Capstone Projects, Higher Education and Student Affairs

Follow

• 

  Motivation Indicators of Involved Commuter Students at the University of Dayton

  Alysha K Rauen

  The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to understand the motivations of commuter students in universities and colleges in the United States who get involved in co-curricular activities, such as recognized student organizations. This study will increase the already very minimal amount of research on commuter students on college campuses and will provide insight that has not been addressed. Understanding these motivations will help professionals better understand this population of students and be able to improve practices to better address their needs. Data was collected through in person interviews (n = 5) between the researcher and students who fit the criteria of being a commuter students and involved in at least one recognized student organization. Themes that emerged from the data were that commuter students are self-motivated to get involved and the distance of their commute does not affect their motivation.

• 

  Place-Based Community Engagement and the Development of Self-Authorship in Undergraduate Women of Color

  Ajanti Simone George

  A central goal of higher education professionals is to promote self-authorship within the students that they serve; that is, helping students develop their internal capacity for discerning who they are in relation to their identity, values and social exchanges. Place-based community engaged learning challenges colleges and universities to assess the degree to which their espoused values of citizenship and activism at the institutional level are aligned with their actions; it is a multi-layered approach that requires institutions to reexamine policies that are rooted in oppression and maximize reciprocity. Understanding the historical context surrounding a university in relationship to community engaged efforts is especially important as institutions pursue racial equity and a more diverse student body. More specifically, understanding the experiences of women in color in higher education is key to uncovering the ways in which their racial identity plays a role in their unique interpretation of community engaged efforts and how they subsequently learn to negotiate their own values and beliefs rather than assimilate to the majority. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to better understand the impact that participation in place-based community engagement has on the development of self-authorship in self-identified undergraduate women of color at the University of Dayton. Grounded in the constructivist paradigm, this study is intended to further the profession’s knowledge about how practitioners can partner in student learning as they grow in their own awareness of self, with a nuanced understanding of a diverse sub-population.

• 

  Risk in Fraternity and Sorority Life: the Policies, Experiences, and Opinions of the Students

  Ally Katherine Michalski

  At times it seems as if the word risk is synonymous with fraternity and sorority life. Are there more problems involving students in Greek organizations or does the media make it seem that way? Are female students in sororities more likely to feel unsafe or be subjected to dangerous behavior? Do men and women in fraternities and sororities get lower grades? The purpose of this study was to find out what kind of risk, if any, students in fraternities and sororities feel exist on their campus or nationally. This research was conducted with the intent to learn from students and understand what experiences they have had while participating in Greek-letter organizations. Interviews were conducted with current undergraduate students from two different institutions to find out their thoughts and opinions about risk and their experiences thus far as members of their organizations. The questions were created based off of three topics that were recurrent while preparing to conduct interviews, alcohol consumption, sexual encounters, and individual student development and academics. The conclusions of this research come from time spent with various students from their different respective councils. It shows that while they may have chosen different organizations based on values and needs, many of their experiences when it comes to risk, and as a whole, have been similar.

• 

  Self-Authorship and Meaning Making Through Tattoos

  Michael Andrew Detmer

  The role of the Student Affairs professional is to help students move towards self-authorship and independence, pushing them to become their most authentic self. A part of that process comes in the form of self-expression, and tattoos can be a large part of that. The questions that this study seeks to address are: How do students make meaning of the external and internal messages they receive about tattoos? To what extent do student describe getting a tattoo as connected to their identity development? The purpose of this study to explore how students who have tattoos, or those that are contemplating getting one, use tattoos to facilitate their movement towards self-authorship (or personal independence). This study seeks to examine tattooed students, or students strongly considering getting a tattoo, and how they make meaning of the external and internal messages they receive about them and if the tattoos they have (or will get) are connected to their identity development. Findings from this study emerge from interviews with tattooed University of Dayton students about the internal and external messages they have received about tattoos in a society that still connects tattoos with a negative stigma. Early findings suggest that students see their tattoos/the process of getting a tattoo as a way to let the world know that they are an individual, and can link it to some form of their identity. Other early findings suggest that the process of getting a tattoo can be some sort of healing process. Findings from this study can be used in practice by understanding if/why a student links their tattoo(s) to their identity, and offer them a space to open up and talk about what they mean and to help break the negative social stigma that comes with tattoos.

