University Extension Commons^™

Remixing Dialogue: A Case Study On Perceptions Of Hip Hop Pedagogy In A Professional Learning Course, Kelly J. Thelen

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This qualitative case study examines how teachers’ decision-making and professional autonomy shift while participating in a Hip Hop Pedagogy Professional Learning course supported by structured FIXIT (Lo & Wachter, 2023a, 2023b, 2023c, 2023d; Wachter & Lo, 2024) game-facilitated dialogue in a rural, culturally and linguistically diverse Midwest community. Grounded in Freire’s (1970) Critical Pedagogy, Ladson-Billings’ (1995) Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (Paris and Alim, 2017), and Adult Learning Theory (Knowles et al., 2005), the study explores the reclamation of agency by teachers in a time of constrained creativity and educator autonomy shaped by strict policy environments, an emphasis on …

Part-Time Faculty In Art And Design Higher Education: Support & Challenges, Katherine Ye Jin Lee

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the challenge part-time faculty in art and design higher education face and the institutional support they receive through a case study conducted at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Through an extensive, anonymous and voluntary part-time faculty survey across different departments at RISD, it examines: 1) current perceptions of available institutional & departmental teaching support, 2) teaching approach & practice, and 3) student-faculty engagement. The research aimed to gather data on challenges that are unique to part-time faculty in art and design fields, especially in relation to faculty-student engagement to understand areas where they can be better …

The Effect Of Low And High-Carbohydrate Diets On Memory Performance In College Students, Samia Baugh, Zoe Zajko, Jamie Analuisa, Ivanna Jacome

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the brain and play an important role in processes related to memory performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a low-carbohydrate diet compared to a high-carbohydrate diet on memory performance in college students aged 18–22 years. For the purposes of this study, a low-carbohydrate diet is defined as a diet providing fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrates per day, while a high-carbohydrate diet provides approximately 325 grams of carbohydrates. This population is particularly important to study because college students experience high academic demands that require strong memory …

Between The Rails: Experiential Education And Its Impact On Compliance And Consistency In Racetrack Surface Management, Heather Mackenzie

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Recent regulatory requirements within the Thoroughbred racing industry have increased expectations for consistent collection and reporting of racetrack surface data. Despite clear standards, implementation in daily operations remains inconsistent, highlighting a gap between regulation, knowledge, and practice. This study examined the impact of an experiential education curriculum on racetrack personnel’s self-efficacy and reporting consistency.

Using a quantitative design, data were collected through pre- and post-surveys measuring self-efficacy and records of the number of days surface data were entered. Descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, and effect size analyses were used. Results showed a statistically significant increase in self-efficacy (p < .001) with large effect sizes, indicating meaningful gains in confidence and comfortability. Reporting consistency did not show a statistically significant change (p = .885).

Overall, experiential education …

The Role Of International Student Office Directors In Facilitating The Transitional Adjustment Of International Students In U.S Higher Education, Agnes Afi Yigah

Masters Theses

This qualitative study explored how International Student Office Directors facilitate the transitional adjustment of international students in U.S. higher education institutions. Guided by Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (1981) and Schlossberg’s Mattering and Marginality Theory (1989), this study examined the challenges international students face, the support strategies implemented by International Student Office Directors, and the institutional factors influencing student adjustment and well-being. International students experience challenges related to housing and logistical adjustment, financial and immigration-related stressors, academic system adjustment and self-advocacy, and social integration and emotional adjustment. Proactive and holistic support approaches, including pre-arrival communication, orientation programs, academic support, emotional support, and …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Capability Building And Quality Management In Higher Education: An Empirical Investigation, Kanwal Nasim, Xiaowen Tian

Journal of Global Education and Research

This paper proposes a resource-capability-based framework of quality management in Higher Education (HE) and empirically tests it against the experience of HE institutes in Pakistan. The paper posits that HE institutions face intensifying global education competition in a world of accelerated globalization, fast pace of technology development, and rapidly growing knowledge. To enhance quality and performance, they need to build higher-order dynamic capabilities of knowledge creation and transfer (KCT) undergirded by orchestrating three sets of resources they own or control: Staff, students, and facilities. The paper hypothesizes how HE institutions can orchestrate the resources to build up dynamic KCT capabilities …

Expanding Extension Involvement Through An Undergraduate Life Skills Course, Stacey F. Stearns, Aditi Rao

Journal of Extension

Extension traditionally involves undergraduate students through experiential learning and internships. We sought to develop a new model, and created an undergraduate life skills course for students in our college that featured Extension educators as guest lecturers in areas aligned with their specialty. Universities have a stable population of potential program participants, volunteers, and employees. It is imperative that we raise awareness about Extension while the students are enrolled in our institutions. Creating a for-credit undergraduate course that teaches life skills through Extension programs has tangible benefits for both the students and the Extension system.

