Education Doctoral Work

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Academic Success and Retention: Assessing Variables that Make a Difference in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program
(North Dakota State University, 2018) Kopp, Wendy
Attrition rates for both traditional and nontraditional students in nursing programs across the U.S. are of concern in light of the current and projected shortage of nurses. The lack of success advancing through the nursing curriculum affects the nursing student, the nursing program, and the healthcare of the community. As a result, nursing programs have been encouraged to make student success programs a priority; however, there has been a paucity of research that has examined the effect these programs have on student success. Framed by Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a study skills seminar on self-efficacy and academic performance in BSN students, with an emphasis on nontraditional students. A true experimental pre-test post-test control group design determined if there was a statistical relationship between a study skills seminar and students’ perceived academic self-efficacy, and performance on multiple-choice exams in their nursing courses. Data consisted of results from pre- and post-intervention administrations of a researcher designed self-appraisal tool, demographic information, and exam performance. Data was reviewed using descriptive statistics and factorial between subjects analysis of variance’s (ANOVA’s). Significant self-efficacy gain scores (p = .039) were noted for the treatment group compared to the control group. Results also revealed a lower mean gain (non-significant) in total self-efficacy for nontraditional students compared to traditional students. There was no significant relationship between academic performance as measured by mean exam scores for the treatment group compared to the control group, nor was there a significant relationship for the nontraditional student on mean exam scores. An exploratory research section revealed that as class or educational level in the program increased, both self-efficacy gain and mean exam scores decreased. This study was a step in the right direction as it confirmed the positive effect a study skills seminar had on academic self-efficacy as well as its potential to influence academic success. Further research related to the effects a study skills seminar and test taking strategies has on academic self-efficacy and academic performance is warranted.
Achieving Inclusive Excellence: The Role of Change Agents and Institutional Artifacts in Diversifying Institutions
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Gravley-Stack, Kara Elizabeth
The research presented within this disquisition is focused on the work of institutional leaders to address historical inequalities in education by creating transformational culture change towards learning environments that support Inclusive Excellence. Organized as a three-article disquisition, the first article offers a comprehensive integrative review of educational research related to problems of access, achievement, and campus climate for diverse students. This article concludes with significant recommendations for practice and further research to guide continued efforts to embrace Inclusive Excellence. The second article utilizes the Q-Method research technique to investigate the subjective perspectives and experiences of Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) who serve as senior-level administrators focused on efforts to create institutional policies and practices that support Inclusive Excellence for students, faculty, and staff in the academy. The article concludes with several recommendations for practice and further research into efforts to support and advance the role of the CDO in postsecondary settings. The third article presents a qualitative content analysis of institutional websites to assess for evidence of Inclusive Excellence presented within the organizational rhetoric and artifacts presented on these websites. The analysis reveals recommendations for further study in this area, as well as recommendations for practice to guide efforts of institutional leaders to better articulate institutional commitment to Inclusive Excellence within the information presented on these websites.
Administrative Evaluation of Online Faculty in Community Colleges
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Darling, Douglas Duane
Policy and procedure haven’t kept up with institutional practices at community colleges. With over 5.5 million college students taking online courses, 29% of college students are taking an online course. As student numbers taking online courses have increased, so have the number of faculty teaching online. The purpose of this study is to determine if and how community college, online, faculty are administratively evaluated. The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) of the members of the American Association of Community Colleges were surveyed to determine the factors considered relevant for online, asynchronous, administrative evaluation of faculty that are currently being used by community colleges and to determine the methods by which community college, online faculty are administratively evaluated. The literature review did not identify any research directly related to the administrative evaluation of community college, online faculty. A very limited amount of research on administrative evaluation of faculty was identified, but nearly all were over a decade old. The survey results indicate that a majority of community colleges do not specifically address evaluation of online faculty in policy. The results identify the criteria and methods used to evaluate online faculty and their rated importance. The most common criteria included in the evaluations were identified and their importance ranked by CAO’s. The data was analyzed by institutional size based on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) categories and contrasted and compared with the other institutional size categories. A proposed model/method for developing a comprehensive faculty evaluation system based the survey results and best practices from the literature review is presented along with recommendations for further research.
