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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
An Empowerment Evaluation Of Colorado Mountain College’S Mountain Scholars Program Via Latino Alumni Aspirational Goals And Outcomes, Laura Anne Bruch
An Empowerment Evaluation Of Colorado Mountain College’S Mountain Scholars Program Via Latino Alumni Aspirational Goals And Outcomes, Laura Anne Bruch
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This qualitative inquiry evaluated Colorado Mountain College’s (CMC) in-house Mountain Scholars Program (MSP) via semi-structured interviews with five of its Latino alumni. This study’s assets-based social justice/transformative philosophical framework included David Fetterman’s methodological empowerment evaluation and Tara Yosso’s conceptual community cultural wealth (CCW) theory. This dissertation in practice examined the gap in literature with regards to an in-house student support services program evaluation that partners with the community and focuses on Latinos’ aspirations and aspirational outcomes. I wanted to be a worthy witness to the student demographic group at CMC, as well as at most American postsecondary institutions, considered the …
The Rural Post-Graduation Plan Development Model: Advancing Student College Choice By Centering Rural Communities, Steve Jenks
The Rural Post-Graduation Plan Development Model: Advancing Student College Choice By Centering Rural Communities, Steve Jenks
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
College choice models have been used since the 1980s to try and explain the processes and influences high school students use to decide if and which college to attend after graduation. These models focused solely on college attendance and lacked attention to the nuanced needs and resources found in rural communities. In this three-paper dissertation, a new, rural-centric model is proposed, tested, critiqued, and revised. The first paper proposes a new conceptual model of Rural Post-Graduation Plan Development using a critique and synthesis of prior college choice models, Critical Rural Theory, Funds of Knowledge, and socio-ecological models. The second paper …
Does Publicness Matter? A Mixed Method Analysis Identifying And Measuring Institutional Contributions To State Goals For Public Higher Education, Sophia Laderman
Does Publicness Matter? A Mixed Method Analysis Identifying And Measuring Institutional Contributions To State Goals For Public Higher Education, Sophia Laderman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
States founded, control, and fund public postsecondary institutions because higher education helps meet state goals. Public institutions of higher education provide considerable public benefits to states, but these benefits have not been systematically measured. As a result, public conversations about the broad value proposition of higher education do not center the public benefits produced by institutions. Using a framework of empirical and realized publicness, this exploratory sequential mixed-methods study used content analysis of state agency mission and vision statements to identify state goals for public higher education. Quantitative measurements of institutional contributions to common state goals for higher education were …
Study Abroad And The Global Public Good: A Developmental Evaluation Of The International Business Major, Sara Barbier Bularzik
Study Abroad And The Global Public Good: A Developmental Evaluation Of The International Business Major, Sara Barbier Bularzik
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Study abroad, for any length of time and in any location, is widely recognized in higher education as a positive educational activity. While individual benefits of study abroad have been explored for decades, recent research has pushed the field to consider benefits for the local and global community. This program evaluation contributes to this line of inquiry by asking international business majors about the influences on their study abroad program choice process and the involvement of the university’s mission to positively impact the public good. Using developmental program evaluation and UNESCO’s global citizenship education theory, this study found that students …
Mis-Specification Of Functional Forms In Growth Mixture Modeling: A Monte Carlo Simulation, Richa Ghevarghese
Mis-Specification Of Functional Forms In Growth Mixture Modeling: A Monte Carlo Simulation, Richa Ghevarghese
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Growth mixture modeling (GMM) is a methodological tool used to represent heterogeneity in longitudinal datasets through the identification of unobserved subgroups following qualitatively and quantitatively distinct trajectories in a population. These growth trajectories or functional forms are informed by the underlying developmental theory, are distinct to each subgroup, and form the core assumptions of the model. Therefore, the accuracy of the assumed functional forms of growth strongly influences substantive research and theories of growth. While there is evidence of mis-specified functional forms of growth in GMM literature, the weight of this violation has been largely overlooked. Current solutions to circumvent …