• 

  Self-Authorship and Queer Students of Color

  John Lewis McGee

  Self-authorship is an important concept which allows higher education professionals to see the development of students and how students make meaning and create relationships. Higher education for years has failed to examine queer students of color, grouping them under an operative assumption, which assumes that they develop the same way students of color or queer students do. This failure to recognize the intersections of racial and sexual identities has led to the lack of literature written and exploration of queer students of color and self-authorship. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which queer students of color develop self-authorship at predominantly White Institutions. Grounded in the constructivist paradigm, using the narrative inquiry, this study describes the cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences of queer students of color in the Midwest. As this study demonstrates, intersectionality plays a critical role in how students identify, make meaning and create relationships often involving the feeling or a need to overcompensate in other aspects of life.

• 

  Serving the 6%: First Generation Students in a Multigenerational Campus Environment

  Ashantice De'Oun Johnson-Knox

  First generation college students (FGCS) often face hardships throughout their college experiences, from matriculation to graduation. The FGCS population is growing every year, which increases the urgent need to properly serve them. The University of Dayton is known for making their students feel at home on their campus. Although FGC students currently represent only 6% of the undergraduate student population at the University of Dayton, the university will soon be seeing an increase in this student population with the addition of Flyer Promise and the UD-Sinclair Academy. The demand for services and resources that fit the needs of these students will become increasingly urgent. By utilizing interviews with five current first-generation students, this study highlights the ways in which FGCS navigate an unfamiliar campus environment.

• 

  Student Perception of Parental Involvement in College Orientation

  Sarah Kathryn Skidmore

  Much research on orientation focuses on how parental involvement affects retention or overall first-year student success in college. However, there is a lack of research focusing on orientation solely and what happens to students if parents are or are not able to attend with the student. This study uncovers just that, allowing for a shift in focus from retention to the emotional side of a student and how having one or both parents present may or may not affect their emotional transition into college. Orientation is the time where students and families are given as much information as possible to feel prepared for the start of this new journey. The experience can make or break a student’s perception of their new college home, and having parents there adds another whole dimension to a student’s feelings of comfort and support. Through a qualitative, narrative approach, this research delves into the lives of five students who did and six students who did not have parents present at orientation. Students reflect on their perceived levels of anxiousness, preparedness, support, autonomy and independence, ability to meet people, and their space to develop identity and self-authorship all in relation to whether or not their parents were able to attend orientation with them. This study helps student affairs professionals better understand what affect parental presence at new student orientation has on incoming students. It helps institutions decide whether to have more or less parent sessions during orientation. It also helps institutions see how students are feeling when they do not have a parent present, possibly suggesting ways that institutions can provide opportunities for these students to have sessions that still allow them to feel that same type of support as students whose parents were present.

• 

  The College Student Perspective on Reintegration

  Emily Katherine Dotson

  Many institutions of higher education are finding the likelihood of students returning to the university after a disciplinary suspension is somewhat higher than in past decades. Students who return have different stories and experiences that are important to any reintegration to a community. Restorative Justice practices can play a large part in making someone feel accepted, forgiven, and allows for rebuilding relationships. Between work done in prisons or in K-12 schooling, reintegration programs can look extremely different. Through semi-structured interviewing four (4) students at the University of Dayton who have successfully reintegrated to the community, I explored their perspective on what is most and least helpful during their reintegration experience. Results show that having a reintegration program significantly aided students in feeling more welcomed back to campus and ensured that they continued on a path for success concurrent with their personal goals. In future practices, schools should create a reintegration program that is more uplifting and positive such as Restorative Justice Practices, versus a punitive approach causing a further decline in student and staff relations. Having support and resources readily available at the beginning has shown to be the most beneficial for returning students.

• 

  The Effect of Transdisciplinary Pedagogy on Vocation Discernment

  Morgan Kelly Miller

  The Effect of Transdisciplinary Pedagogy on Vocation Discernment In its institutional learning goals, the University of Dayton includes vocation as one of its goals stating that “all undergraduates will develop and demonstrate ability to articulate reflectively the purposes of their life and proposed work through the language of vocation” (University of Dayton, 2018). How do students on UD’s campus view vocation and in what way are some areas of learning teaching vocation? The purpose of this study is to document and understand a student’s developing understanding of themselves and, in turn, vocation. To this end, I have looked at one program on campus: The Institute of Applied Creativity for Transformation (IACT). IACT teaches a creative mindset that students from many majors and backgrounds learn together to take it back to their own individual areas of study for use in interacting with those curriculums, making IACT’s curriculum and advising transdisciplinary in nature. This study provides valuable accounts and insight into the effects of IACT’s curriculum and advising model and how it effects vocation discernment for undergraduate students who participate in the program. The study is dependent on the data collected and analyzed from interviews with students working toward IACT’s certificate in Applied Creativity for Transformation. This study includes information on how students make meaning of how IACT teaches, how they think about vocation, and if IACT is affecting the meaning of vocation for these students.

