Matching Items (12)
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- All Subjects: Education (Higher)
- Creators: Rund, James
Description
More than 30% of college entrants are placed in remedial mathematics (RM). Given that an explicit relationship exists between students' high school mathematics and college success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields, it is important to understand RM students' characteristics in high school. Using the Education Longitudinal Survey 2002/2006 data, this study evaluated more than 130 variables for statistical and practical significance. The variables included standard demographic data, prior achievement and transcript data, family and teacher perceptions, school characteristics, and student attitudinal variables, all of which are identified as influential in mathematical success. These variables were analyzed using logistic regression models to estimate the likelihood that a student would be placed into RM. As might be expected, student test scores, highest mathematics course taken, and high school grade point average were the strongest predictors of success in college mathematics courses. Attitude variables had a marginal effect on the most advantaged students, but their effect cannot be evaluated for disadvantaged students, due to a non-random pattern of missing data. Further research should concentrate on obtaining answers to the attitudinal questions and investigating their influence and interaction with academic indicators.
ContributorsBarber, Rebecca (Author) / Garcia, David R. (Thesis advisor) / Powers, Jeanne (Committee member) / Rodrigue Mcintyre, Lisa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
To sustain world preeminence, 21st century university and college leaders in the United States are redesigning their institutions organizationally and culturally to align with the direction of local and global societies and markets. The New American University enterprise model at Arizona State University has become one of the leading organization and cultural redesigns in United States higher education since its inception in 2002. Yet, sustaining a 21st century model such as this one means every individual in the college or university must understand his or her specific role to further progress the new model forward. Therefore, to advance and sustain a 21st century higher education redesign model at a U.S. college or university, it becomes imperative that every master-level professional who works in the academic/student services field at the institution understand his or her specific role in helping to further progress the new model forward. To this end, there is a need to change the way graduate students in higher education/student affairs masters programs are educated to work in the 21st century institution. This change can prepare new professionals to understand these enterprise models and how to integrate them into their practice in order to meet the needs of the institution, local and global societies and markets. The purpose of this action research study is to highlight one program, the ASU M.Ed. Higher and Postsecondary program, and show how graduates from 2007 - 2011 understand New American University concepts and integrate them into professional practice within higher education. Through use of a quantitative approach, this action research study described how the ASU M.Ed. in Higher and Postsecondary program graduate students' understanding of New American University concepts informs their thinking and practice to lead and respond to changes and challenges facing today's 21st century higher education field.
ContributorsAntonucci, Mark J (Author) / Ewing, Kris M (Thesis advisor) / Denke, Mark (Committee member) / Rund, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University (ASU) serves as a universal role model for organizing the resources of an institution to support highly motivated and prepared students. In 2009, Barrett, The Honors College (Barrett) opened the nation's first purposefully designed undergraduate honors residential college campus. Given the current demand by other American higher education institutions who wish to better understand how Barrett emerged as a distinct and singular model for an honors residential college experience, this action research study explores the effectiveness of the decisions, execution and outcomes central to Barrett's development. Five senior administrators of college units or universities were interviewed and provided insight for constructing a design for how other honors programs and colleges can learn from the challenges and accomplishments presented in developing an honors college for the 21st century while replicating Barrett's success. The study is framed in the overall context of how Barrett actualizes the New American University at ASU in meeting the demand for producing students that can compete in a global marketplace.
ContributorsHermann, Kristen (Author) / Ewing, Kris M (Thesis advisor) / Rund, James (Committee member) / Hesse, Marian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The purpose of the study is to explore the identity development and organizational culture of a student organization, the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations council (NALFO) by implementing a community of practice approach at a large, public university in southwestern United States. The objective is to construct a sustainable camaraderie among the existing Latino fraternal organizations at the university to influence leadership development, work toward a common vision, and a cohesive and systematic approach to collaboration, consequently transforming organizational culture. This study investigates the factors that contribute to and/or inhibit increased communication and collaboration and to describe the experiences of Latino fraternal members who are purposefully engaged in a community of practice. There are 57 fraternal organizations in five umbrella councils at the university, including predominately Caucasian, historically African American, Latino, and Multicultural groups, whose platforms are commonly leadership, scholarship, and philanthropy. This action research examines the experiences of six NALFO members individually and working as a community with the guidance of a mentor (the researcher). The researcher employs use of an anonymous initial and post electronic survey, a participant personal statement, an intentional and purposeful community of practice, a semi-structured individual interview, and focus groups to collect data. Findings suggest that length of membership and fraternal experience influence participant responses; however, the themes remain consistent. Building relationships, perception (by members and outsiders), identity development, organizational management, and challenging perspectives (from outside influences) are factors that influence the organizational culture of the organization. On the post electronic survey all participants indicate that the implementation of an intentional community of practice can benefit the organization by encouraging participation and increasing communication. While participants suggest activities for encouraging member engagement, they determine that actual participation would be dependent on individual motivation.
