Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Educational Studies

This mixed model study used student surveys (N = 153) and interviews (N = 16) from undergraduate students enrolled in 10 sections of a Student Success Course at a large Midwestern research institution to investigate relationships between students' perceptions of instructor messages about student success and their sense of belonging in college and a particular classroom. Using an equal status sequential mixed model design guided by the pragmatist research paradigm, this study provides a number of findings that add to the literature on how institutional experiences influence college students' sense of belonging. First, findings from the current study indicate that instructor expectancy messages about student success are positively related to students' sense of belonging at both the University- and classroom-level. Second, the meaning that each student makes of instructor messages deferentially contributes to their sense of belonging. Third, students' race/ethnicity does not play a substantial role in either of these relationships. In addition to findings, implications for practice, research, and theory are explored.

Committee: Christopher Wolters Ph.D. (Advisor); Susan Jones Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tatiana Suspitsyna Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2012, English

This dissertation consists of four chapters and four interchapters, each of which addresses a different area of discourse practice in higher education. I study sites of discourse practices surrounding community colleges, sites influenced by today's social and economic climate. The first site I analyze is the advertising rhetoric of higher education. Focusing on how the use of the terms “success” and “guarantee” create cultural narratives for students, I question the ethics of advertising and suggest that rhetorical analysis can aid students in uncovering their agency in these overarching schema. The second site of discourse practice analyzed in this project is that of the national survey instruments employed by the Community College Student Survey of Engagement (CCSSE). By analyzing the language and assumptions used in the questions posed to students in this instrument, it becomes clear that CCSSE constructs questions about smaller communicative and managerial practices while largely ignoring opportunities to address the work of the democratic mission of open access colleges. The third area of analysis is that of venture philanthropy. In this site of discourse practice, I consider the work of the Gates Foundation's Completion by Design (CbD) Initiative. Relying on de-contextualized testing and assessment of students and teachers, CbD seeks to further the completion agenda through developing “pathways” for students that work as fast lanes to a credential with “labor market value.” How can writing teachers equip students to navigate this discourse and become savvy? Throughout this project, I consider how key terms such as The American Dream, “success,” “guarantee,” “pathway,” and “gateway” have been legitimized in the rhetoric of national discourse and in these three areas of public discourse practice. I also trace their occurrence within the sphere of higher education to connect the two spheres. They are terms that have been legitimized through recurring discourse p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Katharine Ronald (Committee Chair); Cindy Lewiecki-Wilson (Committee Member); John Tassoni (Committee Member); Kate Rousmaniere (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2019, Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology

This study examined the effects of academic motivation on the use of academic support interventions by college students. Many higher education institutions offer academic support interventions, specifically peer-led learning assistance support programs such as tutoring appointments and Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions, with a goal of improving student outcomes including retention and graduation rates. However, most college students do not access the available interventions. The low participation in academic support interventions indicates that there may be a problem with the design of the interventions. Applying instructional design principles to the problem is an effective method to address the problem of low student participation. An important first step in the instructional design process is to determine the learner characteristics of students who do and do not use the academic support interventions. The Academic Motivation Survey for college students, AMS-C 28, survey instrument with 28 items was used to collect data from 400 undergraduate students at a mid-sized Midwestern public university. A MANOVA analysis revealed that there are differences in academic motivation between students who do and do not use academic support interventions. There are also differences between students who use the interventions frequently and those who do not. Additionally, female students have different academic motivation characteristics than male students. Furthermore, there are academic motivation differences between students with high and low self-reported grade point averages. Lastly, the study indicated that there is an opportunity to revise the design and messaging about the academic support interventions to be more relevant to specific student population groups with the goal of increasing student rates of usage.

Committee: Berhane Teclehaimanot PhD (Committee Chair); Judy Lambert PhD (Committee Member); Gregory Stone PhD (Committee Member); Tony Sanchez PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Technology; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Higher Education

An Abstract of The Impact of Performance-Based Funding Models among Ohio`s Universities by David E. Chatfield Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education The University of Toledo December 2016 This research utilized a two-part, mixed-methods approach to analyze the impact of the Performance Based Funding: PBF funding model at Ohio`s thirteen bachelor's-degree-granting public universities. The State of Ohio added four student success measures to the university funding formula, referred to as State Share of Instruction (SSI), beginning in 2010. This research study examined changes in the student success outcomes measures at all bachelor's-degree-granting universities during a six-year period, beginning in 2009, to assess performance changes statewide. Interviews were conducted with university provosts to assess their perception of the impact the PBF model has had at their respective universities. The findings indicated that university performance, as measured by student outcomes, has improved in response to the PBF model. Further, universities have implemented operational changes designed to improve student success outcomes, including monitoring student progress and increasing student advising. The findings also revealed a pattern of (a) universities increasing their admission standards as a way to improve student outcomes and (b) declines in SSI funding during the six-year period between 2009 and 2014.

