The Impact of Virginia Statewide Community College Transfer Policy on Student Academic Success

Smith, Paul Allen Virginia Commonwealth University 2014 해외박사(DDOD)

Community colleges are an increasingly important component of the higher education systems in the United States. Community college as a pathway toward a better educated workforce has been emphasized at a national and state level. Virginia's policy makers set an ambitious goal of producing 100,000 new baccalaureate degrees in the Commonwealth by 2025. Critical to meeting this goal is Virginia's Community College System. In 2005, Virginia passed the Higher Education Restructuring Act which granted students graduating from one of Virginia's 23 community colleges with an associate's guaranteed admission into any state-funded, four-year institution. Building on this earlier policy, Virginia passed The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011. This act expanded the role of the community college and placed a greater emphasis on articulation policies and baccalaureate attainment. The effectiveness of articulation policies on community college transfer and baccalaureate attainment has been debated in the academic literature. Some have suggested to measure policy effectiveness, academic outcomes and not transfer rates, must be compared before and after policy implementation. To gauge the effectiveness of Virginia's guaranteed admission policy, this study examined archival student data for native and transfer students, with and without an associate's degree, who achieved a junior standing at a single four-year state-funded institution. Furthermore, transfer student baccalaureate attainment rates and time to degree baccalaureate completion were compared before and after policy implementation. The study results showed native students graduated in greater percentages and have lower mean time to baccalaureate completion than transfer students; high school and college GPA are predictors of baccalaureate attainment for transfer and native students; transfer student baccalaureate attainment rates and mean time to baccalaureate completions were lower following policy implementation, or simply, fewer bachelor's degrees were awarded but those completing a baccalaureate did so in less time after policy implementation. The findings of this study suggest transfer students with baccalaureate aspiration are negatively impacted for attending community college prior to transfer and Virginia's articulation policy at the study institution had little impact on academic outcomes for transfer students following policy implementation. These single institutional results may suggest modification to Virginia's articulation policy is necessary to improve academic outcomes for community college transfer students.

Cohort membership, dental insurance and utilization of dental services in adults age 47 and over receiving dental care at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Dentistry

Bonwell, Patricia Brown Virginia Commonwealth University 2012 해외박사(DDOD)

This cross-sectional, non-experimental study evaluates associations between cohort membership, type of dental coverage, and utilization of dental services in all patients age 47 and over who received dental care at Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) School of Dentistry in 2011. Structural Lag Theory poses that society's institutions lag behind the actuality of a healthy and capable older adult population. The two dynamisms of the Structural Lag Theory were used for this study. The Dynamism of Changing Lives is represented by Cohort differences. Cohort differences include cohort size, people living longer and retaining more of their natural teeth along with different attitudes toward dental care. This dynamism impacts the Dynamism of Structural Change, represented by the institutions of dental coverage and utilization of dental services. Cohort membership is an independent variable. The dependent variable, utilization, is defined as Financial-Total amount spent and Procedural-Routine adult dental prophylaxis. Dental coverage, a dichotomous variable, is used as an independent and dependent variable. Descriptive statistics revealed employer provided dental coverage is the most prevalent type of dental coverage. However, when considered a payment source, out of pocket funding is the primary source of payment for dental services. Using Chi-square and logistic regression, examination of Cohorts (1-Greatest Generation, 2-Silent Generation, 3-Baby Boomer Generation) revealed that Cohort 2 had more dental coverage than Cohort 1, and Cohort 3 had more dental coverage than Cohort 2. Using logistic regression, Cohort 2 showed the highest level of Procedural utilization. Evaluating Financial utilization, multiple regression models showed Cohort 1 utilized more than Cohort 2 and Cohort 2 utilized more than Cohort 3. Those with dental coverage spend more on dental services, fees for routine adult dental prophylaxis make up the majority of the total amount spent, and those with dental coverage utilize more dental services when defined as total amount spent. Because they have experienced different social, political, economic, and technological changes at different times in their life course, the receipt of dental services by new cohorts of older people differs from previous ones. Findings from this study confirm that there is a structural lag in Medicare policy and its coverage of dental services.

