This qualitative study will investigate the unintended consequences of implementing structural change in a rural community college in the mid-South region of the United States. Specifically, this study will examine the unanticipated outcomes of merging student affairs and academic affairs into one division. Scant empirical evidence exists about…

Over five decades of research have documented a central challenge: School leaders are confronted with a deluge of simultaneous demands. These demands have intensified in the past few decades, amidst the standards-based accountability movement and the COVID pandemic. Yet, school leaders - like all people - have limited time, energy, and effort…

Background: Previous research has indicated that it is difficult to maintain student motivation in gateway courses when students from multiple majors are taking the same course. Providing students with a choice in assignment is important because it creates a feeling that the students are in charge of their education, that they can tailor their…

Students, parents, and government leaders continue to question the value of higher education in general and of a liberal arts education in particular (Council of Independent Colleges, 2015; Fischer, 2022; Strauss, 2019). With students enrolling in liberal arts programs in significant numbers, and with the majority of those students now reflecting…

This qualitative research study investigates the perceptions of internships by seven students enrolled in a liberal arts program at an urban four-year R1 research institution; the study aims to understand why these students elected to participate in internships for academic credit when they are not required--moreover, it explores how…

The flipped classroom model has been proven to impact students' learning positively, but many educators are reluctant to implement the flipped learning model in their classrooms. There are few studies addressing educators' choice to implement the flipped classroom model at the middle school level. This qualitative study aimed to explore teachers'…

An on-going and age-old problem in higher education is colleges' and universities' ability to retain students past their first year of enrollment. Student attrition is detrimental to the universities from both a financial and academic reputation point of view. It also impacts students who are trying to persist in their academic endeavors. To help…

Over the last decade, researchers have identified complex epistemic practices in online gaming communities. Such research invites the question: Can games engender these attitudes and behaviors, or do they merely provide an outlet for players already predisposed to these forms of knowledge production? This question poses both theoretical and design…

For every decision teachers make, there is an ethical or moral reason behind it. Whether the decision centers on students, themselves, colleagues, families, communities, policy, or law, underlying this decision is a belief, a driving force that influenced the decision. How that teacher came to that decision is the beginning of this research. This…

The collective group of resources that are accessible to an individual because of people within his/her social network is known as social capital. Social capital becomes more valuable when an individual sees that it can help with goal achievement. This is especially true with college-aged students who are deciding on academic major, career path…

Given the nature of the valuation task environment appraisers are often made aware of previous value opinions rendered by appraisers, commonly in the form of an historic appraisal. And, because an appraisal task involves the rendering of market value, a hypothetical, unobservable construct based on probabilities, direct feedback against this…

Chief Academic Officers (CAO) are leaders in institutions of higher education and have wide decision-making scope. Previous research has clearly demonstrated the need for leaders to engage in ethical decision-making. Moral judgments are an aspect of ethical decision-making, so it is important for CAOs to make moral judgments. This study examined…

Internet access in the workplace has become ubiquitous in many organizations. Often, employees need this access to perform their duties. However, many studies report a large percentage of employees use their work Internet access for non-work-related activities. These activities can result in reduced efficiency, increased vulnerability to cyber…

The study conducted in this dissertation identified and examined the factors that influence parents' decision to choose a private or public school for their student. The research examined how parents perceive the benefits of a private Christian education for their children. The search for education effectiveness is a quest that seems to have no…