• 

  The Effects of Rewards on Motivation Within Higher Education Residential Learning Curricula

  Megan JF Will

  The University of Dayton AVIATE Program strives to further students’ learning outside the classroom by educating individuals on the concepts of authorship, interculturalism, and community living within a residential curriculum. AVIATE attendees are rewarded for participation in program events via a point system which is utilized in housing assignments for the coming year. This study aims to discover what motivates students to continue their studies in a residential environment and the effect rewards and teamwork play on motivation and participation. Data compiled by the University of Dayton department of Housing and Residence Life was analyzed to determine how likely students are to attend residential educational programming, the role rewards play in learning, and students’ reliance on teamwork to achieve shared goals. Results indicate that students' motivation levels vary. While the majority of students partake in fewer than 20 AVIATE events each year, overall program participation has grown, particularly with student groups working toward the common goal of rooming together in the upcoming year. This is especially true for 5-student teams who most recently averaged attendance at 36 events per person. The exception lies with students who choose not to request roommates for the following year. These individuals may attend a single AVIATE event during the academic year. Thus, student motivation in residential learning is largely affected by a combination of the creation by teams of shared goals as well as extrinsic reward opportunities.

• 

  The Impact of an Interdisciplinary Program on Undeclared Students’ Academic Major Choice and Vocation Discernment

  Marissa L McCray

  While selection of an academic major is pivotal for undeclared students, many lack direction and struggle to understand the meaning of prescribed, seemingly unrelated general education courses traditionally required in the initial college curriculum. Moreover, many undeclared students grapple with a sense of calling or purpose among academic choices, future careers, and broader facets of emerging adulthood. An interdisciplinary curriculum counters the disconnect between compartmentalized disciplines and helps students recognize connections between disciplines and wider contexts. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how the University of Dayton Core Program shapes undeclared students’ academic major selection and vocational outlook. This study examines Core students who began the program as Discover Arts (undeclared) and evaluates how Core shaped their academic major selection and vocation discernment. Qualitative data was collected from one-on-one interviews with junior Core students who recently completed the 2 ½ year interdisciplinary program. Findings revealed numerous themes and patterns surrounding the academic major selection process and the impact made by the Core Program during discernment. This study assesses future implications for continued best practices and seeks to address a gap in the literature about the influence of interdisciplinary curricula on undeclared students’ choices about academic major and vocational outlook.

• 

  The Impact of Home and College Tension on Grit in First-Generation College Students

  Kaley Lynn Meyer

  In the context of higher education, students who have parents with postsecondary degrees have an advantage over those who are first in their families to attend college. One of the most commonly discussed challenges for first-generation students is navigating the tension they experience from living lives in two different worlds: life at home and life at college. Interestingly, however, some literature illuminates how the unique challenges first-generation students face often make them more determined, persistent, resilient and prideful in their collegiate endeavors (O'Neal et al., 2016; Strayhorn, 2013). Scholars have discussed these particular characteristics as signs of grit and studies have shown grit to be positively associated with academic achievement (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007; Kannangara, et al., 2018; O’Neal et al., 2016; Strayhorn, 2013). If first-generation students tend to display grit in their educational pursuits, then why are they more likely to drop out of college than their non-first-generation peers (Chen & Carroll, 2005)? This quantitative study is an attempt to dissect this phenomenon to better understand why some first-generation students persist and others succumb to the various challenges they face in postsecondary education. Through utilization of the Grit Scale and the Home and College Tension Scale, this study determines the extent in which perceived tensions between connections to home and college experiences influence grit in first-generation students. With this information, educators and administrators can expand their understanding of the complexities of the first-generation experience and further enhance various supports for this particular population. The findings from this study provide specific implications for future practice and research on first-generation students, grit development and the overlap of the two domains.

• 

  The Journey of Career Services at Minzu University of China

  Shu Yang

  Compared to the holistic history of China, career services in China are relatively new. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore the development of career services at Minzu University of China. Through interviews with current students, alumni, and faculty members at Minzu University of China, this study helps us to form the blueprint of career services at Chinese institutions. From a different lens, it also helps us to see the limitation of the career services at Chinese institutions. The findings enhance our understanding of how culture impact its people and how the development of the society impact its people’s career planning. The findings also support potential improvement plans for the career services at both Minzu University of China and other institutions in China.

