This applied dissertation was designed to understand and explore the experiences of graduate students at a public four-year higher education institution in the southeastern region of the United States. This study utilized an interview based phenomenological qualitative study design approach for data collection and analysis. Committees in the field of higher education reviewed and approved the interview protocol. The research study and data analysis were conducted in the Spring Semester of 2017. The researcher employed semi-structured interviews that were guided by ten protocol questions. Transcription accuracy, credibility, and trustworthiness were established through diligent adherence to university protocols. The collected data revealed themes that supported the researchers’ understanding of graduate students’ perception of engagement and experiences in face-to-face, online, and blended classroom settings. The qualitative research study provides in-depth insight for future enrollees and program development. The selected institution’s IRB and Nova Southeastern University’s IRB granted permission to conduct the study. A phenomenological approach was used to maximize exploration of graduate students’ perception of engagement and experiences in face-to-face, online, and blended graduate level classroom settings. Ten protocol questions guided the semi-structured interviews. Subsequent to the scheduled 60-minute interviews, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to describe the meaning of several individuals’ perceptions. The most prevalent theme that emerged was a lack of meaningful social interaction, or student engagement, in online formats. Once the data had been analyzed, recommendations for future research were provided to support the needs of a graduate student population on university campuses.

This mixed research study evaluated the spacing effect theory on the academic performances of students enrolled in introductory level Computer Literacy courses by comparing course grades and mock IC3 certification exam scores in semester-length and quarter-length courses at Prince Georges Community College. The study was ingrained on the spacing effect theory which posits that mammals will tend to recall material learned over time (spaced presentation) than material concepts learned over shorter periods (massed presentation). A t test analysis revealed that students in the quarter-length formats had significantly higher grades than those in the semester format but the analysis presented no significant difference on their mock IC3 scores. A Pearson correlation conducted also revealed no significant relationship among students' course grades and their mock IC3 scores overall or by format (semester vs. intensive).

This phenomenological study was implemented within a rural community in the southeastern area of the United States. The purpose of the study was to examine perceptions of prior graduates in order to identify specific effects of limited technology and Internet access in public schools. No related investigation has occurred within the research setting. To achieve this purpose, the researcher acquired perceptual data from 33 adults who attended the local high school during School Years 2003-2004 through 2012-2013. Data were collected through the administration of an anonymous questionnaire. Several primary findings were derived from the study. First, although participants did not perceive limited access to technology and Internet access while in high school, the collective perception was that technology was minimally integrated within high school instruction and that the high school experience insufficiently prepared students for the role of technology within the college setting. Second, technology was not fully utilized for acquiring information involving college or career selection. Third, participants reported the lack of availability or dependability of Internet service in the rural areas. Recommendations for educational practice, based on findings of the study, are to provide professional development for all teachers within the high school to increase the integration of technology within instruction and to provide professional development for teachers and school guidance counselors for the purpose of increasing the use of technology when assisting students in acquiring college and career information. Recommendations for future research, also based on findings, are (a) to determine how participants acquired a high level of technology skill for college with the limited use of technology in high school and the minimal Internet access within homes, (b) to engage in further research to assist school guidance counselors in acquiring the skills to recognize and provide initial treatment involving the onset of Internet addiction among students, and (c) for city council members and leaders within the private sector to research possible options for acquiring more dependable Internet service within the outlying rural areas so that all residents can enjoy the potential benefits of current technology.

