This study described the mentoring relationship between doctoral nursing students and their committee chairs. Twenty-two public university doctoral programs responded to a request for names and addresses of their doctoral candidates. The Major Professor Mentoring Scale was used to measure the mentoring relationship. The survey also included demographic and open-ended questions regarding the student-committee chair relationship. Surveys were mailed to 269 doctoral students with an 86% return rate. A principal components analysis was performed to identify the structure underpinning the relationship. The typical doctoral student in this sample was found to be a 44 year old Caucasian female, married with children, working full or part time while pursuing a PhD degree. Students traveled an average of 85 miles each way to campus and nearly half had selected their program based on its location. The typical committee chair was a Caucasian, tenured, associate or full professor between 46 and 69 years of age. The majority of chairs were married and had funded research projects. The students in the study reported knowing their chairs for an average of five years. The study revealed that mentoring is occurring in the majority of relationships between doctoral nursing students and their committee chairs. Students identified many strengths and weaknesses in their relationships with their chairs although the relationship appears to be largely positive. The mentoring relationship is composed of four principal components, the largest of which is psychosocial support. Dissertation support, role modeling and scholarly collaboration comprise the other three components. The factor receiving the most positive rating was role modeling, suggesting that students see their chairs as intelligent and hard-working. Students also report positive feelings about both the psychosocial and dissertation support they have received from their chairs. Students reported more neutral feelings about scholarly collaboration suggesting that this is not a frequent occurrence in the relationship. Demographic variables including age, sex, race, geographic distance and family status were not predictors for mentoring scores.

A new role has been developed in nursing named the Clinical Nurse LeaderSM (CNL®). This new role positions the masters prepared nurse at the patient's bedside to oversee care coordination and serve as a resource for the clinical nursing team, and to bridge the gaps in health care delivery to better meet the needs of patients in all health care delivery settings. Since this is a new role, there is a paucity of research that has been conducted surrounding these nurses. A phenomenological investigation examined the lived experiences of CNLs® to gain understanding about the meaning of leadership at the point of care and to discover the unique expressions of living caring that CNLs® experience as they embark upon this new role in the acute care hospital setting. Ten CNL® participants were interviewed for this study. Their stories about patient situations and relationships with other disciplines were shared with rich description and emotion. Hermeneutic analysis of the text revealed six essential themes. Six essential themes emerged revealing the essence of leading at the bedside and living caring in the CNL® role: navigating safe passage, pride in making a difference, bringing the bedside point of view, knowing the patient as person, helping nurses to grow, and CNLs® needing to be known, understood and affirmed. Taken as a whole through a synthesis of the themes, the understanding of the meaning of leading to CNLs® includes keeping their patients safe, being proud of their accomplishments and the respect gained from others, as well as being a helper and advocate for other nurses. / This is accomplished through their privileged place at the bedside, where they come to know their patients as person and work hand in hand with nursing colleagues. When CNLs® are supported by management, and their roles are planned and understood, they are more fully able to optimally practice and live and grow in caring. / by Barbara C. Sorbello. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Higher education as a field of study has an extensive history in the United States of America. However, regrettably, this history has segments working in obscurity. One such segment was the work of graduate programs in the field of higher education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The purpose of this study was to trace the program development of graduate certificate, concentration, and degree programs in the field of higher education at HBCUs. This study was driven by one research question. What is the history of higher education as a field of study at Historically Black Colleges and Universities?This investigation unearthed eight universities confirmed to have held, or currently hold, the nine graduate programs in the field of higher education at HBCUs. The eight universities listed chronologically by inception of their graduate programs in the field of higher education were Tuskegee University (1965), Texas Southern University (1974), Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (1980), Hampton University (1980s), Grambling State University (1986), Tennessee State University (1998), Morgan State University (1998/1999 & 2001), and Jackson State University (2004).This study used a blended research design. A historical organizational case study (Bogdan & Biklen, 2003) and a multi-case study (Bogdan & Biklen, 2003) were blended into what proceeded as a historical organizational multi-case study. Additionally, grounded theory methodology was used to detail what drove the development of those graduate programs in the field of higher education at HBCUs.Findings of the study revealed that graduate program development in the field of higher education at HBCUs generally began with internal and/or external overtures with the purpose of developing a current body of practitioners with specialized knowledge in the areas of student personnel, as managers and higher education leaders. Key individuals were typically recruited to write or initiate the programs with the major market being the immediate geographic area; but as programs developed, their markets expanded. Some of the consequences of delivering these established programs were being both visible and vulnerable, although the programs had an opportunity to serve as resources to their institutions and other communities. / Department of Educational Studies

