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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2009. / Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 340 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-04, Section: A, page: 1245. Adviser: Edward P. St. John. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 7, 2007)."

<p> The goal of this study is to determine where interest in biology is created, reinforced, or diminished in education. The online, Qualtrics created survey was launched on October first, 2017 until October twenty-fifth, 2017 to students enrolled as freshmen in the biology program, undergraduate seniors in the biology program, and graduate students of the biology program. There were 197 participants in all, and they were asked to respond retrospectively to a variety of questions dealing with their background, interest, and motivation in biology. Results from the survey questions were grouped and analyzed based on six research questions of the study and the hypotheses from these were supported, partially supported, or not supported. We determined that: (1) subjects' perceptions of hands-on lab classes, field work, outdoor experiences and research all helped push college students to pursue a college biology degree; (2) subjects did not attribute their decision to study the field of biology to their family members, but did attribute their decision to other significant people in their lives with strong biological experience, degrees, or expertise; (3) subjects did not believe that other content-related, nontraditional experiences such as STEM camps, community service opportunities, and research opportunities had a positive influence on their desire to go into biology or assisted them in learning in the college biology curriculum; (4) subjects believe that college courses with hands-on activities, classes with labs, field work, outdoor labs and undergraduate research will help them to succeed or persist in their college biology degree; (5) subjects believe that biology labs positively influence their self-confidence in biology and help them better perform in science; (6) subjects do not believe the best protocols in laboratories are inquiry-based, as compared to step-by-step methods. </p><p>

<p> In the United States, adults 65 and older represent a significant and growing cultural minority (Cohn &amp; Taylor, 2011). Ageist stereotypes, whether directed at older adults or internalized by elders themselves, can cause real harm to elders&rsquo; mental and physical health (Nelson, 2016a). Mezirow&rsquo;s transformative learning theory (TLT; 1991) directly addresses the essential nature of challenging personal prejudices and cultivating empathy as critical to development within the adult learner, and transformative empathy-enhancing interventions have been used successfully to improve attitudes toward older adults in helping professionals and professionals-in-training (e.g., Friedman &amp; Goldbaum, 2016; Henry &amp; Ozier, 2011). Even though older adults receive mental health services at a lower rate than any other age demographic (Karel, Gatz, &amp; Smyer, 2012), and greater numbers of older adults are entering postsecondary education (Chen, 2017; DiSilvestro, 2013; Kasworm, 2010), there has been limited focus in counseling and higher education research on meeting the needs of this expanding demographic. Intervening early in students&rsquo; training to address age-related biases and to foster empathetic awareness (Andersson, King, &amp; Lalande, 2010) aligns with the counseling profession&rsquo;s commitment to purposeful counselor preparation (Kaplan, Tarvydas, &amp; Gladding, 2014) and professional competency standards for student support professionals (ACPA &amp; NCPA, 2015). </p><p> Using Bartholomew&rsquo;s (1998) Intervention Mapping model (IM), I developed a three-part empathy-enhancing transformative learning intervention, &ldquo;The Game of <i>I am</i>&rdquo; (Bailey, 2016c). Using a pre-post quasi-experimental design, the purpose of the current feasibility study was to test the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention at enhancing self-reported empathy and improving self-reported attitudes toward older adults with first-year master&rsquo;s students training to be counselors (<i>N</i> = 14) and student support professionals (<i>N</i> = 13). Although preliminary qualitative themes emerged that supported its utility, quantitatively there were no statistically significant changes in mean empathy and attitude scores for the participants following participation in &ldquo;The Game of <i>I am</i>&rdquo; (Bailey, 2016c). Additional plans for the analysis of collected qualitative data are described and implications for integrating &ldquo;The Game of <i> I am</i>&rdquo; (Bailey, 2016c) into existing master&rsquo;s level coursework are discussed.</p><p>

<p> Student academic success and retention are primary concerns for colleges and universities. This researcher used a mixed method study to explore the impact of Supplemental Instruction (SI) on student success and persistence in two introductory, college-level algebra courses, Math 1030 Intermediate Algebra, and, Math 1040 Algebra for College Students, at a minority-serving, private not-for-profit university in Southeastern Florida. In response to greater accountability to increase students&rsquo; achievement and retention, SI, in conjunction with other academic support programs, was developed to assist students to progress successfully through high-risk courses, for example, mathematics. Developed by Deanna Martin at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, SI is an academic support tool that incorporates collaborative learning study sessions to improve student academic success and persistence. </p><p> This study allowed the researcher to understand if students are more successful academically because of participating in SI sessions. More specifically, the researcher&rsquo;s goals were to find out if student achievement and long-term retention is gained when students participate in SI, and, if additional benefits outside of course grades and retention are achieved because of SI participation. Using a convenience sample, the researcher sought to answer five research questions: (a) To what extent are students who participated in SI Mathematics more successful than students who did not participate in SI Mathematics, as measured by final course grades? (b) What is the persistence of students who participated in two or more SI sessions as measured by fall-to-fall semester retention? (c) Does the level of persistence differ by gender? (d) What additional benefits occur with SI student participation outside of course grades and retention as measured by focus groups? (e) To what extent does the quantitative and qualitative data converge? </p><p> This study required the use of archival data of students who participated in SI Math 1030 Intermediate Algebra and SI Math 1040 Algebra for College Students in the 2015&ndash;2016 academic year. In addition, the researcher conducted a focus group and two one-on-one interviews to investigate if additional benefits were gained when students participate in SI Math. Analysis of the quantitative data revealed that student academic success is achieved, based on final course grades, and fall-to-fall retention is statistically significant when students participate in two or more SI sessions. However, a Mann-Whitney U test showed that persistence level did not differ by gender. Results from the qualitative data indicated that additional benefits such as increased student engagement and integration, enhanced learning, and communication is gained by attending SI.</p><p>

