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Examining the relationship between mission statements, strategic plans, and a college's ability to commit to long-term operating sustainability
No full textJackson, Quentin E.
I am interested in the long-term operating sustainability of colleges and universities. I discovered that the relevant literature in this area has identified mission statements, strategic plans, continuity and information systems & technology plans as key documents used in management practices in organizations. These are types of strategic plans (Eckel, 2023) which serve as key components of operating performance that drive organizational sustainability (United States OPM, 2012).
Because I am deeply engaged with document data, my chosen research method is Grounded Theory using Qualitative Document Content Analysis. According to LaiYee Ho and Alex Limpaecher (2021), Grounded Theory “is a qualitative research method that enables you to derive new theories based on the iterative (document data) collection and analysis of real-world data.”
Grounded Theory is appropriate as a research methodology because Grounded Theory allowed me (as the primary researcher) to be directly engaged with my prior professional knowledge. This also allowed me to actively interpret the themes which emerged from the data collection documents (Sebastian, 2019). The alignment of the emergent themes provided the leans for which create a theoretical framework. That framework is used to establish a performance-based relationship between mission statements and strategic plans to contribute to a college’s ability to commit to long-term operating sustainability
Experiences of Deaf and Hard of Hearing College Students Assessed in Standard English
No full textZollicoffer, Christine
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students often enter college underprepared because of their apparent deficit in the comprehension of the English language. This deficit exists because the primary language for DHH students is American Sign Language (ASL) rather than the English language. ASL is considered and recognized as a visual language, which does not have an exact translation to the English language. ASL is its own language, complete with its own set of rules and arrangements as compared to the English Language. As a result, assessments that require English may not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
The purpose of this study is to provide an inquiry into the experience of DHH students in community colleges whose knowledge, skills, and abilities are assessed using English. A basic qualitative design was used for this study. Face-to-face interviews with DHH students were conducted, utilizing open-ended questions and relevant follow-up questions when necessary. A certified sign language interpreter assisted the researcher to conduct the interviews in ASL. An examination of the students’ English may determine obstacles students face for successful program completion and the benefits received from classroom instruction. An appropriate assessment for DHH students cannot be determined until it is understood what this population’s experiences are when being assessed in English. By understanding the students’ viewpoint of being assessed using English, this study may advance the scientific knowledge base on assessing DHH students’ knowledge
Bilingual teachers embracing translanguaging in an urban public school district
No full textBolster, Sara
What is translanguaging? How is translanguaging defined? How do bilingual teachers’ experience with translanguaging change their thoughts about the use of it in our classrooms? The purpose of this qualitative research study will be to interview bilingual teachers in one urban Public School District who embraced translanguaging in their classrooms. This study will give us perspective on how translanguaging is seen and used and the benefits and challenges when embracing translanguaging in a public-school bilingual classroom. Participants will be bilingual teachers in one urban public school district. These teachers will be asked a series of questions to answer three research questions. The research will be used to show other bilingual teachers who are not yet embracing translanguaging what it is, how it works in bilingual students, and the benefits and challenges when embracing translanguaging
Teachers' perceptions of their ability to teach culturally diverse students
No full textWilson, Lillie E.