Applying the Social Ecological Model to Perceptions of Student Learning Assessment among Student Affairs Practitioners: A Q Methodological Study
(North Dakota State University, 2017) Beseler Thompson, Erika Lynne
The purpose of this study was to explore the range of perceptions of student affairs practitioners regarding student affairs assessment practice. This was accomplished by integrating various individual and environmental factors into a comprehensive framework that encompasses the multiple levels of the social ecological model (McLeroy, Steckler, Bibeau, & Glanz, 1988). Further, the study was intended to investigate whether background characteristics, such as education level, position and area in student affairs, or the assumptions individuals hold about the role of student affairs, are associated with differing viewpoints. This investigation was expected to help bridge the critical disconnection between the espoused value of assessment in student affairs and the actual integration of assessment into practice. This study employed the methods and techniques of Q methodology to illustrate the subjective viewpoints of 44 student affairs practitioners regarding assessment of student learning in student affairs. Participants from various functional areas, position levels, and institution types shared their views regarding assessment in student affairs by rank ordering assessment-related statements into a forced distribution ranging from “most like my beliefs” to “most unlike my beliefs,” according to their beliefs about those statements. Participant sorting data was subjected to factor analysis using a combination of principal components analysis extraction with varimax rotation, resulting in identification of a three-factor solution. Additional qualitative data was collected via post-sort questions and follow-up interviews to assist with interpretation of three participant viewpoints: Assessment-as-Significant, Assessment-as-Irrelevant, and Assessment-in-Isolation. Differences were noted regarding the roles that various, interrelated individual and environmental factors played in shaping practitioner viewpoints of assessment in student affairs. An examination of the data also revealed background characteristics associated with differences among the viewpoints. The emergent results of this study inform the literature on the application of the social ecological model to social science phenomena outside of the public health field, as well as provide practical insight into ways to address the gap between the espoused value of assessment in student affairs and the actual integration of assessment into practice. Implications for future research were also discussed.
Assessing Minority Students' Perceptions and Attrition at a Predominantly White Institution
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Tiapo, Bernadette S.N.
The enrollment, retention, persistence, and overall college experience of minority students are topical issues in colleges and universities, and even more so in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) where minority students encounter difficulties adjusting to the campus environment (Bennett & Okinaka, 1989; Jay & D'Augelli, 1991). This study employed a mixed method that used institutional data to investigate changes in minority students' attrition patterns, as well as the sensitivity to demographic characteristics, at a PWI that has conducted campus climate (CC) studies and progressively implemented survey recommendations (CCSRs). On-line survey data and information from focus group interviews were also used to analyze students' perception of CC at the PWI, and the sensitivity of perceptions to students' demographic characteristics. There was no significant impact on minority students' overall attrition pattern following the implementation of CCSRs at the PWI; however, male minority students were more likely, than their female peers, not to attrite following CCSRs implementation - in contrast to recent evidence on gender-specific attrition patterns. Although minority students were generally aware and appreciative of efforts to enhance CC at the PWI, their perceptions were strongly unfavorable for three critical CC-related variables - level of diversity, level of inclusion in the decision-making process, and minority students' feeling of obligation to prove self in the classroom. Overall, minority students' gender and class were critical variables in their perception of different CC-related issues, with implications in the design of CC-related efforts at the PWI as well as for further studies. The findings underscore the importance for PWIs to match commitments with actions on CC-related issues.