The influence of different intensities of equal workload of resistance training on glucose uptake

Luebbers, Paul Edward Virginia Commonwealth University 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the effect of acute low- and high-intensity resistance exercise of equal work output on glucose uptake in resistance-trained males. The methods included the fifteen healthy male (22.95 +/- 3.82 yrs), resistance-trained (6.73 +/- 3.93 yrs) subjects, who completed three treatment sessions: CON-(no-exercise control), HI (3 x 8, 85% 10-RM), and LO (3 x 15, 45% 10-RM). The HI and LO exercise treatment sessions consisted of eight resistance exercises, with equated total workloads. Glucose uptake was measured the following morning by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique. Glucose disposal was measured by analyzing the glucose infusion rate during the final 30 minutes of steady-state blood glucose concentrations. Insulin sensitivity was calculated by dividing the glucose infusion rate by the average insulin infusion. The results indicate that fasting blood glucose levels did not change among treatment sessions (CON = 80.49 +/- 5.29 vs. HI = 77.05 +/- 4.91 vs. LO = 77.12 +/- 5.96 mg/Dl). Glucose uptake was not significantly different among treatment sessions (CON = 11.31 +/- 3.02 vs. HI = 11.67 +/- 2.68 vs. LO = 11.42 +/- 2.77 mg/kgFFM/min). Insulin sensitivity did not change among treatment sessions (CON = 0.26 +/- 0.09 vs. HI = 0.280 +/- 0.07 vs. LO = 0.27 +/- 0.06 (mg/kgFFM/min)/(uU/ml)). In conclusion, these data indicate that for acute resistance exercise bouts with an equated work volume, low- and high-intensity sessions have similar effects on glucose uptake, but are no different than a no-exercise control session in resistance-trained men. The trained status of the sample may have produced maximum exercise-induced cellular adaptations for enhanced insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake prior to the acute testing session. Supported by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education (VCU SOE), and the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) (M01 RR00065, NCRR, NH) at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Home Schooling in Virginia: An Analysis of the Fiscal Relationship between Home Schooling and Virginia Public School Finances

Davis, Evelina McIntire Virginia Commonwealth University 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Home School Enrollment and Virginia Public School Finances. Enrollment trends were examined from Fall 2001 through Fall 2010 to determine if there was an increase in Home School Enrollment over the ten year examination period. Also, two sets of Virginia Standards of Quality Variables (SOQs), Expenditures (Instructional Salaries, Administrative Salaries, Per Pupil Expenditures) and Revenues (State Portion of Basic Aid, State Portion of ADM funds and Enumerated Funds) were examined in relation with Home School Enrollment to determine if Home School Enrollment influenced Virginia Public School Finances at all. Superintendents' Region I, one of Virginia's eight superintendents' regions, served as the sample population. The study revealed that Instructional and Administrative Salaries were correlated to an increase in Home School Enrollment while Per Pupil Expenditures correlations revealed no relationship. Strong correlations were revealed between an increase in Home School Enrollment and State Portion of Basic Aid while correlations between State Portion of ADM funds and Enumerated revealed no relationship. The study results revealed that Home School Enrollment does not cost or save Virginia Public Schools. Significant relationships were found but whether Home School Enrollment presents a savings or an expense to Virginia Public School Finances was not concluded. The relationships, results, implications and recommendations are presented and discussed.

Perceptions of the Virginia elementary principal's role in supporting new teacher induction

Hall, William Richard, Jr Virginia Commonwealth University 2009 해외공개박사

This study investigates the perceptions surrounding the role Virginia elementary school principals play in supporting the induction of new teachers. Attention is given to the type of the principal's support, the frequency of support, and the perceived importance assigned that support. Because the Virginia Department of Education has encouraged the use of one of three specific models of induction (the ETS Pathwise model, Fairfax Virginia's Great Beginnings model, or the New Teacher Center "Santa Cruz" model) or a locally, research-based model, additional attention is placed on the impact training and experience in one of these models has and the degree to which varying levels of that training influences those perceptions. In this non-experimental, comparative study, a census of new teachers and principals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia was conducted, using an adaptation of an instrument developed by Gurule-Gonzales (1995). Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted to confirm findings from the survey. Results indicate there are statistically significant differences in some principal and new teacher perceptions of the Virginia elementary principals' role in supporting programs of induction. These are found more often in the perceptions regarding frequency than regarding importance. Statistically significant differences were found among principals' perceptions of certain categories of support when considering the amount of training and the type of induction program utilized. While statistically significant differences in teachers' perceptions could not be determined because of the small n, there appear to be practical differences based upon the type of induction program and the amount of new teacher program training. There are a number of implications resulting from this study. New teachers need to be integrated into the life of the school, and programs of induction should be certain to include the careful pairing of mentors with new teachers. Frequent observation and feedback by the principal are necessary to support new teachers. Principals must maintain a frequent presence throughout the work with the new teachers and must be more transparent regarding support efforts. The type of program and the amount of training provided principals and new teachers alike are also critical aspects of induction.

