Search results

Title: The 'making Of Men'.
Creator: Schwartz, Robert A.
Date Issued: 2016-11
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000384672900011, 10.1080/0046760X.2016.1142007
Format: Citation

Title: Self-Authorship in Student Affairs: A Developmental Paradox.
Creator: Shetty, Rebecca, Chunoo, Vivechkanand S., Cox, Bradley E.
Abstract/Description: The emerging millennial generation of young professionals in student affairs, often accused of being shielded from many of life's developmentally stimulating challenges, may not be sufficiently self-authored to effectively facilitate epistemological, intrapersonal, and interpersonal development among their students. Contrary to expectations, however, results from this study suggest current graduate assistants and recent job-changers have higher levels of self-authorship than their colleagues....
Show moreThe emerging millennial generation of young professionals in student affairs, often accused of being shielded from many of life's developmentally stimulating challenges, may not be sufficiently self-authored to effectively facilitate epistemological, intrapersonal, and interpersonal development among their students. Contrary to expectations, however, results from this study suggest current graduate assistants and recent job-changers have higher levels of self-authorship than their colleagues. Implications for graduate preparation, professional practice, and future research are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000382546300003, 10.1080/19496591.2016.1121147
Format: Citation

Title: Taking Followership Education to the Next Level.
Creator: Murji, Shermin
Abstract/Description: If leadership is a relationship between a leader and follower (Rost, 1991), why are we, as higher education faculty and practitioners, so focused on only one half of the equation: the leader? When we examine the countless research articles, books, and conferences, it is clear that more attention has been paid to leaders than followers. Followership, however, in recent decades, is beginning to get its share of attention (Raffo, 2013). As educators in colleges and universities, we are tasked...
Show moreIf leadership is a relationship between a leader and follower (Rost, 1991), why are we, as higher education faculty and practitioners, so focused on only one half of the equation: the leader? When we examine the countless research articles, books, and conferences, it is clear that more attention has been paid to leaders than followers. Followership, however, in recent decades, is beginning to get its share of attention (Raffo, 2013). As educators in colleges and universities, we are tasked with sculpting and feeding the minds of students that will soon lead our society and make change. While higher education institutions across the United States and Canada offer leadership programs, certificates, and education, there seems to be a disconnect: if leadership is a relationship between the leader and follower, why is there no, or very little, education on followership (Smith, 2009)? In my opinion, there needs to be a shift in the way institutions support leadership education to ensure we are developing and graduating individuals that will shape our future in positive ways.
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Date Issued: 2015-06-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1479250785
Format: Citation

Title: Gendered Pathways: How Mathematics Ability Beliefs Shape Secondary And Postsecondary Course And Degree Field Choices.
Creator: Perez-Felkneri, Lara, Nix, Samantha, Thomas, Kirby
Abstract/Description: Do mathematics ability beliefs explain gender gaps in the physical science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science fields (PEMC) and other science fields? We leverage U.S. nationally representative longitudinal data to estimate gendered differences in girls' and boys' perceptions of mathematics ability with the most difficult or challenging material. Our analyses examine the potentially interacting effects of gender and these ability beliefs on students pathways to scientific careers....
Show moreDo mathematics ability beliefs explain gender gaps in the physical science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science fields (PEMC) and other science fields? We leverage U.S. nationally representative longitudinal data to estimate gendered differences in girls' and boys' perceptions of mathematics ability with the most difficult or challenging material. Our analyses examine the potentially interacting effects of gender and these ability beliefs on students pathways to scientific careers. Specifically, we study how beliefs about ability with challenging mathematics influence girls' and boys' choices to pursue PEMC degrees, evaluating educational milestones over a 6-year period: advanced science course completion in secondary school and postsecondary major retention and selection. Our findings indicate even at the same levels of observed ability, girls' mathematics ability beliefs under challenge are markedly lower than those of boys. These beliefs matter over time, potentially tripling girls' chances of majoring in PEMC sciences, over and above biological science fields, all else being equal. Implications and potential interventions are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2017-04-06
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000398538900001, 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00386
Format: Citation

Title: Lesson study in Florida: A longitudinal survey of district policy and practice from 2013 to 2015.
Creator: Akiba, Motoko
Date Issued: 2016-01-15
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1455050461
Format: Citation

Title: Professional learning activities in context: A statewide survey of middle school mathematics teachers.
Creator: Akiba, Motoko
Date Issued: 2012-05-20
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1455051075, 10.14507/epaa.v20n14.2012
Format: Citation

Title: Are You Leaving?: A Case of Succession in the Willow Tree Charter School.
Creator: Gawlik, Marytza A. (Marytza Anne)
Abstract/Description: This case study asks readers to contemplate what leadership practices may facilitate leadership succession at charter schools. The case narrative is followed by an activity designed for students in principal preparation programs. In this activity, students develop an exit strategy for the departing leader, a hiring plan for the charter school leadership, and an entry plan for the charter school's successor, each of which outlines the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate change and...
Show moreThis case study asks readers to contemplate what leadership practices may facilitate leadership succession at charter schools. The case narrative is followed by an activity designed for students in principal preparation programs. In this activity, students develop an exit strategy for the departing leader, a hiring plan for the charter school leadership, and an entry plan for the charter school's successor, each of which outlines the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate change and maintain the charter school's ongoing success., A case study on how to plan for change of leadership at a charter school in the state of Florida., This case study looks at the retiring of a small urban charter school principal to explore ideas pertaining to how leadership changes could affect teachers and students in Florida’s charter schools. The author also included an activity where administrators and teacher leaders in training can develop an exit strategy, a hiring plan, and an entry plan that better serves the goals and ensures the success of a charter school.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0013, 10.1177/1555458915584672
Format: Citation

Title: Reflective Pedagogy: Making Meaning in Experiential Based Online Courses.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L.
Abstract/Description: The use of reflective pedagogies has long been considered critical to facilitating meaningful learning through experientially based curricula; however, the use of such methods has not been extensively explored as implemented in virtual environments. The study reviewed utilizes a combination of survey research and individual interviews to examine student perceptions of the meaningful learning which occurred as a result of their participation in two Web-based courses that utilized reflective...
Show moreThe use of reflective pedagogies has long been considered critical to facilitating meaningful learning through experientially based curricula; however, the use of such methods has not been extensively explored as implemented in virtual environments. The study reviewed utilizes a combination of survey research and individual interviews to examine student perceptions of the meaningful learning which occurred as a result of their participation in two Web-based courses that utilized reflective pedagogies. One course focuses on topics related to service-learning and the second on placement-based internships. Both were instructed using online coursework based in reflective pedagogies to compliment on-site placements within local communities.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0001X
Format: Citation

Title: Creating a Meaningful Learning Environment: Reflection in leadership education.
Creator: White, Jillian Volpe, Guthrie, Kathy L.
Abstract/Description: This exploratory, qualitative study examined the reflective learning environment in an undergraduate leadership certificate. Undergraduate students (n = 14) were interviewed twice in order to understand if and how reflection, as a pedagogical tool, supported student learning. Learning about reflection, and practicing reflection regularly, introduced students to the importance of a reflective practice for understanding their leadership development. Students highlighted aspects of the...
Show moreThis exploratory, qualitative study examined the reflective learning environment in an undergraduate leadership certificate. Undergraduate students (n = 14) were interviewed twice in order to understand if and how reflection, as a pedagogical tool, supported student learning. Learning about reflection, and practicing reflection regularly, introduced students to the importance of a reflective practice for understanding their leadership development. Students highlighted aspects of the Leadership Certificate courses that contributed to their reflective practice and enhanced their learning environment. These included discussion-based courses, physical setting for the certificate classes, diverse peers, and certificate instructors. As a result, engaging in reflection as part of leadership courses helped students develop self-awareness.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1472906931, 1012806/V15/I1/R5
Format: Citation

Title: Higher Education and Democracy: Essays on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L
Abstract/Description: In Higher Education and Democracy: Essays on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, John Saltmarsh, Co-Director of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education (NERCHE) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and Edward Zlotkowski, a professor of English at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, explore the civic purpose of higher education, specifically through service-learning pedagogy.
Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1479329691
Format: Citation

Title: Undergraduate Certificate in Leadership Studies: An Opportunity for Seamless Learning.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L, Bovio, Becka
Abstract/Description: In working to develop undergraduate student leadership capacity, Florida State University created the Undergraduate Certificate in Leadership Studies. This program, grounded in leadership theory and framed by a seamless learning model, has been influential in development of student leadership perceptions and capacity. This article addresses the benefit of a seamless learning model, discusses the power of reflection, and provides insight to the successes of the program and suggestions to...
Show moreIn working to develop undergraduate student leadership capacity, Florida State University created the Undergraduate Certificate in Leadership Studies. This program, grounded in leadership theory and framed by a seamless learning model, has been influential in development of student leadership perceptions and capacity. This article addresses the benefit of a seamless learning model, discusses the power of reflection, and provides insight to the successes of the program and suggestions to create a similar program.
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Date Issued: 2014-02-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1479234371
Format: Citation

Title: Creating Meaningful Environments for Leadership Education.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L.
Abstract/Description: As leadership educators we aim to provide students with opportunities necessary to gain knowledge and appropriate leadership skills. Valuable opportunities developed through Student Affairs and Academic Affairs collaborations which enhance learning through co-curricular and curricular experiences in leadership education will be explored. Present in these intentional environments are opportunities for students to have meaningful leadership learning when comprised of education, experience, and...
Show moreAs leadership educators we aim to provide students with opportunities necessary to gain knowledge and appropriate leadership skills. Valuable opportunities developed through Student Affairs and Academic Affairs collaborations which enhance learning through co-curricular and curricular experiences in leadership education will be explored. Present in these intentional environments are opportunities for students to have meaningful leadership learning when comprised of education, experience, and reflection. Specific examples from two institutions will be highlighted.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0003
Format: Citation