Faculty Facilitation Of Help-Seeking On Campus: A Phenomenological Study, Lillian V. Clark
Faculty Facilitation Of Help-Seeking On Campus: A Phenomenological Study, Lillian V. Clark
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
An ever-increasing number of students on college campuses are experiencing distress, and not all students in need of care are being reached (Kitzrow, 2009, LeViness, et al., 2019). Faculty are one of the most valuable resources for identifying and connecting students to care (Kitzrow, 2009). Despite this, we know very little about the experiences of faculty working with students in distress. This study sought to understand those experiences, as well as identify the barriers to connecting students to care. A qualitative study using an Interpretive Phenomenology framework was conducted (Smith & Osborn, 2007, Moustakas, 1994). Four themes were interpreted from …
Exploring Opportunities For Supporting Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth: A Path Forward Through Expanding Graduate Training In School Psychology, Erica L. Gleason
Exploring Opportunities For Supporting Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth: A Path Forward Through Expanding Graduate Training In School Psychology, Erica L. Gleason
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
School psychologists are equipped with a dynamic skill set and an ethical and moral responsibility to support the diverse needs of all youth. While juvenile justice-involved youth may not be a primary subpopulation served by all school psychologists, they are a high-needs group that requires special consideration and attention. As a professional entity, school psychologists’ knowledge and expertise are not optimally applied to serving these youth. Consequently, school psychologists may be forgoing an opportunity to improve rates of successful school and community reintegration and overall positive life outcomes for justice-involved youth. The first manuscript of this dissertation presents precipitating and …
Juntos Luchamos: A Postcritical Ethnographic And Photovoice Study On Latinx Student Civic Engagement Practices At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Liliana Diaz
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Situated at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), this postcritical ethnographic and photovoice study sought to explore how Latinx students define and practice civic engagement. Theoretically framed by Latino Cultural Citizenship (LCC), the study explored how current Latinx student civic engagement practices inform a Hispanic-Serving Institutions’ civic engagement efforts. Data collection took place over the 2021-2022 academic year and an exhibition of the study’s findings was made publicly available at the culmination of the study. Findings from the study indicate that Latinx postsecondary students define civic engagement as knowledge and resource sharing (KRS) and achieving success. Findings for how Latinx postsecondary students …
Policymaker Discourse In Colorado Public Higher Education Appropriations, Nathan Willers
Policymaker Discourse In Colorado Public Higher Education Appropriations, Nathan Willers
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
State funding for higher education is one of the most pressing issues facing both institutions and policymakers in 2022. Colorado has seen significant declines in the amount of state funding per student over the past two decades, resulting in increases in student burdens for tuition. Policy discourse analysis through a poststructural and neoliberal lens provided insight towards the legislative process and the discursive themes utilized by Colorado policymakers during the 2021-22 legislative budgeting cycle. Twelve artifacts were analyzed, including a mix of policy briefs, hearings, and budget and appropriations reports, for discursive data related to the state’s appropriations for public …
Resilience & Persistence Of First-Generation Ncaa Division I Student-Athletes: An Evaluation Of The Key Culture, Communication, & Sports Program At Colorado State University, Sarabeth Morofsky
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This program evaluation highlights the Key Culture, Communication, & Sports (KCCS) Program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, a learning community program dedicated to serving student-athletes. Learning communities, considered high-impact practice in higher education, have a longstanding and successful approach to supporting new college students (Mamerow & Navorro, 2014). Many of the traditional benefits of learning community participation line up closely with the needs of student-athletes (Mamerow & Navorro, 2014). A Utilization-Focused program evaluation was implemented. KCCS students and KCCS faculty and staff were interviewed to understand if and how the KCCS program was meeting its goals. The …
A Grounded Theory Inquiry Into The Pedagogical Socialization Of Graduate Students Within Graduate Quantitative Methods Courses, Amanda Kay Thomas
A Grounded Theory Inquiry Into The Pedagogical Socialization Of Graduate Students Within Graduate Quantitative Methods Courses, Amanda Kay Thomas