Assessment Disposition: Qualities and Strategies for Development in Student Affairs Professionals
(North Dakota State University, 2017) Thoennes, Karla
Because accountability in higher education has increased significantly, the need for effective assessment practice has also increased. Higher-education personnel, including student-affairs professionals, must be prepared to effectively incorporate assessment with their daily work, not only to address the accountability demands, but also to continue improving efforts that facilitate student growth and learning. While the student-affairs profession has placed assessment and assessment practice as a central issue by prioritizing resources towards professional development in this area, student-affairs professionals are falling short in their ability to integrate assessment into practice. This Delphi study explored the student-affairs assessment disposition, its characteristics, and the ways it can be developed. A small panel of student-affairs assessment experts were interviewed to develop a Delphi survey that was facilitated with a larger panel of assessment experts from institutions across the United States. Consensus of agreement was reached after three survey iterations on 41 qualities that define the qualities of a student-affairs professional with an assessment disposition and 40 actions or conditions that could contribute to the development of an assessment disposition.
The Association between Factors Affecting Enrollment Decisions in Manufacturing Occupational Clusters in Two-Year Colleges
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Karl, Ralph J.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between factors that affect student enrollment decisions in manufacturing occupational programs in two-year colleges and to describe current enrollment status of these programs. This purpose was pursued by five hypotheses and one research question that addressed the categorical factors that affect student enrollment decisions in a diversity of academic programs in higher education. These factors are: awareness; influence; recruitment; and socioeconomic status. Quantitative data were gathered through an online survey instrument. The target populations were full time instructors, academic advisors, and program directors of manufacturing occupational programs in two-year colleges in the Great Lakes and Plains States. The two-year colleges were mostly community and technical colleges that offer certificate and associate's degree programs in manufacturing-related occupations. A total of 288 full time faculty and academic advisors from 155 two-year colleges participated in the study by responding to the survey instrument and providing the data that were later analyzed to address the research questions. PASW software was used for data processing and three statistical methods: descriptive statistics; path analysis; and discriminant analysis were employed for data analysis. The descriptive analysis corroborated most of what the literature suggest are the most and the least effective awareness, influence, recruitment, and socioeconomic factors that affect student enrollment decisions. While path analysis showed that, the path to student enrollment in manufacturing occupational programs in two-year colleges starts from awareness, and goes through influence, and recruitment factors, the discriminant analysis showed that, awareness and recruitment factors are the main independent categorical variables that predict enrollment size in manufacturing occupational programs.
Awareness for Teacher Well-Being: Exploring Key Factors of Teacher Experience, Mindfulness, and Self-Efficacy
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Conner, Vickie Kay
Self-reported job satisfaction in K-12 teachers has decreased and it at its lowest in over twenty years. This study explored mindfulness levels—acute attentiveness and awareness of self-judgment and judgment on others—and teacher self-efficacy (TSE) levels-- how well teachers felt they perform teaching tasks—in student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. The construct mindfulness and its subfactors were specifically measured for teachers’ attentiveness, teachers’ attitudes and willingness to forgive their weaknesses, their personal perceptions of how they act with awareness, and their perceptions of their own nonjudgmental attitudes. Three mindfulness scales measured teachers’ perceived acute self-awareness, and one teacher self-efficacy scale measured levels of teacher self-efficacy (TSE). Three models using multiple linear regression analyzed three different types of teacher efficacy: student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. Results indicated a significant difference between TSE for student engagement for male teachers and how observant these teachers were of how their students were engaged in the classroom. Female teachers showed a slight increase but not significantly in TSE for student engagement in relation to how they observed their students’ engagement. A negative correlation was found between determiners age and attitude or how a teacher pays attention to their making of critical judgments or their being non-judgmental. In addition, TSE for instructional strategies and mindfulness factors describing, attention, and attention awareness positively correlated. Interaction of years of experience and acting with awareness also revealed a strong positive relationship but gradually weakened as teachers’ years of experience increased. After ten years of teaching, the relationship between TSE with instructional strategies became non-significant with teachers’ sensitive awareness of their present situations. Both factors years of experience and job satisfaction significantly predicted participants’ TSE with classroom management. Nearly retired teachers had lower efficacy in student engagement and instructional strategies, possibly indicating that near-retirement teachers are becoming mentally tired from years of hard work and are not actively engaged in professional development. Furthermore, these teachers feel less confident in how they are performing in the classroom.
