Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons^™

Fostering Communities For Bipoc Students In Higher Education Spaces: The Impacts Of Targeted Student Supports Services On Racially Hostile Campuses, Kenderick Wilson

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Racially hostile campuses often have significantly different retention rates based on students’ race and ethnicity. Existing literature suggests that a better understanding of the negative impacts of a racially hostile campus climate at public universities can help to improve college outcomes for BIPOC students. BIPOC students may benefit from well-designed systems of support to bolster their retention rates, including a focus on targeting specific populations of students. This study was designed to improve understanding of the impacts of such targeted student supports within a racially hostile campus climate, examining the impact on first year retention rates of BIPOC students at …

Exploring The Effects Of Teachers' Motivation To Read On Students' Motivation To Read, Clarice K. Shuman

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Middle school students often lack the motivation to read, and middle school reading teachers often complain of this lack of motivation. Students’ lack of motivation to read seriously affects students’ ability to achieve in their academic classes at the secondary level. This study was based on surveys and interviews from 310 middle school students and their six ELA teachers to explore the relationship between teacher and student motivation to read at the middle school level as well as surveying how do teachers and students at the middle school level describe their motivation to read. Based on the relationship between teacher …

Interrogating Racism: An Arts-Based Self-Study Of The Interactions Of One White Teacher Educator In A Rural Teacher Preparation Program, Jaime Vanenkevort

All NMU Master's Theses

This arts-based self-study examined racism, whiteness, and white supremacy in the practices of one teacher educator in a rural, Midwestern university. Data was generated using arts-based methods. Narrative inquiry and critical incident technique (CIT) were utilized to analyze data. Through arts-based self-study techniques, I demonstrate how arts-based self-study can create diverse and multimodal access to understand identity construction and the effort to dismantle racism and other systemic barriers in the teacher education context. Furthermore, through multimodal arts-based data collection, I demonstrate the possibility for educators to navigate complex memory and emotional processing to develop more complex, nuanced understandings of antiracist …

A Case Study Of Practitioner Perceptions On The Online Transition Of Student Support Services At A Mississippi Community College, Christopher M. Bagwell

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

The study explored how practitioners perceived the transition to online student support services at a Mississippi community college during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilized the qualitative research approach of a single case study to gather data. Data was collected through open-ended surveys designed to acquire and interpret perceptions on an array of research questions. Forty-one administrators and staff participated in the study. The researcher employed hierarchical coding to narrow the data into themes. Subsequent rounds of coding and peer review were conducted to develop two principal themes of technology and institutional/personal preparedness. Kotter’s Change Model was utilized to evaluate …

Identity Tensions And Negotiations Of English Teachers In Costa Rica Through Narrative Inquiry, Hazel Vega Quesada

All Dissertations

This study examined the identity tensions and negotiations of novice three English teachers in Costa Rica, and English as a foreign language context. Grounded in a Communities of Practice framework, this research describes how teachers’ identities are constrained and enabled in complicated academic, social, and political settings. In this study, identity tensions referred to dilemmas that juxtaposed internal and external expectations, values, and practices. Negotiations referred to teachers’ choices, proposals, and changes that denoted their appropriation or contestation of practices and meanings of their communities of practice. I used narrative inquiry to collect and analyze teachers’ experiences learning English and …

Integrating Media Literacy Into General Education Core Courses For Undergraduates, Christen Embry

Dissertations

This study aimed to understand the essential nature of media literacy, evaluate pre-developed higher education classes for existing media literacy context, and recommend best practices for incorporating media literacy into an undergraduate curriculum. This mixed-methods study of media literacy in undergraduate college courses explored the presence and absence of media literacy lessons within core classes by auditing 15 online course shells accessed through the university’s Learning Management System (LMS). Specifically, all the courses surveyed included the first skill of media literacy, Access; 33% of the classes included Analyze; 27% included Creation; 20% included Reflection; and 20% included Action. Once the …

Community College Faculty’S Perceptions Of Culturally Responsive Teaching, Sarah Tolbert-Hurysz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study sought to understand community college faculty’s perceptions of and experiences with culturally responsive teaching. Participants were full- and part-time faculty currently employed at community colleges in the Southeastern United States and purposefully selected to provide information-rich data. Data collected from the semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the participants were coded and thematically analyzed. Emerging themes included faculty’s inclusion of varied categories of cultural diversity when describing students; limited knowledge related to culturally responsive teaching; perception that culturally responsive teaching is centered on connecting and building relationships with students; belief in the value of providing students exposure to different …

The Effect Of A Specifically Designed First-Year Experience Course On Student Veteran Retention And Graduation Rates At A Public University, Anthony Dotson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Abstract