Title: Situated Technology as Student Tool for Leadership Instruction.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L
Abstract/Description: Technology is becoming a part of students’ lives more every day. How as educators can we use technology as a developmental tool instead of a distraction in the classroom? This paper frames technology in leadership instruction through situated learning, specifically how a video production course assignment provided a developmental opportunity for students in an introductory leadership course. The research reports students’ perception of using technology that extends beyond the specific...
Show moreTechnology is becoming a part of students’ lives more every day. How as educators can we use technology as a developmental tool instead of a distraction in the classroom? This paper frames technology in leadership instruction through situated learning, specifically how a video production course assignment provided a developmental opportunity for students in an introductory leadership course. The research reports students’ perception of using technology that extends beyond the specific objective of development of a personal definition of leadership, and offers a new perspective for engaging other forms of technology.
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Date Issued: 2009-06-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1479931508
Format: Citation

Title: The Student Leadership Challenge Facilitation and Activity Guide.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L
Abstract/Description: As authors, James Kouzes and Barry Posner state in the opening of both of the reviewed books, The Student Leadership Challenge® is about how students mobilize others to make extraordinary things happen. It is based on The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership model, which began as a research project in 1983 and focused on what leaders did when they were at their “personal best.” Their research found that when leaders are at their personal best they: (a) Model the Way; (b) Inspire a Shared...
Show moreAs authors, James Kouzes and Barry Posner state in the opening of both of the reviewed books, The Student Leadership Challenge® is about how students mobilize others to make extraordinary things happen. It is based on The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership model, which began as a research project in 1983 and focused on what leaders did when they were at their “personal best.” Their research found that when leaders are at their personal best they: (a) Model the Way; (b) Inspire a Shared Vision; (c) Challenge the Process; (d) Enable Others to Act, and; (e) Encourage the Heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2008).
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Date Issued: 2014-04-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1479329963, 10.1353/csd.2014.0026
Format: Citation

Title: Bridging the Cultural Gap: Relationships Between Programmatic Offerings and First-Generation Student Benchmarks.
Creator: Tobolowsky, Barbara F., Cox, Bradley E., Chunoo, Vivechkanand S.
Abstract/Description: Inherent challenges affect first-generation students’ persistence from as early as the first college year. Using cultural capital as a guide, this study is unique in that it investigates the contribution of first-year policies and programs to the success of first-generation students in 57 bachelor’s degree–granting institutions across five states (California, Florida, Iowa, Texas, and Pennsylvania). We identified at least three policies that seem to hold promise toward improving the...
Show moreInherent challenges affect first-generation students’ persistence from as early as the first college year. Using cultural capital as a guide, this study is unique in that it investigates the contribution of first-year policies and programs to the success of first-generation students in 57 bachelor’s degree–granting institutions across five states (California, Florida, Iowa, Texas, and Pennsylvania). We identified at least three policies that seem to hold promise toward improving the experience and outcomes for first-year first-generation college students. These policies were (a) residential life or campus support staff who are available and knowledgeable, (b) faculty who attend faculty orientation that includes information about first-year student experiences, and (c) faculty who attend first-year student orientation or attend first-year conferences or workshops. However, policies we might naturally expect to have been useful (e.g., information dissemination to parents, early alert intervention initiatives) showed no statistical significance. The article concludes with implications and recommendations.
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Date Issued: 2017-11-23
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1516726324_2c6d99ea, 10.1177/1521025117742377
Format: Citation

Title: Parental disclosure of ASD diagnosis to the child: A systematic review.
Creator: Smith, Isaac C., Edelstein, Jeffrey A., Cox, Bradley E., White, Susan W.
Abstract/Description: Despite increased rates of diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in recent years, literature examining when and how parents of newly-diagnosed youth disclose their diagnosis to them is scarce. Given the increasing number of newly-diagnosed individuals, an exploration of the effects of disclosure on children with ASD is warranted. We conducted a systematic review to identify articles describing the process of disclosing a diagnosis of ASD from the perspective of children, parents, or...
Show moreDespite increased rates of diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in recent years, literature examining when and how parents of newly-diagnosed youth disclose their diagnosis to them is scarce. Given the increasing number of newly-diagnosed individuals, an exploration of the effects of disclosure on children with ASD is warranted. We conducted a systematic review to identify articles describing the process of disclosing a diagnosis of ASD from the perspective of children, parents, or both. The current review identified five articles reporting qualitative data on the disclosure process. Across studies, most parents were found to have disclosed ASD diagnoses to their children by adolescence, with children and parents exhibiting a variety of reactions. Concerns frequently identified by children and parents included time taken to process the emotional impact of diagnoses, delay between parents receiving diagnoses from clinicians and delivery of those diagnoses to children, concern that the ASD label would result in stigmatization, and the sense that an individual’s past behaviors or symptoms were well-explained by the new diagnosis. Identification of these potential problems may serve as an initial step to inform the development of best-practice guidelines for parental disclosure of ASD diagnoses to youth and further research on this understudied part of the diagnostic process.
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Date Issued: 2018-02-02
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1518537263_72b43447, 10.1080/23794925.2018.1435319
Format: Citation

Title: Female and Male Adolescents' Subjective Orientations to Mathematics and the Influence of Those Orientations on Postsecondary Majors.
Creator: Perez-Felkner, Lara
Abstract/Description: Although important strides towards gender parity have been made in several scientific fields, females remain underrepresented in the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences (PEMC). This study examines the effects of adolescents' subjective orientations, course taking, and academic performance on the likelihood of majoring in PEMC in college. Results indicate that racial-ethnic and gender underrepresentation in STEM fields are interrelated and should be examined with...
Show moreAlthough important strides towards gender parity have been made in several scientific fields, females remain underrepresented in the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences (PEMC). This study examines the effects of adolescents' subjective orientations, course taking, and academic performance on the likelihood of majoring in PEMC in college. Results indicate that racial-ethnic and gender underrepresentation in STEM fields are interrelated and should be examined with attention to the intersecting factors influencing female and racial-ethnic minority adolescents' pathways towards careers in these fields. Among those who major in PEMC fields, females closely resemble males with respect to their subjective orientations. The effects of subjective orientations on females' chances of majoring in PEMC vary by their secondary school mathematics course completion levels. Females who take more mathematics courses are more likely to major in PEMC; however course taking alone does not attenuate gender disparities in declaring these majors. High mathematics ability (as measured by standardized test scores in 10th grade) appears to be positively associated with females' selection of social and behavioral and clinical and health science majors. This association is less robust (and slightly negative) for females in PEMC. While advanced course taking appears to assist females in selecting PEMC majors, females who enter these fields may not be as strong as those who select other, less male-dominated scientific fields., In this study, researchers investigated the perceive competence, academic performance, and completed high school courses by men and women who majored in the physical, engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences (PEMC). Findings showed those who completed more mathematics courses in high school were more likely to enroll in PEMC majors; however, men still chose PEMC majors more often than women. In addition, women who majored in PEMC fields felt less competent than women who pursued less male-dominated fields such as behavioral, health, and social sciences.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0001, 10.1037/a0027020
Format: Citation

Title: Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá: Conceptualizing the Self-Authorship Experience of Gay Latino College Men Using Conocimiento.
Creator: Orozco, Roberto, Perez-Felkner, Lara
Abstract/Description: This essay aims to enhance our conceptual understanding of students with intersectional identities, specifically gay Latino men in college. We first explain how ethnic, gender, and sexual identities can act as compounding influences. Second, we review two distinct but complementary developmental theories. Conocimiento captures the disruptive, challenging path experienced by marginalized Latino youth. Self-authorship situates the broader developmental process in and beyond college. Our...
Show moreThis essay aims to enhance our conceptual understanding of students with intersectional identities, specifically gay Latino men in college. We first explain how ethnic, gender, and sexual identities can act as compounding influences. Second, we review two distinct but complementary developmental theories. Conocimiento captures the disruptive, challenging path experienced by marginalized Latino youth. Self-authorship situates the broader developmental process in and beyond college. Our modified framework—conociéndose y escribiéndose—conceptualizes how college students navigate multiple marginalized identities. Finally, we discuss the implications of this intersectional framework for LGBTQ+ students and institutions seeking to enhance diversity, inclusion, and student success.
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Date Issued: 2017-08
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1510590237_fae855fd, 10.1080/15348431.2017.1371018
Format: Citation

Title: Perceptions Matter: How Schools Can Enhance Underrepresented Students’ Resilience on the Rocky Path to College.
Creator: Perez-Felkner, Lara
Abstract/Description: This policy brief summarizes the results of a three-year mixed methods study examining variation in students’ educational pathways. Investigating college-going among a predominantly low-income, underrepresented minority student population, detailed analysis shows distinctions in how students perceive relationships with school faculty and peers, which can serve as a mechanism to sustain their ambitions through the obstacles they encounter in high school and expect in college. Results suggest...
Show moreThis policy brief summarizes the results of a three-year mixed methods study examining variation in students’ educational pathways. Investigating college-going among a predominantly low-income, underrepresented minority student population, detailed analysis shows distinctions in how students perceive relationships with school faculty and peers, which can serve as a mechanism to sustain their ambitions through the obstacles they encounter in high school and expect in college. Results suggest schools can increase student success by facilitating social support structures that enhance students’ perceptions of value and esteem for their potential., Results from a three-year study examining how minority students transitioned to college showed that students’ relationships with peers, teachers, and other school staff helped them overcome obstacles on their way to college. The author suggested ways in which social support could improve students’ perceptions of their value and worth.
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Date Issued: 2015-09-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1890
Format: Citation

