Browsing by Subject "Higher education"
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Item A longitudinal study of the diffusion of a computer-based administrative innovation within a university faculty network(Texas Tech University, 1997-12) Durrington, Vance A.Identifying predictors of computer use such as attitude, anxiety, and receptivity to change have been the primary area of interest in instmctional technology. Research relating to the diffusion of innovations in education has been based primarily on looking at these individual characteristics as predictors of use. This dissertation proposes to use social network analysis to study the diffusion of two computer-based administrative innovations within a university faculty network. Methodology issues concerning time of adoption and network nominations were examined as well as the relationship of time of adoption and the number of network nominations received, spatial proximity, and organizational unit proximity. Finally, the diffusion of the innovations was to be analyzed using the dual-classification and T/CM models.Item A marketing model for the Texas Tech University Department of Theatre and Dance graduate program: a professional problem(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) Thompson, Joe BillMore and more colleges and universities annually compete for a decreasing market of students. Current population trends indicate that the traditional undergraduate market made up of eighteen-to twenty-two-year-old students will continue to shrink as the nation moves into the twenty-first century. As the nations' working adults' career needs change, colleges and universities must develop new programs that will satisfy the needs and wants of the new market and they must also promote those new programs. Institutions of higher education are confronted with questions concerning the justification for and the quality of their academic programs. In times of fiscal difficulty, legislators, board of regents, and administrators focus their attention on what they perceive as the less important programs. Many times, the arts are viewed as expendable. If an educational theatre program is to survive and succeed into the twentyfirst century, educational theatre must begin to look at students as individual customers, not faceless enrollment statistics. Each program must determine who the real customer is and learn how to satisfy their wants, needs, and concerns. Developing a marketing model is a positive step in identifying the real customer of educational theatre programs and their wants, needs, and desires. Research can provide a backbone for developing a productive marketing model. The research gathered can enable programs to make valuedriven decisions and to distinguish themselves from the competition. Higher education marketing is about communication. If educational theatre programs are to survive and excel, it will be necessary that an educational theatre program identify its primary and secondary markets and develop a system to communicate with each. In addition, the system must possess the capacity to identify the program's market position in relationship to its competitors. A marketing methodology can assist theatre arts programs in analyzing and evaluating their student recruitment program. A marketing methodology can identify the theatre arts program's market position, potential target market, competition, student's wants and needs, and the graduate students' perceptions of the program. A marketing methodology can provide accurate information for the development of a marketing strategy.Item A Quantitative Study of Student Veterans' Intent to Persist(2011-05) Van-Dusen, Ryan L.; Shonrock, Michael D.; Jones, Stephanie J.; Williams, AmandaIn August 2009, the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill went into effect. Eligible veterans receive full tuition and fees, a monthly housing stipend, and an annual stipend for books and supplies. Colleges and universities are anticipating an influx of student veterans at the highest level since World War II. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the factors that contribute to the intent to persist of student veterans that receive educational funding from the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill. Results of this study indicated that the campus environment was the only statistically significant predictor variable that influenced a student veteran‟s intent to persist at his or her current institution of higher education. To assist institutions of higher education in developing a plan of action to improve the overall campus climate, the Veteran Friendly Environment Model was introduced.Item A survey of faculty and student perceptions of the use of electronic resources(Texas Tech University, 1997-12) Wrightson, Kimberly C.The increased popularity of on-line resources presents faculty and administrators with a dilemma that deserves considerable attention. Classroom reading material is accessible on-line and appears to be used as a replacement for, and in combination with, paper-based learning materials more often recently, especially at laptop universities. The issue of textbook versus on-line information has been examined from a variety of perspectives, however, faculty, administrators and students will determine the permanence of a shift in emphasis from paper-based material to online versions of such information. Recent