Higher Education Commons^™

A Study Of The Relationship Between Psychological Androgyny And College Adjustment Among Korean American College Students, Daniel Donghyun Kim

Dissertations

Problem. The process of adjusting to college has been difficult for many Korean-Americans because of the tension that exists between traditional sex roles versus androgynous sex roles. While it has opened doors to new and exciting opportunities in personal growth, complex challenges of academic, emotional, and social adjustments must be made. The traditional views of the subculture have posed unique problems for young Korean Americans who have enrolled in higher education. This descriptive study examined the relationship between androgynous flexibility and the college adjustment of Korean American students. Androgynous flexibility was investigated in terms of college adjustment.

Method. The sample …

The Relationship Of Student Retention To Teacher/Student Personality Types At Summit Christian College, C. Joseph Martin

Dissertations

For the past 3 decades, retention studies have emerged as being of significant importance to the smaller colleges and universities, especially the private colleges and universities, including Summit Christian College. With the decline in the high-school population, which was predicted to occur in the mid-70s, retention was going to be of even more importance to the smaller educational institutions. All of this pointed toward a time when colleges would have to compete for the high-school graduate in a more aggressive manner. It was possible that unless new ways of coping with the drop-out rate were initiated, a number of smaller …

Marketing Seventh-Day Adventist Higher Education In Southeast Asia, Geoffrey A. Pauner

Dissertations

Problem

There has been a concern by educational leaders of the Adventist church in the Asia Pacific Division that a number of parents of Seventh-day Adventist students choose to educate their children in non-Adventist primary and secondary schools. This study sought to determine if this concern is prevalent in Adventist colleges in Southeast Asia. To find answers to this concern the following questions were posed.

1. What methods do these colleges use to promote or recruit SDA students?

2. How do these colleges attract SDA students?

3. What special programs are in place in the colleges to retain SDA students? …

Guidelines For Developing A Campus Master Plan Document For Small Colleges And Universities, Bradley Allen Jamison

Dissertations

Problem. From a review of dissertations in the field of campus master planning, no study was found that attempted to identify the essential elements, principles, configuration and format of campus master plans for guiding small colleges and universities in developing a master plan document. The lack of this type of study left a void in the campus planning process in regards to developing a campus master plan, its purpose, and how it contributed to the overall strength of a small college or university with little campus planning experience.

Results. A campus master plan document was developed from the summation of …

Intrinsic Motivation For Learning Of The Adult Graduate Student At Western Michigan University, Phyllis Crandall

Dissertations

The perceptions of adult graduate students concerning barriers to the educational process and their levels of motivation for pursuing a graduate degree were investigated. The established motivational theory first expressed by Abram Maslow in 1954 was used in defining the first variable of motivation to learning when pertaining to the healthy self-actualized individual. The second variable chosen was a listing of student perceived barriers to the educational process as defined by H. G. Schulze in 1987. It was hypothesized that the higher the level of the barriers overcome per Schutze's scale, the higher the level of intrinsic motivation in the …

The Acceptance Of Computers By Administrative Leadership At Baker College, William Mccormick Luczyk

Dissertations

Procedures for recording information, capturing data for distribution to faculty, students, and other campuses was often being done manually by administrators at Baker College. Because of either a lack of access, or a lack of knowledge and training, simple computer data searches, spreadsheets, and telecommunications were difficult to accomplish and in some cases could not be done by Baker College administrators.

The sample population for this research consisted of forty-six males and forty-seven females for a total of ninety-three existing Baker College administrators, from nine campuses of varying size, throughout the State of Michigan. Data in the areas of computer …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Critical Thinking Skills And Preferred Learning Styles Of First Year Nursing Students, Gloria J. Clocklin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between the manner in which nursing students preferred to learn and their ability to think critically. First year nursing students (N = 197) from four colleges in a rural Midwestern geographic region were the subjects for the study. Students represented practical nursing, associate degree nursing, and baccalaureate degree nursing programs and were all in their first nursing course. Entire cohort groups from each college were included in the study.

The Kolb (1985) Learning Style Inventory and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA, Watson & Glaser, 1980) were administered …

Classroom Personalities Of Effective Teachers Within A Technical College Setting, Fred Manley

Dissertations

This study used student ratings to examine relationships between instructor personality and teaching effectiveness for technical college faculty. Research was specifically conducted to address three questions: (1) what personality traits are associated with effective teaching, (2) do the personality profiles of effective teachers differ by academic area, and (3) are there personality dimensions that distinguish above average from below-average instructors.