Project-Based Flipped Classroom (Pjbfc) For Enhancing 4c Skills In Geography Learning, Ika Listiqowati, Budijanto Budijanto, Sumarmi Sumarmi, I Nyoman Ruja, Exsa Putra, Nor Asniza Ishak

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

This study aims to develop a Project-Based Flipped Classroom (PjBFC) learning model to enhance geography education students' 4C skills when submitting research projects related to geography and geography education. It also seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the PjBFC model in improving these skills during the submission of research proposals in the field. The development process follows the ADDIE framework, consisting of assessment, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Two validators validated the PjBFC learning model, along with the learning materials and tools. The implementation phase, or field trial, involved observing the product in use, with 60 students from the Geography …

Networked To Work?: An Analysis Of A Community College Workforce Development Program, Cynthia Finley, Kim E. Bullington, Mitchell Williams, David Ayers

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Barriers to education and training can have a generational impact on socioeconomic status and economic development. Post-traditional students have been shown to experience a variety of barriers to education and family sustaining employment. Social capital has been shown to help alleviate some of the barriers for students resulting in stronger economic outcomes, such job retention, and higher wages.

The purpose of this case study was to determine if the Network2Work model at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) can affect outcomes for students from low socio-economic backgrounds by comparing Network2Work outcomes to non-Network2Work noncredit industry training outcomes. The research compared outcome …

Creating A Space For Relaxation And Wellbeing At The University Of South Alabama, Mary Wolf

Honors Theses

A program to provide supplementary support for the mental health and wellness of students at a midsize Southern University by providing a centrally located “relaxation space” for students on campus during the last two weeks of the semester is proposed and tested. A central location was found on campus to host the space. The researcher also developed an online survey for students to review the space. The trial was run for two weeks, and participants were able to access the online survey throughout those weeks. The results of the survey were analyzed to better understand the students’ responses to the …

What Can We Learn From Coaching To Apply To Teaching?, Binata Mukherjee, Emily Wilson, Amanada Arnold

CoTL 2024 Workshops

Physicians are tasked with the efficient delivery of high-quality care for patients while being able to learn from advances in medicine to address the ever-arising challenges in care delivery. Coaching in medicine may help learners for performance & development through self-awareness that enables self-directed lifelong learning. Self-directed learning requires metacognitive skills, in other words “thinking about thinking.” Traditional medical education rarely provides opportunities for introspection. Limited information is available regarding training medical faculty to coach. We explored the experience and perception of coaching after a training program. Data from three sources was analyzed in a mixed methods thematic analysis. Building …

Pre To Post Course Differences In Knowledge And Perception Of A Careers For Psychology Majors Course, Laura Powell

CoTL 2024 Research Talks

The Psychology Department at the University of South Alabama began teaching a course titled “Careers for Psychology Majors” in Fall 2019. This sophomore level course was created to help psychology majors explore careers options with a bachelor's degree in psychology as well as careers that require graduate study. Students completed a pre and post course survey from their Landrum and Davis (2020) textbook regarding their knowledge and perceptions of career options after graduating. Pre to post course changes in student surveys were analyzed with paired samples t-tests for each question. Increases from pre to post was observed with every question …

Counseling And Mental Health Awareness In Higher Education Institutions: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Mental Health And How It Affects Degree Completion Among Black Undergraduate College Women, Shaquina D. White, Desirae N. Williams

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore Black undergraduate women’s lived experiences with mental health management and pursuance of degree completion. This study used a phenomenological approach, guided by the following research questions: 1) What barriers are Black undergraduate college women facing regarding their accessibility to counseling services on their campus? and 2) How do Black undergraduate college women with mental health issues effectively manage stressful situations while pursuing and completing a college degree? The current literature that examined Black women’s utilization of counseling is limited, especially among Black women enrolled in college. This study aimed to fill …

To Be Tutored: Exploring How Female-Identifying Undergraduates Experience Tutoring, Samantha Barbara Weiss

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Tutoring, an academic support offered by colleges to their students, has been shown to increase academic grades (Allen & Chavkin, 2004; Fryer & Howard-Novack, 2020; Nelson-Royes, 2013), improve attitudes toward school (Arco-Tirado, 2020; Elbulok-Charcape et al., 2019; Nadia et al., 2023), and support retention (Primary Research Group, 2020). Some of these benefits can be traced to the individualized attention and flexibility that tutoring offers (Chin et al., 2011; Nadia et al., 2023). However, this research lacks detailed, qualitative data that focuses on how students experience tutoring. In addition to a lack of attention to lived experiences, in general, there is …

Networked To Work?: An Analysis Of A Community College Workforce Development Program, Cynthia Finley, Kim E. Bullington, Mitchell Williams, David Ayers

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Barriers to education and training can have a generational impact on socioeconomic status and economic development. Post-traditional students have been shown to experience a variety of barriers to education and family sustaining employment. Social capital has been shown to help alleviate some of the barriers for students resulting in stronger economic outcomes, such job retention, and higher wages.