articles describe that about 40% of students in accredited programs do not even purchase a textbook and use other resources as a substitute. Many teachers also avoid using textbooks, because they find the material restrictive, carelessly written or boring (Hakim, 1996). This dissertation chronicled the attitudes and opinions of a number of educators and students, who used alternative text-based material, as well as attitudes and opinions of educators and students who did not use on-line material.Item An econometric estimate of Baumol and Bowen expenditures at Texas public universities following tuition deregulation(2015-05) Purcell, George, Jr. Phillip; Somers, Patricia (Patricia A.); Abrevaya, Jason; Cofer, James; Reddick, Richard; Sharpe, EdwinExpenditures per FTE student have risen rapidly in real terms in public higher education in the United States for over three decades. Two theory-grounded hypotheses have been advanced to explain this growth. Baumol’s (1966) “cost disease” argument is a macroeconomic perspective arguing that industries heavily reliant on skilled labor have limited ability to increase productivity but must increase their wage rate above their productivity gains to compete for this skilled labor in the labor market. Bowen’s (1980) “revenue theory of costs” proposes a microeconomic explanation that universities raise all they can and spend all they raise. Bowen’s thesis has been expanded into a behavioral theory by Martin (2011), who argues that the nexus of non-profit status, principal-agent confusion, and prestige seeking behavior are responsible for increased expenditures. Following Martin and Hill (2012), this study presents an econometric model that allocates expenditures to these two theoretical perspectives. Statewide real average expenditures per FTE student at Texas public universities increased 9% from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2011 following tuition deregulation. Analysis of yearly fixed effects suggests that this policy change led to an increase in real expenditures above pre-deregulation levels on the order of $1,400 per FTE student. The ratio of Bowen to Baumol expenses is highest at elite Research universities and is lowest at the least research intensive Master’s universities. Additional tuition revenue was associated with a decline of Bowen expenditures relative to Baumol expenditures at Research institutions of -5% while Emerging Research and Doctoral institution displayed substantial increases in Bowen expenditures relative to Baumol expenditures (6% and 4%). This finding suggests that lower-level research universities with aspirations to higher research intensity increase their proportion of Bowen expenditures in conditions of expanding revenue. Research universities used additional revenue to reduce an existing cross-institutional subsidy from graduate education to the rest of the institution.Item An exploration of the relation among verbal and nonverbal instructor immediacy behaviors and student motivation to learn within the higher education classroom(Texas Tech University, 2007-05) Furlich, Stephen A.; Murray, John P.; Wagoner, Richard; Surles, JamesThis quantitative study explores relationships between instructors' nonverbal and verbal immediacy behaviors and students' motivation to learn at three institutions. Data were collected at a major research university, a small liberal arts university, and a community college. ANCOVA analyses indicated significant relationships between students' motivation to learn and both forms of immediacy for some of the institutions' results. Some slope differences of immediacy and students' motivation to learn were found between the major research university and community college. However, slope differences did not significantly differ between the institutions after a Bonferoni test was performed. The results are discussed and implications are given for instructors and administrators at different higher education institutions. Future researchers are encouraged to further investigate relationships between instructors' immediacy behaviors and students' motivation to learn at different Carnegie classification higher education institutions.Item Analysis of the Distributed Leadership Model in Public Education: A Mixed Methods Study(2011-05) Molina, Ricardo; Klinker, JoAnn F.; Hartmeister, Fred; Price, Margaret A.This research analyzed the Distributed Leadership Model (DLM) application in four public schools. The research problem links up to three research questions. The premise of the research lies on the assumption that the DLM when applied in concert with other leadership may provide educational leaders and researchers with pathways for enhancing leadership problem solving and decision making, and student performance. The DLM from MIT contains four interrelated competencies, three lenses, and a component for individual generated change. This research analyzed the DLM’s application to principals, assistant principals, and teacher leaders that coalesce into distributed leadership praxes. Via a mixed methods and the embedded design, the quantitative data supported the qualitative data. The findings revealed that the DLM potentially is a conceptual tool to assess a school’s propensity for distributed leadership. Additionally, a possible benefit of the DLM is enhancing the leadership capacity of public school leaders.Item Are undergraduates' perceptions of choice and structure within a course related to sense of autonomy, academic emotions, and self-regulated learning strategies?