Matching Items (5)
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- All Subjects: Education (Higher)
- Creators: Judson, Eugene
Description
Affirmative action is an education policy adopted by higher education institutions in the 1960s, where an applicant’s race is taken into account to some degree when being evaluated for admission to a college or university. The practice of affirmative action, or race conscious-admissions, has been repeatedly challenged in the legal system and remains a controversial and polarizing topic amongst the general public, campus leaders, and policy makers. Despite a vast amount of research on the effects of affirmative action policies on student and institutional behaviors and outcomes, such as college applications and enrollments, considerably less research has examined students’ attitudes towards race-conscious admissions policies. Even less research has focused on students in academic disciplines, especially STEM or engineering. Likewise, there is a paucity of research that explores students’ perceptions and knowledge of how affirmative action is implemented in practice. To address these gaps, this study investigates undergraduate engineering students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards affirmative action admissions policies in higher education. The Student Attitudes Towards Admissions Policies Survey (SATAPS) was designed to assess students’ knowledge of and attitudes regarding affirmative action practices in higher education admissions. This survey was administered to undergraduate engineering students and a comparison group of education students at 42 colleges/universities in the United States. Data were analyzed utilizing confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression. Results demonstrated that students have low levels of knowledge about affirmative action, and have misconceptions about how the policy functions in practice. There was no difference in engineering and education students’ level of support for affirmative action; however, underrepresented minority students in engineering were more supportive of affirmative action. Results also indicated that students’ beliefs and values were the strongest predictors of attitude towards affirmative action, so much so that this negated the significance of demographic and personal characteristics, which was observed in the majority of previous studies. Results highlight a complicated relationship between demographic characteristics, personal variables, knowledge, institutional context, beliefs/values, and attitude towards affirmative action admissions policies in higher education.
ContributorsRoss, Lydia (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Dorn, Sherman (Committee member) / Powers, Jeanne M. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
There are many benefits for children, teachers, families, and schools when partnerships are formed between families and teachers. However, many new teachers are entering the teaching profession not feeling confident about communicating and engaging with parents. This lack of confidence stems from some teacher preparation programs not including curriculum that explicitly addresses how to communicate and engage with parents. The focus of this study was to investigate the extent to which four Family Engagement Trainings affected preservice teachers during their student teaching practicum. A quasi-experimental approach using an explanatory sequential mixed method action research design was used to measure changes in preservice teachers’ knowledge, value, and self-efficacy regarding communicating and engaging with parents throughout the 19 weeks of the study. A survey instrument, personal meaning maps, and reflections were used to gather data. Results indicated the Family Engagement Trainings were effective in positively changing the preservice teachers’ knowledge, value, and self-efficacy to communicate and engage with families.
ContributorsRiethmann, Tamera (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Boozer, April (Committee member) / Ellingford, Lori (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The United States accounts for only 4% of the world’s female population, but it is home to more than 30% of the world’s incarcerated women, the majority of whom will eventually attempt a successful reentry into society. Almost half of the incarcerated women in the United States have not obtained a high school diploma or equivalency, and only 31% have attempted some college, compared to 58% among the general public (Ewert & Wildhagen, 2011). There is ample evidence of the impact of a post-secondary degree on reducing recidivism and increasing reentry success. However, the Arizona Department of Corrections reports that of the more than 40,000 people incarcerated in November of 2019, only 5,333, or 12.5%, were involved in any type of educational programming while incarcerated (2019).
Few studies have looked closely at the barriers to higher education for formerly incarcerated individuals, and even fewer have focused on women. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to examine the educational experiences of formerly incarcerated women through the lenses of critical social theory (Freeman & Vasconcelos, 2010; Freire, 1970) and possible selves theory (Markus & Nurius, 1986) in an effort to more fully understand low educational attainment in this population and use this knowledge to develop an effective, participant-informed intervention and provide recommendations for university outreach programs. Study participants were formerly incarcerated women and individuals who work with this population. Data were collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews and materials created during the College After Prison Workshop which was developed for this project.
