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- Member of: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
DescriptionNo special formatting
ContributorsShepard, Marlena (Author) / Spencer, Dee A (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Slowman-Chee, Janet (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
This paper addresses a local problem of practice at Arizona State University regarding the support for potentially underprepared students. The overarching goal of this study was to better understand the role rapport plays in student achievement. This study examines how the LEAD Project (Learn, Explore, Advance, Design), in particular student relationships with instructors and their peers, may or may not influence student achievement. LEAD students complete three courses as a group – Introduction to Human Communication (COM 100), Critical Reading and Thinking (UNI 110), and The LEAD Project (ASU 150). The innovation was designed to give students the opportunity to build relationships with their instructors and with each other, so class sizes are limited to 40 students. Additionally, instructors work together outside of class to develop curriculum, instructional plans, and how to best support individual students.
Guiding literature for this study included Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as well as related studies (Deci & Flaste, 1995). This theory describes human motivation as a factor of the extent to which one feels autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Though relevant in many contexts, past researchers used SDT as a tool for understanding students’ motivation to learn (Black & Deci, 2000; Freiberger, Steinmayr, & Spinath, 2012; Reeve & Jang, 2006).
The study used a concurrent mixed-method action research design including interviews, questionnaires, and institutional data. Over 400 first-year students participated in the study. Students shared their perceptions of their rapport with their instructors and peers, and their perceived learning in each of the three LEAD courses.
Data were analyzed using correlation and linear regression approaches. Significant relations occurred between many instructor-student rapport scales, peer rapport, perceived learning, and course grades. Additionally, instructor-student rapport scales significantly predicted perceived learning.
Qualitative and quantitative findings were aligned with each other, and were consistent with previous studies. This study advances the body of knowledge about instructor-student rapport by extending the findings around its role in student achievement. Results also suggested the need to further explore the role of peer rapport and its influence on student achievement. Results from the study show instructor-student rapport was mediators of student achievement.
Guiding literature for this study included Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as well as related studies (Deci & Flaste, 1995). This theory describes human motivation as a factor of the extent to which one feels autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Though relevant in many contexts, past researchers used SDT as a tool for understanding students’ motivation to learn (Black & Deci, 2000; Freiberger, Steinmayr, & Spinath, 2012; Reeve & Jang, 2006).
The study used a concurrent mixed-method action research design including interviews, questionnaires, and institutional data. Over 400 first-year students participated in the study. Students shared their perceptions of their rapport with their instructors and peers, and their perceived learning in each of the three LEAD courses.
Data were analyzed using correlation and linear regression approaches. Significant relations occurred between many instructor-student rapport scales, peer rapport, perceived learning, and course grades. Additionally, instructor-student rapport scales significantly predicted perceived learning.
Qualitative and quantitative findings were aligned with each other, and were consistent with previous studies. This study advances the body of knowledge about instructor-student rapport by extending the findings around its role in student achievement. Results also suggested the need to further explore the role of peer rapport and its influence on student achievement. Results from the study show instructor-student rapport was mediators of student achievement.
ContributorsVawter, Katherine (Author) / Kulinna, Pamela (Thesis advisor) / Buss, Ray (Committee member) / Potts, Shelly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Nursing school can be challenging for undergraduate students, largely because they do not know what to expect in terms of the demands of the rigorous academic program. Students who enter the program with unrealistic expectations of the demands, such as underestimated time needed for studying for exams or preparing for clinical and class time, as well as the emotional toll of time away from family and friends are often challenged with being adequately prepared for the day-to-day experience of nursing school. Once students have been in the program a few semesters, they begin to get the flow of the expectation as well as an understanding of how to manage their time. Unfortunately, if their adjustment period is not quick enough, they can academically or voluntarily withdraw due to the pressures of the demanding curriculum. In order to combat this phenomenon and give students a perspective that can assist them in their adjustment period, a Student Navigator Program (SNP) was implemented at a local community college. Data was collected from experimental and control groups using a mixed methods research design - comparing final grade percentage, performance on a standardized exam, and use of support services. The quantitative data suggest there is no statistical significance in participation in the SNP with the exception of a few select cohorts. The qualitative data suggest the SNP program is helpful at the beginning of the first semester of nursing school. Taken together, the data suggest the SNP can be helpful in the beginning of the semester for willing participants to assist with managing the unknown. Data from this study guides nursing programs as they aim to retain current nursing students through the first semester and progress through the program.
