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: Higher Education
- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
Description
Students with disabilities are entering higher-education institutions at increasing rates, but they are not being adequately prepared for this transition. Transition plans have been created by Special Education teams in the K-12 system, but oftentimes, the student is not an active participant in the development of these plans for their futures. A huge gap in preparing for the transition to post-secondary education is a student’s self-determination skills. Self-determination is a belief that you control your own destiny and are motivated to create your own path in life. This study explores how students with disabilities can improve their self-determination skills through guided practice and small group collaboration. Participants included (n=4) freshmen students with disabilities who were actively engaged with their institution’s Disability Resource Center at a 4-year public research institution in the West. A qualitative practical action research study was designed to explore the impact of implementing a self-determination innovation to support college students with disabilities in improving their self-determination skills. The innovation developed for this study was adapted from Field and Hoffman’s Steps to Self-Determination curriculum. Findings from this study illustrate the need to support transitioning college students with disabilities in understanding their disabilities and how it can and will impact them in the college environment and beyond. Providing students with a safe space to explore their disabilities and the challenges they have encountered in their lives, allows them to identify the barriers to their growth and build a support system of similarly situated students that provide them with a sense of belonging and camaraderie they have not usually experienced in their lives. This study demonstrates how supporting students in improving their self-determination skills can help them build their confidence and self-advocacy skills to persist in higher education institutions.
ContributorsVioli, Patricia Kathryn (Author) / Markos, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Rotheram-Fuller, Erin (Committee member) / Thierfeld-Brown, Jane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The community college leadership pipeline is a source for concern in the face of anticipated retirements, yet most administrators come only from the ranks of classroom faculty, not from the full spectrum of all faculty. Librarians, whose experiences lend themselves to many administrative duties, seldom advance into administrative positions. This study was centered on the development of a career coaching intervention by which participants from a subset of California community college libraries received guidance from administrators who had previously been librarians. The aim was to see whether such an intervention could increase administrative skills, improve self-efficacy to perform in administrative roles, increase perceptions of the desirability of attaining such positions, and lead to greater intent to move onto such career pathways. The study found that a career coaching program had mixed success at addressing the study aims, but that it also opened space for librarians alone to explore other leadership and professional growth opportunities. The research argues for the restaging of such a career coaching program, centered on librarians only, so as to encourage their advancement, whether into administrative ranks at their community colleges or otherwise.
ContributorsHepburn, Peter (Author) / Gee, Elisabeth (Thesis advisor) / Buss, Ray (Committee member) / Aguiñaga, José (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This study provided Radford University with an opportunity to better understand the motivating behaviors of faculty and staff while distinguishing the strategies that influence their interest in giving or choosing not to give. In this study, I used a mixed-methods approach for data collection to answer my research questions and to inform the development of the Employee Engagement Plan. The quantitative data was obtained through an online survey provided to Radford University faculty and staff; qualitative data were gathered through focus groups with faculty and staff, and peer institution interviews. The four constructs focus on: effective engagement and solicitation strategies of faculty and staff, the value and gratification associated with giving, the significance of understanding the impact of giving, and the likelihood of making a gift. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) guided my thinking and approach to the entire research process. The TPB includes an initial understanding of whether a person feels they know how to complete a certain behavior (action), whether they can do it successfully, and if they have a favorable attitude towards the behavior.
The results indicate there is an immense opportunity to increase faculty and staff giving through making changes to engagement strategies and focusing on the impact of giving. The results show a strong likelihood to give, adding immense value to the timing of the development of the Employee Engagement Plan. Additionally, this study demonstrates the value of connectedness as expressed by respondents and provides the instances where these connections are key. Employees appreciate having multiple options when choosing to support Radford University and their preferred method of giving is discussed. Furthermore, the significance of peer-to-peer engagement and understanding the impact of charitable support and transparency are addressed.