Best Practices for Communicating Critical Messages from a Registrar's Office to Traditional-Aged College Students
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Kitch, Rhonda Kay
The purpose of this study was to determine what strategies are most effective for communicating critical messages to traditional-aged undergraduate college students and best practices in evaluating critical messages. A brief history of the function and organizational structure of a registrar’s office was explored. The characteristics of Millennials, the uses of technology among college students and in higher education settings, student engagement theory and social media, communication concepts, trends and strategies, and legal compliance and accessibility issues are also examined. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with four registrar professionals. The results of the telephone interviews led to the development of constructs and statements for a Delphi survey. Three rounds of Delphi surveys were used to gather feedback and to gain consensus from a panel of registrar experts to answer the research questions. The 26 Delphi experts were from 24 unique institutions; 17 different states were represented. The researcher summarized communication guidelines and best practices for registrar professionals. Suggestions for future research were also presented.
The Boundaries of Social Entrepreneurship in Higher Education: A New Framework
(North Dakota State University, 2016) Reid, Michele McFadden
Social entrepreneurship (SE) incorporates the more ethical dimensions of innovative business practices in the pursuit of financial sustainability in the advancement of societal goals, and is intended to empower all participants while bringing about positive changes in communities and society at large. An increasing number of colleges and universities are now embracing SE to stay competitive in the higher education market, find new sources of income in times of fiscal constraint, and align with their public service missions. However, despite the interest in SE on the part of the academic community, there is no broad or consistent understanding regarding what actually constitutes SE in higher education settings (SEHE), or about how it is being carried out in the institutions that have adopted SEHE. A multi-case study design explores a proposed initial SEHE framework developed from the literature through a qualitative analysis of the experiences of five higher education institutions recognized for their adoption of SE practices. This qualitative approach utilizing the lens of structuration theory enables the development of a complex understanding of SEHE as a multifaceted social phenomenon derived through the examination of its actors in their structural context. The revised SIEHE framework, informed by the experiences of these exemplar institutions, is intended both to advance scholarly understanding of the elements and process of SIEHE, and to serve as a model for those undertaking or considering SE implementations at other colleges and universities. The framework sheds new light on the definitional and operational aspects of SE, and translates concepts that have previously been largely confined to the business literature to other disciplines, enabling their adoption by scholars and practitioners in such diverse areas as education, the social sciences, and the liberal arts. While allowing for a broader scope of the types of socially beneficial projects that could be undertaken by agents, including faculty from a larger range of disciplines, SIEHE’s emphasis on financial sustainability should also be attractive to administrations for enabling access to alternative funding sources.
Burnout in Athletic Training Students: Utilization of Stress Reducing Strategies
(North Dakota State University, 2017) Krug, Rachel Johnson
Burnout has been associated with the helping professions for many years. Athletic training is a profession that has experienced burnout, with a decline in all athletic training professionals after the age of 30 (Kahanov and Eberman, 2011). This dissertation in practice, not only deals with testing the level of stress in athletic training students but also the implementation of stress reducing strategies and techniques to assist with stress and burnout. Therefore, this research will provide answers as to the levels of stress athletic training students experience. In addition, this research will provide insight on the stress reducing strategies and techniques most useful for this group of athletic training students. The instrument developed for this study was a modification of the Athletic Training Burnout Inventory (ATBI) (Clapper and Harris, 2008). The instrument developed for this dissertation in practice was the Athletic Training Student Burnout Inventory (ATSBI). Questions from the ATBI were modified, removed, and created to provide wording that was appropriate for this group of athletic training students. The ATSBI was administered over four time periods: December 2015, April 2016, September 2016, and December 2016. During the course of the first two administration periods, December 2015 and April 2016, the athletic training students received stress reducing information. During the course of the last two administration periods, September 2016 and December 2016, the athletic training students received stress reducing strategies and techniques and were asked to practice them on a weekly basis. There was a total of eight stress reducing strategies and techniques utilized by this group of athletic training students over the course of the semester. On a weekly basis, the students provided feedback on the stress reducing strategy or technique. The quantitative results showed little statistical significance; however, the qualitative information reported as the most beneficial stress reducing strategies and techniques for this group of athletic training students was the following: listening to music, time usage chart and schedule, coloring, the to-do list, and positive thinking.