Faculty perceptions of academic freedom at a metropolitan university: A case study

Goodell, Zachary Grant Virginia Commonwealth University 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

This research study examines how faculty perceive academic freedom at a metropolitan university. Thirty structured interviews were conducted with social science faculty, who have been tenured for 10 years or more, at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). These faculty came from the departments of Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Political Science, Urban Studies, Criminal Justice, Women's Studies, and African-American Studies. The following five questions were the central research questions: (a) how do core faculty in the social sciences at VCU define academic freedom; (b) do these same faculty perceive academic freedom to be a significant feature of a career in higher education; (c) do these same faculty perceive any existing threats to their academic freedom; (d) how do these faculty define academic tenure; and (e) how did these faculty learn about academic freedom and tenure. Where previous research has often focused on comparing and contrasting faculty perceptions of academic freedom from different institutions, ranks and disciplines, this research targeted a fairly homogenous population of faculty in order to identify any common socialization experiences, both formal and informal, which may have contributed to common perceptions. The findings suggest that these faculty do not share a common perception of academic freedom. Where most of the respondents did agree that academic freedom protected both research and teaching, approximately half of the respondents did not associate any institutional limitations or professional responsibilities with academic freedom. Most of the respondents considered academic freedom to be a significant feature of an academic career. They perceived the current threats to academic freedom to be largely stemmed from within the institution. In particular, they believed that a top-down business model of leadership coupled with a weak academic culture to be the most significant threats to academic freedom. They defined tenure primarily as a means of protecting their own academic freedom through job security. Lastly, most of them learned about academic freedom very vicariously and informally, which helps explain the varied perceptions of what academic freedom means to them and how it should be exercised.

Faculty Research Productivity in Saudi Arabian Public Universities: A Human Capital Investment Perspective

Alzuman, Abad Virginia Commonwealth University 2015 해외박사(DDOD)

In an attempt to transition from its oil-based economy, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking further steps towards building a knowledge-based economy. Saudi universities play a pivotal role toward the country's attempts to achieve the desired sustainable economic growth. And because knowledge production is dependent on the human capital embedded in faculty members working at theses universities, the recommendations of Saudi National Science and Technology Policy stressed the importance of enhancing research skills of faculty members and researchers at public universities using different means and initiatives. However, a little is known about the impact of the implemented initiatives to promote research on the actual research outcomes of faculty members working at public universities. This study examined the impact of research promoting practices, and faculty personal characteristics (i.e., age, gender, marital status, academic rank, citizenship, and origin of PhD degree) on the levels of faculty research productivity at four Saudi Arabian public universities: King Saud University (KSU), King Abdulaziz University (KAU), King Khalid University (KKU), and King Faisal University (KFU). All PhD holder faculty members working at these universities were included in the sample of the study. A self-administrate web-based survey questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. Out of 7072 distributed questionnaires, 389 answered questionnaires were used for the data analysis. Multiple regression results revealed that the following research-promoting practices have positive and significant relationships with faculty research productivity: supportive collegial environment, the high perception of the academic editing and translating services, the positive perception of the research funding process, the rate of participation in collaboration programs, and conference attendance. Faculty's perception of the role of research centers and research financial incentives revealed reverse relationships with certain types of faculty research productivity. Among the personal characteristics of faculty members, full professors were found to have the highest levels of research productivity. Citizenship (tenure status), and origin of PhD degree were found to have positive relationships with certain types of faculty research productivity. Male faculty were found to have more publications in refereed journals compared to female faculty. Also, older faculty were found to have more publications in refereed journals compared to junior faculty.

Special education teachers' perspectives on the implementation of functional behavior assessment in schools

Engstrom, Joy Nichole Virginia Commonwealth University 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

