Matching Items (34)
Description
Every year, potential graduate students hunt through websites and promotional materials searching for the perfect program to fit their needs. The search requires time and patience, especially for those future scholars who seek a doctoral program in Education Policy Studies (EPS) with a focus on interacting with the policymaking process. The primary objective of this project was to explore the promotional materials of EPS doctoral programs in order to better understand how these programs promote formalized training for students to engage with education policy and the policymaking process. I selected the top 10 EPS programs in the nation along with my own institution (Arizona State University) as the sample for this study. By reviewing their websites, I found that programs provide a comparable training description for similar careers as well as upholding similar goals in the subfield of EPS. Ultimately, the program materials revealed that while these programs advertise significant formalized training in research methods and scholarly pursuits, opportunities to actively engage with policymaking were missing from the materials. Instead, it is more likely that such opportunities occur in informal settings such as apprenticeships and working at research centers. This study provides a detailed discussion of how programs promote training opportunities to students, the types of careers that programs claim to prepare students for, and the important role that faculty projects and additional resources play in the student experience related to engagement with policy and the policymaking process.
ContributorsLong-Genovese, Stacey (Author) / Garcia, David R. (Thesis advisor) / Ott, Molly (Committee member) / Hinchey, Patricia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Extant evaluation studies of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 have focused primarily on its effects on the pace of innovation and on the norms and practices of academic research but neglected other public values. Seeking to redress this shortcoming, I begin by examining Bayh-Dole with respect to other relevant public values following the Public Value Failure approach. From that analysis, equity emerges as a pressing issue. I define equity issues, in a loosely Rawlsian sense, as situations of unfair distribution of political power and economic resources. My analysis identifies a business model of offices of technology transfer--that I call "nurturing start-ups"--that is likely to become a standard of practice. This model can foster either firm competition or concentration in emerging industries and will therefore have an impact on the distribution of economic benefits from innovation. In addition, political influence to reform Bayh-Dole is allocated disproportionately in favor of those who stand to gain from this policy. For instance, elite universities hold a larger share of the resources and voice of the university system. Consequently, adjusting the nurturing start-ups model to foster competition and increasing cooperation among universities should lead to a more equitable distribution of economic benefits and political voice in technology transfer. Conventional policy evaluation is also responsible for the neglect of equity considerations in Bayh-Dole studies. Currently, "what is the policy impact?" can be answered far more systematically than "why the impact matters?" or "is this policy designed and implemented legitimately?" The problem lies with the consequentialist theory of value that undergirds evaluation. Hence, I propose a deontological theory of evaluation to reaffirm the discipline's commitment to democratic policy making.
ContributorsValdivia, Walter (Author) / Guston, David H. (Thesis advisor) / Sarewitz, Daniel (Committee member) / Bozeman, Barry (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The three essays in this dissertation each examine how aspects of contemporary administrative structure within American research universities affect faculty outcomes. Specific aspects of administrative structure tested in this dissertation include the introduction of new administrative roles, administrative intensity (i.e. relative size of university administration), and competing roles between faculty, administrators, and staff. Using quantitative statistical methods these aspects of administrative structure are tested for their effects on academic grant productivity, faculty job stress, and faculty job satisfaction. Administrative datasets and large scale national surveys make up the data for these studies and quantitative statistical methods confirm most of the hypothesized relationships.
In the first essay, findings from statistical modeling using instrumental variables suggest that academic researchers who receive administrative support for grant writing and management obtain fewer grants and have a lower success rate. However, the findings also suggest that the grants these researchers do receive are much larger in terms of dollars. The results indicate that administrative support is particularly beneficial in academic grant situations of high-risk, high-reward. In the second essay, ordered logit models reveal a statistically significant and stronger relationship between staff intensity (i.e., the ratio of faculty to staff workers) and faculty stress than the relationship between executive intensity (i.e., the ratio faculty to executive and managerial workers) and faculty job stress. These findings confirm theory that the work of faculty is more loosely coupled with the work of executives than it is with staff workers. A possible explanation is the increase in administrative work faculty must take on as there are fewer staff workers to take on administrative tasks. And finally, in the third essay results from multi-level modeling confirm that both role clarity and institutional support positively affect both a global measure of faculty job satisfaction and faculty satisfaction with how their work time is allocated. Understanding the effects that administrative structure has on faculty outcomes will aid universities as faculty administrative burdens ebb and flow in reaction to macro trends in higher education, such as unbundling of faculty roles, unbundling of services, neoliberalism, liberal arts decline, and administrative bloat.