There is a vast body of evidence that indicates many teachers at public schools in large urban districts in metropolitan areas of underserved and marginalized students are mostly White, female, middle-class, affluent teachers from the Midwest that have little or no training in how to teach culturally diverse, racial, ethnic, and linguistic (DREL) student populations. The purpose of this qualitative study is to answer the question of what teachers identify as factors that contribute to their ability to teach culturally diverse students. Teachers that are not trained to work with (DREL) student populations will have a difficult time reaching and teaching these students. This study lists several pedagogical methods that are available to these teachers that will assist in teaching (DREL) student populations more successfully. Some of these teaching methods are the use of culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally responsive pedagogy, culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching and the brain, reality pedagogy, and culturally sustaining pedagogy. These pedagogical methods will aid the teacher in structuring their classes to meet the academic needs of all students; and lessens the chances for underserved and marginalized students to become a “pipeline to prison” statistic
Double the Math = Double the Achievement: How Stakeholders Perceive Double Dosing
No full textBrown, Thuy Linh
Awesome Work College Preparatory High School (AWCPHS), implemented math intervention classes for students with a history of failure in mathematics who were enrolled in Algebra I. The students selected for the intervention had not mastered grade-level mathematics concepts and skills, as measured by state and local assessments. This approach of students enrolled in more than one math course during the regular school year is referred to as “double dosing”. This qualitative method case study describes the experiences of key stakeholders with double dosing through interviews and observations in order to answer the research question, How do key stakeholders perceive the math intervention and the potential impact on student success? The study's findings revealed favorable outcomes for all stakeholders involved. Based on the findings of this research, it is suggested that the school should increase its intervention support and offer a math tutoring program to all students so they can access it whenever they need extra assistance. The tutoring program would also provide a space for students to voice their concerns and receive extra help when needed. One limitation about the study is that the analysis focused on one school and one school district, and is not generalizable outside of this population. The study's findings showed that the three themes that stakeholders had in common, and which were crucial elements of a math intervention, were mathematical mindset, engagement, and comfort. Overall, the stakeholders all agreed that math intervention and double dosing is beneficial to student success with mathematics. They all perceive math intervention in a positive light and are in favor of it. They all feel that math intervention is necessary because there are gaps in students’ foundational knowledge in math and their misunderstanding and misconceptions hinder their learning
Queer writes: A phenomenological study of LGBTQIA+ students’ identity and belonging following the United States Supreme Court Obergefell decision
No full textVice, Josef
Since the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v Hodges establishing the right of same-sex couples to marry, the LGBTQIA+ community has become the target of increased homophobia, including acts of violence. Too little is known about the impact this problem has had upon the developing gender and sexualities identities and sense of belongingness of young adult LGBTQIA+ college students. In addition, too little is known about the impact that first-year writing courses may have upon these college students’ identity and sense of belongingness while at college. This qualitative phenomenological case study of eight young adult LGBTQIA+ college students’ experiences with discrimination while at college addressed two research questions:
1. How do young adult LGBTQIA+ identifying students’ experiences with homophobia and heterosexism influence their sense of identity and belongingness at college?
2. How do young adult LGBTQIA+ identifying students’ experiences in first-year college writing courses shape their sense of identity and belongingness at college?
Informed by the lens of Queer Theory, Queer Pedagogy, Constructivist-Developmental Theory, and Attachment Theory, the data resulting from this study’s semi structured interviews revealed several key findings: At least for the eight study participants, despite growing increased positive LGBTQIA+ representation and a growing overall public acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community, young adult LGBTQIA+ identity and sense of belongingness are still at-risk; LGBTQIA+ identity acceptance and integration and their sense of belongingness are still being negatively impacted by familial and cultural attitudes; the conservative political and Conservative Christian movement in the United States has harmed the young adult LGBTQIA+ community’s ability to form a positive self-identity and hampered their feelings of belongingness; while some young adult LGBTQIA+ identifying college students believe that their first-year writing courses offer LGBTQIA+ representation, are inclusive, and offer opportunity to build a positive identity through writing, most perceive that all college courses, not just first-year writing courses, should be safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ identifying students; and, the threats to their identity and sense of belongingness can be, they perceive, counter balanced through positive self-expression and by the actions of even a single teacher or administrator ally
Elevating Black student voices: The underrepresentation of Black high school students in Advanced Placement courses
No full textBoykin, Choya
The College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) program was created in 1952 to accelerate academically gifted students’ enrollment and graduation from prestigious colleges and universities (Rothschild, 1999). Most Black students, with the same academic preparation as their White peers, are significantly less likely to enroll in an AP course (College Board, 2020). The intent of this research was to elevate Black student voices and experiences so that educational leaders can gain greater insight into how to eliminate barriers to enrollment for Black students in AP courses, such that Black students can fully participate and be advantaged by a school curriculum that is a gateway to a future of educational and economic advantage already afforded to their White peers.