Students enrolled in classes taught by instructors randomly selected from the accounting, computer information systems, marketing, and office occupations departments at five Wisconsin technical colleges rated their instructors on 29 personality traits and 18 teaching behaviors. Pearson product-moment correlations were …

Leadership Practices And Job Satisfaction: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Academic Deans And Department Chairpersons, Vera Kay Dauffenbach

Dissertations

The focus of this study was an examination of the relationship between academic deans and department chairpersons with respect to leadership practices and job satisfaction. In particular, the purpose was to study the impact of academic deans' leadership practices on the job satisfaction of department chairpersons.

The study involved a random sample of 300 academic deans and 300 department chairpersons from colleges and universities in four upper Midwest states. Testing of seven null hypotheses was based on the responses of 170 deans (57%) and 140 chairpersons (47% ). The instruments used were the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 1987), …

A Study Of The Awareness And Understanding Of Distance Education By Leadership Roles At Community Colleges In Michigan, Douglas H. Lape

Dissertations

Community colleges are faced with the challenge of providing educational opportunities to an increasing and diverse population at a time of educational reform and decreasing financial resources. The colleges are expected to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve through open access, a diversity of high quality courses, and with schedules that accommodate the life styles of their students.

The study was designed to answer the following research question: Are there differences between the five leadership role groups, at Michigan’s 29 community colleges, regarding levels of awareness and understanding about distance education as a means of providing courses …

Student Evaluations Of Teachers, Student Ratings Of Teacher Behaviors, And Their Relationship To Student Achievement : A Cross Ethnic Comparison, Trudy Ann Holmes

Dissertations

Problem. This study was conducted to determine (1) whether student evaluations of teachers and ratings of teacher behaviors are related to the ethnicity of the students, (2) the relationship between overall student evaluations of teachers, classes, and ratings of teacher behaviors, and (3) the relationship between student evaluations of teachers, ratings of teacher behaviors, and student achievement.

Method. Two teacher evaluation instruments were administered to students in undergraduate classes at a Christian college and a Christian university. The Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) was used as a high-inference evaluation form and the Teacher Behavior Inventory (TBT) was used as …

An Experimental Analysis Of Instructional Technologies Applied To The Three Contingency Model Of Performance Management, Judith S . Devoe

Dissertations

This research had four goals: (1) to refine the theory of performance management based on rule-governed behavior and refine the three-contingency model of performance. management, (2) to develop a university-level programmed instruction unit to teach the three-contingency model of performance management, (3) to test for functional independence between response classes—using concept-discrimination and concept-exemplification, and (4) to test a common assumption of programmed instruction— the necessity for active responding (this assumption was tested with both concept-discrimination training and concept-exemplification training).

Participants included fifty-nine undergraduates enrolled in a behavior analysis course. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (1) the …

An Exploration Of Students’ And Business Persons’ Ratings Of The Importance Of Writing Skills For Business Success, Miriam P. Coleman

Dissertations

The central question explored in this research was whether the perceptions of undergraduate students and business employers about the importance of writing skills for success in business differ from one another. Related questions were posed about the relationship of certain individual characteristics such as sex, student classification, and student institutional affiliation and their interactions to these perceptions.

Subjects were selected from both public and private institutions of higher education and 11 medium-sized businesses in western Michigan. Data collection was accomplished using two 30-item Likert-type Importance of Business Writing (IBW) questionnaires developed for obtaining information on the perceptions of subjects relative …

A Study Of Tuition In Public Comprehensive Universities And Colleges: A Model For Analyzing Factors That Affect Tuition, Michael J. Roy

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain how enrollment and financial factors affect tuition at public comprehensive universities and colleges, and to determine the relative influences that these factors are likely to have on future tuition levels.

The study methodology included the analysis of 4 years of tuition, enrollment, and financial data for fiscal years 1987 through 1990 of public comprehensive universities and colleges located within the contiguous 48 states of the United States. In each of the 4 years being studied, approximately 300 institutions completed the IPEDS surveys to allow them to be included in the study.

The …

Faculty Development Programs And Evaluation In American Colleges And Universities, Antonio Nicolas Rubino

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine (a) the importance and frequency of offering of personal, instructional, curriculum, research, academic advising, and organizational development programs in universities and colleges in the United States; and (b) the types and times of evaluation of faculty development practices. Types of evaluation studied included measuring participant satisfaction, participant learning, on the- job behavior, and organizational effects. Times of evaluation included during the implementation of the practice, evaluation immediately after the implementation, and evaluation a month or more after the implementation.