(2010-05) Kim, Hyunjin, 1971-; Svinicki, Marilla D., 1946-; Schallert, Diane L.; Weinstein, Claire Ellen; Whittaker, Tiffany A.; Keating, Xiaofen D.This study investigated how students’ perceptions of course choice and structure are related directly or indirectly to their sense of autonomy, academic emotions, and use of self-regulated learning strategies with the hypothesis of significant relationship of these two areas of instructional practice to those outcome variables. In this study, a total of 601 undergraduate students were asked to respond to surveys on perceived choice, perceived structure, perceived autonomy, academic emotions, and self-regulated learning strategies as well as basic course characteristic information measure with regard to a specific course in which they were enrolled. Structural Equation Modeling suggested both students’ perceived choice and perceived structure in the classroom had small but positive relationships to their perceived autonomy. Regarding the relationships between these two teaching strategies and academic emotions, the level of students’ perceived choice was directly associated only with higher feeling of enjoyment, but indirectly related to all four academic emotions with mediation of the level of perceived autonomy in the direction that one would predict (i.e, higher enjoyment and pride, lower anger and anxiety). On the other hand, perceived structure predicted those four academic emotions not only directly but also indirectly via sense of autonomy in predicted direction. Regarding their relationships with self-regulated learning strategies, neither perceived choice nor perceived structure directly predicted use of self-regulated learning strategies. However, their relationships were supported through the mediation of academic emotions, sense of autonomy, or both. This research helps to provide a clearer picture of autonomy supportive teaching. In particular, this study might help to understand how provisions of choice and structure, which are controversial instructional methods about autonomy supportive teaching, influence the entire process of learning including academic emotions and self-regulation of learning as well as sense of autonomy.Item Barriers to Higher Education for Rural High School Students: A Qualitative Study(2013-05) Taylor, Brandon; Jones, Stephanie J.; Logan, EthanRural high school students face many barriers when choosing to matriculate into higher education. With limited resources and support, rural students are less likely to enroll in college than their urban counterparts. This crisis is escalated when 90% of the fastest-growing high-wage jobs in the United States require not only a high school diploma, but demand higher education. The lack of college participation among rural high school students threatens to undermine an educated workforce and increased access to higher education for all populations. The purpose of this study was to provide secondary and postsecondary educational professionals a view of the needs of rural high school students through the lenses of high school counselors who provide vital college admissions guidance to these students, among their many other roles within high schools. Of specific interest was the identification of the barriers rural high school students face in matriculating into higher education, as well as current and missing support services that can assist rural high school students in pursuing postsecondary education. This qualitative collective case study analyzed the perceptions of three high school counselors who service rural high school students in the Texas High Plains region. A categorical aggregation analysis and open coding of the data collected in the study resulted in five emerging themes: 1) rural students’ lack of self-efficacy in their own academic abilities, 2) the intimidating costs of higher education, 3) a lack of parental/guardian support, 4) rural students’ motivations for matriculating to higher education, and 5) needed support services to address the barriers that rural students face when matriculating to higher education. The overall findings of the study indicated that rural high school students need additional support in addressing their perceived lack of self-efficacy when determining whether to pursue a college education or not after high school graduation. In addition, many rural students and their parents are uneducated in financing the cost of higher education, and prematurely dismiss the opportunity based upon perceived costs. Parental or guardian involvement in their student’s college decision making process is also a prescribed need for rural students to make higher education a possible reality.Item Beyond credential : postsecondary education and health in early adulthood(2015-08) Humphries, Melissa Hope; Muller, Chandra; Raley, Ruthine Kelly; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Hummer, Robert; Frisco, Michelle; Hayward, MarkThe positive association between education and health is well documented across time, place and population. Those with higher levels of education and/or more years of schooling are healthier than individuals with lower amounts of education (Mirowsky and Ross 2003). Even controlling for income, researchers find health benefits for individuals with higher education, suggesting that education itself has an effect on health beyond its economic benefits (Cutler and Lleras-Muney 2010; Mirowsky and Ross 1998b). The disparities between the highest and lowest educated are growing, and the role that education plays in maintaining a healthy life is increasing across cohorts (Lynch 2003). Although decades of research have investigated the relationship between education and health using different health outcomes and varying measures of education, the actual educational mechanisms through which health is affected are poorly understood. In this dissertation, I focus more deeply on the postsecondary education process itself through examination of enrollment, attainment and type of institution attended and how these attributes relate to young adult self-rated health. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), I investigate how the postsecondary experience is associated with young adult health. The longitudinal nature of the data also allow for consideration of prior health, SES and educational factors which sharpens the analyses to better highlight the actual association between postsecondary schooling and early adult health. In the first analytic chapter, I find that when time enrolled and degree earned are modeled concurrently, degree attainment retains an independent effect on both self-rated health and work limitations. However, for respondents who enter postsecondary schooling, but do not earn a degree, time enrolled in four-year institutions, but not two-year institutions, is associated with a higher probability of reporting better self-rated health. The second analytic chapter shows that students who attend selective four-year schools have a health advantage to those who enroll in less selective schools. Interestingly, the better health of those in elite colleges is explained by their lower BMIs. The remaining chapter of my dissertation explores how the relationships between education and health differ across gender.Item Caballeros making capital gains : the role of social capital in Latino first-year college persistence : a case study analysis of a predominantly white 4-year institution(2011-05) Arámbula-Turner, Tracy Lee; Saenz, Victor B.; Vincent, Gregory J.; Holme, Jennifer J.; Dorn, Edwin; Ponjuan, LuisThe goal of this study was to develop a nuanced understanding of the first-year experience of Latino males attending a predominantly White public flagship institution of higher education. Specifically, the study sought to examine the relationship between their ability to draw upon and use various forms of social capital, and their persistence to the second year of college. Qualitative data were collected at the conclusion of the students’ first year and at the beginning of their second year of college and the study was guided by social capital theory. Results indicate students gained access to an elite institution of higher education and persisted to the second year through application of their strong academic ganas, rich familial wealth, and through the essential support of key high-volume institutional agents. Students engaged in a strategic and deliberative transition process during the first year that was customized to fit their personal needs and life experiences. Students engaged in discerning, tactical and selective friendship creation and management during the first year, and treated this exercise as a long-term investment in their success. Finally, academic support programs facilitated transition and served as vital sources of support and resilience during the first year of college. Research findings will be of interest to researchers, policymakers, administrators and practitioners who aspire to improve the college completion rates of their Latino undergraduate populations.Item Corporate culture in an institution of higher education(2005-12) Hennigan, Jamie P.; Cejda, Brent D.; Duemer, Lee S.; Murray, John P.Authorities on culture in higher education agree that no single, universal culture exists. And as stated by Kuh culture is ever changing and evolving. Most recently, the literature on culture in higher education suggests the emergence of a new culture: the corporate culture. Tierney has identified culture as a major factor in achieving and maintaining institutional effectiveness as it is a representation of the patterns, shared values, assumptions, and beliefs of the participants in an organization. Culture may serve purposes that are both instrumental and interpretive in nature. In other words, using culture as an instrumental tool allows for social interpretation of what the institution is, while used interpretively, culture can provide insight as to what the organization has. Succinctly stated, Tierney states that an organization’s culture is reflected in "what is done, how it is done, and who is involved in doing it. It concerns decisions, actions, and communication both on and instrumental and a symbolic level." Likewise, Smart, Kuh and Tierney state, "an institution’s culture is thought to mediate how an institution deals with external forces and internal pressures. Culture is formed over decades, as institutions ‘learn’ how to respond to challenges associated with their establishment, survival and growth. The purpose of this study was to examine an apparently deliberate shift in the culture of a higher education institution, specifically, the attempt to incorporate a "corporate culture." A private, largely