Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

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 …

The Acculturation Experience Of College Of Lake County’S International Students, Jacob Cushing

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined the acculturation experience of community college international students in the hopes of providing practitioners with a guide on best support practices. Considering the important contributions international students at community colleges make to the economy and the diverse environment at community colleges, it is essential that community college campuses provide effective academic, social, and cultural support in order to retain international students and to remain relevant in the international recruitment field. This study addresses the gap in the current literature on community college international students and provides institutional leadership with a foundation of knowledge and strategies to improve …

Open Doors And Closed Communities: Creating Community Colleges In White Flight Towns, Kristy Wittman Howell

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The College of DuPage (CoD), in suburban DuPage County, Illinois and Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in suburban Johnson County, Kansas, offer an interesting lens through which to examine topics of institutional history and culture, community relationships, and the leadership decisions of first presidents and their boards. The histories of CoD and JCCC, founded in restricted residency, affluent, and rapidly expanding suburbs in the 1960s also provide telling examples of campus/community interactions around the question of who could be a part of the community – and therefore the campus. Finally, comparing these two campuses affords readers a useful glimpse at …

College Leadership Opportunities' Impact On Life During And After College, Mark Anthony Pietrowski Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the personal experiences of 14 individuals who engaged in leadership opportunities during their college educations. Through in-depth interviews, this study sought to explore how those leadership experiences impacted their leadership, both in their careers and/or in the community, after their graduation from both 2 and 4-year institutions. Findings from this study indicate that participants identified that their leadership experiences had impacts upon their careers and leadership after graduation. Yet, participants also shared that they engaged in leadership because they were self-motivated to do so, rather than learning about these opportunities on their campus. The final finding indicated …

Transitional Math In Illinois: A Quantitative Study On Eligible And Enrolled Students, Whitney Lynn Martino

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Completing a post-secondary degree is crucial to being competitive in the current job market. By 2020, the majority of all jobs in the United States require post-secondary education and training; however, barriers to access and attainment exist among individuals working to obtain post-secondary degrees, and there is an overall slowdown in post-secondary attainment. Students entering college identified as under-prepared is one of the attainment barriers to a post-secondary degree. This is particularly problematic at open admissions institutions like community colleges. When students arrive at college academically unprepared, they are often required to take developmental or remedial education coursework. In response …

The Second Prong Of The Tinker Test: A Constitutional Right To Not Be Offended?, Jonathan Pilkington

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In the landmark 1969 Tinker v. Des Moines case, the Supreme Court ruled school districts could censor student speech if it caused a material and substantial disruption to the educational process or if the speech infringed upon the rights of others. Since then, the Supreme Court has also allowed schools to abridge students’ speech rights if the speech was obscene, if the speech was part of a school-sponsored activity, or if the speech promoted illegal drug use. Most of the court cases since Tinker have applied the first prong of the Tinker decision, focusing on disruption to education as the …

A Phenomenological Examination Of Womanist Leadership In An Urban Community College, Cynthia Denise Armster

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

There is an absence of research addressing Women of Color leaders in the academy, specifically relative to the influence of their cultural identity on their leadership styles. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of Women of Color leaders who served in cabinet-level positions at an urban midwestern multi-campus comprehensive community college system, how their leader persona impacted their decisions and policy-making as Women of Color leaders, and their perception of their impact and legacy in the mentoring of the next generation of Women of Color leaders within community colleges. This study is necessary to increase …

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 …

The Relationship Of The First-Year Seminar Course And Degree Completion At Kishwaukee College, Michelle Rothmeyer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether there is a relationship between students’ enrollment in the First-Year Seminar (FYS) course of Counseling and Student Development 100 (CSD 100), which is called The College Experience course at Kishwaukee College, and completion of an associate degree in a three-year period at Kishwaukee College. Specifically, what was the relationship between students who took the FYS course of CSD 100 and completed an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree over a three-year period, and does the effect of the relationship between students who took the FYS course …