• 

  Agents of Change: Influence of Service Learning and Volunteerism on Career Choice among Military Personnel

  Marcia Mills Nehring

  Since 9/11, more is known in the field of College Student Affairs about how to support military students who transition into college. Engaging these nontraditional students in service learning and volunteerism has shown to influence career choice, increase completion rates, and strengthen community partnerships (Sims, 1989; Travor & Kates, 2014). With higher numbers of unemployment rates for this population, the purpose of this qualitative narrative research study is to explore the perspectives of military students and staff at a Community College in mid-western Ohio, whose career choices were influenced by volunteerism and service learning. The primary investigator used a confidential interview protocol. The findings could inform future studies and encourage community buy-in to engage military personnel in nonprofit activities that may influence their future career choices. Waddell (2011) says, “The significance of entire concept of community service or service learning is directly linked to their military core value of mission first and service before self” (p.18). This study adds to that conversation.

• 

  A Journey Towards Multiculturalism: Cultural Identity Development Among Chinese International Students

  Yuan Zhou

  This is a qualitative, narrative research study examining the stories told by six undergraduate Chinese international students about their transitional journey from a monocultural to multicultural identity. In the interviews, students were asked to reflect on their understanding of self, Chinese culture, and American culture. Students were also prompted to reflect on their past experiences in China leading up to their arrival to the United States as well as those while attending the University of Dayton. The commonalities in their narratives showed evidence of internal motivation to immerse themselves in American culture, in addition to the negative and positive encounters with both Chinese and American students on campus.

• 

  A Nationwide Study on the Impact of Racial Battle Fatigue on Black Student Affairs Professionals

  Beverly Auston Dines

  The purpose of this qualitative, online survey-based study is to explore racial battle fatigue and its impact on Black student affairs professionals across the United States. How do Black student affairs professionals describe racial battle fatigue and its impact on their professional lives? The findings enhance our understanding of the needs and opportunities for advocacy as it pertains to these professionals. The survey results are organized by theme and analyzed for trends and best practices.

• 

  And Give Me Support: How SUNY Institutions Address Employee Experiences of Burnout

  Conor Matthew Kutner

  The purpose of this content analysis study is to uncover how higher education institutions in the State University of New York (SUNY) system offer support to higher education professionals in their employment who experience burnout during the course of their work. With the high attrition and turnover rates of higher education professionals (Rosser & Javinar 2003; Tull, 2006), institutions do not seem to be meeting the needs of their employees. This study will utilize a content analysis approach to systematically review the publicly-available literature such as employee handbooks, human resource websites, and employee wellbeing services websites from SUNY system institutions (n = 10). This study seeks to identify a multi-dimensional method (Abbott & Baun, 2015) of addressing these issues and needs, of providing support and services to employees, and to offer recommendations on best practices in responding to those need-specific gaps in future research and progress.

• 

  Cross Cultural Connections: A Phenomenological Study of Intercultural Learning from Intercultural Living.

  Megan Jacoby Woolf

  Higher education administrators and student affairs staff on some residential campuses have attempted to be more inclusive of international students and their U.S. peers by creating co-curricular learning communities addressing intercultural living. Intercultural residential communities, like Cross Cultural Connections (CCC) at the University of Dayton, serve to support the transition to intercultural living for first-year students. Through eight interviews of former CCC residents, this qualitative, phenomenological study explored how the community cultivates intercultural competence. According to the Refined Developmental Trajectory of Intercultural Maturity (Perez, Shim, King, & Baxter Magolda, 2015), former residents of the CCC expressed varying levels of advancements of their intercultural competence. This study assesses the longitudinal success of the CCC's learning outcomes and gives suggestions for similar intercultural residential communities.

• 

  Data for our Students: How Three Large Public Universities Use Tech-Based Solutions to Foster and Track Student Success

  Ellen Elizabeth Marburger

  Using technological applications and databases for tracking student success in higher education is slowly becoming a necessity rather than a recommendation, especially at large campuses. This content analysis study sought to examine the breadth and depth of the use of these applications amongst three such universities in the midwest by analyzing and coding publicly available data around the themes of evaluation strategies, solutions, and communications. This study first examined the current commentary and research around this topic and defined student success indicators, identified three campuses, and finally compared the systems used, purposes for each, capabilities of each, and what gaps may still exist in the context of using such technology to assist in student success. Key findings suggest that this subset of the field is evolving, and widespread use and integration of these systems may be the next step for campuses and professionals, supplemented by future research.