The purposes of the study were:1) To collect and share information on the perceptions of graduates regarding the academic, professional, and social experiences of students in the doctoral program in Educational Administration and Supervision at Ball State University, 1987-2002, relative to their professional preparation and career goals;2) To profile the demographic characteristics of respondents whose experiences are described and reported in this study: Gender, age, ethnicity, date of admission, enrollment status, date of graduation, professional occupation during and after doctoral study, financial situation, and sources of financial support during doctoral study.3) To draw conclusions and make recommendations, based on the data, on how students' personal motivation and professional preparation, career goals, academic training, institutional, and social support blend together to enrich the experiences of doctoral students in Educational Administration and Supervision at Ball State University.The population for this study consisted of 111 graduates (72 males and 39 females) of the doctoral program in Educational Administration and Supervision, Department of Educational Leadership, Teachers College, Ball State University, 19872002. A list and addresses of doctoral graduates of the program were obtained from the Graduate School Office. The addresses were verified by the Ball State University Alumni Office. A packet of questionnaires was mailed successfully to 106 graduates. Seventy-nine completed surveys (76 percent) were returned. Of the 79 respondents 52 were male, and 27 were female. The data were subsequently tabulated, analyzed, summarized, and reported in narrative form. Findings and conclusions suggest that:1. The doctoral program in Educational Administration and Supervision at BallState University adequately prepared graduates to contribute meaningfully tothe scholarship and professional demands of the discipline;2. The curricula of the doctoral program allow for rich and diverse career optionsto graduates;3. Improvement should be made in the doctoral program in EducationalAdministration and Supervision at Ball State University to include:a. Practical application experiences through structured internship,mentoring, and peer interaction;b. Greater efforts at job search and placement assistance;c. The effective management of technology to serve the growing numberof part-time students; andd. A systematic departmental database to keep track of graduates of the program. / Department of Educational Leadership

The problem of the study was to determine the status of patient education courses offered by undergraduate and graduate health education programs in the United States, and what was being taught in these courses.Two original data collection instruments were created. The first was a demographic tool used to collect data from colleges and universities (n = 120) during May/June 2004, and the second was a 59-item checklist used to conduct the content analysis of patient education course syllabi. It was found that only 9.2% of institutions that responded offered patient education courses, none of the syllabi included all 59 checklist items, there does not appear to be a statistically significant relationship between program accreditation/approval and the offering of a patient education course, and there does not appear to be a statistically significant relationship between programs that prepare students for the CHES examination and the offering of a patient education course. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

One of the core issues in distance education has been the adequacy of assessment of student experiences and the interaction between faculty and students. This challenge has become even greater with the increase in the numbers of online courses in nursing. Distance education programs that are delivered totally online have many advantages and some disadvantages. Masters level nursing students are choosing online programs for convenience, flexibility, and quality. The purpose of this study was two-fold: to describe Masters nursing students’ perceptions of online courses between 2005 and 2009, as expressed through word data in a web evaluation survey; and to analyze the student perceptions of the online learning environment for trends and themes. The questions of this investigation were the following: 1. What perceptions do Masters nursing students have of their online courses (2005-2009) as expressed through word data in a web evaluation survey? 2. What recommendations can be made for continuous improvement and best practices in programming and evaluation methods based on student perceptions. This research utilized Constructivist Theory as a theoretical model. There were 1625 student comments and 903 suggestions that were analyzed for themes and placed in categories. A qualitative analysis approach was utilized to create categories and look for trends in the data. There were six categories gleaned from the comments and six more that were found as a result of reviewing the suggestions that were made for future course offerings. The researcher found that there was some overlap between the categories of the comments and those of the suggestions. The perception of the students regarding their online course experience in the graduate nursing program was very positive. The flexibility and independence that the online environment offered was appreciated. Blackboard was viewed very positively and students felt that it was easy to use. Students enjoyed the interaction with peers and with faculty and felt it was a valuable learning experience. Recommendations were identified, based on the findings related to the use of technology, recruitment and retention of faculty, and teaching strategies and learning styles. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Studies