Committee: David Meabon (Committee Chair); Sonny Ariss (Committee Member); Clint Longenecker (Committee Member); Ron Opp (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Finance; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; School Administration; School Finance

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2015, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

This study was conducted to investigate the impact of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on college students' on-task behavior, and reading comprehension levels who were diagnosed with ADHD in a second language classroom. In addition, a control group of college students without ADHD enrolled in the same second language class were also studied. The purpose of the control group was to determine whether or not students with ADHD achieved the same level of on-task behavior and reading comprehension as students without ADHD through the use of computer-assisted instruction. Moreover, this study investigated participants' perceptions of using CAI to aid in second language learning. The results showed a significant impact of computer assisted instruction as a reading intervention on students' on-task behavior as well as reading comprehension. Furthermore, interviews with participants revealed positive perceptions regarding the use of technology for college students with ADHD in a second language classroom.

Committee: Dianne Gut Ph.D (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Language; Special Education; Teacher Education

Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Curriculum and Teaching

The educational community has long since recognized that there is preparation gap between high school and college-level writing. Current literature revealed six primary categories of concern: quantity of writing, use of formulaic writing strategies, development of cognitive skills, audience and purpose for writing/writing as communication, student qualities, and genre/cross-discipline features of writing. In light of these gaps, deliberate attention must be directed towards examining instructional strategies that might be effective in preparing students to meet the demands of college-level writing. Therefore, the focus of this research was to examine the effectiveness of current instructional strategies and their ability to address the preparation gap between high school and college-level writing. Three high school English Language Arts teachers participated in this study, which sought to explore the following research questions: 1) What instructional strategies are high school teachers using to teach college-preparatory writing? and 2) Are the instructional strategies used by high school teachers effective in addressing the main areas of the preparation gap between high school and college-level writers? A series of three interviews were conducted with three teacher participants, and classroom observations were conducted over the course of two months; additionally, artifacts such as curricular materials and student work samples were collected. The six categories of the preparation gap were used as a framework to analyze data from teacher interviews, observations, and artifact collection. Five themes emerged which directly relate to the effectiveness of classroom teachers’ instructional strategies in addressing the preparation gap: philosophy and purpose of high school writing instruction, instructional transparency, community, students’ identities as writers, and cross-discipline collaboration. Results from this study suggested that when (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Timothy Murnen (Advisor); Tracy Huziak-Clark (Committee Member); Cheryl Hoy (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Education; Language Arts; Literacy; Teacher Education

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2002, Education : Curriculum and Instruction

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the influence of interaction on active learning, learning outcomes, and community bonding in an online technology course. Participants in the study were 65 students and four instructors of undergraduate computer courses at a two-year suburban branch campus of a large urban, midwestern university. The courses met three times for an orientation and two testing sessions. Online interaction occurred via email and the virtual classroom (chats) and discussion boards of an online instructional software called Blackboard®. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from face-to-face class observations, synchronous chat observations and transcripts, learner-to-instructor emails, instructor-to-learner emails, discussion board messages posted by the participants, semi-structured interviews, semi-structured focus groups, and course documents. Many participants were technology majors. The online instructors required a demonstration of online technology knowledge by the end of the first week of the course. Therefore, this research offered a unique opportunity to focus on the active learning, learning outcomes, and community bonding without the online technology barriers faced by many online students. The results suggested that the synchronous virtual classroom chats had the most influence on active learning, learning outcomes, and community bonding in these online technology courses. Furthermore, the virtual classroom student participation positively correlated with test grades in three of the four online classes with one class exhibiting statistical significance.

Committee: Dr. Kenneth Martin (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Educational Theory and Practice

This study focused on the perceptions of college students and their English teachers regarding the new communication-based English curriculum and instruction in a specific university-level English program in South Korea. The study also explored the needs for future college EFL curriculum design and instructional development in the general South Korean context. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate the development of communication-based English language instruction in a Korean university context by (a) evaluating/critiquing a specific college English program at Pusan National University (PNU), (b) describing and exploring perceptions regarding English instruction at the collegiate level in Korea among Korean college students and their teachers in the EFL program, and (c) identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the college EFL curriculum of the university with respect to how closely it aligns with student and teacher perceptions of needs related to English. The study employed a quantitative survey method complemented by qualitative interviews to examine what is taking place at PNU, as a representative sample of the changing English landscape in Korea, and perceptions of the new curriculum. The survey data were analyzed by SPSS, thus producing descriptive statistics with a series of t-tests and one-way ANOVAs, followed by Tukey's HSD test. The information from the interviews was categorized and analyzed according to emerging themes or categories. The results revealed that, overall, while students generally seemed to have somewhat negative opinions, teachers seemed to have somewhat positive opinions about the effectiveness/quality of the new curriculum. Plausible explanations for this discrepancy are examined in the final chapter. Also, the analyses of the results revealed the possibility that the current communication-based EFL curriculum may be not aligned well with the students' desires, due to several weaknesses of the curriculum itself and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Keiko Samimy (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2005, English (Arts and Sciences)

