<p> This explanatory mixed method research study investigates instructor and student perceptions regarding the factors that enhance or inhibit the self-directedness of American Sign Language (ASL) I students enrolled in institutions of higher education. This methodology was employed to learn from interviews with 10 participants, both students and instructors, as well as 20 students who participated in the Self Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) aka the Learning Preference Assessment (LPA) developed by Lucy Guglielmino (1978). The SDLRS survey answered the first research question. As it is shown in research, the interviews clarified the numbers with the personal narratives to support the development of the conclusion of the study. The data collected were videotaped and transcribed by the researcher. A total of three themes emerged from this study to answer the six research questions. The goal of this explanatory mixed method study was to gain more knowledge of what the students in the introductory ASL class perceive their self-direction to be and to identify what works for them in regards to learning strategies. Findings from this study could provide deeper understanding and a rich source of information for the future ASL instructors to help reduce frustration among ASL students. </p>

<p>Not since the Cold War and the launch of Sputnik has there been such a focus on producing college graduates in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As manually driven careers disappear, new diverse careers are created and they have one thing in common, STEM. As students move into these challenging curriculums they will need to have faith in their abilities to achieve their goals. This self-efficacy is vital component for their collegiate and career success. This mixed methods study examines the unique pre-college STEM outreach phenomenon called Mind Trekkers. Mind Trekkers uses the `WOW? of experiential learning in the areas of STEM to motivate K-12 students to engage in STEM related fields. The focus of the study is on the first-year college freshmen that join this program, becoming STEM serviceteers, and how being part of this STEM phenomenon impacts their self-efficacy. The findings can be summed up in a quote I get to help people understanding in a different way than I would if I was just doing volunteering like I did in high school. It?s cool. I just love it and it gives me the confidence that what I am doing is the right thing here at (the university). (Jean) The results of the study indicate that the Mind Trekkers program acted as a catalyst to increase the self-efficacy of the students that participated in it, through personal social and academic impact.

<p>This applied dissertation was designed to explore and provide a better understanding of students of international background enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at a 4-year public American college in Southeast Florida. This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological design for data collection and analysis. The interview protocol was reviewed and verified by a panel of experts. The data collection took place in the fall of 2014; the researcher utilized an open-ended interview protocol with purposeful sampling of nine international students. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. The participants checked the transcripts for accuracy of the recorded data. An analysis of the data revealed common themes of the international students? educational experience in American institutions of higher education. The interviews of the participants allowed the researcher to better understand the international student?s lived experiences. The qualitative research created an awareness of the social and academic experiences of international students at an American college. The researcher concluded that the types of experiences are varied among the participants from the three different world regions, yet there was a high consistency of the themes: learning and studying, perception of faculty, expedited learning, online learning, language and communication issues, and a lack of social interaction with native students. There are ramifications for educators for strategic instructional practice and school leadership to seek and enhance student engagement and intercultural competencies. It will become necessary to increase cultural competencies through diversity initiatives both within the curriculum and throughout institutions by better understanding students? perceptions and including those from various backgrounds, cultures, genders, and religions. To conclude, recommendations for future research are provided.

<p> The current study examined the effects of gender, ethnicity, number of years enrolled in a current university, number of years in graduate school, number of years enrolled in a current graduate program, Conscientious Perfectionism, Self-Evaluative Perfectionism, and satisfaction with life on campus connectedness among a sample of 345 graduate students. The number of years enrolled in a current university, Self-Evaluative Perfectionism, and satisfaction with life were all significant predictors of campus connectedness. Interaction effects indicated that students with high satisfaction with life scores but low Self-Evaluative Perfectionism scores were more likely to experience greater campus connectedness and White students were more likely to experience greater campus connectedness when satisfaction with life scores were high. No significant differences in campus connectedness were found among Non-White students. Limitations, future directions, and implications for both counseling and graduate programs are discussed.</p>

<p> Teacher preparation programs are facing increased pressure to report on the outcomes of their graduates, including their job placement rates. Prior research on job placement for teachers establishes that a variety of factors are related to whether or not individuals apply for and receive jobs. This research study explored these factors through quantitative analysis of three cohorts of teacher preparation program completers within the institutions of the University of Maine system, using logistic regression to identify the individual and contextual characteristics that are most predictive of job application and hiring.</p><p> Of the factors studied, the most influential factors in job placement in public schools in the state were (1) in-state residency status, (2) preparation in a teacher shortage area, (3) completion of a post-baccalaureate preparation pathway, (4) receipt of financial assistance that requires completion of future teaching service, (5) institution attended, (6) GPA relative to other graduates, (7) year of graduation, and (8) age at the time of completing the program. However, these combined variables provide less than 20% of the potential predictability in job placement outcomes. This suggests that additional work is needed to identify the factors influencing beginning teacher placement. Job placement rates for preparation programs should be interpreted with caution, as at least some of the related factors are not within the control of preparation programs (e.g. year of graduation). Furthermore, the use of job placement rates to make high-stakes decisions may provide incentives to programs to implement policies that may not be ethical (such as preferential admission of younger applicants) or that may not be advisable for other reasons.</p>

Considering the crucial role played by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and multinational corporations (MNCs) in China’s economic reform, and the growing number and importance of Chinese overseas educated graduates, this thesis explores the early career-development of returnee graduates. The research draws on theoretical perspectives relating to human, social and cultural capital, along with theories of motivation, adaptation and job satisfaction in the course of career development, applied in the Chinese context. Two qualitative case studies were carried out in the banking sector: one in an SOE and the other in an MNC. This involved interviewing returnees, local graduates and managers on their perceptions of the integration of returnees into the organisations. At the individual level, it considered the value of overseas education and the capital possessed by returnees, observing how human capital was produced through graduates’ early stages of career development, and how this contributed to their place of work. At the organisational level, by making use the perceptions of HR managers as well as self-evaluation from returnees, the advantages and disadvantages of returnees were explored, together with their actual utilisation, the rationales behind the HR strategies adopted by the two organisations. This led to an understanding of how the integration of returnees is affected by different social and corporate settings.