ContributorsBednarek, Salina (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Albert, Louis (Committee member) / Hosley, Brenda (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
It is commonly accepted that undergraduate degree attainment rates must improve if postsecondary educational institutions are to meet macroeconomic demands. Involvement in co-curricular activities, such as student clubs and organizations, has been shown to increase students' satisfaction with their college experience and the rates by which they might persist. Yet, strategies that college administrators, faculties, and peer leaders may employ to effectively promote co-curricular engagement opportunities to students are not well developed. In turn, I created the Sky Leaders program, a retention-focused intervention designed to promote commuter student involvement in academically-purposeful activities via faculty- and peer-lead mentoring experiences. Working from an interpretivist research paradigm, this quasi-experimental mixed methods action research study was intended to measure the intervention's impact on participants' re-enrollment and reported engagement rates, as well as the effectiveness of its conceptual and logistical aspects. I used enrollment, survey, interview, observation, and focus group data collection instruments to accommodate an integrated data procurement process, which allowed for the consideration of several perspectives related to the same research questions. I analyzed all of the quantitative data captured from the enrollment and survey instruments using descriptive and inferential statistics to explore statistically and practically significant differences between participant groups. As a result, I identified one significant finding that had a perceived positive effect. Expressly, I found the difference between treatment and control participants' reported levels of engagement within co-curricular activities to be statistically and practically significant. Additionally, consistent with Glaser and Strauss' grounded theory approach, I employed open, axial, and selective coding procedures to analyze all of the qualitative data obtained via open-ended survey items, as well as interview, observation, and focus group instruments. After I reviewed and examined the qualitative data corpus, I constructed six themes reflective of the participants' programmatic experiences as well as conceptual and logistical features of the intervention. In doing so, I found that faculty, staff, and peer leaders may efficaciously serve in specific mentoring roles to promote co-curricular engagement opportunities and advance students' institutional academic and social integration, thereby effectively curbing their potential college departure decisions, which often arise out of mal-integrative experiences.
ContributorsSebold, Brent (Author) / Beardsley, Audrey (Thesis advisor) / Serafini, Frank (Committee member) / Wharton, Christopher (Christopher Mack), 1977- (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Stress and anxiety are on the rise in children and adolescents, which may adversely impact their social and emotional development, learning, mental health, level of functioning, and educational success. Compounding this issue is that teachers often lack the preparation to best meet their students’ mental health needs. These associated factors constitute the problem of practice that prompted this action research study, whose purpose is to examine the effectiveness of Stress on Students (SOS)—a series of professional development modules designed to educate teachers on student stress and anxiety. SOS was developed with input from teachers through previous cycles of action research. The modules focus on identifying stress and anxiety among students and intervention strategies to increase teachers’ knowledge and perceived levels of self-efficacy. This study was grounded in the theoretical frameworks of andragogy and self-efficacy theory and employed a concurrent, mixed-methods design. Data were collected through a quantitative pre- and post-test survey instrument and qualitative semi-structured individual interviews. Analytic strategies included paired samples t-tests, descriptive statistics of the pre- and post-test, and multiple coding cycles of the individual interviews. Triangulation of the quantitative and qualitative data confirmed SOS’ effectiveness on teacher participants (n = 6) and provided complementary evidence. Teachers showed an increase in their actual and perceived knowledge about student stress and anxiety post-SOS with similar results pertaining to their perceived levels of self-efficacy in working with students who exhibit stress and anxiety. Additionally, teachers fully participated in SOS and deemed the topic and content to be relevant and valuable.
ContributorsJukins, Brian (Author) / Gee, Elisabeth (Thesis advisor) / Oakes, Wendy P (Committee member) / Rotheram-Fuller, Erin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Wellness resources at postsecondary music schools: a survey of how this information is being offered
Description
Musicians have the potential to experience health problems related to their
profession. The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) requires schools to
provide information about wellness. There are 634 degree-granting, not for profit, NASM
accredited postsecondary music schools in America. This study examined the types of
wellness resources offered at 387 of these schools or 60%. Wellness information was
divided into three categories: physical, psychological and hearing. The types of resources
offered, category of information and the size of the school were considered. Schools were
emailed and their websites were searched for wellness information.