Emotional Intelligence is an ability that is crucial to the field of public health due to the fact that it encompasses the practitioner’s ability to communicate professionally, show empathy, obtain patient compliance and promote sustainable lifestyle changes in communities. This study seeks to evaluate a public health program in order to determine what emotional intelligence training currently exists, and what the attitudes of stakeholders are regarding emotional intelligence and its importance to the field of public health. This is done through interviews with the faculty, administrators and students, as well as a questionnaire that asks students to assess their own abilities in the area of emotional intelligence. The information gathered makes it possible to formulate recommendations to further incorporate emotional intelligence-building activities into the program. Results of the study show a direct correlation between public health and emotional intelligence competencies, which makes it an ideal program in which to integrate further training. Additionally, results indicate a gap between student’s self perception regarding their emotional intelligence abilities, and the perception their faculty and administration of student’s abilities. Finally, a significant lack of student engagement due to dissatisfaction with acceptance requirements appears to contribute to the perception of low emotional intelligence on the part of the students. Recommendations for future development of emotional intelligence in the program include the incorporation of training into the existing Orientation week, the addition of case studies into the courses most naturally related to emotional intelligence-building, the provision of training seminars for faculty, the inclusion of an advanced seminar for students on a voluntary basis, and the evaluation of the program using both a self-report emotional intelligence questionnaire and the Mayer, Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) at the beginning and end of each term in order to track program effectiveness in the long term.

This applied dissertation was designed to analyze the effects of social networking for educational purposes on the academic achievement of regular and special education students in the secondary school setting. The effect of social networking on student learning has not been determined. There is a limited amount of research on how and to what extent teachers use social networking within the parameters of instruction. There is even less research distinguishing the effects of social networking on the academic achievement on regular and special education students. The student participants engaged in discussion forums as their primary social networking experience. Of the 155 participants, 94 were enrolled in a class that required participation in asynchronous discussion forum, and 61 were enrolled in a class with more traditional instruction devoid of social networking. The treatment consisted of 12 discussion prompts created by the teacher in the Blackboard course management system. The analysis of student test data showed no significant difference in mean scores attributable to social networking when educational status was ignored. When educational status was not ignored, however, the significant difference of mean scores between all regular education and all special education students was found to be highly unlikely to have been due to chance. This study also found that there was an interaction between educational status and social networking. The infusion of educational social networking helped narrow the achievement gap between regular and special education students.

While many high school English instructors in the United States teach world literature in translation, few of them explicitly present the literature as translated. High school English students would benefit from learning more about the linguistic origins of the world literature they read. This awareness would increase student understanding of the source culture and benefit their language skills. Various translation theorists have suggested methods to teach translational awareness, but few have offered advice on the type of translation to select. In my research, I examined the question of whether students would derive more cultural knowledge, and specifically language-related knowledge, by reading domesticated or foreignized translations. To explore this question, I created two different English translations of the same French literary texts and presented them to several classes of U.S. American high school students. One translation (Version A) was intended to be a domesticated version and the other (Version B) was deliberately foreignized. Classes read two versions of either Anna Gavalda’s short story “Happy Meal” or of a selection from Joseph Zobel’s novel La Rue Cases-Nègres. Following the reading, they completed a series of multiple-choice and free-response questions. Responses to the readings indicated that students found the foreignized translations more “sophisticated” but did not consistently demonstrate a greater cultural understanding as a result. The results failed to prove one translation method more effective than the other, but they did suggest limitations to Lawrence Venuti’s foreignization approach.

The intent of this study was to investigate changes in the curriculum caused by high-stakes testing mandates within 3 Southwest Virginia school systems to find best practices for instructional application in classrooms. This qualitative study was comprised of indepth interviews and observations with elementary school teachers and administrators. High-stakes testing has impacted the nation in myriad ways. The mandates from the government presented teachers and administrators with conditions that must be met according to the No Child Left Behind Act and individual state's standards. Teachers' perceptions of curriculum changes, Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP), testing mandates according to high-stakes testing, and accountability were examined through personal interviews and classroom observations. This study focused on policies and practices of esteemed teachers' creative abilities as they adhered to mandates and captivated students' abilities to perform in the classroom. Teachers and administrators shared their feelings and perceptions regarding new policies and how they made changes within the classrooms and school systems. The findings indicated that the most prevalent ideas concerning teachers and administrators developed into the patterns: educators' level of satisfaction, students' stress, school changes, and our future. Educators' level of satisfaction was the most frequent theme that demonstrated high-stakes testing affected their overall happiness level. The research reflected that educators were negatively affected by high-stakes testing. Constructive ideas were identified as to how they maintained creativity within the classroom that could inspire critical thinking. A model was developed to demonstrate the findings for best instructional practices for teaching high-stakes standards in the classroom. This research should add to existing research in this area and provide information that other educators might apply to their own classroom or educational environment. The participants in this study were the change agents, and their attitudes regarding the changes affected the decisions they made with the school curriculum.