"Can We Help?": Students’ Reflections on their Public Speaking Anxiety and Teacher Immediacy
(North Dakota State University, 2018) Ramstad, Andrea
Public speaking is one of the most common anxieties for the average person, with many even ranking it as a more significant fear than death. Even though several people suggest that they would rather be the one in the casket than the one giving the eulogy at a funeral, public speaking courses are required at almost all colleges and universities. Public speaking anxiety is particularly real for most college students, meaning that it is important for public speaking teachers to develop andragogical strategies to help students alleviant their public speaking anxiety. Thus, the purpose of the study is to observe if students’ perceptions of their teacher’s verbal and nonverbal immediacy influences students’ public speaking anxiety. Using Emotional Response Theory (ERT) as the conceptual framework, I applied a phenomenological analysis that explored students’ lived experiences and perspectives in their college public speaking course. Twenty-one students enrolled in a Fall 2017 public speaking course at a Midwest University participated in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews about the students’ anxiety of public speaking and their perceptions of their teacher’s verbal and nonverbal immediacy. Students’ responses suggested their teacher’s verbal and nonverbal immediacy helped decrease their public speaking anxiety. In particular, students indicated when a teacher demonstrated positive verbal and nonverbal behaviors, the students’ public speaking anxiety decreased. In addition, new themes emerged on the matter: the teacher self-disclosing about their own public speaking anxiety, mistakes, and current status, classroom activities, peer-to-peer interactions, timely detailed feedback, and class-wide feedback. Some students noted that being graded and the using of timecards did increase their public speaking at times. Even though some students’ public speaking anxiety increased during those specific circumstances, all the students stated their public speaking anxiety decreased during the semester. This study concludes with recommendations for how public speaking teachers can address students’ concerns about public speaking anxiety by applying verbal and nonverbal immediacy strategies in their public speaking courses.
Counting Coup with Western Education in a Post-Assimilated Paradigm: A Qualitative Research Study on American Indian Success
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Azure, Lane Alan
“The beaver doesn’t try to be like the bear or the buffalo, he knows who he is . . . and he is proud of who he is” (Big Dog, 2012). The aforementioned quote depicts how this author interpreted the identities of his sample of ten purposefully selected Native Americans and exemplified their wish to remain who they are. These contemporary warriors illustrated the ability to transculturate in a non-Indigenous world and to accomplish what had been forced upon their ancestor’s centuries earlier. Despite the invasion on North American soil and the near extinction of the Indigenous American through attempted genocide, colonization, assimilation, forced education and religion, these Native American advanced degree holders have illustrated an adept ability for walking in two worlds; indigenous and western. Emergent themes of family, spirituality, culture, and resilience were all influential in these participants’ stories as they successfully negotiated their way through a western-European educational paradigm while illustrating how Indian Reservations, code switching, boarding schools, and Native American Culture and Ceremony were major components in construction of these themes. This Native American researcher utilized both western and indigenous worldviews in ascertaining emergent themes through an Indigenous qualitative research methodology. The researcher’s theory of a conflict between acculturation and enculturation to have apparently juxtaposed meaning from pre-European to post-European invasion represents a data-grounded vision. This possible paradigm shift for the above theoretical position initiates a call for additional research. Historically, the Native American has seen traumatic distress of disease, high suicide rates, low socioeconomic status, loss of Indigenous language, and academic disparities and may be related to identity theft and could suggest inability to succeed by this underserved group of tribal college affiliates. However, literature instills the importance of the historical aspect and the calamity endured; yet each participant was able to successfully achieve advanced degree attainment. The stories of these Native Americans demonstrated their understanding of successes in western education systems from the vantage point of timeless knowledge and Native value systems. “I would rather not be anything else. I want to be Native. I’m so glad that the creator made me Native” (Mshkiki, 2012).