Interviews revealed that the women in this study crave a sense of belonging, feel regret over their lost possible selves, experience a fear of standing still or going backward, and have a strong desire to help others. Findings suggest that colleges and universities can support formerly incarcerated women in the post-secondary system by curating a community of scholars and demonstrating a clear path forward for formerly incarcerated women by reducing systemic barriers.
Few studies have looked closely at the barriers to higher education for formerly incarcerated individuals, and even fewer have focused on women. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to examine the educational experiences of formerly incarcerated women through the lenses of critical social theory (Freeman & Vasconcelos, 2010; Freire, 1970) and possible selves theory (Markus & Nurius, 1986) in an effort to more fully understand low educational attainment in this population and use this knowledge to develop an effective, participant-informed intervention and provide recommendations for university outreach programs. Study participants were formerly incarcerated women and individuals who work with this population. Data were collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews and materials created during the College After Prison Workshop which was developed for this project.
Interviews revealed that the women in this study crave a sense of belonging, feel regret over their lost possible selves, experience a fear of standing still or going backward, and have a strong desire to help others. Findings suggest that colleges and universities can support formerly incarcerated women in the post-secondary system by curating a community of scholars and demonstrating a clear path forward for formerly incarcerated women by reducing systemic barriers.
ContributorsBell, Kendra (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Dinn-You Liou, Daniel (Committee member) / Tsoudis, Olga (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
This action research project was a concurrent mixed method case study design The purpose of this action research study was to begin to understand how an institution of higher education can best support creativity and innovation of university staff members. More specifically this study looked at the influence of a design thinking workshop on university staff perceived creative and innovative ability. Additionally, this study looked at the influence of individual attributes on staff creativity, and the influence of organizational attributes on staff innovation. Amabile and Pratt’s Dynamic Component Model of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations informed this study. Participants for this study were recruited from the Educational Outreach and Student Services division of Arizona State University at the Downtown Phoenix campus. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a Creativity and Innovation Survey (CIS) and individual interviews. The Creativity and Innovation Survey was distributed to staff before and after they participated in a two module design thinking workshop. Interviews with staff occurred after the conclusion of the workshops. In responses to the CIS and in interview staff had a strong belief in their ability to be creative and innovative in the workplace. A correlational analysis of CIS data indicated that a positive and significant relationship existed between creativity and individual attributes, as well as between, innovation and organizational attributes. Staff also expressed these relationships during interviews. The themes of collaboration, supervision, and resources each emerged from the interview data as important influencers of staff creativity and innovation. Although staff expressed there was a value in the design thinking workshops during interviews, a significant difference was not found in staffs’ perceived creativity and innovation after participating in the design thinking workshop. Implications for practice and for future research are discussed.
ContributorsMorgan, Chad William (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Kim, Jeongeun (Committee member) / Anderson, Derrick (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
From Zero Tolerance to Restorative Justice: Implementing Restorative Justice in a High School System
Description
Implementation of large-scale initiatives within educational systems can present many challenges, particularly when the initiative is non-linear and relies on deep understanding rooted in a restorative mindset. This study examined implementation of restorative justice within one large, primarily urban school district in the United States. Through a mixed methods approach, data was collected from three personnel levels of the organization: district leadership, school leadership, and school staff members and applied a sensemaking framework to examine the flow of information and understanding within and among organizational levels. To accomplish this investigation, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. First, interview data was collected from district and school level leaders to inform supportive leadership actions and organizational structures and also to understand challenges that leaders faced when working to implement restorative justice within a district and across a school campus. Next, school staff members participated in a survey to provide deeper understanding regarding their confidence in implementing restorative justice practices, their perceptions of school and district level administrative support, and the alignment of their beliefs and actions with tenets of restorative justice. Finally, results were analyzed and compared across levels of the organization to provide a summary of findings and recommendations for ongoing and expanded implementation at the school at the focus of the study and across other schools within the district.
ContributorsGaletti, Sarah (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Hermanns, Carl (Committee member) / Schauer, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020