A sample of 195 faculty developers from research, doctorate-granting, and comprehensive universities, and …

The Identification And Validation Of Sociopsycholinguistic Strategies For Integrating Reading And Writing At The Postsecondary Level, Gail L. Landberg

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify a common set of strategies as determined by two panels of experts (practitioners and theorists), which reflected a sociopsycholinguistic teaching model integrating reading and writing processes on the postsecondary level.

At the present time approximately 30% of the students entering college have some type of skill need, and tertiary institutions have been compelled to admit this type of developmental student to survive financially. Higher education has responded to this crisis by providing developmental programs to assist students in improving their basic skills.

Despite the fact that recent educational research on language acquisition …

The Organizational Communication Climate And Utilization Of Lines Of Communication Within Purdue University Calumet, Judith Lynn Hack

Dissertations

Problem. The study explored the health of organizational communication at an urban regional commuter campus of a midwestern university through use of Communication Climate, System-Semantic, and Episodic Communication Channels in Organizations (ECCO) methodologies. This combination of methodologies formed an internal audit of communication processes at the University (Spring 1992). The effectiveness of communication within the University after a 20-year period of significant internal change was studied.

Method. Climate methodology measured Trust, Participative Decision-Making, Supportiveness, Openness, Listening, and Performance Goals aspects and a Composite Climate through written surveys with Faculty, Clerical and Service staff, and Administrative/Professional groups. System-Semantics methodology utilized (1) …

The Relationship Between Cooperative Education And Other Criteria In Attractiveness For Hiring, Carl B. Wagner

Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of employers who belong to the Midwest College Placement Association and actively recruit graduates from Midwestern colleges and universities. Their attitudes on hiring criteria and kinds of work experience which influence the decision to hire were surveyed using an equal-appearing interval scale. The data collected were disaggregated according to the academic majors of the graduates hired using a chi-square analysis and t tests. The validity of the instrument developed by a team of experts was tested with a pilot survey to determine mean and modal scores of each item to establish which items should be …

The Empirical Development Of A College Curriculum Of The Epistle To The Galatians, Dragutin Matak

Dissertations

Problem. Seventh-day Adventist adolescents need a clear understanding of the gospel which provides the assurance of salvation. Since in Seventh-day Adventist colleges there is no curriculum for the Epistle to the Galatians, this study was intended to provide college religion students with the opportunity to understand cognitively and to apply experientially the claims of the gospel as presented in Galatians.

Method. The basic philosophy of the learning approach utilized in this study was that a curriculum is more than a blueprint for educational planning. In Christian education, curriculum is a bridge between theory and practice in the cognitive, affective …

Developing A Model For The Organization, Administration, And Programs For Community Colleges In Malaysia, Boni Thadius Gaban

Dissertations

Problem

The large number of Malaysian students studying overseas indicates that there is a paucity of extant institutions of higher learning in Malaysia to cater to the increasing number of secondary school graduates. It was therefore the purpose of this study to develop a model for the organization, administration, and programs for community colleges in Malaysia.

Method

Documentary and survey methodology was used. This study covered the philosophy, purposes, organizational structures, personnel, programs, and roles for community colleges in Malaysia. From the review of related literature, interviews with administrators of community colleges in the United States, and the survey to …

The Relationship Between Attitudes Toward Women, Rape Myth Acceptance, And Sexual Coercive Experiences Of Male And Female Students At Religious And Public Colleges, Lennard Allan Jorgensen

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to find the prevalence of sexual coercion and to explore relationships between sexual coercion, attitudes toward women, and rape myth acceptance of men and women on Seventh-day Adventist and public college campuses.

Method. Three scales furnished scores for sexual coercive experiences, attitudes toward women, and rape myth acceptance. Multiple- and step-wise regression analyses were used to discover relationships between attitudes toward women, rape myth acceptance, and religious affiliation, college affiliation and sexual coercion. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the influence of age, religious affiliation, college affiliation, religion, type of coercion, …

Guidelines For Campus Beautification With Special Reference To Seventh-Day Adventist Academies And Colleges In North America, Larry W. Boughman

Dissertations

Problem. Few recognize the potential between campus beautification and the enrichment of the institutional programs or the responsibility role of stewardship for school lands. Often, campus beautification has not been considered an important item in capital outlay.

Method. The study utilized the descriptive method. Literature was reviewed to gather concepts related to campus beautification that could be applied to SDA academies and colleges. Ideas were gathered from personal contacts with chairs of other institutions in the area of landscape architecture and from the fifty states that had published guidelines for campus beautification. On the basis of the ideas and information …

Administrative And Faculty Development: A Study Of Academic Chairpersons, Mary Ann Bowman

Dissertations

The professional development of academic chairpersons has been neglected both by higher education institutions and as a field of study. This study focused on assessing both the perceptions of chairpersons toward administrative and faculty development and their degree of participation in development activities and roles.