Title: Perceptions and Resilience in Underrepresented Students' Pathways to College.
Creator: Perez-Felkner, Lara
Abstract/Description: Background/Context: Schools have attempted to address stratification in black and Latino students’ access to higher education through extensive reform initiatives, including those focused on social supports. A crucial focus has been missing from these efforts, essential to improving the effectiveness of support mechanisms and understanding why they have been insufficient: how students experience these reforms. Purpose: How can the social context of schools keep underrepresented minority...
Show moreBackground/Context: Schools have attempted to address stratification in black and Latino students’ access to higher education through extensive reform initiatives, including those focused on social supports. A crucial focus has been missing from these efforts, essential to improving the effectiveness of support mechanisms and understanding why they have been insufficient: how students experience these reforms. Purpose: How can the social context of schools keep underrepresented minority students on track to transition to college? This study investigates how students experience the social contexts of their schools in relation to their college ambitions, and the particular attributes of schools’ social contexts that might positively affect their transition to four-year colleges. Research Design: Using a mixed-methods case study design, this three-year study examined students’ educational pathways in a Chicago charter high school. Data collection methods included ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and a longitudinal survey. Supplemental secondary data sources were utilized to contextualize the case study. Analysis: Interview transcripts and field notes were transcribed and coded to examine variation in students’ experience of their social context and their college transition plans. To contextualize these findings, the author utilized descriptive, associative, and logistic regression techniques to analyze quantitative data from the case study survey and corresponding city and national datasets. Findings: The school’s organization facilitated academic, social, and college preparatory support through structured relationships. Notwithstanding, there was notable within-school variation in students’ transitions to college. Students in this urban charter school often experienced multiple obstacles that interfered with the college ambitions they generally shared with their families and school peers. School regard is a mechanism identified in this study as central to students’ transition success. Students’ perceptions of their teachers’ and their peers’ regard for their capacity for educational success was associated with their persistence through the transition to college in the face of academic, socioeconomic, and other challenges. Conclusions/Recommendations: This study demonstrates the effort and engagement underrepresented students expend in the effort to become college-ready, and the risk for burnout as a result of both academic and nonacademic hardships during their high school years. School regard may mitigate these effects. Mere expectations for college appear insufficient in the current access-for-all climate. Rather, it is important that students perceive value and esteem for their potential from school faculty and peers, sustaining their ambitions through the obstacles they encounter in high school and expect in college., This study investigates how underrepresented students experience the social contexts of their schools in relation to their college ambitions, and the particular attributes of schools’ social contexts that might facilitate their transition to four-year colleges. College-aspiring students were surveyed, interviewed, and observed in a three-year study investigating the social context of a Chicago charter school. Administrative and public record data were also used to corroborate the findings. Results showed structured formal relationships with teachers and school staff facilitated college preparedness, and academic and social support. However, students’ perceptions of how teachers and peers regarded students was found to be significantly related to students’ successful transition to college, in the face of various academic, economic, and other challenges.
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Date Issued: 2015-08-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1889
Format: Citation

Title: College experiences for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Personal identity, public disclosure, and institutional support.
Creator: Cox, Bradley E., Thompson, Kerry, Anderson, Amelia, Mintz, Amanda, Locks, Taylor, Morgan, Lindee, Edelstein, Jeffrey, Wolz, Abagail
Abstract/Description: A large and fast-growing population of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are completing high school with reasonable expectations for postsecondary success. However, without empirical literature to guide them, college educators are likely ill prepared to provide appropriate support for these students. Drawing from personal interviews with a diverse group of students with autism, the current study (1) amplifies these students' voices, (2) describes tensions between their public...
Show moreA large and fast-growing population of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are completing high school with reasonable expectations for postsecondary success. However, without empirical literature to guide them, college educators are likely ill prepared to provide appropriate support for these students. Drawing from personal interviews with a diverse group of students with autism, the current study (1) amplifies these students' voices, (2) describes tensions between their public and private identities, (3) outlines the academic, social, emotional, self-advocacy, and communication challenges they face in college, and (4) proposes both general principles and specific practices that could be leveraged to facilitate postsecondary success for students with autism.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1460660561
Format: Citation

Title: School Leadership, Trust and Teacher Job Satisfaction Is It a Potential Strategy for Raising Student Achievement?.
Creator: Lindahl, Cameron, Park, Toby J., Iatarola, Patrice, Rutledge, Stacey A., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Abstract/Description: Research literature suggests that school leadership matters, and that their influence on student achievement is typically observed through indirect means. Following suit, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of school leadership behaviors' association with school trust and teacher job satisfaction, in an effort to maximize student achievement. Using varying survey data from Chicago Public Schools, I perform a series of linear regression analyses to explore these...
Show moreResearch literature suggests that school leadership matters, and that their influence on student achievement is typically observed through indirect means. Following suit, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of school leadership behaviors' association with school trust and teacher job satisfaction, in an effort to maximize student achievement. Using varying survey data from Chicago Public Schools, I perform a series of linear regression analyses to explore these relationships: First, the relationship school leadership has with school trust and teacher job satisfaction is investigated. Second, the association school trust and teacher job satisfaction has on student achievement. Finally, the magnitudes of the relationships school trust and teacher job satisfaction have on student achievement are compared. The results reveal that school leadership behavior has a relationship with school trust and teacher job satisfaction, but that school trust and teacher job satisfaction do not have clear relationships with student achievement. The study suggests that further investigation is conducted on the relationship school trust and teacher job satisfaction have on student achievement.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9208
Format: Thesis

Title: All Together Now: Barriers and Aids to Creating and Sustaining State College-University Partnerships.
Creator: Edel, Sharon, Hu, Shouping, Ferris, Gerald R., Schwartz, Robert A., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Abstract/Description: All 28 colleges of the Florida College System (FCS) have made space in their budgets and on their campuses in order to attract upper-division partners, colleges and universities that represent the State University System (SUS), Independent Colleges and Schools of Florida, and other higher education institutions nationwide. Partnership relationships such as the ones negotiated between FCS institutions and upper division schools are defined as academic strategic alliances in higher education...
Show moreAll 28 colleges of the Florida College System (FCS) have made space in their budgets and on their campuses in order to attract upper-division partners, colleges and universities that represent the State University System (SUS), Independent Colleges and Schools of Florida, and other higher education institutions nationwide. Partnership relationships such as the ones negotiated between FCS institutions and upper division schools are defined as academic strategic alliances in higher education literature. Scholars have taken this terminology from business management lexicon wherein organizations respond to a competitive market by joining forces (Das & Teng, 1997). Accordingly, scholars from both fields emphasize the concept of collaboration packed inside the strategic decision of campus leaders to pool their resources partnerships (Adegbesan & Higgins, 2011; Eckel, Hartley, & Affolter-Caine, 2004). This study explored both sides of the state college-university partnership dynamic through the eyes of the administrators using themes from Gulati’s (1998) network embeddedness framework. I employed a qualitative research design to determine the influence of alliance initiatives on the social networks involved in their implementation. I used a collective-case study approach employing data triangulation (interviews, documents, and observation) to seek out any emerging themes. I also sought out institutional data to support this study. A majority of these FCS concurrent-use arrangements have persisted while others have failed. This study contributes to higher education literature by offering a means to expand the scope of previous academic strategic alliance studies. Instead of focusing on partnership dyads, this study explored how host and partner institution administrators operate within a social network embedded at the study sites. I propose fresh perspectives to explain how each member involved within a state college’s university partnership program can assert its own needs while working in concert to define common goals and objectives. My two key findings identified the perception of lack as the primary barrier and effective communication as the most influential aid to partnership creation and maintenance.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: FSU_FA2016_Edel_fsu_0071E_13539
Format: Thesis

Title: Expanding the Conceptualization of Basic Education: The Implementation of a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum in Malawi.
Creator: Lee, Jeongmin, Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons, Jones, Ithel, Iatarola, Patrice, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy...
Show moreLee, Jeongmin, Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons, Jones, Ithel, Iatarola, Patrice, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
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Abstract/Description: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world’s least developed countries. The country faces numerous social and health problems such as widespread household poverty and a high rate of HIV/AIDS infections, with severe consequences for children’s psychosocial well-being and school success. These childhood risk factors suggest any educational solution that is going to be effective must be responsive to children exposed to early childhood adversity, and adaptive to instruction in resource-constrained...
Show moreLandlocked Malawi ranks among the world’s least developed countries. The country faces numerous social and health problems such as widespread household poverty and a high rate of HIV/AIDS infections, with severe consequences for children’s psychosocial well-being and school success. These childhood risk factors suggest any educational solution that is going to be effective must be responsive to children exposed to early childhood adversity, and adaptive to instruction in resource-constrained schools. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum analyzed in this study can potentially meet those requirements, if implemented effectively. In order to understand critical implementation factors in resource-poor contexts, I examined how educational stakeholders at the policy, school, and family levels perceived and engaged with SEL implementation with a mixed methods study in rural Malawi. I used interview, observation, and survey data collected from 16 policymakers, 432 primary school teachers, and 21 parents in Zomba, Malawi. I analyzed the multi-level, mixed methods data using Bronfenbrenner’s theory of ecological child development as an analytic lens. Qualitatively, I found that policymakers identified high rates of HIV/AIDS and declining levels of childcare support from extend families as contributing substantially to children’s social and emotional challenges in Malawi. In response, they implemented a mandatory SEL curriculum with sex and reproductive health as one component of its vision in primary schools. This policy vision did not fully translate into classroom-level SEL implementation, however. Although teachers recognized its importance and showed the consequently high level of instructional commitment, implementing the national SEL curriculum was culturally challenging due to the inclusion of sex and reproductive health, which was not a subject for public discussions in the Malawian culture. Moreover, the curriculum was instructionally demanding due to the novelty of learning concepts and delivery methods. Yet, there was a lack of professional teacher training in these two areas. In this situation, my quantitative analyses showed that individual teacher commitment alone had little effect on their implementation of SEL as a result. While parents also appreciated the curriculum, they questioned the cultural and age propriety of topics related to sex and reproductive health as well. Nevertheless, through internal collaborations within schools and external support from development partners such as Save the Children, teachers and parents found ways to integrate the SEL curriculum into classroom instructions, school activities, and community-level learning opportunities—for instance, using instructional strategies that were less susceptible to cultural sensitivity, organizing school committees and student clubs to offer SEL support beyond lesson hours, and creating voluntary community groups to give children additional learning opportunities after school. Taken together, the facilitative and hindering implementation factors I identified in this study offer important research and policy implications for effective, sustainable SEL intervention in Malawi and other low-income countries. In addition, they demonstrate the significance of greater partnerships and investments across different levels of the ecology of child development—from the home, school, and community to the broader policy level—for assuring children’s well-being and school success through high quality SEL education. Key words: Education Quality, Social and Emotional Learning, Curriculum Policy, Intervention Implementation, Multilevel Mixed Methods Research, Malawi
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Lee_fsu_0071E_14387
Format: Thesis

