ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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- All Subjects: Educational Administration
- Creators: Graves Wolf, Leigh
Description
Honors programs in the United States offer high-quality educational experiences for exceptional students at the undergraduate level. These experiences generally take place in a face-to-face format. In recent years, higher education embraced online learning as a strategy to increase flexibility and access for students with diverse needs. Research has clearly established online learning as an effective model for high-quality education, yet, honors programs have been resistant to this shift in learning modalities. The community of inquiry theoretical framework provided a method for the assessment of online discussions and courses using a validated survey and coding instrument. Using a critical digital pedagogical lens to guide this mixed-methods participatory action research (PAR) study, an online honors seminar course was implemented in the fall of 2021. Honors students worked alongside the researcher as they developed an assessment tool based on the community of inquiry survey, selected different online discussion tools, and provided ongoing feedback throughout the course. Two research questions guided the study. First, what were student perceptions of different online discussion tools and their utility in facilitating social and cognitive presence in an online honors seminar course? And, second, how did engaging in a critical PAR research study impact an honors student’s experience in an online honors seminar course? Data were collected from students’ open-ended reflections, transcripts of online discussions, and responses to the revised community of inquiry survey.
The results from this PAR study showed that students spoke favorably about all online discussion tools implemented in the online honors seminar course and each discussion tool was found to be effective in nurturing social and cognitive presence. Students also spoke favorably about their experiences engaging in the PAR study. The most important finding was that by authentically engaging students in the design, implementation, and assessment of an online honors seminar course high-quality learning outcomes could be achieved in an online environment. Within the honors community, future research and practice regarding the intersection of honors curriculum and online learning are essential to maintain the relevancy of honors programs.
ContributorsHacker, Jayci (Author) / Kurz, Terri (Thesis advisor) / Graves Wolf, Leigh (Committee member) / Rodari Meisner, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This study was an action research study that explored teacher’s beliefs about student engagement and their role in student engagement through the development of a professional development innovation, the Transforming Student Engagement Professional Development program. This professional development program innovation was designed to lead participants through the stages of transformative learning theory and used the community of inquiry framework as the lens through which to explore student engagement strategies. A mixed-methods action research design was used to explore how participants transformed their feelings, beliefs, and assumptions around their online student engagement practices as they designed their online classroom as a community of inquiry. Pre/post Teacher Self Efficacy and Community of Inquiry surveys were used as well as a Learning Activities Survey and Interview. Study documents included calendars of training and agendas, participant journals, and my research memos.
Participation in the Transforming Student Engagement Professional Development program resulted in significant changes in the participants’ beliefs about student engagement, what their role in student engagement is, and their understanding and use of the Community of Inquiry framework as a lens through which to implement student engagement strategies.
ContributorsBrooks, Christopher (Author) / Marsh, Josephine P (Thesis advisor) / Graves Wolf, Leigh (Committee member) / Zellner, Andrea (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
My research explored two issues in leadership development: how busy executives can sustainably learn with flexibility and efficiency and how to cultivate a grace-based approach to leadership. This is a dissertation in practice that offers an alternative format from traditional research yet still advances professional knowledge, rigorous thinking and complex problem-solving. This reimagined manuscript includes a multi-modal presentation of the theory, methods, analysis and findings for an emerging leadership concept and an improved direction for mobile learning research. These findings can be experienced by listening to an embedded podcast series and reading draft articles for academic and business media journals that speak to the audience of influencers in my professional context of leadership researchers, advisors and coaches. The learning innovation involved is a podcast called Giving Grace Matters that includes narrative and interviews with high-performing executives about a grace-based approach to leadership, and the qualitative analysis of these interviews served as the basis for constructing the knowledge about this leadership concept using three guiding theories: Planned Behavior, Self-Determination, and Intentional Change. The research identified the novel concept of a grace-based approach to leadership that can be applied in organizations as well as the need for further evaluation of how a flexible learning framework for microlearning experiences, such as podcasts, can be intentionally designed.
ContributorsStephens Stauffer, Deborah (Author) / Graves Wolf, Leigh (Thesis advisor) / Chapman, Amy (Committee member) / Leahy, Sean (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This dissertation aims to present an emerging theory of leadership for active learning organizations in higher education by clarifying factors leaders should integrate to facilitate adaptability. The emergent theory is grounded in multi-year mixed methods action research exploring the role of design, delivery, and leadership of a reflective action learning team model on innovation in a higher education setting. Four research methods were employed including document analysis, interviews, observations, and surveys. Data were analyzed using content analysis, process analysis, coding, frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A grounded theory approach permeated all analyses. Research was guided by theories of experiential learning, action learning, and organizational learning, as well as change theory and design thinking. Results revealed that leaders of active learning organization can improve innovation by facilitating reflective action learning teams that are inclusive, empowering, and iterative. Additionally, teams that display more frequent and consistent welcoming, ideating, synthesizing, and mentor seeking behaviors have more innovative outcomes than teams displaying these behaviors less often and inconsistently. This research indicates that employees who participated in these teams gained the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative proposals for the organization and increased individual innovative abilities at a statistically significant level. This study adds to the existing literature by offering a theory for leadership to promote effective team learning and innovation.
ContributorsWitherspoon, Alison (Author) / Graves Wolf, Leigh (Thesis advisor) / Toth, Meredith (Committee member) / Grabill, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The purpose of this study was to examine how positive impacts could be achieved on student’s ability to successfully navigate financial aid processes within the Maricopa Community College system and specifically at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC). By evaluating existing processes and implementing enhanced system protocols (ESP), this study aimed to see how much of a positive impact ESP would have on student’s ability to access financial aid funding and enroll in classes. The study also took a closer look at how financial aid staff could better understand the systems through ESPs. In order to effectively evaluate the implementation of ESPs at CGCC, there were two approaches used within the research methodology. The first was front-end ESPs designed to target protocols that were student facing. The second was back-end ESPs targeting the financial aid staff and operations at CGCC. With the help of established ESPs, when looked at as a whole, more students were able to successfully navigate the complexities of the financial aid process, and receive their financial aid award offers at CGC. One of the front-end ESPs that held the greatest significance, in terms of successfully influencing students, was text messaging campaigns. The available evidence suggested text messaging as the most impactful way to get student’s attention. Although all of the back-end process improvements were important, the online policy and procedure repository quantitative data analysis suggested staff were empowered to provide a higher level of service with confidence and accuracy. Each of the ESPs made a small impact to student’s success and when aggregated the combined ESP results demonstrated a large enough impact that other colleges should explore the options of implementing ESPs to help more of their students receive financial aid.
ContributorsWolsey, Timothy (Author) / Graves Wolf, Leigh (Thesis advisor) / Beaty, Shaun (Committee member) / Peterson, Greg (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020