This narrative qualitative study focused on the experiences of four women pursuing undergraduate engineering degrees and how the experiences affect their self-efficacy and in turn persistence in the degree. The use of narrative methodologies allowed the addition of the voice of the women engineering students to the study providing a more robust…

This dissertation examined natural selection in westslope cutthroat trout ("Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi") and undergraduate learning in the subject area natural selection. Translocation--moving individuals to a new habitat to establish, re-establish or supplement a population--is a crucial management strategy for cutthroat trout. One of…

In this study, I argue that those in the field of composition need to reclaim the important work of graduate student writing teachers and the introductory courses they teach. By conducting this feminist poststructural case study, I sought to add to current conversations about teacher knowledge and professional learning by affording graduate…

Increasing demands for accountability from both the public and the government have resulted in increasing pressure for higher education professionals to use data to support their choices. There is significant speculation that professionals at all levels of education lack the knowledge to implement data-driven decision making. However, empirical…

In its quest for boosting Hong Kong's world-class standing in higher education, the Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau implemented the 3+3+4 reform, which represents a major overhaul of higher education curriculum; the addition of one year of studies to create a four-year undergraduate degree track is set to replace its three-year track in…

Music teachers occupy a conflicted and contested position in many secondary schools, and music teacher education programs have been given the task of preparing students to enter this challenging environment. This qualitative dissertation study examined the explicit, implicit, and null curricula of music teacher preparation programs in…

High school graduates continue to enter post-secondary education lacking in basic mathematical skills and thus not academically prepared to enroll in college-level mathematics courses (ACT, 2010). Although it can be argued that those mathematical concepts should have been mastered in grades K-12, educating those students in basic skills…

The processes of European integration and the forming of the European Union begun at the end of World War II did not include education as part of that agenda. As revealed in a review of the literature, education came into the process through indirect means. The processes of European integration and the forming of the European Union have fostered…

Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States and the second fastest growing group in the in post-secondary education. However, at most major universities Hispanic students are less likely to stay enrolled and less likely to graduate than any other racial group. It is vital for Hispanics to earn a college degree, as earning…

The purpose of this study was to construct an instructional systems design model for chemistry teaching laboratories at the undergraduate level to accurately depict the current practices of design experts. This required identifying the variables considered during design, prioritizing and ordering these variables, and constructing a model. Experts…

Reflective practice is an essential component in helping pre-service teachers to learn from their experiences and grow as teachers. The purpose of the study was to identify both the levels of reflection and the themes that emanate from the reflective practices of pre-service health education teachers as they reviewed lessons that they taught in…

This is a qualitative study that used a sample of nine teachers and two professors of education from six different counties in the Coastal and Piedmont regions of North Carolina to examine whether teachers were trained in their undergraduate education, or through professional development, to use formative assessment techniques in their classrooms.…

Through an ethnographic approach, the perceptions of female college presidents from the northeastern region of the United States regarding leadership styles and the characteristics to become and remain the chief executive officer of a college were investigated. Six presidents from various types of four-year colleges were interviewed. Themes,…

This dissertation consists of three studies on the development of information technology (IT) industry in Korea and Taiwan. Using industry-level data from those countries, I would like to investigate why similar economies would take different paths toward developing their industries. The first chapter, "Span of Control and Production…

A medium-sized accredited public university located in southeastern Minnesota has been offering an introductory undergraduate mathematics course with a consistent curriculum in two instructional formats: face-to-face and blended. Previously the course was offered only through a face-to-face instructional format while currently, it is only offered…