Browsing by Author "Paul Bitting, Committee Member"

Now showing 1 - 14 of 14

African American Doctoral Students at For-profit Colleges and Universities: A Critical Race Theory Exploration
(2010-04-30) Hall, Jodi Kristen; Tuere Bowles, Committee Chair; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Tina Hancock, Committee Member; Monica Leach, Committee Member
ABSTRACT HALL, JODI. African American Doctoral Students at For-profit Colleges and Universities: A Critical Race Theory Exploration. (Under the direction of Dr. Tuere Bowles.) Many people regard the doctorate as the pinnacle of success. Despite the challenges of completing the terminal degree, the dream of earning the doctoral degree remains a goal for many every year. Understanding the phenomenon of African American student enrollment at for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs) is necessary because many African Americans use these institutions as alternative degree sources. The purpose of this study was to explore how social and environmental factors shape the academic experiences of African American doctoral students at FPCUs. The research questions that guided this study are as follows: (1) What are the academic experiences of African American doctoral students enrolled at FPCUs? (2) What are the social experiences of African American doctoral students enrolled at FPCUs? (3) What enhances the success of African American doctoral students at FPCUs? (4) What impedes the success of African American doctoral students at FPCUs? Critical race theory provided the conceptual framework for exploring and analyzing narratives about the experiences of African American doctoral students at FPCUs. I collected data using a qualitative methodology that consisted of open-ended, semi questions in face-to-face interviews with twelve African American individuals who either completed doctoral degree at FPCUs or were currently enrolled at FPCUs. The findings revealed that race was not a factor in the educational experiences of these African Americans. The social context of the learning environment enhanced their potential for success. Four main conclusions of this study were that FPCUs provide an academic experience in which the negative effects of racism are diminished; the admissions process facilitates application; there are efficient and rigorous academic experiences as advertised; negative perceptions of FPCUs cloud studentsâ€™ post graduate success; and flexibility from both the students and the FPCUs is important to economic stability.
African American Female High School Principals: Their Pathways and Perceptions of the Position.
(2010-11-05) Bridges, Valerie; Lance Fusarelli, Committee Chair; Robert Serow, Committee Member; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Kenneth Brinson, Committee Member; Duane Akroyd, Committee Member
African-American Alumni Perceptions Regarding Giving to Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(2006-05-23) Reaves, Nicole; John Levin, Committee Chair; Marvin Titus, Committee Member; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Audrey Jaeger, Committee Member
The continued existence of several private historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) has been threatened due to limited financial resources. Several of these institutions are on probation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) or in jeopardy of losing their accreditation due to financial position. Similarly, HBCUs have been dependent primarily on the government, the church, and benevolent philanthropists for funding. As government support of the private HBCU decreases, and as the economy worsens, competition for funding sources increases. As a result, these institutions focus their attention towards resource development and philanthropic support. The number one source of financial support for most colleges is the alumni (Yates, 2001). Unlike predominantly White colleges, HBCUs have not had a long history of generous alumni giving (Ramsey, 1992). Hence, if HBCUs can facilitate giving from their alumni, the financial condition of these institutions may improve. This study examined African-American alumni perceptions regarding giving for two private HBCUs located in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors influencing African-American alumni perceptions regarding giving and how these factors facilitate or impede participation in giving to the HBCU. For this case study, data were collected through interviewing African-American alumni, attending alumni association meetings, and examining web-pages and other documents at the respective colleges. The findings under the lens of cultural, critical race and institutional theories (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; Outlaw, 1996) revealed factors influenced by Western social construction of culture, race, class, and power which have, consequently, impacted African-American alumni participation in giving to HBCUs. The conclusions and implications of this study are significant enough to warrant further investigation into the ramifications of African-American alumni giving to HBCUs in order to determine whether the anticipated benefits of alumni giving can, in fact, ameliorate the financial position of the HBCU.
The Experiences of Older Adult Dislocated Workers in Community College Non-credit Workforce Training Programs.