Title: Faculty-Student Interaction Outside of Class: A Typology from a Residential College.
Creator: Cox, Bradley E., Orehovec, Elizabeth
Abstract/Description: Faculty-student interaction is an important component of the undergraduate experience. Our year-long qualitative study explored the complex nature of faculty-student interaction outside of class. Our resulting typology identifies five types of interaction: Disengagement, Incidental Contact, Functional Interaction, Personal Interaction, and Mentoring. The typology provides researchers a new lens through which they can examine faculty-student interaction and suggests that even non-academic...
Show moreFaculty-student interaction is an important component of the undergraduate experience. Our year-long qualitative study explored the complex nature of faculty-student interaction outside of class. Our resulting typology identifies five types of interaction: Disengagement, Incidental Contact, Functional Interaction, Personal Interaction, and Mentoring. The typology provides researchers a new lens through which they can examine faculty-student interaction and suggests that even non-academic interactions between students and professors can be meaningful to students. Finally, the typology will allow faculty, staff, and administrators to improve current practices and develop initiatives that build bridges between faculty and students outside of class.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0020
Format: Citation

Title: Hidden Trauma, Quiet Drama: The Prominence and Consequence of Complicated Grief Among College Students.
Creator: Cox, Bradley E., Dean, Jessica G., Kowalski, Robin M.
Abstract/Description: Previous studies suggest the loss of a loved one is a common experience among college students. This paper draws from 2 independent but complementary studies to (a) update statistics regarding the scale of student grieving, (b) characterize the short and long term consequences of loss among college students, and (c) identify factors that deter grieving students from seeking professional assistance at campus counseling centers. The paper concludes with suggestions for ways in which...
Show morePrevious studies suggest the loss of a loved one is a common experience among college students. This paper draws from 2 independent but complementary studies to (a) update statistics regarding the scale of student grieving, (b) characterize the short and long term consequences of loss among college students, and (c) identify factors that deter grieving students from seeking professional assistance at campus counseling centers. The paper concludes with suggestions for ways in which institutions can help affected students stay on track to college success., In this article, two independent but complementary studies on college students showed that a larger portion than reported do experience grieving as a result of the death of a loved one, that said grieving has short and long term academic consequences, and finally that there are a number of factors that keep these students from seeking assistance. The authors also provided suggestions for academic institutions., This paper reported on the findings of two studies on grieving among college students, and found that the number of grieving students is higher than previously thought, that there are short and long term academic consequences of grieving, and that many of these students failed to seek assistance for a number of reasons.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0014, 10.1353/csd.2015.0030
Format: Citation

Title: Implementing Mother Tongue Instruction In The Real World: Results From A Medium-scale Randomized Controlled Trial In Kenya.
Creator: Piper, Benjamin, Zuilkowski, Stephanie S., Ong'ele, Salome
Abstract/Description: Research in sub-Saharan Africa investigating the effect of mother tongue (MT) literacy instruction at medium scale is limited. A randomized controlled trial of MT literacy instruction was implemented in 2013 and 2014 as part of the Primary Math and Reading (PRIMR) Initiative in Kenya. We compare the effect of two treatment groupsthe base PRIMR program teaching literacy in English and Kiswahili and the PRIMR-MT program, which taught literacy in English, Kiswahili, and mother tonguein two...
Show moreResearch in sub-Saharan Africa investigating the effect of mother tongue (MT) literacy instruction at medium scale is limited. A randomized controlled trial of MT literacy instruction was implemented in 2013 and 2014 as part of the Primary Math and Reading (PRIMR) Initiative in Kenya. We compare the effect of two treatment groupsthe base PRIMR program teaching literacy in English and Kiswahili and the PRIMR-MT program, which taught literacy in English, Kiswahili, and mother tonguein two different language environments. Implementation of the MT program faced challenges because many educators were not speakers of the languages, some communities resisted mother tongue instruction, and some areas were more language heterogeneous. Effect sizes on MT literacy averaged between 0.3 and 0.6 standard deviations. The base PRIMR program also increased MT learning outcomes in some measures but had smaller effects than the PRIMR-MT program in oral reading fluency and comprehension.
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Date Issued: 2016-11
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000387246700006, 10.1086/688493
Format: Citation

Title: Assessing Reading Fluency in Kenya: Oral or Silent Assessment?.
Creator: Piper, Benjamin, Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons
Abstract/Description: In recent years, the Education for All movement has focused more intensely on the quality of education, rather than simply provision. Many recent and current education quality interventions focus on literacy, which is the core skill required for further academic success. Despite this focus on the quality of literacy instruction in developing countries, little rigorous research has been conducted on critical issues of assessment. This analysis, which uses data from the Primary Math and Reading...
Show moreIn recent years, the Education for All movement has focused more intensely on the quality of education, rather than simply provision. Many recent and current education quality interventions focus on literacy, which is the core skill required for further academic success. Despite this focus on the quality of literacy instruction in developing countries, little rigorous research has been conducted on critical issues of assessment. This analysis, which uses data from the Primary Math and Reading Initiative (PRIMR) in Kenya, aims to begin filling this gap by addressing a key assessment issue — should literacy assessments in Kenya be administered orally or silently? The authors compared second-grade students' scores on oral and silent reading tasks of the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) in Kiswahili and English, and found no statistically significant differences in either language. They did, however, find oral reading rates to be more strongly related to reading comprehension scores. Oral assessment has another benefit for programme evaluators — it allows for the collection of data on student errors, and therefore the calculation of words read correctly per minute, as opposed to simply words read per minute. The authors therefore recommend that, in Kenya and in similar contexts, student reading fluency be assessed via oral rather than silent assessment.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0011, 10.1007/s11159-015-9470-4
Format: Citation

Title: The impact of education on sexual behavior in sub-Saharan Africa: A review of the evidence.
Creator: Zuilkowski, Stephanie, Jukes, Matthew C. H.
Abstract/Description: Many studies have attempted to determine the relationship between education and HIV status. However, a complete and causal understanding of this relationship requires analysis of its mediating pathways, focusing on sexual behaviors. We developed a series of hypotheses based on the differential effect of educational attainment on three sexual behaviors. We tested our predictions in a systematic literature review including 65 articles reporting associations between three specific sexual...
Show moreMany studies have attempted to determine the relationship between education and HIV status. However, a complete and causal understanding of this relationship requires analysis of its mediating pathways, focusing on sexual behaviors. We developed a series of hypotheses based on the differential effect of educational attainment on three sexual behaviors. We tested our predictions in a systematic literature review including 65 articles reporting associations between three specific sexual behaviors–sexual initiation, number of partners, and condom use–and educational attainment or school enrollment in sub-Saharan Africa. The patterns of associations varied by behavior. The findings for condom use were particularly convergent; none of the 44 studies using educational attainment as a predictor reviewed found that more educated people were significantly less likely to use condoms. Findings for sexual initiation and number of partners were more complex. The contrast between findings for condom use on the one hand and sexual initiation and number of partners on the other supports predictions based on our theoretical framework.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0006, 10.1080/09540121.2011.630351
Format: Citation

Title: School Persistence in the Wake of War: Wartime Experiences, Reintegration Supports, and Dropout in Sierra Leone.
Creator: Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons, Betancourt, Theresa S. (Theresa Stichick)
Abstract/Description: This article examines the relationship of wartime experience and reintegration supports to students' risk of school dropout. It draws on longitudinal, mixed-methods data collected among children and youth in Sierra Leone from 2002 through 2008. The study finds that family financial support and perceived social support are positively associated with lower risk of dropout over time.
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0015, 10.1086/675905
Format: Citation

Title: Teacher Coaching in Kenya: Examining Instructional Support in Public and Nonformal Schools.
Creator: Piper, Benjamin, Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons
Abstract/Description: Instructional coaching has improved student outcomes in the United States, and may help to solve Kenya's literacy problems. Coaching is costly, however, and evidence is lacking regarding the most costefficient teacher-to-coach ratio. We used student literacy outcome data from more than 8000 students participating in the Kenya Primary Math and Reading Initiativeda randomized controlled trial of instructional interventions in public and nonformal schoolsdto fill this gap. Coaches in larger...
Show moreInstructional coaching has improved student outcomes in the United States, and may help to solve Kenya's literacy problems. Coaching is costly, however, and evidence is lacking regarding the most costefficient teacher-to-coach ratio. We used student literacy outcome data from more than 8000 students participating in the Kenya Primary Math and Reading Initiativeda randomized controlled trial of instructional interventions in public and nonformal schoolsdto fill this gap. Coaches in larger public zones made fewer visits per teacher, and teacher-coach ratio and student performance were negatively associated. Using causal methods, we concluded that lower ratios might improve nonformal school outcomes.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0012, 10.1016/j.tate.2015.01.001
Format: Citation

Title: Teaching and Learning Social Justice through Online Service-Learning Courses.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L., McCracken, Holly
Abstract/Description: Creating a virtual classroom in which diverse students feel welcome to discuss and experience topics related to social justice, action, and change is a study in the value of connectedness and collaboration. Through a combination of technologies, pedagogies, and on-site experiences, virtual cultures develop that encourage the formation of demanding yet stimulating learning environments in which communications and interactions are intellectually transformative. This article explores student...
Show moreCreating a virtual classroom in which diverse students feel welcome to discuss and experience topics related to social justice, action, and change is a study in the value of connectedness and collaboration. Through a combination of technologies, pedagogies, and on-site experiences, virtual cultures develop that encourage the formation of demanding yet stimulating learning environments in which communications and interactions are intellectually transformative. This article explores student perceptions of their participation in an online service-learning course while working in local service organizations. Qualitative methodology was used to identify the philosophical intersection at which multiple pedagogies meet: social justice, service-learning, civic engagement, and leadership as instructed in a web-based environment. This study illustrates the capacity for intentionally constructed online educational experiences focused on social justice, civic engagement, and leadership to affect learning and to provide educators with pedagogical best practices to facilitate requisite change in teaching practice., In this study, students working in local service organizations participated in an online service-learning course, and their perceptions were documented. Students shared discussions and experiences related to social justice, action, and civic engagement, as part of their web-based learning environment. Findings in this study illustrated the potential of online educational experiences to inform instructional best practices and create learning environments that are transformative.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_edlp_faculty_publications-0002, 10.19173/irrodl.v11i3.894
Format: Citation