• 

  Examining the Experience of Choosing a Major among First-Year, First-Generation, Undecided Undergraduates at the University of Dayton

  Adam Thomas Solomon

  Over half of all students who withdraw from college do so within their first year, resulting in a first-year attrition rate of over 25% at four-year institutions, and roughly 50% at two-year institutions (Cuseo, 2005). Undecided students and first-generation students represent two populations who are at the greatest risk of attrition. Since the 1980s, both populations of students have increasingly become the focus of study in the retention literature, and yet little has been written about the intersection of these two student characteristics. This qualitative, phenomenological study attempts to address this intersectionality by highlighting the experience of decision-making around choice of major among first-year, first-generation, undecided undergraduates at the University of Dayton. Data collected via one-on-one interviews with participants reveal their extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for choosing a particular course of study, how they conceptualize choosing a major based on post-college aspirations, concerns about being undecided, and key figures who helped guide them through the process of choosing a major.

• 

  Exploring Undergraduate, International Student Retention at the University of Dayton

  Emily Mitolo Grasso

  The purpose of this qualitative, case study is to explore the challenges, responses and best practices of academic units in the retention of undergraduate, international students moving from their first to second year at the University of Dayton. The Deans’ offices were surveyed (n = 4) and interviewed (n = 4) electronically, revealing that there are not current retention initiatives for this student population within the academic units. The findings will be shared with the units as well as other support services across campus who may be able to take action to increase persistence of undergraduate, international students past their first year.

• 

  Final High School GPA, What's the Big Deal?

  Katelyn Brohman

  This quantitative survey-based study explores whether or not there is a statistically significant correlation between final-year high-school GPA and first-semester college GPA among undergraduate students at the University of Dayton. The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not a final high school GPA is related to success in college. It is not rare for high school students to believe their GPA in high school directly relates to their ability to succeed in college; as a high school teacher, I believe this is incorrect. We put so much stress on high school GPA only for some students to be under-prepared when arriving at college. This study also explores the difference between students' first-semester college GPAs based on their self-identification as (a) not at all confident, (b) somewhat confident, (c) confident, or (d) very confident about being successful in college before they started as undergraduates at the University of Dayton.

• 

  High School Students + Vocation Education = Better Decisions?A Mixed Methods, Group Comparison Study of Students at a Midwestern, Suburban High School

  Julie M Huckaba

  Every year, students who have just graduated high school blithely begin their journeys through postsecondary education, some choosing two-year colleges, some embarking on degree paths at four-year institutions, and others choosing military service, apprenticeships, or work. The purpose of this mixed methods, group comparison study is two-fold: (a) to examine the difference between the pre and post Brief Calling Scale scores of high school seniors and juniors (n = 37) exposed to the Ikigai/Vocation discussion workshop, and (b) to evaluate the influence of the Ikigai/Vocation discussion workshop on the postsecondary decisions of these students. The findings of this study increase our understanding of how student development relates to postsecondary decisions after being exposed to a Vocation workshop utilizing the Japanese concept of Ikigai and the intersection of Character Strengths -- 24 traits that all individuals possess in varying degrees.

• 

  Job Searching for Higher Education Students in a Highly Digitized World: The Role Social Media Plays in Finding a Full-Time Position

  Brittany Ann Fishburn

  This project aims to explain the role that social media plays in college students finding a job upon graduation. It addresses whether or not recruiters and organizations use social media as a viable method to fill open positions. It also conveys whether or not LinkedIn in still a relevant social media platform and if other social media outlets, such as BeBee, can be used for the job search process. The research was conducted by synthesizing information from peer-reviewed scholarly articles for a graduate course at the University of Dayton titled EDC 540 Perspectives in Higher Education. In the end, it is clear that social networking should not be ignored during the job search. Recruiters are utilizing social media to conduct a pre-check on candidates, post jobs, and make connections with potential candidates. Despite the popularity and usefulness of social networking sites for student to find a full-time position, traditional internet job boards, such as careerbuilder.com and indeed.com are still a top priority (Nikolaou, 2014). Essentially, social networking sites are important to utilize, but should only be one of the many tools used when looking for job opportunities. Keywords: LinkedIn, Job Search, BeBee, Social Networks

• 

  Living in the Slump: Second Year African American Undergraduate Students' Coping Mechanisms

  Cerelia Victoria Bizzell

  The sophomore experience has been characterized with not only academic difficulty, but also psychosocial challenges (Schaller, 2010). This study sought to describe and examine the many different experiences African American sophomore students encountered at a predominately White institution (PWI). Moreover, this study looked to understand the stress coping mechanisms they have adapted when balancing academics, social life, and extracurricular activities. The findings revealed that African American sophomore students have had difficulty learning to trust their institution’s resources, have had a hard time balancing their social life, and have felt the need to mature faster than others. Incorporating a narrative study approach allowed students to reflect on their interpersonal and intrapersonal development, and give detail to how they dealt with the obstacles they faced during their second year. Future studies could focus on a particular gender in order to analyze the different stress coping mechanisms utilized by students.