The purpose of this case study was to determine if the Network2Work model at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) can affect outcomes for students from low socio-economic backgrounds by comparing Network2Work outcomes to non-Network2Work noncredit industry training outcomes. The research compared outcome …

A Descriptive Study Of Louisiana 4-H 8th Through 12th Graders' Perceptions Of Career And College Readiness, Carrie M. Lane

LSU Master's Theses

As youth leave primary education and enter college or a career path, preparing those youth to ensure success has fallen, in large part, upon formal and non-formal youth educators. Encouraging students to apply and complete college has been a focus of education professionals for many years. Historically, gauging college and career readiness (CCR), academic institutions have relied on academic performance in areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics (Mattern, et. al, 2014). The use of academic focused measures instead of student-based evaluation had its drawbacks. While core education is important, measuring soft skills needed for the workforce and college environment …

Faculty-Leader Relationships And Work Engagement: A Mixed-Methods Study, Sonya Davidson Kopp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Nearly three-fourths of faculty at U.S. institutions of higher education (IHEs) are classified as non-tenure track faculty (NTTF), and more the 70% of higher education students had taken online courses following the move to emergency online instruction in 2019. Remote faculty relationships with leaders have been shown to play a vital role in faculty satisfaction and engagement with their work. This convergent parallel mixed-methods study was guided by the following research questions: Primary Research Question 1 (RQ1) - What is the relationship between faculty-leader relationship and work engagement when controlling for faculty classification (lead faculty, full-time faculty, or part-time faculty), …

“Why You Always So Political?”: A Counterstory About Educational-Environmental Racism At A Predominantly White University, Martín Alberto Gonzalez

Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education

Using critical race counterstorytelling, I tell a story about the experiences of Mexican/Mexican American/Xicanx (MMAX) undergraduate students at private, historically and predominantly white university in the Northeast. Drawing on in-depth interviews, participant observations, pláticas, document analyses, and literature on race and space and racism in higher education, I argue that the racially hostile campus environment experienced by MMAX students at their respective university manifests itself as a form of educational-environmental racism. Through narrated dialogue, Aurora (a composite character) and I delve into a critical conversation about how educational-environmental racism is experienced by MMAX students through a racialized landscape in the …

30 Años De Vida Universitaria Ucundinamarca, Adriano Muñoz Barrera, Victo Hugo Londoño Aguirre, Myriam Lucía Sánchez Gutiérrez, Isabel Quintero Uribe, Olga Marina García Norato, Ana Milena Bejarano Torres, Cecilia Nelly Carvajal Roa

Institucional

La Universidad de Cundinamarca es una universidad explícitamente territorial, pues como se observa en el mapa de Cundinamarca estamos en siete provincias de las 15 del departamento, diría que es la única Universidad de las 33 instituciones de educación superior en Colombia que tiene un enfoque territorial, muchas de las que hay son departamentales, y las otras están en las capitales, pero en nuestro caso, hacemos presencia y damos respuesta a las necesidades de educación de los ciudadanos de los siete municipios del departamento de Cundinamarca. Esta cobertura nos ha permitido fortalecer la oferta académica y crecer juntamente con nuestros …

Review: A Guide To Early College And Dual Enrollment Programs: Designing And Implementing Programs For Student Achievement By Russ Olwell, Ken Knox

Early College Folio

Review: A Guide to Early College and Dual Enrollment Programs: Designing and Implementing Programs for Achievement (Routledge, 2021) by Russ Olwell. Olwell is Associate Dean and Professor of Education at Merrimack College.

Remote Learning - The Future Of Education: Effective Instructional Strategies Used By Parent Educators And Recommendations For Building Capacity, Raelene Ferguson Haugen

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods Delphi study was to identify the remote learning instructional strategies used by expert Southern California parent educators for implementing the anticipatory set, modeling, checking for understanding, and guided practice elements of Madeline Cheek Hunter’s Instructional Theory Into Practice (ITIP) framework. The study sought to identify how expert Southern California parent educators rated the effectiveness of the remote learning instructional strategies in the aforementioned elements of Hunter’s ITIP framework. Additionally, the purpose was to generate recommendations from expert Southern California parent educators to build capacity in the identified effective instructional strategies.

