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A Single Case Study of Sophomore College Students’ Self-Awareness and How it Relates to Teamwork at a Private College
Get PDFTeamwork is considered an essential 21st-century skill and is now included in most university curricula. Working in teams helps college students learn skills such as leadership and problem-solving, that can transfer to the workplace. Effective teams are defined as those with members who communicate well and whose members possess a high degree of self-awareness (SA). SA is the primary component of Goleman’s framework of emotional intelligence (EI). A single case study was conducted at a private college in the United States to better understand how sophomore students described SA and how it relates to teamwork. The participants were sophomore students in their last two quarters of an associate’s degree program. There were two participants for the pilot study and four participants in the case study and a maximum variation model of sampling was used. The methodology included participant diaries, interviews, and artifacts. The initial findings supported Goleman’s assertion that SA was a gateway component that supported the development of other components of EI, including social awareness, self-management, and relationship management. Implications for practice may be the way in which college student SA relates to teamwork. Results suggest that participant SA helped them to manage their emotions and to therefore work better with their teammates
A Study to Determine Barriers That Impact Adult Learner Academic Success
Get PDFAdult learners often encounter obstacles that impede their academic progress and either withdraw from a course or drop out of college. There has been significant research conducted on effectively instructing and motivating adult learners. However, not enough research has been conducted to help adult learners sustain their motivation when barriers arise impacting their academic success. The goal of this study was to identify barriers that impact adult learners’ academic success. The study examined the viewpoints of undergraduate adult learners at an American higher education institution to determine situational, institutional and dispositional barriers encountered impacting their academic success. The research theoretical framework was based on andragogy theory, along with social learning and sociocultural theories. A qualitative embedded case study research design was chosen because it allowed the investigator to use a triangulation process consisting of a survey, semistructured interview, and two focus groups. The data were collected employing a triangulation method from a total of 33 participants who completed the survey. A random sample of 10 participants who were selected from the initial 33 participants, participated in both the semistructured interviews and focus groups. Qualitative analysis was conducted employing an open and axial coding process for both semistructured interviews and focus groups, to capture themes and patterns from responses provided by participants. The findings of the study indicated that adult learners have academically been impacted by situational barriers, institutional and dispositional barriers
A Phenomenological Study of Parent Experiences With Postsecondary-Admission Counseling
No full textThe purpose of this study is to better understand parent experiences with the postsecondary-admission counseling of high school students in California. As a state, California exceeds the ASCA’s student-to-counselor national recommendations, impacting the delivery of postsecondary-admission counseling on high school campuses. To understand the postsecondary-admission counseling experiences in California, a qualitative phenomenological study consisting of 12 parents of current or recently graduated high school students was utilized. Open-ended interviews captured parents’ lived experiences with the postsecondary-admission counseling of California high school counselors. The data analysis for this study was accomplished by utilizing a four-step process outlined by Moustakas (1994), which helped generate four themes: (a) postsecondary-admission counseling knowledge, (b) counselor availability, (c) student and counselor fit, and (d) personalization. Themes discovered in this study also included the following subthemes: (a) confidence-level, (b) planning roadmap, (c) counseling meeting frequency, (d) counselor preparation, (e) student connection, (f) family expectation, (g) cookie-cutter counseling, and (h) holistic counseling. Each discovered theme and subtheme are capable of assisting families, high school counselors, and independent educational consultants to prepare for the postsecondary-admission process
Effect of the Scientific Method Model of Instruction in Diagnostic Medical Sonography Students
Get PDFCritical thinking and reasoning are fundamental skills for a diagnostic medical sonographer. This quantitative quasi-experimental study examined whether teaching diagnostic medical sonography students the scientific method made a significant difference in the student\u27s critical thinking and reasoning skills. Using the Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT), two groups of students were selected to participate in the study, with a control and experimental group. The HSRT was used to determine if a significant difference in critical thinking and reasoning was discernable from pre-to-post testing between the control and experimental group of students. The data supported teaching the scientific method improved the scores on the post HSRT in the experimental group, which received instruction in the scientific method. A student receiving instruction in the scientific method (n = 12) had a higher overall HSRT score (M = 27) than the control group (n = 12) (M = 19), with the difference being statistically significant at p = 0.05. Post HSRT testing shows an increase in their national percentile ranking for the posttest, the control group had an increase of 13%, and the experimental group had an increase of 32%. The HSRT can provide educators with a tool to measure the effectiveness of a student’s critical thinking and reasoning skills, facilitating their development of bridging didactic and laboratory education to the clinical setting