Title: Utility of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) for career planning in college students with ADHD.
Creator: Prevatt, Frances, Osborn, Debra, Coffman, Theodora Passinos
Date Issued: 2015-01-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1519745512_c8e64d3d
Format: Citation

Title: Reflection: The Importance of Meaning Making in e-Service-Learning Courses.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L, McCracken, Holly
Abstract/Description: This article explores the use of critical reflection to facilitate the construction of knowledge resulting from participation in E-service-learning courses. Such an instructional approach integrates an interdisciplinary curricular framework with site-specific service-learning opportunities resulting in an environment richer and more accessible through the use of technology. By facilitating the process of reflective inquiry through this combination of instructional methods of service-learning...
Show moreThis article explores the use of critical reflection to facilitate the construction of knowledge resulting from participation in E-service-learning courses. Such an instructional approach integrates an interdisciplinary curricular framework with site-specific service-learning opportunities resulting in an environment richer and more accessible through the use of technology. By facilitating the process of reflective inquiry through this combination of instructional methods of service-learning and an online course format, students are empowered to both assess individual learning goals as well as collaborate with others to make meaning of their individual service-learning experience. Results from this study indicate that students felt reflection was essential to learning through gaining multiple perspectives and being introduced to a diversity of ideas.
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Date Issued: 2014-12-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1479844279, 10.1007/s12528-014-9087-9
Format: Citation

Title: Reflective Pedagogy: Making Meaning in Experiential Based Online Courses.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L, McCracken, Holly
Abstract/Description: The use of reflective pedagogies has long been considered critical to facilitating meaningful learning through experientially based curricula; however, the use of such methods has not been extensively explored as implemented in virtual environments. The study reviewed utilizes a combination of survey research and individual interviews to examine student perceptions of the meaningful learning which occurred as a result of their participation in two Web-based courses that utilized reflective...
Show moreThe use of reflective pedagogies has long been considered critical to facilitating meaningful learning through experientially based curricula; however, the use of such methods has not been extensively explored as implemented in virtual environments. The study reviewed utilizes a combination of survey research and individual interviews to examine student perceptions of the meaningful learning which occurred as a result of their participation in two Web-based courses that utilized reflective pedagogies. One course focuses on topics related to service-learning and the second on placement-based internships. Both were instructed using online coursework based in reflective pedagogies to compliment on-site placements within local communities.
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Date Issued: 2010-07-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1479236374
Format: Citation

Title: Mobile Applications: Situating Leadership Education.
Creator: Guthrie, Kathy L, Shields, Sarah E, Zernick, Kristen K
Abstract/Description: Florida State University has recently introduced the LEAD (Lead, Engage, Apply, Develop) Mobile Application for undergraduate students. This innovative platform has situated potential building of leadership capacity directly into the hands of students. Individual modules are available in this mobile app and designed to introduce leadership concepts, activities for users to practice applying these theories to their own reality, and reflection for students to make meaning from the theories...
Show moreFlorida State University has recently introduced the LEAD (Lead, Engage, Apply, Develop) Mobile Application for undergraduate students. This innovative platform has situated potential building of leadership capacity directly into the hands of students. Individual modules are available in this mobile app and designed to introduce leadership concepts, activities for users to practice applying these theories to their own reality, and reflection for students to make meaning from the theories learned and application. This article explores the application’s innovative features, lessons learned from the development, and implications for leadership educators and learners.
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Date Issued: 2014-06-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1479844665, 10.1002/jls.21333.
Format: Citation

Title: Making Symbolic Meaning Through the Engagement of Intercultural Exchanges: The Relationship Between Intercultural Communication and Global Competnecy on a U.S. University Campus.
Creator: Evenson, Melissa L., Luschei, Thomas, Rutledge, Stacey, Schrader, Linda, Iatarola, Patrice, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study reveals how participants in cross-cultural programs engage in intercultural communication with one another and reflect on global competency. Researchers agree that many U.S. students graduating from universities today are not receiving the necessary tools to successfully work abroad. This study has two major research objectives: to examine the engagement of intercultural communication between two people from different cultures and their reflections on global competency. Data were...
Show moreThis study reveals how participants in cross-cultural programs engage in intercultural communication with one another and reflect on global competency. Researchers agree that many U.S. students graduating from universities today are not receiving the necessary tools to successfully work abroad. This study has two major research objectives: to examine the engagement of intercultural communication between two people from different cultures and their reflections on global competency. Data were collected from 10 participants who were paired up with a person(s) of a different culture in conversation partner programs. Semi-structured interviews, qualitative analysis, and software were other methods used. I use the symbolic interaction approach to examine the engagement of intercultural communication and how that relates to the global competency of students and community members participating in cross-cultural programs on a U.S. university campus. The symbolic interaction approach examines the symbols and meanings people have for things. Findings show that participants--U.S. and international students, scholars, and community members--engage in intercultural communication by two key methods: the initial cultural philosophy and the stating of cultural differences. Findings from the second research question, examining how global competency relates to intercultural communication, indicates that according to participants, self-awareness and cultural awareness are readily apparent.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0434
Format: Thesis

Title: Application of Workforce 2000/2020 Analysis to a Southern Rural Community.
Creator: Zuokemefa, Pade, Easton, Peter, Jones, Maxine, Herrington, Carolyn, Biance, Michael, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Since publication of the Hudson Institute report on Workforce 2000: Work and Workers in the 21st Century in 1987 and the appearance of its sequel, Workforce 2020, a decade later, a popular form of analysis of economic trends and adult education needs has emerged and its conclusions have been widely cited. The approach has, however, been developed and almost entirely applied at the "macro" level of regions, States and the country as a whole. This dissertation assesses the applicability and...
Show moreSince publication of the Hudson Institute report on Workforce 2000: Work and Workers in the 21st Century in 1987 and the appearance of its sequel, Workforce 2020, a decade later, a popular form of analysis of economic trends and adult education needs has emerged and its conclusions have been widely cited. The approach has, however, been developed and almost entirely applied at the "macro" level of regions, States and the country as a whole. This dissertation assesses the applicability and utility of a Workforce 2000/2020 type of analysis for a rural Southern minority community by performing a "double diagnosis" that involves 1) using the Workforce 2000/2020 framework to examine the learning challenges, needs and opportunities facing a small Southern rural community (Gretna, Florida) as it enters the 21st century; and 2) at the same time assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Workforce 2000/2020 as an approach to these issues in local rural and minority communities by observing and analyzing the results of this "experiment" with local stakeholders. The methodology used for this study was a "mixed method" procedure that combined an "embedded" case study framework with action research. Sampling was done at the community level (City of Gretna), and within-case (or local sampling scheme). Within-case or local sampling used elite, snowball and key informants strategies to identify stakeholder groups and choose participants within each group. The study was performed in three sequential phases. In the first phase, a Workforce 2000/2020 study was conducted of demographic and economic trends in the city of Gretna and their impact on labor supply and demand using both qualitative and quantitative data. In the second phase, these substantive results were analyzed with local stakeholder representatives and the patterns compared to those characteristics of "macro" Workforce 2000/2020 studies. Finally, the experience of the Gretna analysis itself was assessed and compared to the methodology of macro Workforce 2000/2020-type studies to examine the applicability of this approach to a rural minority community and the modifications required. The macro Workforce 2000/2020 analysis suggests that, nationwide, the skill level of our workforce is insufficient to meet the competitive challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. In short, there is a growing mismatch (or at least a growing risk of one) between a high level of demand for skilled labor and an inadequate supply of existing workers or new job entrants having those qualifications. Analysis of the situation in Gretna, however, suggests something rather different. There appears to be much less mismatch. The demand for skilled labor is very low and the supply of human resources is almost equally low. In fact, the picture for Gretna is more one of a region mired in low-level equilibrium of supply and demand than one of a disequilibrium created by unmet opportunity. The Workforce 2000/2020 approach offers several strengths and weaknesses. As a principal strength, the effort to line the supply of human resources against the demand for it provides some unique insight into the situation of the community and serves to assemble types of data and groups of actors, like educators and business people that are not often or as systematically brought into dialogue. On the other hand, however, the approach pays little attention to historical and social context, does not prescribe participatory measures designed to include the voices of those concerned, and puts preponderant emphasis on supply-side factors to the detriment of a critical understanding of the roots of demand. An attempt was made to remedy these principal shortcomings in the approach used for this study.
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Date Issued: 2003
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0473
Format: Thesis

Title: A Model for Assesing Future Retirment Adequacy of Recent College Graduates: Who Is at Risk of Under-Saving?.
Creator: Stiles, Jason L., Schwartz, Robert A., Cooper, David J., Dalton, Jon C., Hu, Shouping, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study created a model to assess the general retirement literacy and level of intention to save for retirement of recent Millennial college students about to graduate from four-year public universities in the United States. The study sought to answer the questions: How prepared are students to make informed and effective financial decisions related to their retirement at the point where they begin their careers? Which factors influence levels of preparation? What are the levels of...
Show moreThis study created a model to assess the general retirement literacy and level of intention to save for retirement of recent Millennial college students about to graduate from four-year public universities in the United States. The study sought to answer the questions: How prepared are students to make informed and effective financial decisions related to their retirement at the point where they begin their careers? Which factors influence levels of preparation? What are the levels of intention for these students regarding retirement investment? Identifying the segments of the new college graduate population that are particularly unprepared to act on retirement financial decisions is the first step toward intervening in a persistent and growing problem. Higher education administrators equipped with this information, as with existing efforts in student retention, have the ability to develop targeted strategies to improve educational outcomes. The theory of Optimal Retirement Investment is advanced as a result of the study. Conducted at two large four-year public universities, this study confirmed previous academic and popular observations that students are unprepared and will likely under-save for retirement. The study employed a quantitative causal comparative methodology and included the development of an online survey and two stochastic simulation models. The data generated from the survey and models were analyzed through reliability analysis to develop sub scales, and correlation and multiple regression analysis to identify factors influencing retirement literacy, retirement intention, and ultimately projected retirement savings balances.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0384
Format: Thesis