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine whether nontraditional student age, female gender, and the possession of nontraditional student risk factors predict enrollment in distance education college courses. This dissertation used data from the most recent National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12), which consisted of approximately 95,000 undergraduate students who were enrolled in higher education in 2011-2012. The results of a logistic regression analysis indicated that both nontraditional student age and female gender were strong predictors of enrollment in distance education, whereas the number of nontraditional student risk indicators was a partial predictor. As leaders in higher education are tasked with decreasing time to degree completion, it is hoped that the findings of this research will support distance education as one solution to this problem. Further exploration through the deconstruction of the nontraditional student risk index as defined by the National Center of Educational Statistics as well as examination of other factors such as ethnicity and GPA are needed to provide a more complete analysis of predictors of distance education enrollment as well as better data collection for distance education retention and success.

The Introduction to Equine Assisted Family Therapy course offered at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) provides Master’s and Doctoral level student therapists the opportunity to learn how to conduct an equine session and how to utilize horses as part of the therapeutic process. Students learn about the underlying theories and framework behind the equine activities and methodology, as well as participate in the equine activities themselves. For the purpose of this study, classroom discussions centered around processing the students’ experiences and were further enriched by viewing photographs and videos that had been taken of the students conducting the equine activities. The researcher utilized IPR as a qualitative methodology to create an improved perspective where students reflected on their experience and made connections with their professional and personal developments. The findings of this grounded theory study document how students reflected on their personal and clinical development. More specifically, the transcripts of the conversations that took place during class discussions and interviews from students who took the course a year earlier showed that students reflected on their personal awareness, created changes in their relationships, developed their self of the therapist, honed in on their clinical skills and started viewing therapy differently. This study confirmed the transformative nature that the Introduction to Equine Assisted Therapy course has on the students.

In the context of Chicanx experiences in the United States, where varying generations of Chicanxs experience bicultural realities, this study shows how embodied knowledge performed through the body’s movements in folklórico dance by Chicanx youth from multiple generations, acts as a mechanism for reconnecting youth to cultural ties, reevaluating educational practices, and emplacing within youth, the ability to foster the confidence to express and create imagined futures. Data collection incorporated a series of interviews with eight Chicanx youth and adults who have either taught or danced folklórico in the Phoenix, Los Angeles, or Coachella Valley areas. Interview participants revealed a strong sense of cultural orgullo that acts as a bedrock for their cultural identity affirmation and reclamation. This orgullo and other cultural knowledges such as familismo and collective consciousness were emphasized through pedagogies of embodiment. Dancers described learning these cultural knowledges not just through the embodiment of physical dance steps but through the embodiment of social customs honored by their folklórico communities. Much of these social customs centered around fostering and maintaining relationships of genuine, holistic caring. These relationships were foundational for personal, mental, and emotional growth of dancers. Through these relationships, individual identities found the support to thrive within collective communities. Given the influx of educational pedagogies that attempt to depersonalize, depoliticize, and de-emotionalize the education through the implementation of tracking systems, standardized tests, and culturally inaccessible curriculums, these stories suggest alternate forms of learning that may account for students’ entire well-being. While this project is very much about reclaiming historical pasts, it is also about re-envisioning educational possibilities, discovering inner potentials and building collective communities that recognize and rejoice in those potentials. Through this study, a deeper understanding of the functions of movement and dance will strengthen platforms that push arts education and ethnic studies to greater educationalist agendas.