A Critical Analysis of the Entrepreneurial Orientation, Trait Emotional Intelligence, and Entrepreneurial Services Offered by Pharmacists in the Upper Midwest
(North Dakota State University, 2018) Frenzel, Jeanne Elizabeth
The purpose of this study was to critically analyze the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and trait emotional intelligence (EI) of pharmacists to develop an understanding of how these traits are exhibited in different practicing settings and practice roles. In addition, the relationship between trait EI and EO was explored to determine if trait EI is positively associated with EO in pharmacists. Finally, entrepreneurial services offered by pharmacists were evaluated for type and frequency. Critically analyzing the EO of pharmacists in different settings and in different roles and evaluating the entrepreneurial services they offer will produce a better understanding of the need for entrepreneurship training for students in colleges and schools of pharmacy. Participants were practicing pharmacists in Upper Midwest states. Data was collected using an online survey. Item analysis, descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Tukey’s test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and an independent-samples t-test were used to analyze the data. Pharmacists practicing in different settings exhibited no differences in EO; however, significant differences were found when evaluating the EO of pharmacists by practice role. This study found that North Dakota pharmacists had overall higher mean scores for the EO construct of autonomy and are more likely to provide discharge consultation and med to bed services than pharmacists in other Upper Midwest states. Pharmacists who owned a pharmacy had higher mean EO for the constructs risk-taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, and autonomy. No significant differences were found between pharmacists in Upper Midwest states for global trait EI or its constructs. A positive correlation was found between global trait EI and all constructs of EO suggesting that global trait EI could be used to predict EO in individuals. These findings suggest that educators consider evaluating the global trait EI of students to predict their EO. As it has been shown that students with a high EO are more likely to own their own pharmacy, additional entrepreneurship training may be of value to these students.
Decolonizing Instructional Design through Auto/Ethnography
(North Dakota State University, 2014) DeLorme, Carolyn Marie
Instructional design is the systematic process of planning and developing learning environments. In contemporary educational contexts, this has come to include also the intentional integration of digital and Internet technologies. Instructional design practitioners are trained to employ formal theoretical process models to guide their practices, roughly analogous to the ways in which a quilt maker may utilize a pattern and systematic process to guide making a quilt. There are few developed models of instructional design to be found in the literature that adequately attend to cultural orientation and none have been developed from within non-dominant cultural Indigenous education contexts. Furthermore, the literature examining the instructional designer as a culturally oriented actor within the instructional design process is limited. Few instructional designers have been trained to operate outside of Western epistemologies. This study interrogated this shortfall in instructional design scholarship and suggests new strategies for practice that can be leveraged in the decolonization project – reclaiming education for Indigenous people according to Indigenous values. The purpose of this study was to critically examine the practices of an instructional designer working within an Indigenous higher education context in order to identify culturally relevant approaches to instructional design. The study findings suggested that leveraging autoethnographic research strategies, together with a reflexive orientation to practice, may provide a mechanism through which an instructional designer can advance from technician to culturally competent professional, positioned to work effectively in partnership with educators who serve the Indigenous community. The study findings culminated in the Star Quilt Framework for Culturally Competent Instructional Design, a person model for practice, which acknowledges the role of the instructional designer as an actor in the design process. The study findings have implications for professional development of instructional design practitioners serving Indigenous populations, and may offer strategies relevant for culturally competent practices in higher education, in general.