A survey instrument was designed to make this assessment and was mailed to 311 chairpersons at eight midwestern public universities classified as Doctorate-Granting Universities I. The response rate was 75%, with 234 questionnaires returned .

The results of the survey showed that although chairpersons view both administrative development and faculty development as important, faculty development …

Self-Reported Leadership Styles Of Higher Education Administrators In Venezuela As Related To Selected Demographic Variables, Julian Serafin Martin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the self-reported leadership style of higher education administrators in Venezuela as related to six selected demographic variables: age, sex, highest academic degree earned, years of experience in either colleges or technological institutes, marital status, and union experiences. The subjects of the study were 58 directive council members of three colleges and five technological institutes in Venezuela. Eighty-three percent of all potential subjects participated in the study. Two instruments--the LBA-II-Self (Spanish version produced by Blanchard Training and Development, Inc.) and a demographic data form--were used to gather data.

The validity and reliability of …

Members Of Minority Student Organizations And Their Perceptions Of Their Academic And Social Integration, Oris Tamaria Griffin

Dissertations

Hundreds of studies of student retention have been conducted at colleges and universities over the years, and invariably they have focused on identifying student characteristics and other factors related to retention, as well as on causes of attrition which can help us identify ways to improve this situation.

Importantly the literature on student retention has identified academic and social integration as playing key roles in student retention, although admittedly some studies have shown more promise on these variables than others.

The purpose of this study was to determine if members of any one of three organizational types (social, professional, ethnic) …

A Study Management Course For High-Risk Black College Freshmen, Mark Andrew Jackson

Dissertations

Attrition of high-risk, black college students has been a perpetual problem faced by colleges and universities. The importance of not only attending college, but actually receiving a degree has substantially greater cultural, educational, societal, and financial implications for black people than for whites. Also, because of shifting demographics, the relatively high attrition rates of black students will have an even greater impact on colleges and universities in upcoming years.

A review of the literature indicates that the origins of this problem are most directly related to academic deficiencies, poor motivation, and inadequate time management and self-management. While there exist numerous …

Administrative Commitment To Public Service Programs In Institutions Of Higher Education, Mary Ellen Brandell

Dissertations

Higher education has a history of preparing young people for responsible leadership. The interest of college students in their obligations to society may have diminished in the 1980's as college students become preoccupied with personal goals and career aspirations rather than participation in public service programs (Gardner, 1984; Astin, 1985). If students enrolled in institutions of higher education are to develop skills and competencies to equip them for living in the world beyond the university, they must learn to cope with the social, political and economic problems that will confront their generation (Williams, 1980).

On April 23, 1985, the Project …

Freshmen Retention At Two Seventh-Day Adventist Higher Education Institutions, R. William Cash

Dissertations

Problem. Information is needed regarding the reasons students attend Seventh-day Adventist higher education institutions, and how these reasons and students' characteristics relate to their decision to remain in college or withdraw.

Method. A study was made of freshmen entering Andrews University and Union College in autumn 1983. Survey and personal information were collected at the beginning and near the end of the school year. Students who withdrew during or after their freshmen year were identified. Data collected were analyzed using several criterion variables, including retention status, time of withdrawal, gender, and school attended. The applicability of Tinto's model of retention …

A Study Of Student And Faculty Perceptions Of The Religious Environment Of Andrews University In Relation To Religiosity, Walter M. Booth

Dissertations

Problem. A report of the perceptions of the environment of an institution can be useful inassessing the effectiveness of that institution. This study assessed student and faculty perceptions of the religious environment of Andrews University, a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) school.

Method. An instrument developed for the study was administered to 350 randomly selected subjects in eight subsamples: non-SDA students, faculty, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, theological seminary students, and other graduate students. The instrument consisted of inventories to measure perceptions of the religious environment and subject religiosity. Approximately 75% of the subjects completed the instrument. Scores were analyzed by analysis of …

Determinants Of Student-Faculty Informal Contact, Alan W. Barr

Dissertations

There was an examination in this study of the relationship of classroom experiences (cues) and professorial initiative to the frequency of informal student-faculty interaction in the freshman year. The research was conducted at an independent, four-year urban college in the state of Michigan with a predominantly commuter population. A survey instrument was administered to the entire freshman class in the Spring semester of 1988. Information was derived from the survey on the nature and frequency of informal faculty-student contact.

Out of the 137 freshman receiving surveys, 101 returned them. The response rate was 74%. Data from one survey returned were …