(2011-03-02) Williams, Stelfanie; Tuere Bowles, Committee Chair; Pamela Martin, Committee Member; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Pooneh Lari, Committee Member
A Hospital School: An Intrinsic Case Study
(2004-09-07) Lemke, Richard E; Peter Hessling, Committee Co-Chair; Robert Serow, Committee Chair; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Michael Vasu, Committee Member
The purpose of this qualitative study has been to examine the operation of one North Carolina hospital school. Nine participants, consisting of five hospital school teachers, one hospital school media specialist, the school's principal, and two hospital administrators were given the opportunity to describe in their own words, the hospital school and how educational services are delivered to K-12 and some Pre-K students in this school away from home. The study identified the history, mission, staffing, administration, funding, population served, services provided, and demographic data describing the operation of the school. The study also confirmed the positive role school can play for patients experiencing chronic illnesses discussed in the literature, including the normalizing effect of the hospital experience with school as an element of students' day and the encouragement students can receive from preparing for the return to regular school settings. Participants in this study reported a close working relationship between public school educators and hospital personnel who work closely to prepare students for an eventual return to school.
Implementing Reform-Based Mathematics Instruction After Participating in Professional Development: Two High School Teachers' Experiences.
(2010-12-08) Thomas, Shayla; Robert Serow, Committee Chair; Jere Confrey, Committee Chair; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Bonnie Fusarelli, Committee Member
Implementing Self-Advocacy Training within a Brief Psychoeducational Group to Improve the Academic Motivation of Black Adolescents
(2010-06-23) Dowden, Angel; Stanely Baker, Committee Member; Edwin Gerler, Committee Chair; Marc Grimmett, Committee Member; Paul Bitting, Committee Member
The purpose of this dissertation is to make inference about the effectiveness of self-advocacy training in increasing the academic motivation and academic self-concept of Black adolescents. Action research and phenomenological approaches are utilized concurrently throughout the N=1/ ABA single subject experimental design that will be repeated six times. Black adolescents are confronted with ongoing social barriers that affect their academic motivation. School counselors can improve the educational landscape for Black adolescents by employing advocacy competencies in their schools. The dissertation describes the research study results of a brief psychoeducational group that was employed to teach self-advocacy skills to Black adolescents, with the ultimate goal of improving their academic self-concept and academic motivation.
An Investigation of the Impact of Literacy Training on Performance Gaps in the Computer Skills of Low-Performing Eighth Graders
(2006-11-07) Thomas, Rollinda Alicia; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Alan Reiman, Committee Member; Ellen Vasu, Committee Chair; Jane Steelman, Committee Member
This research effort investigates relationships among factors that typically impact student performance in computer skills. The study utilizes a causal-comparative (ex post facto) research design to examine the effects of several variables on the computer skills of low performing eighth grade students. Students from two county school systems were selected for inclusion in comparison groups. The relative contribution of literacy training, reading comprehension, race, and family income will be considered using multiple regression analysis. The results will be examined for the difference in effect sizes and⁄or existence of interactions between variables. The findings will be summarized at the conclusion of the study, along with possible implications for future research and instructional planning.