The Impact and Influence Mentoring has on African-American Leaders in Nonprofits
Get PDFThis dissertation in transformational leadership demonstrates and characterizes research that support minority leaders seeking leadership roles within the nonprofit sector across New York state. This study gathered and learned varied perspectives and experiences of mentor relationships by interviewing people of color, primarily mature, African-American leaders from nonprofit organizations in New York state. The primary goal of this study was to determine trends and test the assumption whether mentor relationships would affect and influence African-Americans seeking executive level nonprofit leadership. The phenomenological design used for this study included face-to-face interviews and demographic surveys from individuals who participated in the study. This study contributes to the study of transformational leadership in that it provides future leaders lived experiences of how mentor relationships encouraged, motivated, and build other leaders over time. Results of the study show that mentor relationships have a significant impact and influence on job attainment, continued growth and development in the workplace, and changes the narrative for people of color, namely African-Americans
How Students’ Reading Habits are Affected by Library Genrefication
No full textReading for pleasure has multiple benefits, including an increase in math and science skills, in the capability to empathize, and in inferential abilities. Unfortunately, as students reach adolescence, there is a decline in reading for pleasure. The purpose of this case study was to explore what effect the genrefication of a school’s library may have on the reading habits of self-identified reluctant readers in the seventh grade. The research questions of this study were focused on self-efficacy in terms of reading skill and self-selection materials, as well as time spent reading for pleasure. The study site was a public middle school with 12 participants selected from a literacy support class. Data were collected through two rounds of interviews, observations, and questionnaires. Data were coded using open and axial coding and then triangulated. Five themes emerged: engagement, independence, confidence, priorities, and motivation. The results of this study showed an increase in the participants’ self-efficacy in terms of reading skills and self-selection of high-interest reading material. There was also positive growth in how the participants viewed reading for pleasure. However, the time the participants spent reading for pleasure did not show a significant impact over the two months of the study. The findings of this study indicate there are methods that can be utilized by school personnel to positively affect the reading habits of adolescents that do not negatively impact the workload of the classroom teachers
A Phenomenological Study: The Associate Degree Pathway Experiences of Twelfth Grade Hispanic Male Students in an Early College High School Program
No full textMany Hispanic male students, who are often the first in their family to attend college, face distinctive challenges while attempting to obtain a higher education degree. The purpose of this study was to explore how a sample of 12th grade Hispanic male students in the rural Southwestern United States experience an Early College High School (ECHS) program while attempting to earn an associate degree. A transcendental phenomenological research design was employed to document the experiences of seven 12th grade Hispanic male students who were enrolled in the Associate Degree Pathway of this study site’s ECHS. Purposive sampling was utilized to identify study participants who were in 12th grade, Hispanic, male, and at one point had been enrolled in the Associate Degree Pathway of ECHS. Data was collected from the participants by utilizing an interview protocol in the spring of 2018. The data analysis for this study was accomplished by following Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological reduction method, which helped generate eight themes. The themes were: (a) poor time management skills; (b) limited prior rigorous academic experiences; (c) extracurricular activity participation; (d) institutional agents present in the students’ lives; (e) parental support; (f) limited social and cultural capital; (g) positive experience about ECHS; and (h) lack of work ethic. This study was significant because the information provided by the participants may have the potential to influence ECHS programs by recommending programming that improves a Hispanic male student’s chances of post-secondary success
Understanding the Experiences of Latino Community College Students on Academic Probation: A Case Study
No full textThe academic standards and policies of institutions of higher education consider student underachievement, among the other aspects of education. Academic standing addresses the probation status designed to intervene and inform students who are unable to meet certain academic institutional standards. However, there is a lack of research discussing the experiences of community college students on academic probation (AP). This qualitative case study explored the perceptions of Latino college students experiences with AP at a large community college on the west coast of the United States. Specifically, the transitions of Latino students to college as previous studies have demonstrated that their difficult experiences during their first year of college determine whether they are placed on AP or drop out. Transition Theory and Student Departure Theory guide this research. Moreover, the data collection and analysis characterize the participants’ experiences from which recommendations for the academic community were developed. Findings reveal that students experience stress during AP intervention and do not receive either enough academic support or knowledge on institutional policies before the intervention takes place. These findings can help higher education institutions understand the obstacles of students, especially Latino college students on AP, in maintaining the required academic standards and consequently assist them to retain and persist to complete their degree like their counterparts