Effectiveness Of Online Credit Recovery Programs, Diana Barbara Schill

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This case study evaluating three high schools’ blended online credit recovery programs spanned the course of three years. The first part of the study examined the student demographics and outlined the basic structure of the programs. The demographics showed a disproportionate number of students of color and students receiving Free/Reduced Lunch in the online credit recovery programs at each school when compared to the school population. Each program shared the blended structure – online instruction with teacher facilitation. While there were over 24 online courses offered in the program, this study focused on the core courses that all ninth graders …

It’S A Family Affair: Exploring The Needs Of Families In Supporting Trio Upward Bound Students, Tashena Denise Briggs

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

First-generation and/or low-income families have a difficult time navigating the college-going process. These families have daily obstacles that make preparing and entering post-secondary education challenging, including family trauma, financial hardships, decision-making skills, and lack of knowledge regarding college-going strategies. The purpose of this study is to uncover what specific support tools low-income and/or first-generation families participating in the Danielsville College TRIO Upward Bound program need as they support their students through the college-going process at Hinley Park High School. This qualitative study utilized a research methodology case study approach to understand the lived experiences of fifteen participants (one student, three …

Post-Traditional Student Perceptions Of Academic Advising In Community Colleges, Lindsay Rae Eickhorst

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Fifteen post-traditional, working professional community college students from a public, two-year institution located in the Midwest Region of the United States participated in this case study, which describes the participant’s experiences receiving academic advising. The purposeful sampling of working professional students represented mixed demographics including; five men and ten women, ages 20 to 54, all of whom worked full-time and attended school part-time. The martial status of the participants included single, divorced, and married. Nine of the participants were parents while one participant was responsible for her three younger siblings. For ten of the participants, this was not their first …

Kishwaukee College Alumni: Donating Behavior To Their Alma Mater, Kayte Marie Hamel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Over the last 20 years, there has been a significant decrease in funding for higher education. Institutions are increasingly forced to look at alternative methods for financing their college operations. One-way institutions are combatting the decrease in funding is through increased fundraising efforts. Fundraising by colleges and universities has become a mission critical fiscal need, especially for those institutions that are publicly funded. In general, charitable giving to institutions of higher education has been on the rise, with foundation support being one of the largest entities, followed by alumni giving. Community colleges are relatively new to the fundraising arena compared …

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 …

Women Obtaining The Superintendency: An Examination Of Internal And External Barriers That Influence A Woman's Career Trajectory, Jodi J. Megerle

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The role of public school superintendent is one of the most gendered executive positions in the United States, with men twenty times more likely than women to advance from teacher to superintendent. Although the majority of teachers and central office administrators in schools are women, the majority of superintendents are men. Women have made gains, yet under-representation continues to exist. As women break through the barriers, it is important to understand their experiences in administrative leadership as they navigate their careers. How do women in administration think and feel about working toward a male-dominated occupation? What barriers or opportunities have …

Faculty Supporting Community College Students' Academic Success, Personal Development And Social Adjustment: Perspectives Of First-Generation African American Men Students, Natalie Renee Page

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Guided by Rendón’s (1994) Validation Theory, this qualitative case study focused on first generation African American men students’ perceptions of academic and interpersonal validation they received from faculty at a minority serving community college and how such validating behaviors was instrumental to their success. Twenty first generation African American men students were interviewed. Findings indicate that when faculty demonstrate care and concern; are observant, approachable, and create interesting and stimulating class environments; are intentional in using encouraging and affirming validating words; and treat students as individuals and not just learners, first generation African American men students perceive them as supporting …

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, …

The Influence Of Student Discipline Practices On Students, School Climate And Culture, Matthew J. Clark

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The enactment of Senate Bill 100/Public Act 099-0456 (SB100) in 2016 compelled school districts throughout Illinois to evaluate student discipline policies. This dissertation examines the impact SB100 had on middle and high schools throughout the state and within a large suburban K-12 school district. This dissertation is organized into three separate papers. Paper 1 provides a historical context for disciplinary practices used for students in public schools both in Illinois and throughout the country and explores new discipline practices that have emerged since the passing of SB100. Paper 2 examines the implementation of SB100 through an SDT framework to investigate …

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 …