ContributorsLowery, Wendy Ann (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Klotz, Ann Marie (Committee member) / Ross, Lydia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The transition from high school to college can cause an undue amount of attrition for fully qualified, college-intending first-generation students. Although the students may have overcome multiple obstacles to be accepted to a college and arrive at the transition over summer, it can feel overwhelming to complete the flood of tasks without access to a supportive network to guide and interpret the intricate steps. Many programs focus on college preparation and access to college but do not devote attention to the delicate transition from access to enrollment during the summer months. The term opportunity melt for students who confirm their enrollment and do not enroll in any institution of higher education in the fall semester. This study identified the influence of strategic peer mentor support during the summer months for Chico State students who applied, were admitted, and accepted their college admission. This action research intervention applies key concepts of academic capital theory and follows up on previous cycles of action research in the California State University system to identify barriers for those who intended to enroll but decided not to attend any Cal State or other institution of higher education in the Fall semester after high school graduation.
ContributorsRyan, Shawn (Author) / Dorn, Sherman (Thesis advisor) / Kim, Jeongeun (Committee member) / Weston, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Institutions of higher education pride themselves on their commitments to access, inclusion, and care. However, when motivated by neoliberal goals of productivity, such initiatives may confuse inclusion with normative assimilation by attempting to align all individuals with an ableist status quo. In other words, neutral documents, discourses, and design practices may contribute to the rhetorical and material circulation of systemic ableism by encouraging compulsory alignment with able standards and norms. To examine how the systemic force of neoliberal ableism may move across higher educational spaces, this dissertation engages understandings of rhetoric as complexly circulating across trans-situational, everyday sites in universities. Further, I show that neoliberalism relies on the rhetorical circulation and normalization of ableist rhetorics across seemingly neutral university documents, discourses and design practices like those aimed to promote access, inclusion, and care. This dissertation thus follows the social justice call in technical and professional communication to interrogate participation in documentation, design, and discursive practices that may contribute to larger systems of oppression. Specifically, I apply a mixed-methods, qualitative approach of corpus linguistic analysis, semi-structured interviews grounded in user-experience design, and thematic, concept, and in vivo coding to examine and disrupt the circulation of ableist rhetoric across composition program mission statements, self-care documents, and digital classroom interfaces. Drawing from technical and professional communication, rhetoric and composition, disability studies, rhetorics of health and medicine, social justice, and disability justice scholarship, this dissertation explores theoretical frameworks for interrogating ableism’s material-discursive implications and provides guidelines for university stakeholders to engage in more equitable communications. Ultimately, I offer a theory of “cripistemological coalition” that calls for transdisciplinary, coalitional measures that position disability as integral to university inclusion, access, and care.
ContributorsBennett, Kristin (Author) / Daly Goggin, Maureen (Thesis advisor) / Long, Elenore (Committee member) / Hannah, Mark A. (Committee member) / Rose, Shirley K. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
More and more, colleges and universities across the United States and throughout the world are relying on adjunct instructors (sometimes called casual academics or part
time instructors) to teach classes in their field of expertise. Often, those classes require a
blending of theory into practical application, such as in business, accounting and other
career focused classes. Previous literature has shown that adjunct instructors often have
little formal preparation for teaching, and even when some preparation is offered, it is
often insufficient to establish confidence, or teaching self-efficacy, in the classroom. This
study examined changes in teaching self-efficacy after adjunct instructors were provided
information (articles) around constructivist teaching strategies within collaborative
Community of Practice (CoP) meetings to discuss those strategies. The study was
conducted at a small private college, which relied heavily on adjunct instructors to
conduct classes. A quantitative pre-post survey, and qualitative comments throughout the
intervention sessions were used to examine changes. Participants reported a significant
increase in teaching self-efficacy, which was especially prominent amongst new
instructors compared to those with more experience. There was also a self-reported
increase in the use of more constructivist strategies within their classes over the course of
the intervention. Finally, participants also rated the components of the intervention
(articles and the CoP meetings) and while they rated them similarly in terms of impact,
the CoP meetings were discussed as critical to both learning and application of strategies
in practice. Future studies should examine how these strategies could be used in wider
groups of instructors and how the effects might be enhanced if a longer program were
used, but it is clear that providing opportunities for adjunct faculty to come together and
discuss new strategies can help improve teaching self-efficacy in higher education.