According to the United States Congressional Budget Office (2019) nearly $100 billion tax-payer dollars have been spent on education since the passing of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. That is more than the gross domestic product of at least 130 different countries per the latest World Bank’s (2022) rankings. Given the sheer enormity of the figure, one would likely assume that the educational needs of our veterans and their families have been well met if not surpassed. Unfortunately, like many assumptions related to veterans, that would be an inaccurate one. The reality is far more disturbingly …

How Does Exposure To Pelvic Health Content In Entry Level Physical Therapy Curricula Impact Students’ Comfort Level Discussing Sexual Health With Future Patients?, Elizabeth Levay

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to pelvic health content in physical therapy school curricula and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students’ comfort levels discussing sexual health issues with future patients. As holistic, autonomous health care providers, physical therapists must be confident in addressing all aspects of health with patients, including sexual health. Lack of attention to patients’ sexual issues may result in aspects of health going unaddressed, leading to poor patient care. The research hypothesis was that increased exposure to pelvic health topics within entry level physical therapy education will improve students’ …

The Acceptance Of Learning Management Systems By Higher Education Faculty In An Educational Landscape Influenced By A Global Pandemic, Stephen Mark Rektenwald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated the perceptions of higher education faculty with respect to their behavioral intentions to use learning management systems and the perceived effect of COVID-19 on those intentions. An online survey was administered through private Facebook groups to faculty in higher education and listservs focused on technology in higher education. The sample size initially included 137 participants but participants were reduced to 121 due to incomplete responses on some surveys or not meeting the selection criteria for the research. The theoretical framework for this research was the intersection of the technology acceptance model and digital transformations. The data …

Enacting A Critical Media Production Pedagogy, James D. Swerzenski

Doctoral Dissertations

This project draws upon earlier calls—particularly in the critical pedagogy, critical media literacy, and cultural production fields—to outline a teaching approach that balances technical media production practices and critical media studies. I refer to this synthesis as critical media production pedagogy. This blending of critical analysis and technical skill, I argue, is especially important at the university level where my research is focused, as students in these courses will likely enter industry fields in which they can influence culture on a mass level. Creating opportunities for a media theory/production synthesis enables students to translate critical ideas beyond the academy and …

The Putrefaction Of Digital Scholarship: How Link Rot Impacts The Integrity Of Scholarly Publishing, Marshal A, Miller

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Research sits at the core of scholarship. The integrity of that research allows fields of study to grow and build upon one another to form the foundation for and extension of human knowledge. In the last 10 years, a new phenomenon has occurred as digital scholarship has become more prolific. This phenomenon is called link rot. Link rot occurs when over time, digital resources become inaccessible because their originally cited location has been relocated or become permanently unavailable. This study examined the extent to which link rot has affected scholarly research and how it might affect the future of digital …

Examining The Influence Of Argument Driven Inquiry Instructional Approach On Female Students Of Color In Sixth Grade Science: Its Impact On Classroom Experience, Interest, And Self-Efficacy In Science, Written Argumentation Skills, And Scientific Voice, Paul Duggan

Theses and Dissertations

Four of the eight Engineering Standards in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013) focus on authentic science communication: “asking questions (science) and defining problems (engineering), analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), engaging in argument from evidence, obtaining, evaluating and communicating information” (Sampson et al., 2010, p. 218). Authentic science communication is supported in NGSS through cross-cutting concepts (Driver et al., 2000) that integrate the structure and function of science concepts together with communication strategies that include reading, writing, and peer critique. These cross-cutting concepts include reading strategies that focus on reading informational …

The Use Of Social Justice Socioscientific Issues In Secondary Biology Classes: An Action Research, Stephanie Marilyn Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Education system is founded on a Eurocentric focus of curriculum, and students of color are not achieving as high as white students on the National Assessment for Education Progress in science. This research aims to repay the education debt owed to students of color by decolonizing science curriculum through the implementation of lessons centered around socioscientific issues grounded in social justice. An action research study was implemented in which 9 ^th grade Biology students participated in three instructional units centered on social justice issues. Data was collected through surveys, focus group interviews, student work, and journal reflections from …

A Situational Analysis Grounded Theory Study Of University Inclusive Physics Learning Environments, Tali Hairston, W. Tali Hairston, Wilford T. Hairston

Education Dissertations

Different teaching and learning strategies have informed physics educators on addressing the cultural meanings and practices of physics that have sustained homogeneity within university programs. However, literature evidence physics learning environments are under-theorized in dismantling homogeneity and conceptually changes physics student learning for those struggling to learn physics. The purpose of this situational analysis grounded theory study was to explain a theoretical construct of inclusive physics learning environment strategies of eighteen college and university faculty, collected from interview data in a 2017 study. The research question guiding this study was to describe the sociocultural theoretical structure emergent in the inclusive …