Racial Identity Attitudes, Race-related Stress, Coping Strategies and Gender Among African American Students Attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUS)
(2004-11-25) Newsome, Gwendolyn Keith; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Herbert Exum, Committee Member; Tracy L. Robinson, Committee Chair; Katherine Klein, Committee Member; Edwin Gerler, Committee Member
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among the dependent variables racial identity attitudes, race-related stress, and coping strategies in a sample of African American students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUS). The study also investigated the influence of gender on these variables. A quantitative research design was used. The dependent measures used were the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS:Vandiver, et al, 2001), the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI: Amirkhan, 1990) and the Index of Race-Related Stress- Brief ( IRRS-B: Utsey, 1999). The independent measure, gender, was assessed using the demographic survey contained in the CRIS. This was a descriptive study that employed a passive correlation design to determine the presence or absence of relationships among study dependent variables using Pearson product moment correlation. The alpha level was set at .05. Additional GLM multiple analysis of variance and separate univariate analysis of variance were used to determine gender differences among racial identity, coping and race-related stress. The results indicated relationships between racial identity levels and race-related stress. There was evidence that participants with Internalization Multicultural Inclusive identities experienced more race-related stress than those in other racial identity statuses. Evidence also suggests African Americans use Avoidance to cope with race-related stress. Gender differences were found to exist in racial identity development and race-related stress. Women reported more Internalization Multicultural Inclusive racial identity. They also reported more race-related stress than the men in this study. Limitations to the study were noted. Implications from this study suggest counselors at HBCU's take assessments of racial identity development, race-related stress and gender issues as a part of initial screening for counseling services. Implications also suggest some African Americans may suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder as a result of racial trauma. Finding suggest it is imperative that counselors provide African American students with outlets to address concerns in related to race-related stress, coping and racial identity. An intervention is examined for racial identity development. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.
Reducing Institutional Barriers to Minority Student Success at a Predominantly White University: A Qualitative Action Research Study
(2009-11-20) Rich, Wesley D; Kevin Brady, Committee Chair; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Bonnie Fusarelli, Committee Member; Kevin Oliver, Committee Member
This qualitative action research study investigates the common barriers encountered by successful undergraduate ethnic minority students enrolled in majors that serve as a pipeline for professional health sciences. Through specialized focus group interviews and individual interviews, this study explores the perceived barriers to student success encountered by successful undergraduate ethnic minority students. Student strategies for success are also examined and discussed. A review of the related literature on student retention in college and characterizations of barriers faced by undergraduate minority students is included. This study employs action research methodology in an effort to communicate the experiences and proposed solutions of successful undergraduate minority science students at a small, predominantly white, private university in rural North Carolina. Study findings indicate that participants encountered barriers related to communication, prejudice, resources, academic preparation, family responsibilities and connections with students of the same ethnicity. Findings from this study also indicate that participants used several broad strategies to ensure their success which include networking, joining campus clubs and organizations, taking reasonable risks, accessing on-campus support services, and being persistent about getting their needs met. Recommendations are provided to the focal university aimed at reducing the barriers identified by participants in this study. Finally, a number of suggestions are provided for future research.
Rural Students' Access to and Success in Higher Education: A Case Study
(2008-01-24) Yoder, Michael Jay; Kenneth Esbenshade, Committee Member; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Robert Serow, Committee Co-Chair; Louis Hunt, Committee Co-Chair
Signed Scale Measures: An Introduction and Application
(2002-11-04) Wilson, David Hunt; Dennis Boos, Committee Co-Chair; Jacquelin Dietz, Committee Member; Len Stefanski, Committee Member; Jacqueline Hughes-Oliver, Committee Co-Chair; Paul Bitting, Committee Member
The role of the Interquartile Range in constructing a Boxplot provides the rationale for considering the halves of the "box" in a Boxplot. The two halves of the boxplot are viewed as measures of distance from a measure of location. This viewpoint is the genesis for considering a new class of parameters called signed scale parameters. A conceptual framework for signed scale parameters is introduced and four classes of signed scale parameters are discussed in detail. The small sample and asymptotic behaviors for several signed scale estimators are examined for nine distributions. A new Boxplot construction rule that uses one pair of signed scale estimators is introduced. The common, skew adjusted, and signed Boxplots are compared with respect to their propensity to label observations as "outliers" and their ability to provide skewness information.
Student Perceptions of the Senior Project Graduation Requirement
(2008-10-13) Carolan, Nancy Jean; Bonnie Fusarelli, Committee Chair; Kenneth Brinson, Committee Member; Paul Bitting, Committee Member; Lance Fusarelli, Committee Member
Teacher Perceptions of the Importance of Effective Schools Correlates to Improving Student Achievement.
(2010-12-14) Peterson, Rodney; Lance Fusarelli, Committee Chair; Tamara Young, Committee Chair; Robert Serow, Committee Member; Paul Bitting, Committee Member