Title: Unique but Inclusive Individuality: A Dialogue with John Dewey and Liang Shuming Toward Educational Reform in China.
Creator: Zhang, Huajun, Milligan, Jeffrey Ayala, Anderson, Tom, Easton, Peter, Hu, Shouping, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation is written in the context of the radically changing Chinese society, in which the individual easily gets separated from the meaning of life and follows the dualistic social conventions for success. This problem is consistent with the situation of the present educational practice in schools. Education does not respond students' disconnection from the radically changing society and thus cannot provide a meaningful resource for cultivating individuals' self-identity. Thus, this...
Show moreThis dissertation is written in the context of the radically changing Chinese society, in which the individual easily gets separated from the meaning of life and follows the dualistic social conventions for success. This problem is consistent with the situation of the present educational practice in schools. Education does not respond students' disconnection from the radically changing society and thus cannot provide a meaningful resource for cultivating individuals' self-identity. Thus, this dissertation suggests a philosophy of education which highlights the cultivation of students' unique but inclusive individuality so that the individual learns how to nurture one's own mind in this radically changing context rather than getting lost and feeling empty. This conception of individuality is inspired by the American pragmatist John Dewey and the Chinese Confucian scholar Liang Shuming, a contemporary of Dewey. I use a methodology of comparative philosophy of education to discuss my proposal on individuality and education. I am not trying to write Dewey and Liang's thought in a "right" way; neither am I trying to compare Dewey and Liang's thought for judgment. It is more about dialogue and communication, to learn from different but related thoughts for solving the problem in the present. I am using a pragmatic approach to launch a philosophical discussion. Because my concern is shared by Dewey and Liang in their respective projects, this dialogue can be meaningful for my question. After discussing Dewey's and Liang's thoughts, I propose a new idea of education: to cultivate a unique but inclusive individuality by going through inner struggles and gaining self-enlightenment. Finally, the dissertation proposes story-telling as a teaching approach to create new space for students and teachers in school. Story-telling is a method that the individual can interpret life experience in multiple ways to explore different alternatives and possibilities she may have and to find the consistent meaning to connect the past to the present. It is also a method of self-expression when the individual goes through inner struggle and finds connection with the world outside. In this effort, the individual is developing a mind of her own. Narrative is thus a method worth trying in the current educational practice to formulate a new philosophy of education which emphasizes the development of unique and inclusive individuality as one goal of education.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0538
Format: Thesis

Title: The Impact of Engagement on the Academic Performance and Persistence of First-Year College Students at a Four-Year Public Institution.
Creator: Zhou, Juan, Hu, Shouping, Rice, Diana, Dalton, Jon, Schwartz, Robert A., Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Higher education stake holders and policy makers attach great importance to the accountability issue. Among the accountability measures, student academic performance and persistence are the two most commonly used college outcomes. Numerous studies have been focused on the factors affecting academic performance and persistence to provide implications for institution administrators in improving the accountability issue. Among the various factors, student engagement is a very popular variable...
Show moreHigher education stake holders and policy makers attach great importance to the accountability issue. Among the accountability measures, student academic performance and persistence are the two most commonly used college outcomes. Numerous studies have been focused on the factors affecting academic performance and persistence to provide implications for institution administrators in improving the accountability issue. Among the various factors, student engagement is a very popular variable that is demonstrated to be related to college outcomes. Engagement is defined as (Hu & Kuh, 2002, p.555) "the quality of effort students themselves devote to educationally purposeful activities that contribute directly to desired outcomes". However, the engagement studies mainly looked at the outcomes throughout the college years. Few studies explored the relationship between engagement and student outcomes for freshmen. This study aims at expanding the research in this area. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between first year college student engagement and their outcomes—academic performance represented by GPA and persistence. There are two guiding research questions to this study: 1) Is there a significant relationship between student engagement and student persistence among first year college students? 2) Is there a significant relationship between student engagement and student academic performance among first year college students? For the first question, since persistence was treated as a dichotomous variable in the study, binary logistic regression was used. For the second question, since GPA was treated as a continuous variable, multiple regression was used. The study also explored the impact of certain student characteristics on student outcomes. The set of characteristics includes gender, race/ethnicity, high school GPA, SAT/ACT scores, father's education level, mother's education level, financial aid, and enrollment status. The study utilized NSSE data from a southeastern four year public institution, combining it with student records obtained from the registrar's office from the same institution. There are 466 freshmen included in this study. These freshmen entered the university in the Fall semester of 2004. They took part in the NSSE survey in the Spring of 2005.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0517
Format: Thesis

Title: A Case of the Global-Local Dialectic: Decentralization and Teacher Training in Banten, Indonesia.
Creator: Young, Michael S., Milligan, Jeffrey Ayala, Carroll, Pamela, Rutledge, Stacey, Luschei, Thomas, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study examines the social and cultural contexts, and factors of global and local sources, which influence teacher preparation and which may serve to impede or facilitate the training of public and private school English teachers at the "University of Banten," in Serang, Indonesia. A central question of the ethnographic case study is how, and to what extent professors are modeling and encouraging active-learning methods in the students' English and Education courses in response to...
Show moreThis study examines the social and cultural contexts, and factors of global and local sources, which influence teacher preparation and which may serve to impede or facilitate the training of public and private school English teachers at the "University of Banten," in Serang, Indonesia. A central question of the ethnographic case study is how, and to what extent professors are modeling and encouraging active-learning methods in the students' English and Education courses in response to decentralization reforms. The specific focus is on student-teacher preparation pedagogically and instructionally, knowledge of curriculum utilization and development in relation to Indonesian decentralization policy, and the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC-KTSP) standards for English instruction, the PAKEM Active Learning methods, and the Local Content Curriculum (LCC). Uniquely, it examines English and teacher-training responses representative of the realities of localization and globalization, and is concerned with increased levels of teacher autonomy and decision-making in contemporary Indonesia. The study also explores the implementation of decentralization and English instruction, and how past center-periphery cultural and political traditions affect response to educational reforms. A discussion of theories of educational decentralization builds a framework for situating the present contexts of Indonesian education reform in order to identify specific challenges which impact English teacher preparation and the knowledge and implementation of contemporary decentralization of education policies. The knowledge and implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC-KTSP) curriculum and instructional standards for English instruction, the concept and implementation of PAKEM Active Learning methods, and the Local Content Curriculum (LCC), which represent major elements of decentralization policy, autonomy, and self-motivation for learning, were explored thematically through ethnographic analysis. The analysis and discussion follow in-depth accounts of professors, teachers and students at the campus over 10 months and provides extensive and diverse evidence of dynamic responses to policy changes. Lecturers and teachers were well informed about and engaged in the implementation of current decentralization of education reforms, including the integration of the CBC curriculum standards with active learning methods in instruction, and the development and implementation of Local Content Curriculum courses. Global influences generally were not viewed as threatening to local, traditional cultural teaching practices, but as potentially advantageous means for improving schooling.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0743
Format: Thesis

Title: Predicting Student-Athlete Success: An Analysis of Graduation Using Precollege and College Experience Variables.
Creator: Autry, Shanna Lei, Beckham, Joseph, Berry, Frances, Wetherell, Thomas, Hu, Shouping, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Student-athletes are a highly visible subgroup of students whose performance and visibility can influence the formation of an institution's image (Zimbalist, 1999). Research must continue to advance understanding of the variables that lead to student-athlete academic success in order to enhance opportunities for student-athletes, improve institutional performance, and address important national priorities for intercollegiate athletics and higher education. The purpose of this study is to...
Show moreStudent-athletes are a highly visible subgroup of students whose performance and visibility can influence the formation of an institution's image (Zimbalist, 1999). Research must continue to advance understanding of the variables that lead to student-athlete academic success in order to enhance opportunities for student-athletes, improve institutional performance, and address important national priorities for intercollegiate athletics and higher education. The purpose of this study is to identify those precollege and college experience variables that influence student-athlete success at a major Division I institution in the Southeastern United States during a three year period from 2000 to 2003. Study variables included: race; gender; residency; high school grade point average; SAT composite score; scholarship amount; classification; major; Pell Grant eligibility; GPA for each of the first three semesters; number of degree hours each of the first three semesters; number of withdrawals for each of the first three semesters; and participation in an enrichment program. Logistic regression analyses were used to test the data. The precollege variables related to residency and SES were significant predicting variables of student-athlete graduation or non-graduation within six years. Student-athletes from out-of-state were less likely to graduate than in-state student-athletes. Student-athletes from low SES backgrounds, as determined by Pell Grant eligibility, were less likely to graduate than those from higher SES backgrounds. In regard to the college experience variables, sport, more specifically golf, was a positive and significant predictor of graduation within six years. Student-athletes who declared math and science majors at enrollment were significantly less likely to graduate. Higher GPA the second term of enrollment was negatively related to student-athlete graduation within six years. Finally, the number of degree hours student-athletes enrolled in the first, second, and third term was a significant predictor of student-athlete graduation. The overall conclusion of this study is that selected precollege and college experience variables appear to influence six year graduation among student-athletes.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0262
Format: Thesis