Methodology: The classical …

The Experiences Of International Graduate Students From Latin America In Their Transition Of Graduating And Finding A Job In The United States, Natalia Hernandez

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to conduct a qualitative phenomenological study to understand the lived experiences of international graduate students from Latin America in the United States as they transition from their studies to finding a full-time job in the United States. The most common themes mentioned in the different sections of the interviews were: the different dynamics in their identity, the benefits, and limitations of their status in the American context, and how their professional development and economy are impacted while being international graduate students from Latin America. Student service departments such as the Career Service department, …

Transformative Partnerships: Expanding Extension’S Capacity To Support Texans With Developmental Disabilities, Andrew B. Crocker, Morgan D. Bradley, Shelby D. Vaughn, Beth Stalvey

Journal of Extension

New partnerships to reach new audiences are key to Extension’s future (Harder, 2019). But partnership is enhanced through shared decision-making, co-creation of content, and leveraging non-overlapping expertise and experience (Bertsch et al., 2020; Israilov & Cho, 2017; Ostrom, 1996). Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service partnering with the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities provides a novel approach to using statewide presence to the benefit of a partner seeking to expand its footprint (Alford, 2014; Ostrom, 1996) and is, itself, an outcome (Voorberg et al., 2015). Additionally, Texans with disabilities benefit through greater access to the education and resources the partnership produces.

Importance Of Developing Financially Literate Families And Communities: Opportunities For Fcs Educators, Stephen Molchan

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Financial literacy has been an issue for decades in the United States; however, the COVID-19 pandemic put financial illiteracy in the spotlight. Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) educators have the ability to influence the financial literacy rates among individuals, families, and communities. Despite Hogarth’s 2002 call to action for FCS educators to promote fiscal education, this has not happened. FCS educators must now respond to this call. This manuscript addresses the financial illiteracy problem in the United States, the importance of financial literacy, financial literacy in the FCS National Standards, and the actions FCS educators can take to improve financial …

Promoting Literacy In A Virtual World: Success Stories Of Two University Student Clubs, Katherine R. Drish, Stefanie Flory, Dr. Katy E. Hisrich, Dr. Amy Vujaklija, Dr. Amy Kelly, Dr. Lisa Pennington

Research Days

The Student Education Association and Kappa Delta Pi at Governors State University has a main goal this semester, which is to promote literacy in a virtual world. The purpose of this is to help all young individuals become strong readers. Our organization was fortunate enough to receive a grant from the National Education Association (NEA) that allowed us to purchase children’s books, invite guest speakers, and create workshops about varying social issues. This was in collaboration with a local library. Some of the social issues that were highlighted in our workshops are community and activism, women’s rights, and identity. We …

Activities In A Virtual World: Engaging Students, Faculty, And The Community, Katherine R. Drish, Rama Diab, Stefanie Flory, Dr. Lisa Pennington, Dr. Katy E. Hisrich

Research Days

The Student Education Association and Kappa Delta Pi at Governors State University prides itself on the amount of time and thought that is put into planning and hosting our very own virtual events and socials. Our organizations have worked rigorously to create varying outlets and resources for our members. With computer screens acting as barriers for real life interaction, we were determined to find a solution to gather people together safely to have fun, stay connected, and extend learning. We have had tremendous success in reaching this goal early on in the semester. Our first social, a Virtual Pet Show, …

Barriers To Post-Secondary Success, Douglas Swanson, Najeana Henderson, Maritza Sloan

Dissertations

This study reviews factors that prior studies have identified or failed to consider as barriers to post-secondary success. The three main areas include academic success for Latinx students after high school, organizational systems and their impact on African-American students’ postsecondary readiness, and what workers think of their high school education with regards to career preparedness.

Five factors are identified as major barriers for Latinx students to continue in a higher education system. A survey of former students from Saint Louis, Missouri, and Dallas, Texas, metroplex area identified 56 Latinx students that participated in an initial survey. This led to a …

Work Ethic And Productivity: The Mediating Role Of Leadership, Everly Tapp

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Employee work ethic and workplace productivity are vital for organizational success. Past research has shown leadership style to be influential on both, with the manager-employee relationship impacting employee’s attitude and output in the workplace. This study investigated the relationship between employee work ethic and workplace productivity, while also examining the impact of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles on agriculture equipment dealership employees. The leadership style of service managers, as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (5x-Short), was compared to the workplace productivity and work ethic scores of the service technicians they manage. Service technician workplace productivity data was …

Understanding Volunteer Motivations To Serve, Dominique P. Wood

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

An organization’s volunteer development program can serve as a useful tool in the P-20 framework to address transitional gaps preventing smooth and consistent movement of individuals from traditional education to career attainment. Utilizing Maslow’s Theory of Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, this qualitative study revealed volunteer motivation effectively resolved needs that work toward Self-Actualization. Satisfied needs, addressed by the volunteer experience, places the organization as a relevant partner in the P-20 framework to resolve career attainment goals. The volunteer makes the gift of time, skills, experience, and knowledge based on personal preferences to the organization’s work. Partnerships are achieved …