<p> Student mothers are an often overlooked population within higher education. However, one national study found the majority of students raising children while attending college are located in community college and they are predominately female. Therefore, the experience of student mothers in California, which has the largest system of community colleges in the country with 114 colleges provides important understanding about this population. This qualitative study shares the stories of 23 student mothers enrolled in two California community colleges through a conceptual framework that combines the Intersectional Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity and Resiliency Theory. Student mothers described their intersecting identities as both invisible and empowering. Findings from the study point to the resiliency of student mothers who utilized personal assets (e.g. organizational strategies, self-care, and self-talk) and institutional resources (e.g. child care, opportunities for student engagement, and faculty support). The implications for this study are centered in an Ethic of Care by institutionally adopting practices and policies that engage students in a maternal way that responds to their needs with care. Recommendations for research and practice propose community colleges develop a strategic method to gather data on student mothers to better serve this student population. Further, institutions are encouraged to re-examine child care services and faculty support on campus. Policy changes can begin with educating faculty and students about Title IX, so student mothers can better exercise their rights within a more inclusive community college campus. </p><p>

<p> Nurse preceptors are challenged to not only teach but also evaluate student nurse&rsquo;s clinical skills in a complex practice environment. This basic qualitative study illuminated factors that influenced the role of the nurse preceptor, as well as teaching and evaluation aspects in the precepting guidance of student nurses. Albert Bandura&rsquo;s self-efficacy theory and Patricia Benner&rsquo;s novice to expert model guided the research study. Using semistructured audiotaped interview, 12 registered nurses were asked about specific practices, approaches, and methods used in their roles of precepting undergraduate nursing students. Findings revealed nurse preceptors valued building a rapport with student nurses in the role of the nurse preceptor and adopting the role of socializer while doing so; however, collectively they expressed that providing necessary but tough guidance through redirecting students&rsquo; behavior was their least favored role. Nurse preceptors found using a step by step process with student nurses worked best and that observation was the primary source of evaluating students&rsquo; clinical performance. Preceptors used observation as the primary source for evaluating students clinical performance and use subjective evaluations more frequently than other evaluation methods. </p><p>

<p> The problem of food insecurity among students in higher education, specifically students who belong to historically marginalized populations, is a serious national problem that is under researched. While data are not being collected universally, higher education institutions are beginning to report on this issue. Research reflects that 1 in 5 California State University students is experiencing chronic food insecurity and 1 in 10 is reporting experiences of homelessness. Higher education colleges are beginning to address this problem by casting a net of resources like food pantries, meal donations on student cards from other students, emergency funds through grants, CalFresh outreach and enrollment (federally funded program known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and other campus-unique programming to serve hard-to-reach, vulnerable students. This study explores such services at a public California State University-Hispanic Serving Institution with the goal of understanding students&rsquo; lived experiences related to accessibility of food programming and resources in higher education. By exploring the perceptions of four students that are female who were food insecure related to their utilization of food programs directed at ensuring student food security, this study intends: (1) to explore students&rsquo; satisfaction with campus food programming, (2) to describe the participants&rsquo; knowledge of campus food programs and healthy food options, and (3) to explore the relationship between food programming and policies and the lived experiences of students. This study is important because oftentimes research is missing the unheard voices of students. By embracing students&rsquo; stories, researchers can learn of their real-life experiences. This allows for a greater understanding of the significance of food insecurity and its impact on students using food programs in higher education settings. </p><p>

<p> The purpose of this research study was to investigate the effects of teaching a mindfulness curriculum to graduate physical therapy (PT) students in the classroom. The researcher investigated two research questions. How does training PT graduate students in mindfulness strategies affect self-regulation, stress management, and trait mindfulness in personal and professional life immediately following training and 8 weeks posttraining?, and What is the experience of PT students being trained in mindfulness in personal and professional life related to self-regulation, stress and trait mindfulness? This was a mixed methods, comparison and intervention study design conducted with N=32 graduate PT students, who were divided into intervention and comparison groups. The intervention group received a mindfulness curriculum over a 6 week period. Pre and posttests (immediately and 8 weeks after) were given to both groups with Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Qualitative interviews were done immediately after experiment. Statistical analysis using two-way MANOVA revealed statistically significant findings across time for the PSS and FFMQ, an interaction between time and group for the MSLQ, PSS, and FFMQ, and group across time for the PSS. Qualitative analysis showed Prior Experience, Perception, Mindfulness Tools, Challenges, Stress Management, Self-Regulation, Continued Application, and Feedback on Course as categories, each containing subcategories and themes. Incorporating mindfulness into PT education was shown to increase self-regulation, decrease student stress, and increase trait mindfulness.</p><p>