Title: A Longitudinal Comparison of Vocational and Non-Vocational Education Students in Leon County Public Secondary Schools: A Study of May 1999 & May 2000 High School Graduates.
Creator: Erefah, Ebenezer W., Thomas, Hollie, Rehm, Marsha, Snyder, William R., Greenwood, Bonnie B., Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to compare vocational and non-vocational education students in public secondary schools in Leon County, Florida, to see whether high school graduates who were in vocational education programs in their 9th through 12th grades had more advantages in graduation, postsecondary school enrollment, employment, and wages, over their non-vocational education counterparts. In order to achieve this purpose, data for Godby, Leon, Lincoln, and Rickards High Schools' May 1999,...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to compare vocational and non-vocational education students in public secondary schools in Leon County, Florida, to see whether high school graduates who were in vocational education programs in their 9th through 12th grades had more advantages in graduation, postsecondary school enrollment, employment, and wages, over their non-vocational education counterparts. In order to achieve this purpose, data for Godby, Leon, Lincoln, and Rickards High Schools' May 1999, and May 2000, high-school and post-highschool were collected, analyzed, and compared. Eighth grade data were also collected to determine the subjects' socioeconomic status. A sample of 2,698 students was obtained from the four high schools involved in this study. The data for the investigation were obtained from the Florida Department of Education's (FDOE) "Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program" (FETPIP) and "Educational Information and Accountability Services" (EIAS) databases. Through "skewed" (rearranged) students identification numbers, it was possible to track each high school graduate to their eighth grade data. The analytical method heavily relied on descriptive statistics with intensive use of tables. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to summarize and analyze the data. Findings The study indicated that students in high school vocational education programs may have some advantages over non-vocational education students in terms of high school graduation, postsecondary school enrollment, employment and probably wages. The data indicated that participation in vocational education programs were distributed among the students that were representative of both the lower socioeconomic status (LSES) and the higher socioeconomic status (HSES) categories, male and female, black and white. The data further indicated that vocational education programs may have motivational values to the advantage of academically disadvantaged students, especially those within the LSES category, thereby enabling them to remain in school and graduate. Analyses of the data showed that in most cases, vocational education students, especially within the LSES, reported a higher rate of graduation from high school than their non-vocational education colleagues. The data further showed that in some cases, especially among the LSES black students, the more vocational education credits or courses a student earned in high school, the more likely the student graduates from high school. The study also indicated that vocational education high school graduates were very competitive against their non-vocational education high school counterparts in terms of college enrollments. In some cases, especially among the LSES students, vocational education high school graduates reported higher rates of university enrollments than non-vocational education students. Regarding community college enrollment, the study indicated that both vocational and non-vocational education high school graduates were more attracted to the Associate in Arts (AA) degrees (college transfer option) than the Associate in Science (AS) degree programs (more professional and work option). The study further indicated that most vocational education high school graduates who enrolled in undergraduate BS degree programs were majoring in the fields similar to the vocational education programs in which they were trained in high school. Higher rates of employment were also reported among vocational education high school graduates than among non-vocational education counterparts. The study further showed that high school graduates who had participated in a Diversified Cooperative Education vocational program (internship or on-the-job training program), Business Technology Education, Computer Science Education, and Family and Consumer Science Education in high school were more likely than were non-vocational education colleagues to be employed in professional fields such as banks, doctors offices, law enforcement, hotels, and with more hours, and presumably better wages. The study also indicated that in some cases, vocational education high school graduates who were working in the fields for which they were trained in high school earned more wages with more working hours than did their non-vocational education colleagues. Since these were only high school graduates with limited occupational skills and job experience, the wage differences between vocational and non-vocational education high school graduates may not be very wide. Conclusions: Participation in vocational education enhanced the chances of high school graduation, especially if the students earn two or more vocational education credits or courses, improved the chances of enrollment in undergraduate BS, AA, and AS degree programs, and also improved the prospect of job opportunities and higher wages, especially among the students and high school graduates who worked in the fields for which they were trained in high school. These benefits of vocational education over non-vocational education were more noticeably among lower socioeconomic status black male and female, and white female students and high school graduates.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0554
Format: Thesis

Title: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Content Analysis of Two State Level Correctional Institutions' Pre-Release Handbook Curriculum Designs, Looking Through the Lenses of Two Philosophical Orientations of Education.
Creator: Camp, Sarah N., Brooks, Jeffrey S., Ratliffe, Thomas, Lang, Laura, Schwartz, Robert A., Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to discover how Minnesota's Department of Corrections, Making a Successful Transition: Adult Pre-Release Handbook (2005), and Indiana's Department of Corrections, Pre-Release Re-Entry Program Offender Handbook (2005a), curriculum designs promoted the correctional education goal of law-abiding citizenship of adult offenders, when examined through the lenses of the philosophical education orientations of Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment. The study included a...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to discover how Minnesota's Department of Corrections, Making a Successful Transition: Adult Pre-Release Handbook (2005), and Indiana's Department of Corrections, Pre-Release Re-Entry Program Offender Handbook (2005a), curriculum designs promoted the correctional education goal of law-abiding citizenship of adult offenders, when examined through the lenses of the philosophical education orientations of Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment. The study included a review of the ideologies of punishment, correctional education, and the department of corrections pre-release handbooks from the states of Minnesota and Indiana. The methodology implemented was a mixed methods content analysis. The design focused on a sequential explanatory, symbolized as QUAN - qual. Quantitative content analysis was implemented with the software NUD*IST. Qualitative content analysis required preliminary human coding completed by the researcher. The quantitative constructs discussed and examined were curriculum design and law-abiding citizenship. Curriculum design was supported according to the Functionalist and the Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical education orientations. Law-abiding citizenship was supported by terms from Mann (1838), Wynne (1986), Lickona (1993), and Hopkins (2002), the U.S. Department of Education (2005), and the Josephson Institute of Ethics (2006). The quantitative constructs applied represented the Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical education orientations. There were three that embodied the Functionalism philosophical education orientation associated with Durkheim, (1933) and Roosevelt (New Deal Network, 2003). Also, there were three that characterized the Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical education orientation associated with Plato, (514-520) and Nussbaum (1997). The ideologies of punishment have shifted throughout time because of political, economical, and social reasons, and these shifts have affected correctional education. Correctional education has undergone many reforms, but no reforms pertained to curriculum design. The handbooks were tools designed to guide offenders upon release and aid in the promotion of law-abiding citizenship. These pre-release handbooks were one of many education programs that were to aid in reducing recidivism rates. Hence, the intent of this study was to promote a new area of correctional education research, which improves offenders' probabilities of becoming law-abiding citizens, public safety, and public order, thus assisting in reducing recidivism rates. The mixed methods content analysis design ascertained how promoted the correctional education goal of law-abiding citizenship of adult offenders, when looked through the lenses of the philosophical education orientations of Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment. The results revealed that both Minnesota's and Indiana's DOC pre-release handbook incorporated the traditional and concept-based curriculum designs in the initial quantitative methods. This was achieved using the terminology according to the constructs curriculum design and law-abiding citizenship. For instance, terms that represented the traditional curriculum in the Minnesota DOC pre-release handbook showed that term ORDER #2 was applied 28 out of 33 times. As well, in the Indiana DOC pre-release handbook EDUCATION was applied 15 out of 28 times. The terms that represented the concept-based curriculum in the Minnesota DOC pre-release handbook depicted that the term THINK #2 appeared and was applied all of 17 times. However, in Indiana's DOC pre-release handbook, THINK #2 appeared and was applied all 99 times. Also, these results supported that both pre-release handbooks were comprised of the Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical orientations. As well, the data divulged that the pre-release handbooks promoted the correctional educational goal of law-abiding citizenship. This was shown through the use of the term RESPONSIBILITY, which appeared and was applied to the study all of 16 times in the Minnesota DOC pre-release handbook. Similarly, RESPONSIBILITY appeared 16 of 17 times in Indiana's DOC pre-release handbook. However, further inquiry was needed because the data did not definitively answer the research questions. The qualitative methods provided the confirmation that was required to answer the research questions. This was accomplished when the constructs from the functionalism philosophical education orientation and the Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical education orientation were applied to both pre-release handbooks. The results were blended with the quantitative results reaffirming that the pre-release handbooks consisted of both the traditional and concept-based curriculum designs, supported by the Functionalism and Liberal/Enlightenment philosophical orientations. Moreover, verifying that the pre-release handbooks promoted the correctional educational goal of which law-abiding citizenship. Incidentally, the study revealed that Minnesota's and Indiana's Department of Corrections pre-release handbook support their state's mission statement in both of the quantitative and qualitative techniques. Also, both pre-release handbooks were developed to meet the objectives and needs of society (Chapman, 2002). Hence, the goal of correctional education was to release law-abiding citizens from prisons (Bosworth, 2002), and thereby enhanced the "social order and public safety" of society which was a basic principle of corrections (American Correctional Association, 1986, p. 58).
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0067
Format: Thesis

Title: Community Schools in Mali: A Multilevel Analysis.
Creator: Capacci Carneal, Christine, Monkman, Karen, Miles, Rebecca, Easton, Peter, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Community schools are alternative education strategies hailed in some circles as successful educational development endeavors. In Mali, support for community schools began in 1992 using nonformal education strategies to engage rural Malians in a three-year endeavor to provide literacy, numeracy, vocational, and life skills to children in rural areas with limited access to formal schools. Today there are over 1700 community schools in Mali offering the full primary cycle. This study examines...
Show moreCommunity schools are alternative education strategies hailed in some circles as successful educational development endeavors. In Mali, support for community schools began in 1992 using nonformal education strategies to engage rural Malians in a three-year endeavor to provide literacy, numeracy, vocational, and life skills to children in rural areas with limited access to formal schools. Today there are over 1700 community schools in Mali offering the full primary cycle. This study examines community schools in Mali from multiple standpoints to analyze various stakeholder understandings of and experiences with them from three separate, yet overlapping levels: international, national, and local. What are the notions and practices regarding community schools at each level? Where do opinions of community schools converge and what are the differences in opinion at the various levels? The community schools in Mali, in this study supported with the assistance of Save the Children/USA, serve as a case study to present an embedded and layered analysis of the various viewpoints attributed to community schools by different stakeholders. The study includes an overview and examination of the nature and history of community schools in Mali based on analytical document reviews and field research done during the 1999-2000 academic year. Interpretive frameworks are considered to analyze why community schools are popular educational development strategies. The research contributes to a more integrated understanding of uses of and perceptions regarding community schools in Mali. At different levels diverse experiences exist regarding community schools. Results from the study include that communication between stakeholders at various levels is often challenging, that different ideas exist about what constitutes a "community" school, and that there is both harmony and disharmony in opinion regarding the direction of the community schools, particularly when referring to their ability to serve local versus national and international needs. Though community schools offer educational opportunities to marginalized children in Mali, there is debate over their purpose and ability to contribute to social change and development in rural, undeveloped areas. Paradoxically, though hailed for their "alternative" nature, community schools more often serve "traditional" education efforts and the international goal of achieving "education for all."
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0088
Format: Thesis

