SUPPORT NETWORKS OF “EDUCATIONAL PIONEERS”: A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF A RESIDENTIAL LEARNING COMMUNITY ON FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the use of social network analysis to examine the peer involvement and supportive relationships of students living within an exclusively first-generation RLC. Using network surveys targeted toward a first-generation population, the networks of first-year residents were visualized and measured. The supportive peer relationships that provided students with encouragement, validation, and academic assistance were identified, as well as the networks for friendship and study partnership. The networks identified for this study were examined to find if change occurred between the start and the end of the semester. Multiple regression QAPs were performed to explore if the RLC’s social programming displayed an association with the network ties students formed at the end of their first semester. The results of these analyses are presented, in addition to recommendations for future research studies and evaluations. This study indicates that first-generation RLCs can gain a great deal of information about their students’ social involvement using social network analysis techniques, as well as investigate if students are acquiring support from peers as intended

Traditional Liberal Arts Colleges\u27 Consideration and Adoption of Online Education: A Presidential Perspective

National research studies have indicated that students are enrolling in more online courses annually (Allen & Seaman, 2010, 2014, 2015); yet, not all higher education institutions are adopting online education. In order to understand more about adoption of online education in higher education and presidents’ perceptions of online education, this study investigated the adoption of online education by traditional liberal arts colleges(TLACs). These institutions and their presidents currently face numerous challenges and threats as TLACs try to remain relevant in the 21st century while maintaining their liberal arts mission. The importance of this study lies in the realization that many higher education institutions and leaders are making decisions about the adoption of online education while also examining if and how online education aligns with their existing environment, mission, culture, and curricula. Drawing upon the diffusion of innovations theory as the framework for informing data collection, this study employed a two-phase, sequential mixed method design. Two research questions guided this study: 1) To what extent has online education been adopted at TLACs?; and 2) How do presidents at TLACs think about the adoption of online higher education in general, within traditional liberal arts institutions, and within their institutions specifically? In order to determine the level of online instructional education activity at each TLAC, the first phase was exploratory. The research sample for phase one of the study consisted of 55 TLACs that solely provided undergraduate curriculum in the arts and sciences. Major findings from phase one of the study indicated that more than half of TLACs (61.82%) did not have online education and did not offer any online courses. The remaining TLACs adopted online education either as fully online (16.36%) or hybrid (21.82%) courses. In the second phase, qualitative interviews with 11 TLAC presidents out of a population of 55 potential participants (20%) were conducted to understand how these administrators feel and think about the adoption of online education. Analyses of the TLAC presidential interviews resulted in three emergent themes: Apprehensions Regarding Online Education, Perceived Inferiority of Online Education, and Potential Opportunities From Online Education

PERMISSION TO ENGAGE: EXAMINING THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF ACTIVE DUTY ARMY ENLISTED SOLDIERS ENROLLED AT HOPKINSVILLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

The military has long-standing partnerships with institutions of higher education (Leporte, 2013; Parks, 2015 & Massie, 2016). These partnerships have been significant over time because the United States Army has incentivized civilian education via the Army enlisted ranks and promotional structure (Wilson, Smith, Lee & Stevenson, 2013). Researchers are beginning to recognize service members as adult students who need specific supports in an educational setting (Wilson et al., 2013; Leporte, 2013; Parks, 2015; Massie, 2016). Enlisted soldiers arrive on college campuses with identities ascribed and molded by the military. Thus, their primary identity is soldier not student (Nagel & Kleykamp, 2007; Wilson et al., 2013& Massie, 2016). Community colleges specialize in providing educational opportunities to all facets of the community (Kane & Rouse, 1999). The current cultural diversity discourse does not include military personnel and the degree in which institutions of higher education seek to integrate via policy and practice with the military. This qualitative study explores the perceptions of the ten enlisted soldiers who participated in a semi-structured interview and completed a demographic questionnaire. I used the Collective Affiliation model (Davidson, 2011) to analyze the data generated from the soldier-students interviews regarding their educational experiences at Hopkinsville Community College Fort Campbell Campus. The research participants discussed family support and expectations, preparation for life after the Army, reenlistment incentive programs, and civilian education embedded into promotional points as aspirations for college attendance. Lastly, the soldiers described their educational experiences as navigating military, family and academic bureaucracies to encompass; balancing multiple roles as adult students, discovering the opportunities and challenges of military educational benefits, enrollment experiences as community college students, and faculty interactions and support in the classroom. From this research study, I created the Dual System for Enlisted Soldier-Student Academic Persistence (DSAP) conceptual model to illustrate the lived experiences of enlisted soldiers as students specifically. The findings of this research add to the body of knowledge of the educational experiences of enlisted soldier-students attending community college