Forty-eight percent of the schools had website information, 32% offered wellness
workshops, 16% of the schools offered wellness courses, and 32% of the schools covered
wellness information through other methods. Nineteen percent of the schools said that
they did not offer courses or workshops and did not say how they are meeting the
requirement. Physical wellness information was most widely available, followed by
hearing information, while psychological wellness information was harder to find.
Smaller schools were less likely to offer wellness courses but otherwise the size of a
school did not play a significant role in the types of wellness resources they were able to
offer.
Based on the findings, more schools should incorporate wellness information on
their websites and hold wellness workshops. Psychological wellness information should
be more widely available. Schools should advertise the wellness information that they
offer so that students are aware of the options available to them.
profession. The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) requires schools to
provide information about wellness. There are 634 degree-granting, not for profit, NASM
accredited postsecondary music schools in America. This study examined the types of
wellness resources offered at 387 of these schools or 60%. Wellness information was
divided into three categories: physical, psychological and hearing. The types of resources
offered, category of information and the size of the school were considered. Schools were
emailed and their websites were searched for wellness information.
Forty-eight percent of the schools had website information, 32% offered wellness
workshops, 16% of the schools offered wellness courses, and 32% of the schools covered
wellness information through other methods. Nineteen percent of the schools said that
they did not offer courses or workshops and did not say how they are meeting the
requirement. Physical wellness information was most widely available, followed by
hearing information, while psychological wellness information was harder to find.
Smaller schools were less likely to offer wellness courses but otherwise the size of a
school did not play a significant role in the types of wellness resources they were able to
offer.
Based on the findings, more schools should incorporate wellness information on
their websites and hold wellness workshops. Psychological wellness information should
be more widely available. Schools should advertise the wellness information that they
offer so that students are aware of the options available to them.
ContributorsFraser, Catherine (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Sullivan, Jill (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
This study took place at SUNY Buffalo State College in Buffalo, NY during the 2018-2019 academic year, and was conducted to examine the effect of the Health Ambassador (HA) program on reducing drinking, drug use, and other potential detrimental health behaviors among Greeks and athletes. Study participants included 147 participants derived from two groups of undergraduate students. Group 1 included 18 students who participated in the Health Ambassador program. Group 2 included 129 men and women who were recruited from three athletic teams and two campus sororities. Group 2 was further divided into intervention and control groups.
A five-week multi-phase health and leadership intervention, consisting of health and leadership trainings and workshops, was implemented over two semesters. Through a blended approach, which incorporated both in-person and online trainings, health ambassadors were educated in health and leadership content and developed prevention workshops to positively influence Greeks and athletes’ perceptions and behaviors toward substance use. Following the trainings, the health ambassadors delivered these substance prevention workshops to members of the intervention group. Self-Efficacy Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior served as the theoretical frameworks for this study in order to determine health ambassador opinions around serving as student leaders and assess Greek and athletic student beliefs over engaging in potentially unsafe health behaviors, including alcohol and substance abuse.
The study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods approach where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently, analyzed separately, and compared to determine if the results substantiated each other. Taken from surveys, questionnaires, group interviews, observations, and field notes, this study shows that (1) past 30 day use of alcohol, binge drinking, and marijuana positively decreased following the health ambassador intervention, (2) intervention group participants became more effective at refusing drugs and alcohol and were more confident in making healthier choices, (3) health ambassadors overcame initial fears and biases toward working with Greeks and athletes, and achieved success presenting health material and functioning as student leaders, (4) the individual and collective efficacy of the health ambassadors positively increased. Additionally, study limitations, implications for research, implications for practice, and conclusions were discussed.
A five-week multi-phase health and leadership intervention, consisting of health and leadership trainings and workshops, was implemented over two semesters. Through a blended approach, which incorporated both in-person and online trainings, health ambassadors were educated in health and leadership content and developed prevention workshops to positively influence Greeks and athletes’ perceptions and behaviors toward substance use. Following the trainings, the health ambassadors delivered these substance prevention workshops to members of the intervention group. Self-Efficacy Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior served as the theoretical frameworks for this study in order to determine health ambassador opinions around serving as student leaders and assess Greek and athletic student beliefs over engaging in potentially unsafe health behaviors, including alcohol and substance abuse.
