The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of community colleges creating pathways to degree completion in professional-technical programs by breaking degree programs into smaller portions, referred to as "chunks." The purpose or possible advantage of chunking was that it would improve the rate of degree completion among...
Community colleges are experiencing a decline in state allocated funding. Traditionally, college administrators look for ways to cut expenditures and raise tuition and fees to make up for the shortfall. Using available land resources to generate a revenue stream may provide revenue for community colleges.
The purpose of this study...
This research addressed the complexities of identity development in the lives of seven elementary and middle school preservice literacy teachers during their graduate teacher education program at a private western university using a poststructural feminism theoretical lens. This research investigated two questions: 1) How do preservice teachers develop their identity...
This autoethnography explores issues that impact educational leadership by examining individual reflections, perceptions, and responses developed through the lens of a principal of two elementary schools. The main data source involves journal entries collected over a period of one year. Theories of educational leadership styles and effective school practices form...
The community college, now over 100 years old, began with the singular mission of preparing students for transfer to the university. Throughout the 20th century, the community college has expanded its missions to serve increasingly complex and comprehensive community needs. Through a textual analysis of community engagement within seven seminal...
The purpose of this study was to understand how refrigeration, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (RHVAC) service technicians (techs) learned from troubleshooting. This understanding resulted in instructional and curricular strategies designed to help community colleges prepare vocational students to learn more effectively from informal workplace learning. RHVAC techs were studied...
Title: African-American Women Faculty Teaching at Institutions of Higher Learning in the Pacific Northwest: Challenges, Dilemas, and Sustainability
Institutions of higher learning in the Pacific Northwest have successfully recruited African-American faculty, yet these institutions have difficulty retaining African-American faculty for at least five years. African-American women faculty experience problems obtaining...
This phenomenological inquiry explored dimensions of reflection for older adults in a developmental oriented adventure education experience. Data were gathered from emergent interviews with four individuals while participating in a multi-day, self-contained experiential education program conducted in a rugged environment, and led by a Navajo leader. Two principle research questions...
Many White social scientists and educators are unaware of and/or
detached from the realities of racism and conduct social research that 1.)
perpetuates stereotypes, falsely setting People of Color as inferior and
White people as superior and/or 2.) explains the differences of White
people and People of Color in terms...
There is a wealth of research on issues surrounding teacher burnout and school reform. The literature on burnout, however, does not provide information on system-based burnout prevention models. Comprehensive reform, although intended to improve schools as a whole, does not look at reform models developed as sources of teacher support....
The purpose of this research project was to gain a deeper understanding of the
lived experience of faculty of color. More specifically, this project explores how
diversity-related workload expectations impact faculty of color who work in
predominantly white community colleges. Known by various descriptors, the term
used in this research...
This phenomenological inquiry explored the experiences of library leaders and discipline faculty members engaging in a collaborative instructional change initiative focused on a process-based learning pedagogy and led by an academic library. The investigation’s purpose was providing insight and understanding concerning the: (a) library’s role in instructional leadership; (b) experience...
Prior research has noted the changing demographics of higher education since the Civil Rights Movement and the expanded need for multicultural education. Armando Hernandez Morales (2003) wrote that, “A multiculturally competent person is aware of and knowledgeable about cultural differences, their own cultural identity, and the history and contemporary struggles...
The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experience of courage among community college leaders across the United States. The following questions guided the research: (1) What is the courageous experience like for a community college leader? (2) What is the process of courage development? (3) What are...
This research addresses the complexities of White racial identity development in the lives of five elementary and middle school preservice teachers during their graduate teacher education program at a private Christian Pacific Northwestern university. Using a poststructural framework, this research investigated three questions: 1) How do the aspects of subjectivation...
Bullying prevents its targets from enjoying a safe, stress-free living, learning, and working environment. For most children, bullying experiences will be merely unpleasant childhood memories. This remains the same in adult's working environment. During the past decade, the concept of workplace abuse has had an increasing resonance within western countries....