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Quantitative methods are one of the most highly technical fields of study within social sciences graduate programs. Although classroom pedagogy is an important factor connected to student success within graduate quantitative methods courses little is known on the pedagogical socialization experiences of masters and doctoral students. The purpose of this grounded theory inquiry was to discover graduate students perspectives on their pedagogical socialization experiences and the norms, values and role expectations transmitted during the teaching and learning of quantitative methods. Narrative data was collected from in-depth interviews among a theoretical sample of 31 masters and doctoral students enrolled in introductory, …
Evaluating Foundational Components Of Research Consultations In An Academic Library Research Center, Ryan F. Buller
Evaluating Foundational Components Of Research Consultations In An Academic Library Research Center, Ryan F. Buller
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
As our society continues to evolve at an ever-increasing rate, our higher education institutions, and the services they provide, must keep pace with societal changes in order to ensure that those services stay current and relevant. This program evaluation examines one such service, the research consultation model in University Libraries at the University of Denver. This evaluation was situated within the Human Ecological Theory Framework, to help understand how different environments can impact the recognition and value placed upon the foundational components of the service. An exploratory sequential mixed methods approach was used to determine what the foundational components of …
Portraits Of Professional Collaboration: Faculty-Librarian Teaching Partnerships, Carrie L. Forbes
Portraits Of Professional Collaboration: Faculty-Librarian Teaching Partnerships, Carrie L. Forbes
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Many regional accrediting organizations for higher education have embraced information literacy as a key component for both student success and student learning outcomes. Through embedded librarianship practices, librarians are now taking a leading role in developing and promoting users’ information literacy skills and in adopting an active classroom teaching approach. Faculty-librarian team teaching is a best practice for integrating information literacy into the higher education curricula, but the extant research has largely focused on the barriers to collaboration. Using Walsh and Kahn’s (2010) model of “collaborative working” as a conceptual framework, this dissertation explores the qualities and characteristics of four …
Black Minds Matter: A Phenomenological Inquiry Examining The Prevalence Of Racial Trauma Among Black Doctoral Students, Jazmyne Markeeva Peters
Black Minds Matter: A Phenomenological Inquiry Examining The Prevalence Of Racial Trauma Among Black Doctoral Students, Jazmyne Markeeva Peters
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Systemic and institutionalized racism is endemic to life in the United States and contributes to the daily marginalization of Black people. While the negative psychological and physiological effects of racism have been well-documented, the notion that racism can be experienced as a trauma is a newer theory. Racial trauma has been understudied and underappreciated, though it is a theory that clinicians should incorporate when working with Black clients and other clients of color. Exploring the ways in which Black doctoral students attending a predominantly White institution (PWI) have experienced racism is an essential contribution to the existing racial trauma literature. …
Cultural Wealth Of First-Generation College Students And Its Effects On Well-Being, Persistence, And Major Satisfaction, Eve M. F. Sussman
Cultural Wealth Of First-Generation College Students And Its Effects On Well-Being, Persistence, And Major Satisfaction, Eve M. F. Sussman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Although understanding of FGCS’s success in higher education has been enhanced over the last decade, less is known about their career and educational development, and how their strengths and assets promote college success. The purpose of this study was to explore the relations between first-generation college student (FGCS, [N= 130]) cultural wealth variables, work volition, and outcomes (i.e., academic major satisfaction, persistence, and well-being) using the Critical Cultural Wealth Model (CCWM; Garriott, 2020). Results of regression analyses partially supported CCWM propositions. Significant, positive correlations were observed between resilience and work volition, academic major satisfaction, and well-being. Significant, positive …
Caballerismo In Latinx Men In Higher Education, Victor Carrasco
Caballerismo In Latinx Men In Higher Education, Victor Carrasco
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Latinx men continue to be marginalized in higher education, and more research is needed to understand how to retain them using anti-deficit frameworks (Cook et al., 2012). Studies have investigated caballerismo as a protective factor for LatinX men. Caballerismo is defined by egalitarian beliefs, affiliation, positive family relationships, and empathy (Arciniega et al., 2008; Neff, 2001). Despite its promise as an anti-deficit framework, little is known about how caballerismo informs Latino students’ experiences in higher education. Therefore, this study addresses the following research questions: a) How does caballerismo manifest in Latinx men in higher education, b) how does caballerismo intersect …