Substance abuse is a prevalent occurrence among adolescents. A review of the literature revealed that adolescent substance abuse has a strong connection to their academic performance. School counselors address adolescents' academic and personal/social needs by providing services through prevention education, responsive services, and collaboration with community members. Yet, there is a dearth of literature as to whether pre-service school counselors are prepared to deal with substance abuse issues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pre-service substance abuse training provided in CACREP accredited school counseling programs. The instrument utilized was entitled School Counselor Pre-Service Preparation in Grief/Loss and Substance Abuse Counseling. The survey included three questions concerning substance abuse training for pre-service school counselors and three questions concerning Grief/Loss training. The substance abuse questions and data were utilized for this particular study. The surveys were mailed to a total of 150 CACREP accredited school counseling programs, and 79 programs responded to the survey, resulting in a response rate of 53 percent. The results revealed that the majority of CACREP accredited programs in this study offered substance abuse training through either required or elective coursework. Limitations of the study, implications for CACREP accredited programs, and recommendations for future research are also discussed. / Graduation date: 2004

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / This thesis identified competencies required by the South African, entry-level library and information science graduate. It took into account the development of the information society and resultant proliferation of information and communication technologies and how these developments have given rise to new roles for the library and information worker. This thesis also looked at developments within the South African library and information environment and how these have affected the library and information science profession. / South Africa

The primary purpose of this study was the development of a model graduate program leading to a master's degree in physical education which could be used in Thailand and provide suitable guidelines for Thai colleges and universities interested in establishing such a program. A secondary purpose was to develop a systematic approach for student admission and a retention plan which would be compatible with the current trends and administration of higher education in Thailand. Following a review of the literature that included the history of general education, higher education, and physical education in Thailand as well as graduate study in physical education in the United States, a research instrument was devised to elicit responses from chairpersons of physical education departments in 156 U.S. institutions of higher learning and from a professional panel of five physical educators in Thailand concerning four aspects of master's degree programs in physical education: patterns and organization, curricular concepts, admission and retention requirements, and core course requirements. The return rate for the chairpersons surveyed in the United States was 85 per cent. The responses received from the U.S. and Thai professionals revealed a consensus between the two groups with regard to a number of the items in all four of the topic areas covered by the questionnaire. Based upon the survey results, guidelines were suggested for a model master's degree program in physical education in Thai colleges and universities. In addition, recommendations for further research were made, notably a review of master's programs in physical education in other countries which could provide valuable information for further modification of the model and systematic evaluation of the model program as implemented within a university setting.

The purpose of this study was to illuminate characteristics of the pedagogical learning environment in three contemporary MFA Visual Arts programs in the United States and to investigate effective pedagogical practice for graduate art students in preparation for teaching in higher education. According to the College Art Association (CAA), the MFA is considered the terminal degree in the visual arts, unlike other related fields such as art history and art education, where the doctorate is the highest degree. While MFA students can pursue a professional practice of creating and exhibiting their artwork after graduation, many students also enter the MFA with the aim of becoming college art educators. However, there has been a lack of research that specifically examines the degree to which MFA visual arts students are being prepared for teaching. How are students preparing to become college art faculty, and what professional development programs are provided to graduate art students to help them teach art at the college level? These are questions that were the background context of this dissertation study. This study took the form of a cross-case analysis that employed qualitative and descriptive case study traditions. Data were collected from multiple sources: primary documents and semi-structured interviews with nine MFA students, six studio art faculty members, and three administrators at three MFA programs. This study presented findings of: (a) the pedagogical preparation offered to graduate students by the selected art schools; (b) the perceptions of graduate art students, studio art faculty, and administrators regarding the quality of current academic career preparation, specifically for teaching, in their MFA programs; (c) the insights of those participants into the most important characteristics of college teaching preparation; and (d) suggestions by the participants for the best practices that lead students to become successful college art educators. Based on the findings through an analysis of the learning and practical experiences of MFA students and the perspectives of faculty and administrators, I hope that the study will extend the field’s understanding of the state of college teaching preparation in higher art education.