baccalaureate degree-granting institution is the sample/case for this particular study. The institution is one in which an individual from a corporate background was hired to fill an upper-level leadership/presidential position. An analysis of institutional documents and limited interviews with administrators and faculty revealed that almost every aspect of the institution was affected in one way or another by this "corporate" president.Item Corporate culture in an institution of higher education(Texas Tech University, 2005-12) Hennigan, Jamie P.; Cejda, Brent D.; Duemer, Lee S.; Murray, John P.Authorities on culture in higher education agree that no single, universal culture exists. And as stated by Kuh culture is ever changing and evolving. Most recently, the literature on culture in higher education suggests the emergence of a new culture: the corporate culture. Tierney has identified culture as a major factor in achieving and maintaining institutional effectiveness as it is a representation of the patterns, shared values, assumptions, and beliefs of the participants in an organization. Culture may serve purposes that are both instrumental and interpretive in nature. In other words, using culture as an instrumental tool allows for social interpretation of what the institution is, while used interpretively, culture can provide insight as to what the organization has. Succinctly stated, Tierney states that an organization’s culture is reflected in “what is done, how it is done, and who is involved in doing it. It concerns decisions, actions, and communication both on and instrumental and a symbolic level.” Likewise, Smart, Kuh and Tierney state, “an institution’s culture is thought to mediate how an institution deals with external forces and internal pressures. Culture is formed over decades, as institutions ‘learn’ how to respond to challenges associated with their establishment, survival and growth. The purpose of this study was to examine an apparently deliberate shift in the culture of a higher education institution, specifically, the attempt to incorporate a “corporate culture.” A private, largely baccalaureate degree-granting institution is the sample/case for this particular study. The institution is one in which an individual from a corporate background was hired to fill an upper-level leadership/presidential position. An analysis of institutional documents and limited interviews with administrators and faculty revealed that almost every aspect of the institution was affected in one way or another by this “corporate” president.Item Creating a culture of giving : an exploration of the role of young alumni in institutional philanthropic efforts(2011-12) Page, Matthew Braden; Kameen, Marilyn C.; Reagins-Lilly, Soncia; Sharpe, Edwin R.; Vick, James W.; Stuart, Gale S.Consistent reductions in state and federal financial support for America’s public colleges and universities have resulted in an increased institutional reliance upon non- traditional revenue sources. Budgetary shortfalls precipitated by the loss of appropriations led many institutions to seek out alternative sources of revenue. While many of these strategies have proven to be controversial with institutional stakeholders (e.g., annual tuition rate increases), one appears to be both popular and effective: alumni giving. Colleges and universities rely heavily upon alumni to enhance the institution by subsidizing operational costs; this is especially crucial in times of great financial stress. In order to ensure strong, lifelong relationships between alumni donors and their alma maters, institutions must consistently evaluate the methods through which alumni giving is solicited. It is not enough to merely expect alumni to become philanthropically engaged upon graduation; institutions must create a culture of giving amongst its student body. The study explored how colleges and universities may foster increased alumni participation in institutional philanthropy. By gauging the perceptions of young alumni, institutions will be able to determine if existing efforts are effective in encouraging future alumni giving. Grounded in altruistic (i.e., prosocial), social exchange, student development, and donor motivation theories, this study utilized a quantitative survey methodology to uncover prevailing alumni perceptions toward contemporary institutional philanthropic efforts. Study participants were asked to reflect upon their undergraduate experiences and the relationships they maintain with their alma mater after graduation. The study found that specific variables (e.g., alumni association membership, gender, financial contributions, engagement in alumni activities, satisfaction with the undergraduate experience, and institutional connectivity post-graduation) were statistically significant in predicting membership within three distinct donor groups. After all data were collected and analyzed, recommendations were made to assist institutions in developing programs that are most likely to encourage active alumni participation and create a culture of giving amongst student bodies.Item Cultura Within : designing workshops and transitional objects that empower young Latina women to persevere in higher education(2016-08) Sibrian, Ana Angelica; Gorman, Carma; Catterall, Kate; Park, JiwonLatinos are one of the fastest-growing ethnic minority groups in the United States. Yet they have the lowest college graduation