The two-fold purpose of this study was to identify critically important factors that affect the
meaningful assessment of student learning outcomes and study why they were critically
important. A three-round Delphi process was used in both a pilot project and in a full study to
solicit the opinions of individuals...
The focus of this research was to examine the relationship between the Oregon secondary agricultural education teachers’ level of computer-based technology integration, perceptions of barriers to computer-based technology integration, and learning style preferences. Additionally the correlational analysis of the level of computer-based technology integration and the following demographic variables was...
There are more than 6,900 known living languages in the world, half of which could be extinct within one hundred years. Approximately 150 indigenous American languages are still spoken in the United States; however, it is estimated that by the year 2050 only twenty of them will remain.
Language preservation...
Millions of children are exposed to various types of violence throughout their school years. American children, by the time they are 18 years old, have seen more than 100,000 acts of violence on television alone. The effect of exposure to violence becomes a part of a child's life experience and...
This research addressed the role of educational technology associations as change agents within education with particular emphasis on issues of advocacy and leadership. Using a poststructural feminist lens and the metaphor of interview and analysis as storytelling, it explored the perspectives of nineteen individuals belonging to a national level educational...
Community colleges in the United States have become an important educational destination for international students. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE, 2006), international students who enrolled for the first time at a U.S. campus increased by 8 per cent, from 131,946 students in 2004/2005 to 142,923 in 2005/2006....
This qualitative narrative inquiry study explored the experiences and perspectives of five Asian American females who have sought presidencies and/or vice presidencies in community colleges. All five of the participants are currently either a president or vice president in community colleges. This study found nine themes that capture the barriers...
The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between selected academic factors and the persistence of GED recipients in community colleges in the state of Oregon. With this purpose in mind, the study addressed the following research question: Is there a relationship between selected academic variables and...
The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of peer presence upon the health-related physical fitness test scores of college students. A total of 312 undergraduate college students, 156 males and 156 females, 18 through 29 years of age, randomly selected from the physical education activity...
In juvenile corrections education approximately 50% of the students are eligible for special education services. This dissertation examines Oregon's juvenile corrections educators' understanding of their role in the special education process. This process involves student referrals, evaluations, and eligibility determination for special education services, and the development of individualized education...
Instruction in a University Honors College was evaluated using Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID), a qualitative evaluation process. Fifty-one class sections were evaluated over a three-year period to determine what worked to help students learn, what did not work, and suggestions for improvement. Seven instructors used both SGID and an...
The purpose of this study was to provide understanding of Oregon Workforce Quality Council contributions to the development of a world-class workforce. Research goals were
to describe Council processes and outcomes, as well as barriers to the achievement of Council purposes. A case-study approach was selected for the research design....
The purpose of this study was to learn about the experiences of Generation 1.5 Hispanics in developmental English in community college. A qualitative comparative case study design was used for this social critical study. The key findings fell into three categories: road blocks, motivators, and actions. The road blocks included:...
This research sought to "get at" students' understandings of their own racial identity development. The limited degree with which participants have been heard and honored in research activities points to the need to inquire about their experiences first-hand, respect their stories, and consider their voices among, or in spite of,...
This study examined the relationships between business, education, and the economy, and specifically addressed the significant impact that business has had on education and educational policy. A large amount of research exists on the history of school reform and the development of educational policy, but none of the research examined...
The primary purpose of this study was to determine the work values of the emotionally disturbed adolescents and to compare these values with those indicated by adolescents
of the same age level from a regular public school. A secondary objective was to compare the work values of the age levels,...
This investigation into nursing education in Nevada was initiated to assess both the quality and frequency of performance of 52 nursing behaviors, arranged in six
groupings. Recent graduates were asked to evaluate how well they believed they were prepared to perform these behaviors
related to teaching, leadership, planning & evaluation,...
The purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore White, female teachers’ attitudes and perspectives towards their African American students, the Black/White Achievement Gap, and their teaching practice in regards to their students’ achievement, through the use of focus group discussions. The target group for this study was White, female...
This research study focused on the ways that reading poetry in print differs from viewing poetry in performance and the effect this had on comprehension and appreciation. Videotaped poetry readings provided students with opportunities to experience poetry in performance. Because very little had been researched in this area, a grounded...
With the rapid development of technology, online learning is increasing
significantly and becoming a popular method of education for many universities and
colleges around the world. Because of computers and the internet, most online
learning today is interactive, and sometimes more interactive than the traditional
classroom. Students can interact on...
This research examines two questions: 1) What stories do Christian teacher educators tell about their own White racial identity development? and 2) Is there an impact of studying White racial identity development on the praxis of Christian teacher educators? If so, in what ways? The researcher began the project with...
The purpose of this study is to explore through their own stories and journeys (storjourns), how lesbian leaders influence and transform dominant community college culture. Five lesbian leaders participated who held the position of Director, Associate Dean, Dean, Executive Vice President, and President/Executive Dean. This microethnographical inquiry divulges and makes...
The purpose of this study was to document a community college faculty development process through which the faculty learned to reconstruct their curriculum around significant learning outcomes and authentic assessment strategies. The following questions focused the inquiry: 1. What kind of organizational support systems were necessary for the faculty to...
The purpose of this study was to analyze four
contemporary approaches to moral education from the sociological perspective of Durkheim. These four approaches were inculcation, values clarification, the moral discussion approach, and the just community approach. In this study Durkheim's theory of morality and moral education were identified, and the...
The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore PRC Chinese graduate student perceptions of their education-related choices at a U.S. university, and to assess the values and considerations underlying these choices. The objectives of the study were to: (a) explore and discover how
students perceived and described education in...
This research addresses how instructors move from surface levels of diversity
understanding to deep levels. The focus was higher education instructors who taught in a
general education program, primarily teaching freshman students. The case location is at
a public institution on the West coast. Using the literature on diversity and...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of participation in physical fitness programs on the self-perceived level of job performance of Oregon public
university employees. A volunteer sample of 344 fulltime public university employees responded to the specifically designed questionnaire. Job performance was measured by job satisfaction,...
The successful educator must be cognizant of and accommodate individual learner needs. The mediation of learning between the educator and learner is at the very root of
successful teaching and learning. Recognizing and acknowledging that educators have preferred methods of operation (teaching style preferences) and students have preferred methods of...
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between student-teacher ratios (STR) and caseload sizes and feelings of success and satisfaction and three factors
of burnout as reported by Oregon teachers of students with mild disabilities. The target population of this study (N = 1347) were teachers of...
This study examines educator perceptions related to what has been termed New-Union labor reforms. The study provides a review of literature related to teacher Unionization and details a mixed methods analysis of educator beliefs related to three specific labor reforms: (a) alternative salary structures, (b) collaborative, or interest based bargaining...
Ashlock (1975) identified career education descriptive
factors as related to eight content areas of the Theory and
Practicum II program at Oregon State University. Based on
this research and the research literature, a Career Education
Competency-Based Instructional Model was devised. By
modifying the curriculum, this career education conceptual
model for...
The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the effect of teacher training on the nature and context of movement instruction in Oregon elementary schools. While there are numerous instructional guides and many anecdotal descriptions of classroom movement highlighting the work of movement arts specialists, to the best of our...
The purpose of the study was to determine if the delivery of an integrated
agriculture and science curriculum to the Agricultural Education MAT (Master of Arts
in Teaching) students, increased their desire and ability to integrate their curriculum and
collaborate with other teachers once they started teaching, and to identify...
Stress associated with gaining admission to first-choice colleges has increased
dramatically during the past decade in Taiwan (Republic of China) and has become a process
charged with anxiety. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of college
entrance exams upon student well-being, based upon the assumption that...