This study explored the experience of transitioning from common education to higher education for a group of Cheyenne and Arapaho students. Additional features of resilience were examined as well, which included their persistence in pursuit of a baccalaureate degree. A phenomenological approach was used in order to explore the lived experiences of…

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of using simulation and didactic instruction on critical thinking and clinical judgment with student nurses enrolled in a fall semester medical-surgical class. Specifically, it was of interest to compare the performance of these fall semester nursing students with the performance of nursing…

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the impact of shared leadership committees on school improvement efforts. The research identified which leadership factors lead to successful shared leadership committees and which supports and structures were needed for the committees to be meaningful in regards to school improvement. Certified…

Augmentation procedures are designed to provide better estimates for a given test or subtest through the use of collateral information. The main purpose of this dissertation was to use Haberman's and Wainer's augmentation procedures on a large-scale, standardized achievement test to understand the relationship between reliability and…

The purpose of this study was to explore the development of students' understanding through writing while immersed in an environment where there was a strong emphasis on a language-based argument inquiry approach. Additionally, this study explored students' spoken discourse to gain a better understanding of what role(s) talking plays in…

Across the spectrum of educational choices, from preschool to college, parents find themselves in a position of making the appropriate school choice for their children. The implications for those choices can be far reaching, not only for the children, but also for the family itself. How do parents select a particular school for their children?…

A continued and ongoing call for improvement and change in mathematics teaching and learning suggests a need for re-visioning the ways in which mathematics teachers are educated. Suggestions include incorporating reform teaching in university courses that integrate mathematics content with pedagogy and perturbate mathematical beliefs. The context…

Since the creation of the Internet in 1991 (Casey, 2008), the use of online tools to deliver academic higher education has continued to grow exponentially (Allen & Seaman, 2010b). The existing base of literature is replete with studies of online education modalities, outcomes and faculty concerns. However, little of this research has focused…

This research study was conducted as an autoethnographic study of me and supplemented with three African-American female administrators' perspectives and experiences as school administrators. The narrative process was used to tell all of our stories. The narrative process enabled me to tell my story and how my story relates to the stories of…

Change in schools is ever present. This study looks at change in regard to the implementation of Response to Intervention. Response to Intervention is being implemented in schools around the country. With this implementation come many changes to a school--in the administration, the faculty, and the students. Very little research exists concerning…

Debriefing has been identified as an essential element of experiential learning in high-fidelity human patient simulation (HPS); however, identification of best practices in conducting debriefing sessions is lacking in the literature (Dreifuerst, 2009, 2012; Issenberg & Scalese, 2008; Jeffries, 2005). Nonetheless, it has been proposed that…

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived problems that precipitated principal leadership change at the end of the 2008-2009 school year at an upper Midwest middle school and to describe the effects from the perspective of system participants. Using a case study approach, the research focused on the perceived effects of principal…

African Americans have made great advancements in postsecondary education. Over the last thirty years, enrollment and degree attainment has increased over 65% at undergraduate and graduate degree levels (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008). Yet despite these gains, African Americans continue to severely trail behind other racial and…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore female faculty members' experiences with maternity leave, while working as a career academic in higher education. Participants consisted of women currently employed in an upper Midwest state at six four-year institutions. An online survey was completed by 121 women, and 30 of these women…

This phenomenological study sought to investigate, understand, and make meaning of the perceived advising experiences among nine adult learners. Participants were students pursuing their Master's degrees in a department of education at one public university in the upper Midwest. This research explored and described the advising experiences…