An Examination Of Relational Health, Belonging, And Self-Compassion In Chinese International Students, Elizabeth A. Harris Shaffner
An Examination Of Relational Health, Belonging, And Self-Compassion In Chinese International Students, Elizabeth A. Harris Shaffner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Chinese international students (CISs), the largest segment of international students coming to the US to study at institutions of higher education (IIE, 2016), are reported to experience more acculturative stress than other international students because of the vast differences in social and cultural norms between the United States and China (Li & Glasser, 2005; Yeh & Inose, 2003). The present study used Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) as the framework to explore the ways undergraduate CISs struggle and thrive in the face of acculturative stress and to understand how positive and negative outcomes are associated with their relational health, sense of campus …
Exploring The Community Impact Of Community-University Partnerships, Stacey D. Muse
Exploring The Community Impact Of Community-University Partnerships, Stacey D. Muse
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The field and movement of community engagement in higher education is one way for institutions of higher education to fulfill the public good mission. Community engagement practices have shifted to valuing democratically engaged partnerships between the community and campus (Saltmarsh, Hartley, & Clayton, 2009). However, the research on community engagement reveals a lack of understanding of community voice and perspective on if and how community-campus partnerships make a difference for community-based organizations partnered with institutions of higher education. This embedded case study begins to fill these gaps in the literature by examining the voice and perspective of community-based organizations partnered …
Maintaining Or Disrupting Inequality: Diversity Statements In The University, Linda A. Merkl
Maintaining Or Disrupting Inequality: Diversity Statements In The University, Linda A. Merkl
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of my study was to identify whether university Diversity Statements aid in maintaining or disrupting inequality in the university. Using critical discourse analysis, I analyzed an initial sample of eleven Diversity Statements to develop a list of common themes found within the diversity statements. Using a maximum variation method, I then reduced my sample to four universities to provide breadth of information for the final study (Miles & Huberman, 1994). In my case analysis, I first conducted an individual analysis of each of the four Diversity Statements using the common themes from my critical case analysis, common functions …
Do Methods Matter In Global Leadership Development? A Mixed-Methods Study Of A U.S.-Based International Mba Program, Jennie L. Walker
Do Methods Matter In Global Leadership Development? A Mixed-Methods Study Of A U.S.-Based International Mba Program, Jennie L. Walker
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
As world communication, technology, and trade become increasingly integrated through globalization, multinational corporations seek employees with global leadership experience and skills. However, the demand for these skills currently outweighs the supply. Given the rarity of globally ready leaders, global competency development should be emphasized in higher education programs. The reality, however, is that university graduate programs are often outdated and focus mostly on cognitive learning. Global leadership competence requires moving beyond the cognitive domain of learning to create socially responsible and culturally connected global leaders. This requires attention to development methods; however, limited research in global leadership development methods has …
Toward A New Social Contract: A Tripartite Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Social Sustainability At Three Land-Grant Universities, Lyndsay Josephine Agans
Toward A New Social Contract: A Tripartite Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Social Sustainability At Three Land-Grant Universities, Lyndsay Josephine Agans
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Increasingly, colleges and universities in the United States are adapting toward a model of behavior that incorporates issues of sustainability. This adaptation in universities and in society has implications on the organizational and nation-state level, the very core of which may serve to reshape the social contract between the two. In addition to supplying a strong counter-hegemonic argument that alters the competitive economic agenda-setting paradigm, this study serves as a tripartite comparative case study analysis of university adaptation toward social sustainability. By employing a social capital lens to understanding social sustainability in higher education, this study seeks to examine the …