rate of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. This report documents self-reflective, participatory processes I used, based on my personal experience as a Latina in higher education, to design engaging workshops and transitional objects to support the Latina community at the University of Texas at Austin. I propose that workshops promoting awareness of structural barriers, coaching in self-reflective techniques, and the co-creation of totemic objects that serve as transitional objects and aides-mémoires can empower young Latina women to persevere in higher education. The workshops were designed to use group storytelling, self-reflection and sharing methods to educate and empower young Latinas to create an on-going sense of agency and build stronger communities within higher education.Item Defining the role and experiences of service-learning faculty : a qualitative study at The University of Texas at Austin(2014-05) Ortego Pritchett, Katie Elizabeth; Reddick, Richard, 1972-Over the past two decades researchers have analyzed motivating factors and institutional barriers that influenced a professor's initial decision to utilize a service-learning pedagogy. The majority of this research has been quantitative in nature, surveying faculty members' initial attitudes around service-learning. However, the extant literature fails to qualitatively examine the experiences of faculty members who successfully integrate service-learning, especially at a public research institution with civic-engaged mission. Because a public institution relies upon a critical mass of faculty members to support its civic engagement mission, this study focused on explaining the lived experience of exemplar professors in service-learning to understanding their motivations, barriers, and experiences. Faculty members are important to study because service-learning is a form of community engagement that cannot happen without sustainable efforts from professors. Moreover, students and communities cannot derive the benefits of service-learning, nor can civically minded institutions achieve their goal, if faculty members do not incorporate service-learning into their classrooms. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to understand the experiences of service-learning faculty members at a four-year public research institution where community engagement is a stated priority. Utilizing a recently developed faculty engagement model (Demb & Wade, 2012) as the guiding theoretical framework, this research study seeks to understand the lived experience of faculty members at The University of Texas at Austin by inquiring 1) how faculty members implement meaningful community engagement through their service-learning classes, 2) how service-learning may shape a faculty members' professional and personal identity at a research institution, and 3) how service-learning fits into faculty members' larger scholarship agenda.Item Developing and assessing a measure of interdisciplinary communication(2008-08) Trook, Michael William; Hughes, Patrick C.; Williams, David E.; Scholl, Juliann C.Although many studies have examined discipline structures in higher education, the creation of interdisciplinarity and communication at this level, there is a lack of research that examines the communication influences of interdisciplinary communication. These influences are drawn from Gudykunst and Kim’s (1997) intercultural communication organizational model for studying communication with strangers and are easily applied to interdisciplinary communication. This research seeks to identify how these influences factor together as influences of interdisciplinary communication. Additionally, the research focuses on the relationship between these influences and reports of satisfaction with interdisciplinary communication.Item Developing and testing a protocol for curricula feedback in higher education(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) Ergish, Gary A.The purpose of this investigation was to develop and test a curriculum evaluation protocol to determine its validity, comprehensiveness, and usefulness for evaluating higher education academic curricula. While having application in other higher education environments, the Curriculum-Evaluation Protocol was tested in the specific professional higher education environment of the United States Air Force's B-IB (strategic bomber) student academic curriculum. This study of the Curriculum-Evaluation Protocol included two independent groups composed of 183 adult students and curriculum development experts which were given an accompanying survey to determine the validity, comprehensiveness, and usefulness of the protocol. One group was composed of 129 students in seven separate student classes throughout one academic year. The students were requested to use the protocol in an academic setting prior to completing the survey, and 116 students returned completed surveys. The same survey instrument was given to a second group of 54 curriculum development experts, and 52 returned completed surveys. Statistical analysis of the 116 student and 52 curriculum development expert survey resuhs indicate that both populations rated the Curriculum-Evaluation Protocol, using a rating scale of 0 to 5, to be overall valid, overall comprehensive, and overall useful. Additionally, both populations rated the individual parts that comprise the protocol to also be valid.