy diversion court programs improve school attendance and performance. As a result, the purpose of this study was to examine participants’ perceptions regarding how well the Project Reconnect Diversion Program empowered their improved school attendance, compliance with school rules, and completion of classroom assignments. The researcher used a case study design to investigate the participants’ perceptions of the Project Reconnect Diversion Program. Purposive sampling was employed to select the participants who completed the Project Reconnect Diversionary Program during the …

Sex And Gender Identity: A New Perspective For College Student Development, Steven Ray Wise

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

One of the goals of college student development professionals is to help undergraduate students develop a meaningful sense of personal identity. Early in the history of the profession, practitioners borrowed freely from related fields such as sociology and psychology to guide their practice, but beginning around the 1960s, scholars began in earnest to develop their own unique body of literature. In this work I examine the development of that scholarly work as it relates to identity development—specifically the evolution of understanding around the issues of sex and gender identity development.

Beginning with William Perry, whose work has impacted so many …

Motivations For Volunteering In A Faith-Based Mentoring Program, Trudy Weatherspoon Willis-Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Adolescent males are being suspended or expelled at high rates. Faith-based organizations have developed programs to address these problems by using adult male volunteers to mentor high-risk youth; however, recruiting sufficient mentors is a problem because organizers lack an understanding of the factors that motivate men to volunteer. If this problem can be alleviated, then faith-based organizations will be better able to recruit volunteers to serve students. Guided by the functionalist theory, the purpose of this study was to determine what demographic characteristics and motivating factors discriminated between volunteers and non-volunteers. A causal comparative design was employed and the …

From Preschool To Prosperity: The Economic Payoff To Early Childhood Education, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Press

Bartik shows that investment in high-quality early childhood education has several long-term benefits, including higher adult earnings for program participants.

Changes In School Connectedness And Deviant Peer Affiliation Among Sixth-Grade Students From High-Poverty Neighborhoods, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Kate Niehaus, Lisa J. Crockett, Christopher R. Rakes

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This longitudinal study examined associations between changes in School Connectedness and changes in Affiliation With Deviant Peers among students from high-poverty backgrounds during the year immediately following the transition to middle school. Sixth-graders (N = 328) attending two middle schools in a large school district completed measures of School Connectedness and Affiliation With Deviant Peers at three points across the year. Results from parallel process modeling showed that students’ reports of School Support significantly declined across the school year, School Support and Affiliation With Deviant Peers were negatively associated at the beginning of the school year, and students who reported …

Nontraditional Hispanic College Students' Perceptions Of Their Sense Of Belonging At A 2-Year College In Southwest Texas, Ronald Eugene Zawacki-Maldonado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to understand how a sense of belonging contributes to graduation persistence among nontraditional Hispanic college students. The collectivist culture among these adult learners often results in family and work obligations that curtail their pursuit of higher education. The voices of these students are mostly absent in the current literature and warrant the current research study. Sense of belonging and retention theory formed the conceptual framework for this phenomenological study. A purposeful sample of 16 nontraditional Hispanic students enrolled in a 2-year community college in Southwest Texas participated in interviews. Data analysis focused on themes …

An Investigation Of The Differences Between Continuing And Non-Continuing Undergraduate Special Admission Students Related To Academic Advising Factors, Kevin P. Reeves

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined some differences between continuing and non-continuing special admission students in areas of academic advising in ways that are more systematic and thorough than past research. The premise of the study is that having a clearer understanding of how academic advising affects retention might provide colleges and universities with information to optimize the collegiate experience for special admission students. Therefore, research on the effect academic advising has on special admission student retention might offer insight into how the interactions between student and advisor affect retention issues.

A non-experimental descriptive research design was employed to investigate the differences between …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (Pbis): Lessons Learned From The Implementation Process Of An Evidence-Based Program, Tara Mershon

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to assess the implementation process of PBIS in rural, consolidated school districts in southern Minnesota. The ideals of PBIS are in line with GFW Schools mission to foster lifelong learners in a caring environment. GFW schools aspire to promote positive social and emotional behavior and provide all students with a quality education to prepare them for future educational experiences. The recommendations from this project will inform the implementation of PBIS in the GFW School District, which is occurring in the 2014-2016 academic years.

Veteran Educators' Perceptions Of The Internet's Impact On Learning And Social Development, Matthew Vincent Glowiak

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a time where some 2.4 billion Internet users exist worldwide, children are increasingly impacted by the Internet's influence, both directly and indirectly. With technology now playing a significant role in childhood learning and social development, many unforeseen shifts are occurring that will ultimately impact lifespan development. Although researchers have provided mixed results concerning the impact of the Internet on learning and social development, the body of evidence indicates that veteran K-8 educators who are comfortable and experienced with the Internet view it more favorably. This grounded theory study systematically generated the multisystem technological engagement theory (MSTET) to explain the …

Building A Professional Learning Community At The University Level: A Case Study Of An Information Fluency Initiative, Susan Bennett Slavicz

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An examination of the research regarding the problems associated with student academic writing indicated that two abilities, writing abilities and information literacy skills, intersect, and that an accepted term for this intersection is information literacy. The University of Central Florida’s Information Fluency Initiative recognized information literacy as a key component in developing students’ information fluency skills. This qualitative case study of the initiative used semi-structured interviews, study of documents, and observations to gather data in order to describe how the university planned, developed, and implemented the initiative. Study of relevant literature, narrative analysis (Tierney & Lincoln, 1997), inductive analysis (Hatch, …

Unions And Democracy: When Do Nonmembers Have Voting Rights?, Melanie Stallings Williams, Dennis A. Halcoussis

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Explicit Listening Strategy Instruction On The Listening Comprehension Of English As Second Language (Esl) Community College Students, Yi Guan

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored the effects of explicit listening strategy instruction on the beginning-level ESL learner's listening comprehension at a community college in Northern California. Most previous studies measured the effectiveness of listening strategy instruction by comparing students' test scores, but little research explored the students' listening strategy development and their perceptions of the strategy instruction. Furthermore, no prior research exists on the effects of listening strategy instruction among community college students.