The presence of challenging and violent behaviors that pose risks to the overall safety and the educational learning experience in the public education setting have been on the rise in recent years. Traditional reactive, coercive, and punitive measures to address these behaviors have been futile. Congress responded to the national increase in violent behaviors by implementing several acts, including zero tolerance policies, in an effort to diminish the rise in violent behaviors. Of significance to this study was the inclusion of Functional Behavior Assessment in the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997. Unfortunately, FBA has the least legal grounding of all the disciplinary provisions of IDEA and has been questioned by experts in the field if sufficient empirical support exists for the generalization of the technology to all students and whether or not school personnel have the skills required to conduct FBA with integrity (Drasgow, Yell, Bradley, & Shriner 1999; Quinn, 2000; Scott et al., 2005; Skiba, 2002). The purpose of this research study was to obtain and analyze information regarding the perceptions of special education teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia on the use of Functional Behavior Assessment with students with high incidence disabilities in public schools. A nonexperimental survey design using an online self-report survey was conducted with special education teachers in the eight superintendent regions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The study examined the behaviors that most frequently prompt a FBA, if a relationship exists between the type and frequency of training and the perceived effectiveness of FBA, the relationship between teacher attributes of beliefs and self-efficacy and the overall perceived effectiveness of FBA, and how teachers perceive the overall FBA/BIP process in public schools. The survey was distributed electronically to special education teachers through the office of the special education director in each of the 132 school divisions in Virginia. A total of 373 special education teachers responded to the survey. Respondents perceive the extent to which FBA contributes to the effectiveness of interventions that reduce challenging behaviors of students and the effectiveness of current FBA methods in increasing positive replacement behaviors and improving learning/academic achievement in public schools moderately effective. Congruent with the literature, special education teachers reported that chronic problem behaviors and physically aggressive behaviors were most likely to prompt an FBA. Respondents indicated their knowledge base, training experiences, and background in FBA. Overall, the majority of special education teachers reported that the training that they have received in FBA was moderately to very effective. Respondents indicated that further training in all areas of FBA was needed using a dynamic team based process with post training support. The most frequently reported area of FBA that requires more training was developing function-based interventions while the least reported area of need was developing hypotheses about the functions of the behavior. Teacher beliefs and self-efficacy were examined to determine if these attributes predict a special educator's perceived effectiveness of FBA. High levels of teacher self-efficacy were associated with increased views of perceived effectiveness of FBA in public schools. Two belief items were found to correlate with the perceived effectiveness of FBA. The results of this study have important implications for personnel development and training for future and current special educators as well as information that can be applied to the exploration of a standardized process for conducting FBA in public schools in Virginia.

Spiritual and religious experiences of gay men with HIV illness

Seegers, Debra L Virginia Commonwealth University 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe spiritual and religious experiences throughout life in gay men with symptomatic HIV illness. People with HIV illness identify spiritual and religious supports as important in maintaining their physical and mental health. Gay men with HIV illness may experience spiritual distress as their illness progresses. Spiritual supports from the religious communities and traditions of their youth may not be wanted, or may be unavailable to these men. Ten gay men with symptomatic HIV illness described their religious and spiritual lives. All were members of social minorities living in central Virginia. Transcendental phenomenological methods were used to guide the study, in which the following major themes were identified as essential to their experiences: (a) spirituality was experienced as a dynamic, evolving, reciprocal relationship with oneself, God, or a universal spirit; (b) co-researchers developed an identity of self-in-relation-to-church through the creative resolution of dissonance between institutionalized prejudice in the church and the lived gay Christian experience; (c) spirituality is expressed through religious practices; (d) experiences of religion and spirituality were intertwined with family relationships; (e) religious experiences were perceived as more important to spiritual satisfaction than experiences defined as spiritual but not religious; and (f) for African American co-researchers, the traditions and practices of the Black Church were the foundation of spiritual and religious experiences. Eight co-researchers identified others' negative responses to their homosexuality as social problems that affected their behavior in formal religious settings, but not their self-acceptance.

The role of faith leaders in partnerships among health promotion researchers and faith communities

Foco, Rebecca Lynn Virginia Commonwealth University 2011 해외박사(DDOD)

Faith communities are often used as used as sites for health promotion research and the leaders of those faith communities play an important role in successful campus/faith community partnerships. This study examined (a) faith leaders' definitions of health, (b) ways in which faith leaders envision campus/faith community partnerships to be structured, and (c) faith leaders' perceptions of the roles that faith leaders may assume in such partnerships. Grounded theory methodology was used. In depth interviews were conducted with ten clergy members. The findings revealed that clergy embraced a holistic definition of health. They expressed a desire to participate in studies that resulted in improved health and contributed to improved relationships with the university. The clergy's perceived roles in research that emerged from this study were (a) provide approval, (b) recruit participants, (c) identify volunteers, (d) lend influence, (e) keep information flowing, (f) serve as spiritual teacher/educator, and (g) provide input on the study design. A theory of the process of negotiating clergy roles emerged from the data. This theory suggests that the process of negotiating clergy roles is a fluid and iterative process that occurs at several phases of the research process from entertaining a proposal to participate in research through conducting the study. Implications for researchers include (a) investing time to develop relationships with faith communities, (b) identifying the importance of a holistic definition of health, (c) maintaining flexibility regarding the roles clergy may assume, and (d) identifying links between study objectives and the mission of the congregation.