In the first essay, findings from statistical modeling using instrumental variables suggest that academic researchers who receive administrative support for grant writing and management obtain fewer grants and have a lower success rate. However, the findings also suggest that the grants these researchers do receive are much larger in terms of dollars. The results indicate that administrative support is particularly beneficial in academic grant situations of high-risk, high-reward. In the second essay, ordered logit models reveal a statistically significant and stronger relationship between staff intensity (i.e., the ratio of faculty to staff workers) and faculty stress than the relationship between executive intensity (i.e., the ratio faculty to executive and managerial workers) and faculty job stress. These findings confirm theory that the work of faculty is more loosely coupled with the work of executives than it is with staff workers. A possible explanation is the increase in administrative work faculty must take on as there are fewer staff workers to take on administrative tasks. And finally, in the third essay results from multi-level modeling confirm that both role clarity and institutional support positively affect both a global measure of faculty job satisfaction and faculty satisfaction with how their work time is allocated. Understanding the effects that administrative structure has on faculty outcomes will aid universities as faculty administrative burdens ebb and flow in reaction to macro trends in higher education, such as unbundling of faculty roles, unbundling of services, neoliberalism, liberal arts decline, and administrative bloat.
ContributorsTaggart, Gabel (Author) / Welch, Eric (Thesis advisor) / Bozeman, Barry (Committee member) / Ott, Molly (Committee member) / Stritch, Justin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
The amount of time and effort that university researchers spend writing grants and executing grant administration responsibilities is one of the biggest challenges for science policy. This study aims to explore the complexity of the phenomenon of burdens in the administrative procedure for principal investigators (PIs) in sponsored research. The findings make a theoretical contribution to the study of burdens and red tape by closely examining the processes in which the burdens emerge, increase, and decrease; in doing so, this research will lay the groundwork for future studies of burdens and sponsored research systems. This study assumes that burdens are embedded in the social process, not merely in the number of required documentation or time spent on the procedure. The two overarching research questions are as follows: (1) What do researchers perceive or experience as a burden in grant proposal preparation and submission in sponsored research? (2) What are the possible factors or hypotheses to explain the generation, increase, and decrease of burdens? This single case study of a large research university examines the burdens faced by university researchers as they prepare and submit grant proposals. Primary data comes from semi-structured interviews with thirty-one PIs in science and engineering schools, and four interviews with research administration staff. Based on the interview data and theoretical arguments, this study illustrates the burdens in two categories: Burdens related to the proposal system, rules, and requirements; and burdens PIs experience with pre-award staff and relations. In addition, this study assesses each PI’s burden level in terms of the number of tasks in the proposal process, and the quality of the pre-award staff and services the PI experiences. This study further examines possible contributing factors and tentative hypotheses of burdens. In the discussion, this study develops theoretical arguments about the nature and consequences of burdens and fundamental issues in the grant system, and discuss prescriptions for PIs, universities, and sponsored research systems.
ContributorsFukumoto, Eriko (Author) / Bozeman, Barry (Thesis advisor) / Welch, Eric (Committee member) / Anderson, Derrick M (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Promoting student engagement is a critical performance indicator for undergraduate success and is, therefore, a priority for academic institutions as they seek to improve teaching and learning practices (Meyer, 2014). Educators need to improve their instructional pedagogy by developing unique methods for engaging students with educational opportunities. Instructors who facilitate courses online face an even greater challenge in engaging students. A virtual learning community is a potential solution for improving online engagement.
This mixed methods action research dissertation explores the implementation of an online learning community and how it influences the engagement of students in distance learning environments. The primary research question guiding this inquiry is: How and to what extent does the implementation of an online learning community influence undergraduate student engagement in online courses? A sequential triangulation design was used to analyze data collected from surveys and responses collected from study participants during a synchronous online focus group. The analysis of the results of the study provide interesting insight into the online engagement of students. Key findings from the study are: 1) the inclusion of diverse perspectives is important for students and they value having opportunities to share their knowledge with peers; 2) an online learning community is beneficial for student engagement and this type of model is one they would participate in the future; 3) students experience a disconnect with peers when engagement opportunities in online discussion platforms feel insincere.
This mixed methods action research dissertation explores the implementation of an online learning community and how it influences the engagement of students in distance learning environments. The primary research question guiding this inquiry is: How and to what extent does the implementation of an online learning community influence undergraduate student engagement in online courses? A sequential triangulation design was used to analyze data collected from surveys and responses collected from study participants during a synchronous online focus group. The analysis of the results of the study provide interesting insight into the online engagement of students. Key findings from the study are: 1) the inclusion of diverse perspectives is important for students and they value having opportunities to share their knowledge with peers; 2) an online learning community is beneficial for student engagement and this type of model is one they would participate in the future; 3) students experience a disconnect with peers when engagement opportunities in online discussion platforms feel insincere.