The researcher employed the concurrent triangulation approach, collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously. Data sources included interviews, a listening test, background surveys, and classroom …

A Double Case Study Of Latino College Presidents: What Younger Generations Can Learn From Them, Sara Aymerich Leiva

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This double case study examines the academic journeys of a Latino university president and a Latina college president of Mexican descent. The aim of this study was to discover how they overcame barriers and become successful in a career where only 3.8% are Latino/a presidents. In order to come to learn about their lives and career paths, the researcher interviewed each president face-to-face, asking 26 open-ended questions related to their experiences growing up and being educated in bilingual families. The researcher is a bilingual Latina who teaches high school ESL, and as she taught for her first few years, she …

Presidential Arcs: What Institutional Histories Can Tell Us About The Office, Jennifer A. Carlo

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This comparative case study defined and examined the presidential arc at three small, private colleges in the Northeast. The study of an institution's presidential arc is proposed as a more effective means of assessing the success or failure of higher education presidencies than examination of a single presidency in isolation. The presidential arc, a concept introduced in this study, is defined as a comprehensive and integrative examination of: each individual presidency, or, at institutions with a history of short-term presidents who left little impact on, groups of presidencies; the level of success of each presidency, as determined by a definition …

Leadership Characteristics And Practices Of American Association Of School Administrators (Aasa) Superintendents Of The Year And Finalists, Doris Lynette Crawford

Online Theses and Dissertations

Houston (2007) concluded, "To preserve the possibilities for our children requires leadership, and that leadership is also a critical condition for success. While the educational journey takes place in the classroom and school, the trip is planned, the fuel is acquired, and the steering is done in the superintendent's office" (p. 432). The purpose of this study was to determine the key characteristics and practices needed by school district superintendents to meet the demands of this position in the twenty-first century. The key characteristics were identified by exemplary superintendents who had been recognized for their effectiveness. 55% of the population …

Community College Students With Psychological Disorders And Their Perceptions Of Online Learning, Gretchen Winifred Langford Warren

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Research focusing on students with learning disabilities is abundant for secondary and higher education. Studies utilizing data on students with psychological disorders cover secondary and 4-year university education. However, community college students with psychological disorders and their perception of online classes is an area of educational research which lacks data. Students across a wide spectrum of psychological disorders tend to find learning challenging. The community college's learning environment may best fit their learning styles. With modem educational innovations, the online learning methods must take into consideration the unique psychosocial, cognitive, and academic needs of the community college student population.

Gauging The Alignment Between School And Work: An Activity Theory Analysis Of Police Report Writing Instruction, Marianna R. Hendricks

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation is based on a fifteen-month study of police report writing instruction at one agency, connecting the curriculum at the training academy, field training, and the needs and expectations of multiple report audiences and users. It draws from Rhetorical Genre Studies (Miller, 1984; Russell, 2009), Activity Theory (Engeström, 2008), and Situated Learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Dias, Freedman, Medway, and Paré, 1999) to explore how novices learn a new genre through activity, and how this is complicated by a transition between school and work outside of a university context. Specifically, it focuses on the role of andragogical (rather than …

Higher Education And Foreign Direct Investment: A Study Of Mexican States, Yuyinska Krystal Sanchez-Osio

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Factors that attract Foreign Direct Investment in Mexico at the state level are analyzed. Special focus is placed on how human capital promotes growth by attracting more FDI flows in a state. A model that explains the amount of FDI received in Mexico in 2012 is developed at a subnational level. The main independent variable is human capital, and it is measured using percentage of university graduates. The model controls for other possible determinant factors such as population, infrastructure, wages, fiscal incentives, geographic location, ease of doing business, and past experience in attracting FDI. It is tested using ordinary least …

Youth Sport Coaching Efficacy: Coach Education Level As A Predictor Of Coaching Efficacy, Geoffrey V. Weller

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this research was to evaluate coaches’ level of education as a predictor of their coaching efficacy level. The study tested ten hypotheses. Two for each of the five types of coaching efficacy identified: (1) Coaches with a higher level of education will not exhibit a higher level of coaching efficacy and (2) male coaches will not exhibit a higher level of coaching efficacy than similarly educated female coaches. Individuals (N=1669) coaching teams within the YMCA of Lincoln, NE Youth Sports Branch were emailed a link to an online survey developed using Qualtrics software. An analysis of variance …

Ua3/9/7 Fall 2013 End Of Semester Message, Wku President's Office - Ransdell

WKU Administration Documents

Email from WKU president Gary Ransdell to faculty & staff.