Evaluating The Impact Of Intersecting Research And Outreach Marine Science Programs On Elementary And Undergraduate Students, Randi J. Sims

All Theses

Climate change is one of the most destructive forces our ocean is currently experiencing. Despite this, many students are not taught the basics of climate change science and ocean literacy in public school systems. My work seeks to combat these deficits through educational experiences in marine science for undergraduate and local elementary students through three studies incorporating marine-science based research and outreach. (1) Through undergraduate marine science research and outreach, students enrolled for long durations or with positive mentorship increased their conceptual understanding of marine science concepts, altered their attitudes towards climate change and science, and were more likely to …

Closing The Gender Gap In Entrepreneurship Education, Carolyn J. Rodeffer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Entrepreneurship education in higher education has been cited as a key strategy in filling the entrepreneurship talent pool, preparing students with the skills and confidence needed to start new ventures (Westhead & Solesvik, 2016). However, outcomes of entrepreneurship education for female students are less positive than for their male counterparts (Shinnar et al., 2012; Westhead & Solesvik, 2016; Wilson et al., 2007). Working within the frameworks of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (1977), Azjen’s theory of planned behavior (1991), and Steele and Aronson’s stereotype threat theory (1995), this quantitative study utilized an experimental research design to assess the impact of role model …

Graduate Students' Self-Determination As Writers, Need For Cognition, And Sense Of Belonging As Predictors Of Confidence In Program Completion, Mary Ebejer

Dissertations

This study explored graduate student self-determination as a writer, need for cognition, and sense of belonging as predictors of their confidence today in their program completion. The data set consisted of 2,390 graduate students at universities across the United States. The data analysis was conducted using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), with students nested in programs, nested in universities.

The analysis found that both self-determination as a writer and sense of belonging contributed to student confidence in program completion. Need for cognition did not. Seven statistically significant student-level demographic and program-related variables remained in the final model, including: PhD student, returning …

Language Ideologies In First Year Composition Textbooks, Joanna Clevenger

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis examines how standard language ideologies are perpetuated in the five most frequently assigned first year composition textbooks from four higher education institutions in Southern California’s Inland Empire. Standard language ideologies position one variation of a language as superior, correct, appropriate and the normal variation of a language which everyone should be able to speak. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, the five textbooks were analyzed in order to uncover the embedded power and hegemony over women, people of color, and those from a lower socioeconomic status which are prevalent throughout society because they are unchallenged and widely accepted as the …

The Influence Of A Learning Management System (Lms) And Microblogging On Social Presence, Sense Of Community, And User Interface Satisfaction In A Distance Education Course, Andrew G. Leach

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

The impact of social media on everyday life is undeniable. Social media has transcended its initial purpose of connectivity and branched into other sociocultural aspects. Educators must create a rich and active learning environment where students can actively engage with their educational curriculum. This study used a mixed methods approach to investigate the influence that learning management systems (LMS) and microblogging (social media) have on key elements of distance education design. These elements include social presence, sense of community, and overall user interface design. Students’ perceptions of these elements were collected from students enrolled in a graduate course during summer …

Building Educator E-Pedagogy Skill Efficacy And Capacity To Successfully Engage Students In The Online Learning Environment, Karen M. Roeck

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Students around the world are increasingly seeking options for completing their learning in an online format due to its convenience, flexibility, and opportunity for innovative experiences. Higher education institutions need to adapt their course offerings to include robust online programs and train their faculty with the necessary skills to successfully engage their virtual learners to remain competitive in today’s market. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) identifies gaps of inadequacy of infrastructure to support online learning, limited knowledge of e-pedagogy, lack of clarity about teacher identity, and lack of focus on equity and humanity in the online classroom at a Christian …

Africanizing The Curriculum: African Diaspora Literacy Instruction In Elementary Classrooms, Jarvais Javon Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Using a Critical Case Study design, this study examines the implementation of African Diaspora Literacy (ADL) in three elementary classrooms in order to understand successes, challenges, and student outcomes. African Diaspora Literacy (ADL) refers to becoming literate about African Diasporic peoples, histories, cultures, languages, epistemologies, cosmologies, and axiologies (King, 1992; Boutte et. al., 2017). Against the backdrop of worldwide and systemic anti-Black racism--the most dominant and virulent form of racism (Dumas & Ross, 2016), there is a need for instructional and curricular antidotes in K-12 schools and in the academy (Boutte et. al., 2017). African Diaspora Literacy offers a promising …

An Endarkened Autoethnographic Approach To Peer Co-Curricular Dialogue Facilitation Training, Amari L. Boyd