Defining Economic Success as it Pertains to Native American Owned Businesses Located on/or Adjacent to North Dakota Reservations
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Schmitt, Barbara Elise
Successful economic development is essential in building and sustaining a healthy community. The purpose of this study was to identify indicators of successful economic development as it pertained to Native American owned businesses located on/or adjacent to North Dakota reservations. More specifically this study sought to explore specific relationships between the perceived level of importance of knowledge, skills, and attitudes and sustainable Native American owned business ventures. Using a quantitative correlation research design, 194 Native American owned businesses located on/or adjacent to the four reservations in North Dakota: Spirit Lake, Standing Rock, Fort Berthold, and Turtle Mountain responded to a self-administered 69 item survey instrument. The instrument was designed to gain an understanding of how important each factor was to the business owner and to what extent the business owner used each factor. The compiled research data was analyzed in addressing the following questions: (a) How important are knowledge, skills, and attitudes to the sustainability of Native American owned businesses? and (b) To what extent are Native American environmental factors, knowledge, skills, and attitudes significant for emerging verses mature Native American owned businesses? Native American owned businesses play a significant role in their communities. This research indicated Native American owned businesses need planning and organization skills to be successful. Strategic planning, operational planning, communication, managing change, innovation, and human resources are all essential planning and organization skills that both emerging and mature businesses need. Emerging Native American business owners also need to be technically proficient in their field. Therefore, they should be encouraged to participate in training which focuses on technical skills. They also need to solicit critical suggestions from a business network to be successful. Receiving constant feedback on the performance of the business will assist emerging business owners in identifying and correcting issues which would otherwise hold a business back or cause it to go out of business. Tribal administrations and tribal economic development offices may benefit from this study by providing foundational knowledge to advance their economic development efforts. The results from this study may also benefit higher education business departments who offer economic development courses.
Determining Factors that Serve as Barriers to Integrative STEM Methodology Implementation in K-12 Schools
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Gjøvik, Knut Peder
The purpose of the correlational study was to determine factors that served as barriers to integrative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (iSTEM) implementation in K-12 schools. The sample studied (N = 153) was drawn from classroom teachers and administrators with training in iSTEM methodology or experience in iSTEM methods and subsequent experience regarding implementation barriers. The researcher developed the Integrative STEM Implementation Barriers Instrument (iSTEMIBI). The iSTEMIBI included a six-point Likert scale measuring levels of agreement to statements regarding implementation barriers. The research utilized the Embedded Design correlational model as detailed by Creswell and Plano Clark (2007). Likert items were developed from identified barriers in the literature and from unpublished research by the researcher regarding barriers identified by K-12 teachers completing iSTEM workshops. The research design allowed open-ended response from participants to support the predominately quantitative data. Qualitative analysis of the literature review indicated issues and benefits common to the current iSTEM movement and earlier curricular movements. ANOVA and post hoc Tukey analysis methods were utilized to determine paired differences between groups by Implementation Level, Content Area, and Grade Level within 12 researcher-developed barriers constructs and identified factors (p < .05). Eleven factors impacting implementation were identified through principal component analysis and a subsequent path model was developed.
