Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Along For The Journey: Graduate Student Perceptions Of Research, Alissa Droog, Kari D. Weaver, Frances Brady

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Graduate student identities and personal lives are heavily tied to their experiences of research, and many struggle to find, understand, and use information for research purposes. Using a drawing exercise rooted in visual research methods combined with semi-structured interviews, a research team in the United States and Canada explored graduate student perceptions of research with 19 participants. Thematic analysis identified six themes: research is abstract; research is an odyssey; social support makes or breaks the student experience; research is an emotional continuum; interplay between identity/values; information is problematic. The study has implications for how librarians support graduate student research.

Marginalized Community College Students' Perspectives Of Their First Time In Honors And Experiences With Tracking, Trina Sotirakopulos

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Many of the variables that determine college admission are beyond a student’s control, including the academic track they were assigned as early as primary school—often referred to as “ability-grouping” or skills-homogeneous classes. Even in higher education, students feel the effects of unequal sorting and sifting from tracking. The purpose of this study was to learn from marginalized community college students who were in low and middle track courses in high school. The study located how socially marginalized students taking honors courses for the first time perceived their past experiences with tracking, current opportunities in community college honors, and ways tracking …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Physical Therapists’ Pyschological Characteristics And Feedback Methods, Dustin Cox

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Providing treatment interventions to clients with chronic pain is a complex task for any professional. Research suggests that clients with chronic pain experience declines in physical, emotional, and psychological quality of life. Client’s that have chronic pain have complex effects from dealing with this condition in their lives. Hashmi and colleagues found that clients with chronic pain (i.e., pain lasting > three months) process pain through the emotional and reward circuitry in the brain. The literature base provides evidence that clients with chronic pain who receive psychologically based interventions along with physical rehabilitation have better outcomes than individuals with chronic pain …

From Rookie To Researcher: Integrating Information Literacy Into Undergraduate Research, Larissa K. Garcia, Dee Anna Phares, Kimberly Shotick

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

Undergraduate research is a specific pedagogical practice with an impact on teaching and learning, and the definition of what counts as research continues to expand to include different types of projects, mentors, and institutions. Diversity, equity, and inclusion in librarians’ work with students and faculty are present and growing. Collaborations between faculty, librarians, and students are furthering student knowledge in new ways. This community and an awareness of students’ non-academic challenges demonstrate the library’s contribution to students’ overall sense of belonging within their institutions. This chapter describes the involvement of an academic library with an undergraduate research program.

Unpacking The Graduate Student Research Experience: Findings From A Drawing-Based Interview Study, Alissa Droog, Frances Brady, Kari D. Weaver

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

What do graduate students think research is? How do they come to be scholars and how can we as information professionals better support their needs?

Using a drawing exercise rooted in visual research methods (Hartel, 2017; Doucette & Hoffman, 2019; Bryans & Mavin, 2006), a cross-institutional research team in the United States and Canada explore these questions through an interview-based study of graduate student perceptions of research.

At present, the existing body of knowledge examining student perceptions of research strongly focuses on undergraduates (Griffioen, 2019; Insua et al., 2018), leaving a critical gap in theory and pedagogy needed to support …

First-Generation College Students Experiences In Master's Counseling Programs Using Social Cognitive Career Theory Framework, Sandra Mary Bednarz Petersen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

First-generation college students (FGCS) are currently underrepresented in graduate programs, and therefore underrepresented in careers that require a graduate degree. There have been numerous studies on FGCS in undergraduate programs, but few studies done in graduate programs. Researching FGCS at the undergraduate level has helped to provide a better understanding of barriers FGCS can experience, and ways to provide them supports. This study looks at FGCS currently enrolled in Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited counseling programs in order to learn about their experiences. To learn about their experiences, an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was …

Spiritual Leadership In Early Intervention Practice, Jo Lynn Mccray

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore ways to integrate the principles of spiritual leadership theory into therapeutic practice and to understand how spiritual leadership is used in therapy sessions from therapists’ own perspectives. Semi-structured interviews served as the major sources of data. The findings of the study reveal that early intervention therapists incorporated the elements of spiritual leadership, such as hope and faith, to enhance services provided to children and families.

To Be (A Doctor) Or Not To Be – An Exploration Of The Abd Experience Of Female Minority Doctoral Students In Cacrep-Accredited Counselor Education Programs, Tracey Kim Snow

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This is a dissertation that focuses on the lived experiences of culturally diverse female counselor education candidates on their dissertation experience. Chapter 1 addressed the background of the issue and the need for such a study. It also addresses the research questions that drove the study. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive literature review of the main topics. Literature and research on six areas form this study’s conceptual framework: (a) “All but Dissertation” (ABD) status, (b) persistence, (c) the historical context of social justice within counselor education and supervision, (d) women’s development, (e) female doctoral students, and (f) culturally diverse doctoral …

Wellness And Self-Care Of Counselor Education And Supervision Doctoral Students, Andrew Michael Plath

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the wellness and self-care experiences of current counselor education and supervision doctoral students in CACREP accredited doctoral programs. Data were collected using the FFWEL-A2 inventory, two additional Likert agreement scales, two drop-down menus, and two open-ended questions. A total of 118 participants completed the survey. Total wellness scores on the FFWEL-A2 were higher than the norming group. Self-care data were grouped by strengths and challenges. Themes within strengths included individual activities, social activities, awareness, and overcoming guilt. Themes within challenges were time, lack of motivation or energy, expectations, perceptions of …

Principals' Perceptions Of Professional Development And Caring Communities For English Learners, Sunny Sue Chang Jonas

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A growing population of English Learners (ELs) have unique challenges when navigating the American educational system. In fact, there is an achievement gap such that EL students lag behind their native English peers in school outcomes. Accordingly, there is increased demand for professional development (PD) lead by principals to address the needs of the changing population of ELs. To support effective PD aimed at improved achievement for ELs, principals need embrace transformative thinking in their work. Although PD has the potential to be the driving force of change, traditional approaches to PD have limited impact on academic success of ELs. …

English Language Investment: A Qualitative Study On Transitioning Adult Language Learners To Postsecondary And Career Certificate Programs, Colleen Collins Stribling

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study elicited and examined the narratives of 15 adult immigrants

learning English in a grant-funded program. The purpose of the study was to listen to student

voices to understand persistence and investment from the perspectives of the students. The study

utilized a process called reciprocal ethnography whereby participants analyzed their journeys

with the researcher to determine what factors in their life histories, experiences, and identities

had led them to invest sufficiently in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in order to

reach levels of achievement that would allow them to transition into post secondary and career

certificate …