The literature review for this study is a comprehensive review of educational research related to topics of (a) the history of marginalization in American schools, (b) the Black-White achievement gap, (c) ability tracking, and (d) the Advanced Placement program. Additionally, it highlights the lack of scholarly literature that elevates the voices of Black high school students to understand the underrepresentation of Black student enrollment in AP courses. A narrative research design was used in this research study. The conceptual framework used to investigate the experiences of Black students in AP courses was social reproduction theory, which calls for the researcher to focus on ways in which Black students and their voices are historically marginalized in educational systems. Six themes emerged from the raw data (a) Theme 1: Quality Student College Advisement is Important but Insufficient, (b) Theme 2: Advanced Placement Teachers Matter, (c) Theme 3: Low Black Student Representation, (d) Theme 4: Barriers, Barriers, Barriers, (e) Theme 5: GIOMO – Got It On My Own, and (f) Theme 6: Black Student Voices to Future AP Students. Advanced Placement courses should not be for the privileged and the few Black students who dare to be different. The system’s culture must change to lift the students’ voices, potential, opportunity, and success
Maintaining undergraduate females' interest in an engineering program
No full textOviedo, Pamela
It is well-documented that for females to graduate with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related degrees, these women must have strong academic self-efficacy. Unfortunately, enrollment data from local and national data indicate fewer female college students than males interested in STEM disciplines. Three possible strategies for enhancing academic self-efficacy are creating living-learning programs, participating in peer mentoring programs, and receiving faculty support. This collective case study will qualitatively explore the experiences of five junior undergraduate females enrolled in an engineering discipline at a selected university to understand better how supporting academic self-efficacy through living-learning programs, peer mentoring, and faculty support may have helped their persistence as engineering majors. The social cognitive career theory of Lent, Brown, Hackett and Bandura's social cognitive theory provide the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions will focus on the females' perceptions of academic self-efficacy, the effectiveness of living-learning programs and peer mentoring, and the support of faculty members as it relates to female STEM persistence. The data analysis plan includes a strategy for preparing, organizing, interpreting data, categorizing coded data, and extracting themes. Key findings will provide a basis for the eventual deliverable of this study. The study supports social change by allowing stakeholders, administrators, and educators to understand what needs to be implemented in the K-12 system to support undergraduate female engineering majors' interest and persistence in underrepresented STEM careers as they enter higher education
Music therapists, sparking conversation: Exploring the sense of the community in a music therapy program
No full textRitter, Rose
This paper details the creation and evaluation of "Music Therapists, Sparking Conversation" a pilot program aimed at increasing the sense of community within a hybrid (virtual and in-person) music therapy program at a small midwest college
How does participation in K-12 bilingual education in a large urban district within a Midwestern city influence the postsecondary pathways and outcomes of Latinos?
No full textTrejo, Rocío
National statistics indicate Latinos are a growing demographic across the U.S. Additionally, census data shows Latinos have low college enrollment and completion rates. Bilingual education is a venue through which many Latinos are schooled. Most studies on the impact of bilingual education have focused on elementary grade levels. Those that expand into high school or beyond include very small populations of students or students who have not necessarily remained in the bilingual program for the duration of their K-12 experience. Thus, minimal research has assessed the influence of consistent enrollment in bilingual education through the lens of high school, post high school, or collegiate experiences and outcomes. As such, this mixed-methods study examined the outcomes and lived experiences of Latino students who consistently participated in a K-12 bilingual program in a large urban district within a midwestern city. Specifically, this study examined the percentage of bilingual program students who graduated from high school, their academic outcomes, the percent who entered college, the percent who earned a bachelor’s degree, and the K-12 schooling experience of Latino students who consistently participated in bilingual education. Quantitative data showed a higher percentage of bilingual program students graduated from high school, entered college, and earned a bachelor’s degree when compared to national statistics on Latino achievement. Qualitative data highlighted a strong sense of belonging while in the bilingual program, varied student perceptions of their cultural and linguistic identities, as well as a lack of consistent and mandatory college and career readiness efforts that address the specific needs of this population. Overall, the study showed that participation in K-12 bilingual education in a large urban district within a midwestern city influences the postsecondary pathways and outcomes of Latinos. Findings support the need for bilingual education and call for continued deliberate attention to the cultural, linguistic, social, and academic development of Latinos while bringing to the forefront the intentional development of identity and critical consciousness as well as consistent and mandatory college and career readiness efforts specific to this population