ContributorsHeredia, Anna-Maria (Author) / Rund, James (Thesis advisor) / Calleroz White, Mistalene (Thesis advisor) / Corey, Frederick (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
This study determined if differences exist among the health professions advising community between factors (academic and non-academic) used as selection criteria in medical school admissions, as well as the impact of the holistic review in admissions on new admissions initiatives with respect to personal and professional backgrounds of advisors. The study examined the differences based on the gender, race and ethnicity, age, years of advising experience, institution size and type, classification and region of the population. Statistical analyses were conducted using comparison of means tests: one-sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA to determine the significance of differences for each of the variables. Significant differences were found to exist among the health professions advising community based on gender, race and ethnicity, institution type, classification of appointment, institution size and type. The findings of the study suggested that the personal and professional background of a health professions advisor did impact the perception of importance among the academic and non-academic factors used in the selection of medical students. The medical school admissions community should appreciate the unique viewpoints of the broader health professions advising community when building relationships and finding opportunities to collaborate.
ContributorsCunningham, Tara K (Author) / Wilkinson, Christine Kajikawa (Thesis advisor) / Rund, James (Committee member) / Ashby, Tacy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
In the next decade, community college English departments will expand their developmental course offerings. The students who take these developmental courses generally have higher incidence of diagnosed learnin g disabilities, bleak economic circumstances that require them to work full time, greater dependence on public transporation, and some level of frustration and confusion about being placed in a non-credit course despite graduating from high school. Using a qualitative approach, this action research study articulates the faculty behaviors, classroom environments, and faculty-student interactions that help developmental writing students succeed. The researcher interviewed successful students about what the faculty members did that helped them succeed in developmental writing classes. Then the researcher created and tested a checklist to help writing instructors conform their practices to best practices identified in published research and interviews with successful students. Instructors found the checklist useful in evaluating their own practices in relation to the current research.
ContributorsBixler, L. Ann (Laura Ann) (Author) / Clark, Christopher M. (Thesis advisor) / Rund, James (Thesis advisor) / Young, Donna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
The purpose of this study was to increase first year residential student engagement and participation in residence hall programs during the 2011 fall semester at the Downtown Phoenix Campus of Arizona State University. Six upperclassmen (Taylor Place Leaders) residing in a residence hall (Taylor Place) were matched by academic major with 17 first year students residing in Taylor Place. During the first eleven weeks of the fall semester 2011, first year students met regularly with their Taylor Place Leader to discuss residence hall program participation, living in Taylor Place, attending Arizona State University, and adjusting to their academic responsibilities. All 23 program participants completed a pre-survey inquiring about their satisfaction with their decision to attend Arizona State University, residence hall involvement, and knowledge of university services. The researcher met with Taylor Place Leaders throughout the study to learn about their experiences with mentoring the first year students. At the conclusion of the study, participants met with the researcher to complete a post-survey inquiring about the same information as the pre-survey and participated in individual interviews discussing their experience in the study. Two major findings were identified. First, participants reported that the Taylor Place Experience peer mentoring program assisted first year students in adjusting to college through identifying student support resources. Second, participants reported that living on campus during the freshman year, with mentoring support, could promote academic success, compared with living at home due to the close living proximity of their peers. Taylor Place also saw an increase in residence hall program participation during the 2011 fall semester in comparison to the 2010 fall semester. However, six of the seventeen freshman study participants decided to move out of Taylor Place and live at home by the end of the 2011 fall semester, for various reasons, such as family and employment obligations as well as being homesick.