Determining the Essential Components of State and Institution Dual Credit Program Policy in New Mexico: A Delphi Study with High School and College Experts
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Carlson, Gregory Dean
The purpose of this Delphi study was to determine the essential components of dual credit in New Mexico. Dual credit experts from colleges and high schools in New Mexico were asked to participate in a three-round Delphi study to determine what the future policy of dual credit should be, and why it should be that way. Definitions of dual credit may vary significantly from one state or program to another. For the purpose of this study, dual credit program will be defined as “a program that allows high school students to enroll in college-level courses offered by a postsecondary institution that may be academic or career technical but not remedial or developmental, and simultaneously to earn credit toward high school graduation and a postsecondary degree or certificate” (SB 943, 2007, p. 1; Title 5, Chapter 55, Part 4, New Mexico Administrative Code, 2008, p. 1; Title 6, Chapter 30, Part 7, New Mexico Administrative Code, 2010, p. 1). Dual credit courses may be offered on a college campus, online, or at a high school location. The first round instrument was developed by the researcher based upon an extensive literature review regarding dual credit and specific items relating to the structure of dual credit in New Mexico. Subsequent instruments were developed based upon responses from the expert panel in the previous round. Consensus and non-consensus items were used to develop recommendations for dual credit policy and can be used by stakeholders to guide institution dual credit procedures. Recommendations from this study may be used by other states to analyze dual credit policies.
Education Doctoral Classrooms: A Community of Scholars or a Community of Resistance?
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Martinez-Freeman, Aida Margarita
Since its beginning, doctoral education has been designed to serve largely a White male student population, which has resulted in prescribed forms of scholar identity, teaching, and scholarship (Gardner, 2009; Berelson, 1960). This prescribed norm, mold, and fit persist today even as doctoral education continues to diversify its faculty and student populations. Acknowledging the White supremacy structure that is the academy begins to give room to questioning the prescribed scholar identity and the illusion of a scholar community. This disquisition examines the experiences of doctoral students in a mainstream education doctoral classroom through autoethnography, testimonios, and Photo Voice. In Chapter 2, I will utilize autoethnography to connect my personal narrative and reflections on my experiences early in education, and most recently, in the doctoral education classroom. In essence, autoethnography is my tool to let my wild tongue speak and create a space for counter narratives of doctoral students’ experiences in the epicenter of White supremacy scholarship, the doctoral classroom. Chapter 3 examines the experiences of six doctoral students in the doctoral classrooms and how they have responded to the academic socialization and culture through the use of testimonios. Chapter 4 is a practitioner piece envisioning what a counter hegemonic pedagogy and curriculum would look like in doctoral education through the use of Photo Voice in a first-year doctoral student classroom. The dissertation concludes in Chapter 5 with a reflection on the doctoral classroom as a Third Space and future directions for research.
Education is Too Complex to Simply be Complicated: Repellors, Attractors, and the Interconnectedness of Things
(North Dakota State University, 2018) Behl, Joshua
Our classrooms exist in a reality of increasing interconnectedness, cultural and societal boundary shifts, and readily available (mis)information. This reality thrusts learners and the classroom into a diverse arena where our collective and individual demographics influence and impact those around us, how we grow to understand “others,” and understand who we are in that context. It is in this context that exists an opportunity to conceptualize a new model to make explicit the complex, dynamic, self-similar relationships, and emergent contexts in which we operate within the classroom ecosystem. This ecosystem is one that is connected in complex and dynamic ways, understandable only through holistic analysis. While the classroom, the individual agents that comprise it, and a myriad of other aspects or properties of the greater system all contribute to the classroom experience, none of them independently defines the system, controls the behaviors of it participants, or dictates the trajectories of learning that occur within it. It is conceptualized that within the complex system that is a classroom, there exists phenomena that influence and direct the learning trajectories of the class and its individual students. It is further believed that some plenary amongst these influencing phenomena are attractors and repellors. The main question this research intends to answer was, “What are the distinct types and behaviors of attractors and repellors that exist in the classroom context when viewing that classroom as a complex system?” This research not only confirmed that classrooms operate and exist as complex systems but also affirmed existing research pertaining to the identification of attractors and repellors. More importantly, however, this research expanded the definition and articulation of the behaviors of attractors and repellors. This research more clearly identified and articulated these behaviors in the context of classroom dialogs that occurred over the duration of a semester long course. Further, this research demonstrated the development of additional methods for identifying and evaluating complex systems qualitatively.

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