This qualitative, participant-observation study examines the political dynamics that affect the preparation of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) by writing program administrators (WPAs) at a mid-sized public research institution, “Ridge University.” As my primary source of data, I recorded, observed, and participated in a teaching assistant preparation (TAP) seminar that prepared new teachers to teach college composition and that met twice weekly during the fall term of 2000. I also rely on data gathered in participant interviews and during GTA orientation, department meetings, graduate program colloquia, and public functions throughout the twelve-week data collection phase of this study. Building most centrally on the scholarship of James Berlin, Bruce Horner, Margaret Himley, and Laura Micciche, I represent the experiences of graduate teaching assistants and writing program administrators and analyze their material, local, political, and emotional contexts. Examining formative events that took place in the teaching assistant preparation seminar I studied, I not only interpret the different ways GTAs and WPAs responded to political approaches to writing instruction, I explore how GTAs' and WPAs' respective institutional political locations affected their work. Through an investigation of research data and pertinent scholarship, I argue that GTAs' lack of institutional authority, teaching experience, and familiarity with political discourse negatively influenced their perceptions about their work. I also demonstrate the ways WPAs inhabited a split subjectivity, one that positioned them to be both disciplinary-activists and manager-disciplinarians and, as a result, caused tensions in their work. In order to combat the disaffection associated with teaching assistant preparation, I suggest that preparation initiatives proactively surface the pressures that erupt in work surrounding the teaching of writing by historicizing relationships among cultural, institutional (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sherrie Gradin (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2010, English

The primary purpose of this thesis is to explore the effectiveness of first-year composition courses for business students. In order to assess whether first-year composition courses address the skills students need for success in academia and as business majors, two business faculty members at each of three universities in the South are interviewed, comparing their desired skills for college students with the skills actually taught at the same universities through interviews conducted with two First-Year English Composition Faculty at each school. This is a complex area of study for English and Business Faculty, and while many faculty interviewed agreed on the importance of some current FYC objectives, including coherent and clear writing, the study identifies other objectives that must be included and/or reprioritized in future composition syllabi for business students. This paper identifies grammar and Internet citation skills as requiring more emphasis among a plethora of perceptions about writing held by those interviewed.

Committee: Bryan Bardine PhD (Advisor); Betty Youngkin PhD (Committee Member); Andrew Slade PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Composition

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2006, English/Rhetoric and Writing

This dissertation discusses composition history treatments and the scant amount of scholarly research devoted solely to composition textbooks, though scholars such as Robin Varnum and Stephen North argue that studying textbooks cannot divulge much about the history of composition instruction. However, in “Handbooks” History of a Genre” and “Handbook Bibliography,” Robert Connors sets in motion detailed historical studies of composition textbooks. Composition textbooks can provide insight into how publishers think instructors should teach students or how colleges want instructors to teach students—merely how students should learn to write, what students should learn about writing. Most importantly, this dissertation explores structural changes of handbooks by: first, in Chapter Three, defining the composition handbook genre as one comprised of textbooks that help instructors mark essays and help students correct essays; Second, in Chapter Four, tracing the development of purely American composition textbooks from the 1800s to 2005, namely by describing how John C. Hodges's Harbrace College Handbook has evolved since it's first printing in 1941; and third, comparing features in the most recent editions of Harbrace to features in current textbooks: The St. Martin's Handbook and Penguin Handbook. Though the composition handbook genre has markedly changed during the last century, I conclude Chapter Four by arguing that the guiding theory behind composition handbooks has not changed. New handbook chapters dedicated to writing with computers or composing in a digital age merely come with corresponding correction codes. Though Connors argues in 1983 that composition handbooks have not changed although composition theory has, my exploration of handbooks shows that handbooks have remained largely similar to Woolley's Handbook, first published in 1907. Handbooks have since then and still exist as tools to assist grading (instructor) and correcting (student) compositions. Becau (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kris Blair (Advisor) Subjects: Language, Rhetoric and Composition

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2012, Higher Education

The academy has long acknowledged teaching, service, and research as the threefold work of its members. Those members in community colleges primarily engage in teaching, as opposed to research and service, but historical trends show an increase in the percent of courses taught by contingent instructors as opposed to full-time faculty members. This trend, when considered with the fact that almost half of the students now pursuing postsecondary educational opportunities do so in community colleges, provides a rich landscape for investigation. This dissertation examines, through description correlation methods, the existence of relationships between characteristics of community college contingent faculty and the planning, preparation, class environment, instruction, and professional development activities used by contingent faculty in community colleges, specifically those instructors in the Arts and Sciences or general education divisions. Those varied teaching activities are the components of Danielson's Framework for Teaching, a model developed to address wide-ranging aspects of instruction. That model serves as the conceptual framework for this study, which included participants from across the nation who work in community colleges differentiated by size and the populations they serve. The analysis of the results of this correlational study leads to recommendations for more effective instructional practices in contingent faculty and improved integration of this group into the academic life of community colleges.

Committee: David Meabon Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Mary Ellen Edwards Ph.D. (Committee Member); Larry McDougle Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bin Ning Ph.D. (Committee Member); Renay Scott Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Community College Education; Community Colleges; Education; Pedagogy; Teaching