Browsing by Author "J. Conrad Glass, Committee Member"

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    Community-based Programming: Perceived Levels of Utility, Practice, and Encouragement among North Carolina Community College Mid-level Managers
    (2002-05-03) Adams, Elizabeth Hope; George B. Vaughan, Committee Member; George A. Baker, Committee Member; J. Conrad Glass, Committee Member; Edgar J. Boone, Committee Chair
    The purpose of this study was to measure the degree to which community-based programming as formulated by ACCLAIM Model fundamental conceptual components is perceived and practiced by North Carolina Community College System mid-level managers. A thirteen-item questionnaire was used to access mid-level manager perceptions regarding community-based programming in three separate yet related contexts: (1) Does community-based programming have utility, (2) Is community-based programming being practiced, and (3) Are mid-level managers encouraged to participate in community-based programming? Bivariate analysis, analysis of variance, and linear regression techniques were used to establish relationships between mid-level manager institutional and personal characteristics and their community-based programming perceptions as measured as well as to determine contribution levels among ACCLAIM Model fundamental conceptual components. Mid-level manager was defined broadly across both academic and non-academic units and included any NCCCS community college manager holding the title of dean, director, or coordinator who was charged with translating and implementing strategies, policies, and decisions of top managers. Mid-level managers by virtue of organizational placement, institutional responsibilities, and predicted future leadership roles are critical to the effective implementation of community-based programming practices. Community-based programming was defined as the process of engaging constituent community groups in the process of planned, self-directed social change, and the ACCLAIM Model, a community-based programming model designed specifically for the community college setting, was used to develop questionnaire items that reflected and gauged mid-level manager perceptions regarding fundamental community-based programming concepts and practices. The study found that NCCCS mid-level managers perceive community-based programming model to have a high degree of utility within the community college setting, indicating that when promoted to positions of higher leadership, they have a good chance of pursuing and implementing community-based approaches. However, mid-level managers also reported that community-based programming is practiced less often than they perceive it should be and reported even less encouragement to participate in community-based programming. Rural, female mid-level managers reported highest levels of encouragement to participate. This study concluded that mid-level manager receptivity, willingness and ability to effectively pursue and implement community-based programming techniques will be negatively impacted if community-based programming is not revitalized as the focus of institutional operations and the primary vehicle for effective mission accomplishment in NCCCS institutions.
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    Undergraduate Educational Experiences: The Academic Success of College Students with Blindness and Visual Impairments
    (2009-11-05) Scott, Ricky; Susan Osborne, Committee Member; Carol Kasworm, Committee Chair; John Pettitt, Committee Member; J. Conrad Glass, Committee Member
    The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how fifteen students with blindness and visual impairments experienced their engagement in undergraduate studies at four 4-year universities and perceived their success. They also provided their understandings of the impact of institutions, faculty, staff, and others on their academic success. Previous literature suggests that students with blindness and visual impairments as well as students with other disabilities were academically successful in college because of institutional support and the positive attitude of faculty and peers (Baggett, 1994; Branker, 1997; Enberg, 1999; Fichten, 2005; and Roy, 2000). Findings from this study demonstrate that participants’ understandings and experiences with blindness varied and their subsequent adjustment and transition also differed. Participants described several factors that facilitated the creation of positive educational experiences during their undergraduate programs: positive exposure to a new region of the country, positive peers, supportive departments and professors, financial opportunities, and welcoming and diverse campus environments. As these students transitioned to the university, they utilized accommodations and services provided by Disability Students Services (DSS) to facilitate their access to the academic environment. The undergraduate students also described challenging experiences, including feeling academic discrimination, a sense of isolation, limited campus accessibility, and peer interaction issues. There were other support systems that facilitated participant academic success, such as mentors, family, administrators, and staff. This study concluded that blind and visually impaired undergraduate students were more likely to succeed academically when they felt a sense of connectedness with the university academic system. DSS is most responsible for facilitating that connectedness. Quality contact and collaboration with faculty were also important, as well as the attitudes of faculty, administration, and staff. The disconnectedness between study participants and the university system was fostered through inflexible bureaucratic procedures; the attitudes of faculty, staff, and administrators; and isolation from peers. Implications for policy include a recommendation for additional funding of technology-related assistance programs, in-service training on disability issues awareness for faculty and staff, and campus-wide committees on university accessibility. This study suggests future research is needed on the academic success of this population in community colleges and at the graduate level. There is a need for more empirical research and research on the population’s social integration. The study recommends that higher education programs develop self-advocacy programs for blind and visually impaired students, in-service training for faculty, and peer mentorship programs.
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    You Must Change Your Life: A Narrative and Theological Inquiry into the Experiences of Transformative Learning in Clinical Pastoral Education Students
    (2010-04-12) Jones, Logan C.; J. Conrad Glass, Committee Member; Audrey J. Jaeger, Committee Member; Carol E. Kasworm, Committee Chair; Hiller A. Spires, Committee Member
    The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore and describe the experiences of transformative learning in seminary students and clergy who have participated in a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) residency program while providing pastoral care to patients in an acute care hospital setting. This research focuses on the affective dimension of transformative learning because the emotional intensity of the CPE learning process, coupled with the emotional intensity of the hospital setting, invites and challenges students to struggle with the meaning of the pastoral encounters they have with persons in crisis. Current theory and research in both transformative learning and in CPE lack the empirical understandings of the affective dimension of the transformative learning process. By attending to the role of emotions found in the participants’ experiences in CPE, this research advances the understanding of the importance of the affective dimension of learning within transformative learning theory. In addition, since CPE is fundamentally theological education, this research also places the transformative learning process within the context and theological framework of the psalms of lament in order to identify the inherent theological nature of the learning process in CPE. Such placement further advances the understanding of the discipline of CPE. A method of discourse analysis was employed to shape a poem from the participant interview narratives. Poetry communicates through an economy of words the power and emotional content of an experience in ways prose cannot. The poems thus allow for the affective elements of an experience to be more fully expressed. The findings of the research suggest that participants in a CPE residency do tell and reflect on pastoral experiences that lead to and foster transformative learning and that these experiences are filled with emotion. Furthermore, the findings center on three key dynamics of the affective dimension of transformative learning: grief, soul, and authenticity. The findings suggest that the affective dimension of transformative learning is complex and complicated. The psalms of lament through a scheme of orientation – disorientation – new orientation parallel the affective dimension of transformative learning. There are four conclusions suggested by this study. One, there is evidence that the affective dimension of transformative learning does encompass the key dynamics of grief, soul, and authenticity as noted in the literature. There is also evidence to suggest there are other affective dynamics in the transformative learning process which need to be acknowledged. Two, there is evidence to support the inclusion of an eighth perspective of transformative learning. This new perspective is identified as the psycho-affective perspective. Three, the affective dimension of transformative learning is well integrated into the ten elements and processes of transformation as noted in the literature. The recognition of this integration allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the theory. Four, the psalms of lament provide a theological lens along with a meaningful description through which to understand the transformative learning process in CPE students. Overall, the inclusion of the affective dimension of transformative learning compels the theory of transformative learning to become more robust and more comprehensive. The evidence of this study suggests that the affective dimension of transformative learning is critical in the overall transformative learning process. More research into the many facets and perspectives of transformative learning theory will further the development and advancement of the theory. Likewise, more research into CPE will further extend the understanding of the CPE process.