Daily Archives: February 27, 2018

Madeline Capstick Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Madeline Capstick

for the degree of Doctor of Education

February 20, 2018 at 10:00 am  / 103 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Steven West, PhD

EXPLORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ACADEMIC COACHING FOR ACADEMICALLY AT-RISK COLLEGE STUDENTS

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Academic Coaching for Excellence (ACE) program for academically at-risk students over the course of five academic semesters from Spring 2015 to Spring 2017. The study utilized archival data from 1,400 undergraduate students using a cohort-based, nonequivalent groups post-tests design. The students were on “academic warning”, meaning they had fallen below a 2.00 GPA in the previous academic semester and were within their first 59 credit hours of college. Results from the study found that full- and part-time students who participated in academic coaching had significant GPA increases, were more likely to earn at least a 2.00 GPA in the intervention semester, completed 76-100% of course credit hours, and were more likely to be retained at the university the following semester if they had attended five or more coaching sessions. Significant findings draw attention to Federal Pell Grant recipients and full-time traditional age (under 25 years old) student’s academic success and persistence, as these students were found to have lower GPAs and complete fewer course credits compared to their non-Pell Grant and non-traditional full-time student (25 years or over) counterparts. The number of sessions that students attended was also significant for students’ academic performance and persistence in course completion. Implications are discussed for higher education staff and administration working with academically vulnerable populations and for the counseling community. Considerations for future research and limitations are also provided.

Jacque Bradford Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Jacque Bradford

for the degree of Doctor of Education

March 1, 2018 at 2:30 pm  / 320 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, EdD

EFFECT OF SIMULATED PATIENTS VERSUS PEER ROLE-PLAY ON PHYSICAL THERAPIST STUDENT CLINICAL REASONING AND CONFIDENCE

ABSTRACT: The use of simulated patients is a developing instructional strategy in physical therapy education (PTE) programs. However, it is unknown if using simulated patients during instruction yields better outcomes than the traditional use of peer role-play. This two-arm randomized, experimental design investigated the effect of type of simulation-based instruction, simulated patients compared to peer role-play, on clinical reasoning and confidence of students enrolled in an entry-level physical therapy education program learning patient transfer skills. Upon the conclusion of two instructional sessions, clinical reasoning was measured by the Think Aloud Standardized Patient Examination (TASPE) during a simulation experience. Student confidence in performing future acute care skills was measured by the Acute Care Confidence Survey (ACCS) following the simulation experience. Two independent-samples t-test demonstrated that there was not a statistically significant difference in the students’ TASPE scores or the ACCS scores based on the type of simulation-based instruction. This study provides evidence that peer role-play can be just as effective in improving physical therapist student clinical reasoning and confidence outcomes compared to using simulated patients when instructing patient transfer skills. Although the use of simulated patients may appear to promote deeper learning by portraying a more real scenario for practicing patient care skills, it is no more advantageous than peer-role-play in terms of physical therapist students’ clinical reasoning and confidence skills when learning patient transfer skills.

Meghan Pfeiffer Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Meghan Pfeiffer

for the degree of Doctor of Education

March 1, 2018 at 11:00 am  / 123 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Donna Menke, PhD

EXPLORATION OF THE EXPERIENCES OF SELF-IDENTIFIED LESBIAN DIVISION I STUDENT-ATHLETES IN THE UNITED STATES

ABSTRACT: In the world of Division I intercollegiate athletics, much remains to be understood about lesbian student-athletes’ experiences, educational practices, and conditions that promote their development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the academic and sport experiences of self-identified lesbian Division I student-athletes in the United States. In addition, the study aimed to understand how resources and strategies used by lesbian Division I student-athletes helped to establish or increase the level of comfortability and inclusivity within both environments. The research questions that guided this study were: 1) How do self-identified lesbian Division I student-athletes experience their higher education academic environment? 2) How do self-identified lesbian Division I student-athletes experience their sport environment? 3) How do resources and strategies used by self-identified lesbian Division I student-athletes help to establish or increase the level of comfortability and inclusivity within academic and sport environments? The underlying theoretical frameworks used in this study were interpretivism and phenomenology due to the study’s nature of understanding how participants experienced their academic and sport environments as lesbian Division I student-athletes. Data were gathered through semi-structured phenomenological interviews and document analysis then analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis in order to most accurately capture the essence of the participants’ academic and sport experiences. Three themes emerged from data analysis: 1) Self-Acceptance: Background of Support; 2) Visibility of the LGBTQ Community; and 3) Sense of Belonging. These themes encapsulated the full range of experiences in academic (i.e., interactions with faculty members, students, and experiences in the classroom and on campus) and sport (i.e., interactions with teammates, coaches, administrators, and experiences during team and athletic-related events) environments as well as resources and strategies used to establish or increase the level of comfortability and inclusivity within both environments. The experiences of the participants provided implications for practice so as to further establish and sustain environments of acceptance and respect so inclusion is the norm, not the exception. These recommendations for resource development continues the aim to make Division I intercollegiate athletics a growingly accepting and respectful place for lesbian student-athletes to thrive academically and athletically.

Michelle Bowen Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Michelle Bowen

for the degree of Doctor of Education

March 20, 2018 at 3:45 pm  / 405 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, EdD

EFFECT OF VIRTUAL REALITY ON MOTIVATION AND ACHIEVEMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACT: The introduction of low-cost hand-held devices has enabled K-12 teachers the opportunity to teach using virtual reality(VR); however, the efficacy of VR in K-12 classrooms for teaching and learning has not been established. Thus, the purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the influence of virtual reality field trips on middle school students’ social studies academic achievement and motivation. Participants included 74 seventh grade students at two middle schools, who participated in social studies instruction using either the traditional lecture method or a virtual reality system. The virtual reality system used in this study was the Google Expeditions Virtual Reality System using smartphone technology and iBlue viewfinders. Before and after instruction was provided, participants were assessed using the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) and teacher created assessments. The results of the two one-way ANCOVAs demonstrated that students who used virtual reality scored significantly higher than students participating in traditional instruction on both their academic achievement and motivation. These findings provide support for the use of virtual reality in middle school social study classrooms.