EL Theses and Dissertations
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Grant, Natalie S. (Wichita State University, July , 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided over a billion dollars to state workforce investment systems for creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth and every state was responsible for developing structured programs to connect youth to employers who would not only provide income for the youth, but also aid in their occupational skill development (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 2009). The Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas (WASCK) developed the Area IV Kansas Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEP), under the direction Congress and the Kansas Department of Commerce, and over two summers created over seven hundred job opportunities for disadvantaged youth. This study, through ecological qualitative methods, gathered the perspectives of ten adolescents, 18 or older, who participated in the 2010 federally funded SYEP, through the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas. These personal stories using the framework of Ecological Systems Theory and the lens of Social Capital, supported the premises that (a) learning the ecosystems of individuals can provide insights into their daily lives, their history, and their lived experiences in a way that provides a window into how services and prevention efforts can be targeted toward them; (b) people make a difference in the lives of others and supportive institutional agents can have a profound effect on one‘s ability to gain social capital and work toward goal setting and attainment; and (c) programs, such as the SYEP, make a difference in the lives of youth and help them make connections to positive institutional agents, learn workplace dynamics and dialogue, and provide them with a entrance into areas of the workforce that have historically been preserved for the higher level working class and middle class. Description: Thesis (Ed.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Education Leadership URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10057/5056 Files in this item: 1
d11018_Grant.pdf (3.863Mb) -
Burkhalter, Kimberly D. Johnson (Wichita State University, July , 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: Across the United States students of color make up approximately 69% of the urban school population. More than 85% of the classroom teachers are White and predominantly females and 40% of the urban schools do not have teachers of color in their classrooms. Educational systems often struggle in their efforts to support the needs of racially and culturally diverse students; students‟ educational success is usually not regarded as a function of students‟ culture. The study comprises a narrative inquiry, captured in the stories of five White teachers, and analyzed through the lenses of critical social theory, critical pedagogy and socio-cultural theory. Teachers shared their stories regarding their awareness of racial and cultural differences and the effects these differences have on teaching practices and engaging students of color in learning. They articulated how their personal and professional life experiences may have changed their understanding of racial and cultural differences as well as challenged them to change their teaching practices in order to provide culturally relevant instruction and elicit engaged interactions from their students of color. Description: Thesis (Ed.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10057/5055 Files in this item: 1
d11017_Burkhalter.pdf (882.9Kb) -
Watkins, Mark Charles Henry (Wichita State University, May , 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: The selection of a community college president is a responsibility for the governing Board of Trustees. This qualitative study sought board members‟ understanding about (1) their institution‟s identity utilizing the organizational identity theory and (2) the critical elements of the match between their understanding of the community college and the desired characteristics of the selected presidential candidate. Mission statements, vision statements, and presidential position descriptions which described responsibilities and qualifications were collected from both rural and urban community colleges across the nation and were analyzed and compared with board members‟ interview data. Board members suggested that communication skills and the ability to develop relationships were vital to the president for effective leadership in collaborative efforts with businesses and the community. These efforts would support the community colleges‟ core attribute of student access to a post-secondary education in preparation for the workforce or baccalaureate degree. Both urban and rural participants understood the community colleges‟ role in the community as a conduit for economic development by establishing partnerships with local businesses. Data also reflected the utilization of community colleges for self-preservation of rural communities or culture and tradition. Description: Dissertation (Ed.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10057/3938 Files in this item: 1
d11015_Watkins.pdf (1.988Mb) -
Rathbun, Shelia E. (Wichita State University, May , 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: This qualitative study involved high school students in focus groups and individual interviews who shared their perceptions of a random drug testing policy and its implementation in the fall of 2007 at their suburban high school. Student voices were captured and shared, as well as data shared regarding student responses on The Communities That Care Survey which is given yearly to all sophomores and seniors. There were strong perceptions from students regarding the implementation of random drug testing and students shared these perceptions openly and often strongly. However, students were not well-informed as to why the policy had been implemented nor about the random drug testing procedures and consequences to testing positive. Students voices were heard, but until policy makers and decision makers in schools begin working alongside students to teach students how to have a voice, students voices may remain ignored. Students were able to a coherent and effective critique regarding some of the issues; however, students lacked a clear understanding of the policy. The study used micropolitics and student voice as its theoretical framework. The study also researched random drug testing policies and practices in schools. The study also has valuable recommendations and implications for policy makers who are contemplating instituting any new policies that affects those at the bottom of the hierarchy in schools, the students. Description: Dissertation (Ed.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10057/3936 Files in this item: 1
d11013_Rathbun.pdf (768.7Kb) -
Marx, Gina R. (Wichita State University, May , 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to understand what language and strategies instructors and students perceived as conveying caring in online graduate education. Using Nodding’s (1984, 1988, 1995, 2001, 2002) care theory, questions were crafted for structured interviews and a survey. The study was conducted at a Midwestern, midsized university. Structured online interviews were conducted with the instructors, and an online survey was offered to students in the eight participating graduate instructors’ courses with 46/222 students responding. The researcher conducted a quantitative and qualitative analysis of all data, including a document review of the instructors’ course delivery shells, investigating language usage in Announcements, Discussion Boards, and Assignment Feedback in the Gradebook for triangulation of the data. The findings supported the three major constructs of Noddings’ care theory. The first construct was mental attentiveness in which students indicated the importance of the immediacy of feedback. The second construct was affective engagement, in which students expressed that feedback include specific comments and praise with caring language and concern for the students’ personal situations. The third construct was reciprocity, which students conveyed the importance of student-instructor interaction in the discussion board and also of video conferencing in order to promote reciprocal interaction. The findings of this study may lead to actions by instructors that could convey more caring and increase student engagement, satisfaction, and achievement, thereby assisting colleges and universities in their retention efforts. Most importantly, the findings may add to the existing literature of what a caring graduate instructor-student relationship encompasses in online education. Description: Dissertation (Ed.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10057/3932 Files in this item: 1
d11009_ Marx.pdf (467.0Kb)