Background Virtual patients (VPs) are computerised online representations of realistic clinical cases. Recent technology and software advances position VPs as a standardised, accessible, collaborative teaching tool. We do not know how they should be designed. My research question is: how do different VP design principles influence student experiences when completing VPs? The aim of this study is to provide qualitative and quantitative research evidence to support VP design and development. Methods This research project uses qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate how VP design influences medical student learning, based on groups of students from three UK medical schools (Warwick, Birmingham, Keele). The initial qualitative research component is a grounded theory (GT) focus group study evaluating VP design properties. The literature review and qualitative research identified the two most important VP properties to research were: (1) branching within the cases; and (2) structured clinical reasoning instruction (SR) intended to promote good clinical decision making in the VPs. The quantitative research component is a multi-centre randomised experimental 2x2 factorial study of undergraduate students at three UK medical schools, conducted to a published protocol. I investigate two most important independent VP design variables: (1) branching, present or absent; (2) SR, present or absent. Outcomes including: (a) VP scores; (b) VP student evaluations; (c) metrics collected from the VP environment; (d) student self-reported case preferences and (e) summative assessment results. The study has institution ethics approval. Results In the qualitative study of six focus groups (n=46), I produced a model describing how VP design influences learning. In the quantitative research, 572 students completed 1773 VPs, and 1223 evaluations, with 296 (50.1%) students completing all four VPs (1184). Key findings were: student expressed preferred SR when present (70.5% of student, P<0.001); there were no significant differences in adjusted global VP scores or evaluation scores (all p>0.3 for the independent variables); institution factors played an important role with higher scores at one centre (p<0.001); and there were significant improvements in Bayesian reasoning with SR present (7% improvement, p<0.001). Discussion This original research is the first GT study into VPs. The quantitative component is the largest study to date in the literature exploring VP design variables. It provides practical lessons for authors and institutions for design and delivery of VPs. All VPs used are available as open education resources.

This case study used a mixed method approach to explore the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language through the medium of a new online synchronous programme (CentrEM) at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Information was collected using questionnaires (240 students) personal interviews (8 students and 4 teachers) and observations (30 online classes). A case was identified in which technology supported a restricted approach to online English language learning based mainly on grammar, listening, reading, and writing. Female learners were disadvantaged because they were not encouraged to speak in English. The Internet was used mainly as a platform for instruction and to provide access to limited learning materials (mainly the online course book). Most participants expressed optimism for the potential opportunities of e-learning; however, student attendance was relatively low and active participation was limited. Encouraging student participation was a major issue. The teachers used numerous affective strategies to persuade the students to participate; however, technological difficulties intruded at regular intervals, disrupting the flow of communication and preventing the teachers from knowing who was present. Some students were less skilled in computing and English language than others, further disrupting the classes. A traditional teacher-centred face-to-face classroom strategy was adapted for online instruction. The flow of information was mainly from the teacher to the student, with emphasis on low level recall, encouraged by prompts. The students did not engage in deep learning. There were few opportunities for the students to enter into extensive dialogues with the teachers or to be reflective. The teachers did not use feedback adaptively to plan a differentiated approach. The curriculum was not flexible enough take into account the different abilities, learning styles, and preferences of each individual student. Recommendations are provided for learners, teachers, and the institution to help develop the online programme in the future.

This thesis reports on two action research cycles conducted in the English Department of the Higher Language Institute at Tishreen University, Syria. With the problem of global coursebooks that are pre-determined for learners, the aim of this action research was to use supplementary internet materials that could better meet learners‘ personal needs and interests in the context. In the first cycle, the plan was to get learners live access internet materials within the Tishreen Higher Language Institute. However, technical problems were experienced. They necessitated developing appropriate internet methodology for using internet materials in the context. In the second cycle, the internet was accessed via outside computers to bring supplementary materials to the language classroom. Both the appropriateness and the effectiveness of using supplementary internet materials were investigated. Qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were used. The action research process of developing context-appropriate methodology was found to be supportive of learners‘ engagement. Using internet materials appropriately created the conditions for learners‘ behavioural, cognitive, affective, and social engagement with internet materials.

<p> This study examined the role of guilt among Latino first generation college students and their educational journey as they leave their family and community to pursue higher education. For first generation college students, going to college is breaking away from the norm of not going to college, which for many family members who have no college experience, they cannot understand the reason why their loved one is separating themselves from their close nit family and community. This notion of leaving their family and community behind can elicit feelings of guilt for not being physically available due to distance or the demands of being a college student. This study looked at the lived experience of six participants and their feelings of guilt. The conceptual framework used was a combination of Critical Race Theory and Survivor Guilt to fully understand the stories of the six participants. This qualitative study used was a narrative design to fully understand the lived experiences. </p><p> The findings revealed that guilt was caused when the participants put their needs before the needs of their family and attended college. Another significant finding was that for the females in the study, they all stated that guilt was brought on due to the physical distance between them and their families. As for the males who left home to go to college, they felt financially guilty for either causing financial problems at home or not being able to support their family with the bills. This study is intended to bring forth the guilt that Latino first generation college students face from leaving home and how colleges should be aware. This study also address recommendations for policy and practice that can better support Latino first generation college students and their families at home and in a college setting.</p>