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a qualitative study drawing on endarkened feminist epistemology (Dillard, 2001), autoethnography (Jones, Adams,& Ellis, 2013), and Blackgirl autoethnography (Boylorn, 2016), each of which challenges the traditional roles between researchers and the researched, educators and students, and in the case of this study, dialogue facilitators in-training, and their dialogue facilitation educator. The purpose of this study was to capture the ways in which six Peer Dialogue Facilitators (PDFs) and myself, a Black woman and facilitation educator, perceive ourselves as facilitators of color and navigate facilitation obstacles amidst our new global pandemic reality. This study will utilize group interviews …

Centering Culture And Relationships In Learning: Culturally Responsive Teaching In Higher Education, Valerie Vistain

Dissertations

In colleges and universities all across the United States, the amount of culturally and linguistically diverse students has increased significantly. Research has shown that when educators can develop educational practices and curricula that account for and incorporate students’ cultural frameworks, outcomes improve for culturally and linguistically diverse students. Culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogical approach that does just that. This research project aimed to bring to light the various ways that general education professors define and enact culturally responsive teaching practices. It further illustrates how students receive and interpret these culturally responsive approaches. Using the general education college within a …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Preferred Learning Environments For Ethical Development Of Graduate Students In Research Ethics Education, Sue Wilder

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine graduate student preferences for the types of learning environments that support ethical development in research ethics education. The initial quantitative phase of this study used the Learning Environment Preferences (LEP) survey to provide a baseline measure of intellectual development up to position 5 of the Perry scheme (Moore, 2000; Perry, 1970). Quantitative results highlighted preferences for the role of student/peers and classroom atmosphere, and significant findings were found relative to international students, older students, and women in terms of their preferences for learning environments that support higher level, relativistic thinking. …

Exploring The Phenomena Of Faculty Who Utilize Contemplative Pedagogy In The Helping Professions, Christina Frasher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The phenomenon of faculty who utilize contemplative pedagogy in the helping professions is a topic rarely discussed in the literature. In my review of the literature, I have found only one dissertation on faculty perspectives, one dissertation on individuals in higher education, and one study that used the perspective of faculty as the primary data. While this information is valuable, it is not context-specific research on how faculty in the helping professions experience practicing contemplative pedagogy. At present, there are no studies that explore how faculty process and utilize contemplative pedagogy when teaching in the helping profession; this study contributes …

Student Centered Language Teaching: A Focus On Student Identity, Rachel Mano

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of essays that describe what the writer has come to see as essential topics in second language acquisition. It begins with a professional environment piece, and then a teaching philosophy statement focused on student identity and interaction in the classroom. This is followed by an essay on observations of teaching. The next two sections focus on pragmatic resistance among advanced learners and the importance of preparing learners for peer interaction. The portfolio concludes with an annotated bibliography outlining the main concepts associated with Communicative Language Teaching, a method that is commonly employed in second language …

Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences Professional Development Opportunities And Their Impact On Perceptions Of Career Preparedness, Jessica L. Wesson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A student’s undergraduate education is an imperative part of developing career skills that will prepare them to transition from academia to the professional world. Experience outside of the classroom and course material taught in a formal class experience are both important. Their experiences and classes, in college, allow them to develop skills and increase their chances of being successful in the workplace (Suvedi et al., 2016).

Chickering’s Seven Vectors of Student Development were used to help explain the process of student development. A quantitative survey was sent to DBCALFS faculty, staff, and administrators, and a different quantitative survey was sent …

Teaching Programmable Microcontrollers To Novice Users In A College Of Agriculture: Effects On Attitude, Self-Efficacy, And Knowledge, Grant T. Hood

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of two articles that examined an instructional treatment based on the use of Arduino UNO R3 programmable microcontrollers in a fundamentals of agriculture systems technology course at the University of Arkansas. The first article examined students’ breadboarding and programming self-efficacy and knowledge of Arduino. The treatment consisted of a three-class-period instructional treatment, starting with a pretest before instruction to measure students’ baseline interest, knowledge, and self-efficacy of breadboarding and programming Arduino. This was followed with a short 30-minute instructional video explaining basic Arduino programming and breadboarding. Next a hands-on laboratory activity requiring students to breadboard and program …

Increasing Active Learning And Achievement In A Large Lecture Calculus Class Through A Flipped Classroom Model, Kimberly King

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

University Calculus I courses serve as a means of access into high demand STEM fields and large lecture style passive calculus courses can be difficult for students. A mixed methods research design was used to compare a flipped instructional approach to a traditional lecture approach in large section Calculus I courses. The flipped lecture model required students to view videos of calculus instruction that included embedded quiz questions to allow for problem solving explorations during face-to-face class time. The traditional format included content from the video and limited time for additional problem solving. A professor with prior experience teaching Calculus …