Title: Public Forum Doctrine in Higher Education: Student Rights and Institutional Prerogatives.
Creator: Alexander, Laurence B., Beckham, Joseph, Rayburn, Jay, Brooks, Jeffrey, Schwartz, Robert A., Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Historically, public colleges and universities have been thought of as places where free speech and free inquiry abound. Institutional policy makers, however, have occasionally placed restrictions on student expression. When students have challenged these restrictions, courts have used public forum analysis to delineate the balance of student rights to free speech and the institution's right to self-governance. Using legal-historical research methods, this study traced the development of the...
Show moreHistorically, public colleges and universities have been thought of as places where free speech and free inquiry abound. Institutional policy makers, however, have occasionally placed restrictions on student expression. When students have challenged these restrictions, courts have used public forum analysis to delineate the balance of student rights to free speech and the institution's right to self-governance. Using legal-historical research methods, this study traced the development of the public forum doctrine in the case law and its application to students in higher education. Employing Edward H. Levi's three-stage evolutionary theory on the development of a legal concept, the study concluded that the public forum doctrine had completed the first two stages, which involved creation, development and classification. The doctrine, however, has not lost its viability, which is Levi's final stage. Other conclusions of the study: 1) Institutions have broad authority to make regulations that are consistent with their missions. 2) Despite this authority, policy makers are constrained by First Amendment principles. 3) Forum analysis enables administrators to designate areas for student speech. 4) The protection of student speech on campus is influenced by the context of the speech. 5) Administrators may exercise the greatest control over campus areas characterized as closed fora. 6) Although, the distinction between designated and limited fora remains ambiguous, courts have begun to suggest differences. 7) Content-based and viewpoint-based regulations on public forum speech are disfavored. 8) Regulations on public forum speech must be narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest. 9) The judicial characterization of student publications as limited fora is undergoing legal challenge. 10) The conflict between the students' right to free expression and the public institutions' right to govern is dynamic and ongoing.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0165
Format: Thesis

Title: College Student Spiritual Quest: Influences of Community Service Involvement and Diversity-Related Experiences.
Creator: Eberhardt, David Michael, Dalton, Jon C., Rice, Diana, Beckham, Joseph, Schwartz, Robert A., Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The spiritual life of college students has largely been overlooked by many American colleges and universities. However, a surge of interest in college student spirituality has emerged in recent years. This interest has led to research that has attempted to define and identify aspects of spirituality, as well as determine the importance of spirituality to other areas of student development. Minimal research, however, has attempted to connect student spiritual development to collegiate...
Show moreThe spiritual life of college students has largely been overlooked by many American colleges and universities. However, a surge of interest in college student spirituality has emerged in recent years. This interest has led to research that has attempted to define and identify aspects of spirituality, as well as determine the importance of spirituality to other areas of student development. Minimal research, however, has attempted to connect student spiritual development to collegiate experiences and influences in the campus environment. This study attempted to reduce this gap in the professional literature by examining how traditional-aged college student involvement in community service and experiences with diverse peers impacts their spiritual quest, a concept which focuses especially on students' search for meaning, purpose and understanding in their lives. Through a quantitative, longitudinal, national panel study, college students were surveyed in summer, 2004 and spring, 2007. The survey included items that asked students about their spiritual and religious beliefs and practices, and related experiences, goals, attitudes, and opinions. Utilizing one public research institution's data from this national study, factor and path analyses were employed to determine if significant relationships existed between race, gender, pre-college spiritual quest, community service involvement, diversity-related experiences (defined broadly to include interactions across race/ethnicity, religion, politics, and other differences), and collegiate spiritual quest. Results indicated significant direct effects from pre-college spiritual quest and diversity-related experiences on collegiate spiritual quest, but not for community service involvement. A strong indirect effect for community service involvement emerged however, through diversity-related experiences. Neither race nor gender exhibited significant direct or indirect effects on collegiate spiritual quest. Total effects on collegiate spiritual quest were significant for pre-college spiritual quest, community service involvement, and diversity-related experiences. The strongest direct influence among all variables existed from community service involvement towards diversity-related experience, but greatest total influence occurred from pre-college spiritual quest to collegiate spiritual quest. Limitations of the study include a convenience sample of small size, gender imbalance, and single institution for all participants. A lengthy, self-report survey and history effect from the tragic shooting in April, 2007 at Virginia Tech also may have impacted this study. Implications of the findings are considered finally. For developmental theory, the results suggest that spiritual quest grows and evolves during college within students' broader spirituality, and that identity development is closely tied to the development of spiritual quest. Further research is proposed with an emphasis on in-depth qualitative study to follow up on this study's findings, as well as replication of the study at different types of institutions to examine more thoroughly the influences found here. Outcomes regarding educational policies and developmental practices are outlined, including the addition of spiritual quest development as an explicit and anticipated outcome in institutions' promotion to students of community service and diversity experiences. Means by which institutions can foster spiritual quest in service-learning and volunteer initiatives are offered, along with ideas for the enhancement of diversity-related programming to highlight the development of spiritual quest.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0602
Format: Thesis

Title: Making Sense of Teachers' Work Lives: A Qualitative Study of Teachers in Florida.
Creator: Pienta, Rachel Sutz, Milton, Sande, Martin, Patricia Y., Iatarola, Patrice, Flood, Pamela, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The primary purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of how committed, engaged teachers construct their work lives. This study focused in particular on how "star" teachers who stay in the classroom sustain engagement in and make meaning of their professional experience. The nine teachers selected to participate in this study were all public school teachers in Florida. Each of the teachers included in the study taught in either the elementary or middle grades. All had been...
Show moreThe primary purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of how committed, engaged teachers construct their work lives. This study focused in particular on how "star" teachers who stay in the classroom sustain engagement in and make meaning of their professional experience. The nine teachers selected to participate in this study were all public school teachers in Florida. Each of the teachers included in the study taught in either the elementary or middle grades. All had been teaching for five or more years. A qualitative approach was utilized in this study to explore the work lives of the participating teachers and to identify factors that contribute to their professional longevity. This methodology included focused in-depth interviews and personal classroom observations. The interviews were structured using in-depth, phenomenologically based interviewed interviewing (Seidman, 1998) that allowed the researcher and the teacher to engage in a guided conversation. Open and focused coding methods were used to analyze the data (Anfara et al, 2002; Emerson et al, 1995; Guba and Lincoln, 1985). Conceptual categories were developed from emergent themes (Harry et al, 2005). A process of thematic analysis provided a means by which to give structure and a framework for description (Van Manen, 1990). Six findings about star teachers emerged from the study. The star teachers had five behaviors in common and also shared one organizational factor. The teachers all engage in the following actions: (1) seek opportunities to learn and enrich their practice in ways that will improve classroom teaching; (2) employ adaptive strategies to meet systemic challenges; (3) work to develop rich professional collaborative relationships with other teachers; (4) want to recognized and respected for their professional efforts; and (5) view students as important partners in a democratic learning community. The organizational factor common to the star teacher is the need to have a supportive principal. The study highlighted how principals and teachers work together in school cultures that support collaboration and innovation. The study recommendations call for a system-wide "reculturing" that would change "individually and collaboratively held meanings" about schools and learning (Sergiovanni, 2000, p. 147).
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0818
Format: Thesis

Title: Organizational Culture's Impact on the Effectiveness of Research Administration Units: A Multicase Study of Historically Black Doctoral Degree Granting Institutions.
Creator: Bailey, Theresa L., Beckham, Joseph C., Kalu, Peter N., Easton, Peter, Schwartz, Robert A., Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In this study the researcher explored the types of organizational culture at selected doctorate degree granting HBCUs to determine if there were differences in organizational culture that appeared to be related to institutional effectiveness. Specific attention was given to identifying the dominant culture and characteristics of three public doctoral degree granting historically black institutions. The primary focus of the study was the relationship between effectiveness and organizational...
Show moreIn this study the researcher explored the types of organizational culture at selected doctorate degree granting HBCUs to determine if there were differences in organizational culture that appeared to be related to institutional effectiveness. Specific attention was given to identifying the dominant culture and characteristics of three public doctoral degree granting historically black institutions. The primary focus of the study was the relationship between effectiveness and organizational culture in selected higher education institutions. Using a case study methodology, that was exploratory and descriptive in nature, the researcher identified the characterizations and dominant organizational culture for each of the participating institutions. Organizational theory was used as the conceptual framework for distinguishing between types of organizational culture. The study was primarily driven by semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The following questions guided this study: (1) What characterizes the organizational culture of the three HBCUs selected for study? and (2) Are there differences in the organizational culture of the three HBCUs that appear to be related to institutional effectiveness? Several recurring themes emerged among the institutions: (1) lack of communication, (2) increased faculty expectation, and (3) under-developed partnerships. Themes unique to each institution were also identified. These unique themes included: (1) poor customer service, (2) strained relationships between the chief research officer and the research community, (3) lack of research mission, and (4) pride and solidarity of purpose. Implications of this study can be used in assisting university leadership understand and utilize the knowledge pertaining to organizational culture and performance on both the organizational and sub-unit levels. The study findings also inform institutional leaders of the advantages of developing a balanced culture thereby positioning them to make
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0902
Format: Thesis

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