ContributorsBriggs, Ronald (Author) / Clark, Christopher (Thesis advisor) / Rund, James (Committee member) / Wilkinson, Christine Kajikawa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Inner city high schools today are struggling to create and maintain connections between students' values and schools requirements. Schools attempt to develop ways to help students become a vital part of the school community and provide them with resources to be successful both socially and academically. This study examined how an urban high school in the southwest implemented an academic advisory program to build and maintain the student/school relationship along with hoping to provide the resources to help increase student achievement in core academic programs. Research has identified the importance relationships have on academic achievement and the strong bonds that need to be developed with students and those there to support them. Previous attempts to provide students with the academic support through traditional tutoring in after-school programs have not proven to be successful in providing support students need. These after school tutoring programs have multiple challenges including being voluntary and students having other commitments they are involved with. Incorporating academic advisory programs during the school day is an attempt to overcome these challenges that are experienced with other programs. Using math and English course letter grade distribution comparisons were made to determine if changes in academic achievement occurred after implementation of academic advisory, whether participation in the program for more than one year made a difference on student academic achievement, and finally if academic advisory had any different effect on students that are high, middle, or low achieving. This study could not identify and specific correlation between the academic advisory program and academic achievement. When looking at letter grade distribution data from before implementation and after implementation similar growths and declines are seen with no identifiable trends during the program implementation. Consideration needs to be taken for the limitations identified and the school may want to conduct further review by addressing the limitations.
ContributorsGard, Michael (Author) / McCoy, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Powers, Jeanne (Committee member) / Scribner, Kent (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of gendered communication on women's behavioral intentions regarding nonprofit and for-profit entrepreneurship. Women represent half of the U.S. workforce, but only about one third of all American entrepreneurs are women. Feminists have argued that because entrepreneurship is largely understood as a masculine activity, women — who are predominantly socialized to espouse a feminine gender role — are less likely to become entrepreneurs. Previous scholarship and the particular theoretical lens of social feminism suggest that communication about entrepreneurship that is congruent with a feminine gender role would lead to the recruitment of a greater number of women entrepreneurs. Findings of the current study, however, suggested the opposite, providing support for poststructuralist feminist theory. Women who viewed a feminine entrepreneurship recruiting brochure about entrepreneurship reported themselves to be more feminine and less likely to report intentions to become entrepreneurs than women who viewed a masculine entrepreneurship recruiting brochure. These findings suggested that feminine communication may prime women to think of themselves as feminine, which may then lead them to view themselves as not masculine enough to be entrepreneurs. The applications of these findings stretch beyond engaging more women in entrepreneurship and also extend to scholarship that investigates gender's effects on women's pursuit of other masculine careers, including those in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Until the larger discourse on entrepreneurship changes to be inclusive of femininity, it is unlikely that strategies that feminize entrepreneurial activity in controlled situations will have an effect on changing the patterns of women's entrepreneurial intentions.
ContributorsIffert, Audrey (Author) / Montoya, Mitzi M. (Thesis advisor) / Rund, James (Thesis advisor) / Niemczyk, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Despite a substantial increase of Masters of Music Therapy degree recipients between 2002 (Cohen et. al, 2002) and 2017 (American Music Therapy Association, 2017), these numbers are not paralleled among recipients of PhD degrees with music therapy emphases. Additionally, it is notable that the Master’s Level Entry (MLE) Subcommittee Report (2017) notes “lack of doctoral programs and/or doctoral level music therapy faculty needed to sustain graduate level music therapy education programs” (p.18) as a deterrent to the move to Master's-Level Entry within the music therapy milieu. This underscores the importance of doctorate-level music therapists to the profession. Could increasing the prevalence of doctorate-level music therapists help to promote advanced studies in music therapy, and in turn augment the status of music therapy education and training? The purpose of this project was to examine advanced-level music therapists’ perceived catalysts and barriers to pursuing a doctoral degree in music therapy. Incorporating the Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent et. al, 1994) as the underlying framework, qualitative data was garnered via semi-structured interviews with advanced-practicing music therapists located in the southwestern United States. A thematic qualitative data analysis was conducted, whereby parent codes reflected key constructs of the theoretical lens and child codes were developed inductively. Interviewees highlighted advantages of pursuing a PhD including: professional status, educational growth, and opportunities to educate others. Likewise, they identified pertinent barriers pertaining to finances, narrow job market, and dominance of research foci over clinical skills. In light of these findings, a framework for a hypothetical, Southwest-based professional development seminar was developed and embedded into the SCCT context. The hypothetical program encompassed key objectives to educate participants about the key processes, benefits and drawbacks of pursuing the music therapy doctorate, and aimed to help participants develop penchants toward the pursuit of doctorate degrees. The nine modules featured discussions and interactive learning techniques, in addition to proffering individualized mentoring from music therapy doctorate recipients as a key mainstay of the program. Modules addressed the following topics: Introductions and testimonials; PhD application and funding processes; Clinical skills; Work/life/school balance; Faculty responsibilities (research, teaching and service); Mock interview/audition; and Mentorship presentations.
ContributorsAdams, Stephanie (Author) / Belgrave, Melita (Thesis advisor) / Pivovarova, Margarita (Committee member) / Powers, Jeanne (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020