The study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods approach where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently, analyzed separately, and compared to determine if the results substantiated each other. Taken from surveys, questionnaires, group interviews, observations, and field notes, this study shows that (1) past 30 day use of alcohol, binge drinking, and marijuana positively decreased following the health ambassador intervention, (2) intervention group participants became more effective at refusing drugs and alcohol and were more confident in making healthier choices, (3) health ambassadors overcame initial fears and biases toward working with Greeks and athletes, and achieved success presenting health material and functioning as student leaders, (4) the individual and collective efficacy of the health ambassadors positively increased. Additionally, study limitations, implications for research, implications for practice, and conclusions were discussed.
ContributorsLindner, Jonathan (Author) / Bertrand, Melanie (Thesis advisor) / Kenyon, Charles (Committee member) / Pivovarova, Margarita (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
This thesis compares and contrasts attitudes on the issue of gun control between the general population and a student sample in the United States today. Through a comparative survey analysis design, this study aims to better understand attitudes towards gun control in the United States. Due to the fact that students may believe they are at a higher risk of gun violence, and because of their increased participation in gun control activism, this thesis hypothesizes that students will be more likely to favor restrictions on gun regulation. Although both samples share similar attitudes, these results show that students held much more passionate, negative, and dissatisfied attitudes and opinions on the current gun climate in the United States, relative to the general public. However, students are less in favor than the sample of the general public in supporting gun-safety policies when in the context of school-settings.
ContributorsDeutsch, Ryan Michael (Author) / Fridkin, Kim (Thesis advisor) / Kenney, Patrick (Committee member) / Wright, Thorin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Over the last decade, post-secondary international student enrollment has grown in the United States (US). In part, this growth has been facilitated by an increasing number of third-party recruitment partnerships; wherein US universities sign agreements to allow parties to engage in the recruitment and advising of students. By creating and expanding partnerships the university seeks to enroll more students at their university. With these additional parties involved in the advising process, it is more important than ever that students have as much information as possible to make an enrollment decision that makes them feel like they are members of the campus community and that they belong. To attain feelings of membership and belonging the university staff and faculty should be reaching out to students early in their academic career about the resources that are likely to enhance their feelings of membership and belonging at university. To understand and improve students’ feelings of membership and belonging the researcher developed a mixed-method intervention that included a control and experimental group. All groups completed a pre-posttest survey. The experimental group was exposed to 1:1 belongingness advising sessions and debriefing interviews. Twenty-two first-year international students participated in the study. The intervention had two objectives: 1) understand how a semester-long advising program, in the students first-year, enhanced international students feeling of membership and belonging at the university; and what components of the program were most effective and 2) based on how students were recruited to university, how did they differ in their developing feelings of belongingness and membership. The intervention was informed by agency theory, dropout model, and previous research on students’ feelings of membership and belonging. The results suggested that students in the experimental group were more likely to feel like members of the university when compared to their control group peers. Additionally, the results suggest that students in the experimental group were able to build relationships, knowledge, and support systems that enhanced their feelings of belonging. The discussion explains these outcomes as they are related to the research questions and extant literature. It also summarizes, implications for practice, future research, and lessons learned.
ContributorsVerhulst, Stene Allen (Author) / Marsh, Josephine (Thesis advisor) / Kim, Jeongeun (Committee member) / Bruce, Gonzalo (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The advancement of technology has transformed information consumption into an accessible and flexible process. The open learning ecosystem that exists online relies on self-direction. Learners are able to effectively fulfill personal learning goals with preferred content forms, specifically by utilizing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). It is essential to investigate the role of mediums in distributed learning to initiate human-centric design changes that best support the learner. This study provides insight into how choice influences self-learning and highlights the major engagement difficulties of MOOCs. Significant attrition was experienced while issuing text and audio material to participants for three weeks. Although this prevented valid statistical tests from being run, it was clear that text was the most desirable and effective medium. Students that read exhibited the highest comprehension levels and selected it as their de-facto consumption method even if audio was made available. Since this study involved complex topics, this supported the transient information effect. Future studies should focus deeply on the structure of online courses by implementing personable engagement features that improve overall participation rate.
ContributorsWoods, Quintin (Author) / Roscoe, Rod (Thesis advisor) / Craig, Scotty (Committee member) / Branaghan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019