ContributorsSneed, Obiageli (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Crawford, Steven (Committee member) / Magruder, Olysha (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
This action research study primarily examined how educative curriculum materials (i.e., curriculum materials that include supports for teacher learning) can improve a teacher’s knowledge base and ability to succeed in the classroom. The focus was on the impact of one type of educative curriculum material: PowerPoint presentations. Specifically, the study investigated if translating teacher’s manuals into digital presentations was valued by general education teachers responsible for teaching Engage NY math in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. The study asked teacher participants to describe the impact (if any) of adding a digital presentation component to their lessons and investigated if they self-reported increased Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), which is a teacher’s understanding of how to help students understand specific subject matter. Using questionnaires, interviews, and field notes, the following research questions were examined: 1) How do teachers describe the impact that pre-made digital slide share presentations (i.e., PowerPoint presentations) have on lesson planning, preparation, and pacing and 2) What impact does translating teacher’s manuals into digital slide share presentations (i.e., PowerPoint presentations) have on teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge? Results indicate that teacher participants found the presentations to be helpful and positively impacted their lesson planning, preparation, and pacing, and improved their perception of their own abilities when presenting Engage NY math content.
ContributorsFreauff, Rebecca (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Ceceña, Araceli (Committee member) / Tovar, Andrea (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Higher education enrollment and degree attainment rates have increased in the U.S. Yet higher education has remained inaccessible to many. Low- and middle-income students and students from particular racial and ethnic backgrounds enroll and attain degrees at lower rates than their peers. To gain insight into the topic of access to higher education, I used social constructionist, critical, and socio-cognitive perspectives to conduct a descriptive, content, and discourse analysis of 1,242 articles about access to higher education published from 1994-2019 in eight influential U.S. newspapers. I also explored the historical and social context in which this coverage was situated. I found that access to higher education was considered an important topic in the articles I analyzed. I also found that while definitions of access to higher education were varied and often intersected, content related to costs and funding of higher education dominated the coverage. In addition, a tension between public and private benefits of access to higher education emerged in the articles I analyzed, as did a tension between public and private costs of access to higher education. These costs and benefits were often misaglined in coverage. The most salient benefit of access to higher education in the majority of articles was a public benefit, which primarily benefits society. However, a private entity or higher education institution was deemed responsible for covering the costs of access to higher education in the majority of articles. This research could be used to promote more nuanced coverage on access to higher education as well as policies, practices, and additional research that addresses the multiplicity of ways in which disparities in access to higher education are created, sustained, and reproduced.
ContributorsLish, Rebecca (Author) / Fischman, Gustavo E. (Thesis advisor) / Bergerson, Amy A. (Committee member) / Ott, Molly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
The purpose of this study was to research the effects of a student-staff mentoring relationship on high school students’ locus of control, life/school satisfaction and ultimately their academics as determined by their grades. Participants consisted of a small cohort of 10th grade high school students at a public charter, college preparatory high school in inner city Phoenix, Arizona. Frederickson’s broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions and Bandura’s social cognitive theory provide the models of behavior to improve school satisfaction, motivation and overall well being. A mixed method, action research design was used to study how a 9-week mentoring program facilitated by the dean of students impacted the students’ locus of control, satisfaction, and academic achievement. Participants completed pre and post test measures using a modified Trice College Success Survey that measured external-internal locus of control and the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) used to measure life satisfaction and sub-constructs of satisfaction including family, friends, school, living environment and self. Post intervention a smaller sample of students were interviewed, field notes were also compiled and analyzed using a social constructionist point of view to gather insight on how students create their own knowledge and how that connects to their behaviors and attitudes that affect their success. Among the key findings was that students indicated a preference for the type of individualized attention that the mentoring program introduced to support them academically. Quantitative analyses of the survey data did not indicate a significant shift from external to internal locus of control or an improvement in life or school satisfaction, however further research should be conducted to implement a longer intervention period with similar intervention components.
ContributorsAlvarado Hernandez, Ruby Rebecca (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Hartley, Adam (Committee member) / Schauer, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
ABSTRACT
This action research case study explored the ways participation in a teacher leader learning community contributed to the identity development of teacher leaders at the Canajoharie Central School District. The goal of the study was to identify how a teacher leader learning community supported the identity of teacher leaders in their work. This action research study used a case study methodology and included qualitative and quantitative data collection. Purposive sampling identified six participants for the study. The qualitative data collection included initial and final one-on-one semi-structured interviews, meeting observation notes, research journal entries and peer interaction logs. Quantitative data were gathered using pre- and post- innovation surveys. Participants completed a pre-innovation survey and initial interview prior to the start of the innovation. Structured teacher leader learning community meetings were conducted over a four-month period of time in the Fall of 2018. Study participants led the design of collaborative group norms and meeting protocols. Participants facilitated the teacher leader learning community meetings. At the conclusion of the study period participants completed a post-innovation survey and final interview. Meeting observation notes, research journal entries and peer interaction log data were collected during the study period.
Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data of this study suggests that teacher leader identity is supported by participation in a structured teacher leader learning community. Teacher leaders benefitted from a formal structure through which to share successes, problem-solve situations and continue growth as leaders. The findings also suggest that meeting norms and protocols benefit the work of the teacher leaders in the learning community. These findings are consistent with previous research studies which indicate that teacher leaders need opportunities to come together and network to sustain their work. The findings from this action research study may assist other school districts in supporting teacher leaders in their local context.
This action research case study explored the ways participation in a teacher leader learning community contributed to the identity development of teacher leaders at the Canajoharie Central School District. The goal of the study was to identify how a teacher leader learning community supported the identity of teacher leaders in their work. This action research study used a case study methodology and included qualitative and quantitative data collection. Purposive sampling identified six participants for the study. The qualitative data collection included initial and final one-on-one semi-structured interviews, meeting observation notes, research journal entries and peer interaction logs. Quantitative data were gathered using pre- and post- innovation surveys. Participants completed a pre-innovation survey and initial interview prior to the start of the innovation. Structured teacher leader learning community meetings were conducted over a four-month period of time in the Fall of 2018. Study participants led the design of collaborative group norms and meeting protocols. Participants facilitated the teacher leader learning community meetings. At the conclusion of the study period participants completed a post-innovation survey and final interview. Meeting observation notes, research journal entries and peer interaction log data were collected during the study period.
Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data of this study suggests that teacher leader identity is supported by participation in a structured teacher leader learning community. Teacher leaders benefitted from a formal structure through which to share successes, problem-solve situations and continue growth as leaders. The findings also suggest that meeting norms and protocols benefit the work of the teacher leaders in the learning community. These findings are consistent with previous research studies which indicate that teacher leaders need opportunities to come together and network to sustain their work. The findings from this action research study may assist other school districts in supporting teacher leaders in their local context.
ContributorsGrimshaw, Deborah P (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Smudde, Christopher (Committee member) / Ford, Leslie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
The purpose of this action research was to study the impact of managers’ roles in improving employee engagement through professional development programs and customized action plans among Merced College Student Services employees. Ultimately, the goal of the intervention was to increase levels of employee engagement among student services professionals to better thrive as a unit and for students to receive higher levels of customer service. The study was an action research study using a mixed-methods design. The participants for the qualitative one-on-one interviews were three managers, two classified professionals, and two faculty. The sampling was purposive. For the quantitative data collection, the participants of this action research study included the approximately 132 employees in the Student Services Division at Merced College.
Participants completed a pre-survey measuring their levels of employee engagement based on The Gallup Organization’s 12 dimensions of employee engagement. The survey instrument measured 12 constructs and included 36 total items. Based on the results of the pre-survey, managers within the Student Services Division participated in two professional development workshops on employee engagement. The results of the qualitative data analysis resulted in manager-developed action plans, based on the three lowest constructs from the pre-survey, for each of the departments within the Student Services Division. The customized action plans were implemented over an approximately four-month period. Upon completion of the intervention, participants completed a post-survey to assess the impact of the interventions.
The results indicated that managers who participate in employee engagement professional develop programs are able to effectively develop and implement action plans as employee engagement champions within the workplace. The post-survey scores for participants of this study did not result in improved levels of employee engagement during the four-month intervention cycle. The findings of the action research study will help develop and refine solutions to continue to improve employee engagement within higher education and other organizations.
Participants completed a pre-survey measuring their levels of employee engagement based on The Gallup Organization’s 12 dimensions of employee engagement. The survey instrument measured 12 constructs and included 36 total items. Based on the results of the pre-survey, managers within the Student Services Division participated in two professional development workshops on employee engagement. The results of the qualitative data analysis resulted in manager-developed action plans, based on the three lowest constructs from the pre-survey, for each of the departments within the Student Services Division. The customized action plans were implemented over an approximately four-month period. Upon completion of the intervention, participants completed a post-survey to assess the impact of the interventions.
The results indicated that managers who participate in employee engagement professional develop programs are able to effectively develop and implement action plans as employee engagement champions within the workplace. The post-survey scores for participants of this study did not result in improved levels of employee engagement during the four-month intervention cycle. The findings of the action research study will help develop and refine solutions to continue to improve employee engagement within higher education and other organizations.
ContributorsVitelli, Chris (Author) / Ott, Molly (Thesis advisor) / Albert, Louis (Committee member) / Duran, Benjamin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019