ContributorsWente, Todd Jason (Author) / Rotheram-Fuller, Erin (Thesis advisor) / Coudret, Dude (Committee member) / Davis, Jaime (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
In student affairs departments in higher education institutions, supervisors are responsible for meeting the changing needs of both students and employees while staying attuned to the evolving college environment. A student affairs supervisor’s effectiveness relies heavily on social skills, particularly on the ability to communicate through an institution’s ever-changing environment. Effective communication at the management level can continually improve the institution’s ability to meet students shifting needs in educational spaces. A key component of effective communication among student affairs supervisors is offering employees feedback and coaching. Nevertheless, many student affairs supervisors are underprepared to provide feedback and coaching to their employees, especially when it includes difficult conversations. Guided by social constructivism, this survey method study is built on research related to synergistic supervision and performance management to explore the perceived practices, experiences, and needs of student affairs supervisors at Central Community College. The purpose of this study was to examine how student affairs supervisors utilize best practices, including frequent communication of feedback and coaching, goal setting, and employee development outlined in performance management and synergistic supervision theories. This study’s findings add to the current research body on student affairs supervisors' limited training and preparation within the community college context.
ContributorsWalton, Janel (Author) / Sampson, Carrie (Thesis advisor) / Basile, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Walton, Candace (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
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 action research study investigates the outcomes and barriers to persistence for adult learners in a medical assisting program at a private Catholic college in central Iowa. The research compares the impact of a work-based learning track and a traditional learning track to understand how the differences in the learning track support adult learners' andragogical preferences, reduce barriers, and helps students graduate, persist, and pass their licensure exam.A review of the existing scholarly, theoretical, and empirical research suggests several optimal ways to deliver adult education and many alternative learning models designed to support adult learners’ unique needs and life experiences. Andragogical principles help explain the differences between adult learners versus children and their preferences and priorities that shape their orientation toward learning. These principles, combined with the experiential learning theory, offer theoretical support for developing alternative learning paths such as work-based learning.
Utilizing a mixed-method action research design, 51 current students, graduates, and stop-outs provided feedback through a survey, and four individuals from the same respondent group engaged in a virtual interview. Students in the work-based learning track reported feeling better prepared for their licensure exam, had a more positive overall experience, and found the program less challenging compared to their counterparts in the traditional pathway. Additionally, institutional data was evaluated and adults in the work-based learning track had higher rates of persistence, graduation, and licensure pass rates.
The study illuminates that combining education with on-the-job training in the form of work-based learning has significant benefits for adult learners when compared to a traditional learning track that dominates much of modern academia. The research findings highlight the importance of embracing andragogical principles when designing adult education specifically, their intrinsic motivation and orientation to learning. This is a strength of a work-based learning model as students can reinforce classroom learning with hands-on training, facilitating the cycle of learning through concrete experiences and active experimentation. The medical assisting work-based learning track also alleviates common challenges to student persistence, such as tuition costs, by involving employers in financing students' education in exchange for a work commitment post-graduation.
ContributorsRomkey, Matt (Author) / Gee, Elisabeth (Thesis advisor) / Wilson, Wesley (Committee member) / Meyer, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This qualitative case study conducted in a higher education institution in Guyana aimed to address a need for more transformative approaches to professional learning and development given that accelerated transformation of the education system is required to meet the fast-paced national economic development. Through the lens of the Transformative Paradigm, Critical Pedagogy, and Transformative Learning Theory, this study explored four educators’ perceptions of Principled Innovation Educators (PIE) workshops and their influence on educators’ ability to (a) identify, (b) redefine problems in their educational practice, and (c) generate new ideas for problem-solving in their practice. Principled Innovation was used as a guiding framework for the workshops that were embedded in a research proposal course at the University of Guyana, a key provider of professional development for educators. In the four online PIE workshops, participants engaged with Principled Innovation. They used the generative and reflective questions on the Generative and Reflective Question Card Deck to work collaboratively, self-reflect, and make decisions related to identifying problems and generating ideas to address these problems during the problem identification stage of their research proposals. Triangulated data analysis from five data sets (pre-intervention focus group, field notes, journals, post-intervention individual interview, and final reports) indicated that participants’ perceptions aligned with mine as the researcher and facilitator in revealing that the PIE workshops were successful in creating an empowering professional learning environment that supported transformative learning for the study participants. Implications for practice and recommendations are discussed.
ContributorsRose, Pamela Vanessa (Author) / Wylie, Ruth RW (Thesis advisor) / Basile, Carole CGB (Thesis advisor) / Gibbs, Norman NPG (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023