MEASURING POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS’ SENSE OF BELONGING: PSYCHOMETRIC INVESTIGATIONS INTO STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND COURSE DELIVERY CONTEXTS

Research suggests sense of belonging in academic contexts influences student academic outcomes and well-being. Instruments (i.e., surveys, questionnaires) developed to measure sense of belonging mainly focus on the experience of students in middle grades. Few instruments measure sense of belonging experienced by postsecondary students, despite many colleges and universities seeking to improve retention, persistence, and graduation by addressing this complex construct. Furthermore, the rapid growth of online courses necessitates and presents an opportunity to employ psychometric investigations to explore the sense of belonging experienced by both face-to-face and online students. The first of the two studies conducted for this dissertation extends a brief instrument originally tested on an adolescent sample for use among postsecondary students, testing for differential item functioning based on various groupings, including but not limited to degree level, gender, and ethnicity. The second study investigates if it is possible to similarly measure students’ sense of belonging to other students within the same course in face-to-face and online delivery methods using a common instrument. Employing modern measurement strategies, these studies demonstrate the value of rigorous analyses of internal structure to produce validity evidence for practical and reliable instruments—reflective of the diversity in student identities and learning contexts in higher education institutions—to measure postsecondary students’ sense of belonging

REVIVING THE RULES, ROLES, AND RITUALS OF RESILIENCY

This descriptive case study of a historical period in education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky identifies the resiliency factors utilized by the first class to desegregate the Bowling Green, Kentucky, public school system. The participants in the study were members of the first African-American class to integrate the Bowling Green school system in 1965. Critical Race Theory provided the tenets undergirding the research study. The qualitative research methods included conducting semi-structured interviews with participants; studying documents and artifacts from the era; having conversations with community members and educators; and collecting, archiving, and housing Bowling Green African-American education documents, artifacts, and memorabilia. During the semi-structured interviews conducted a half century later, participants’ verbal, facial, and body expressions exemplified the pain and discomfort they experienced throughout this transition. Participants described how the use of resiliency factors learned from their families, teachers, churches, and community enabled them to analyze, interpret, navigate, compete, and graduate. Participants indicated their encounter with the historically segregated, white school system was confusing, conflicting, and in some instances, contentious. The experience was disorienting for all participants. Participants also reported achievement gap conflicts were encountered from the first day of the desegregated school year. Their explanations of the internal and external motivational resources and resiliency factors that they employed provides historical basis for discussions of achievement gap issues today. Their description of this unprecedented historical encounter shares resemblances to present day achievement gap issues. Findings from a contemporary study on resiliency conducted by Brown (2008) suggest present day achievement gap conflicts may be cultural and psychological conflicts that can be identified, measured, and analyzed by academic indicators

Cartographic Efficacy: Histories of the Present, Participatory Futures

Throughout history, maps have held a particularly potent ability to inform and persuade their users. Recognizing the power maps and their modes of productions possess, participatory mapping has been celebrated for its capacity to empower systemically disenfranchised communities by way of establishing inclusive pathways for influencing collection and representation of spatial information. What has remained largely periphery to considerations of participatory mapping, however, has been discussions of map design. Decades of scholarship in both traditional and critical veins of cartography, however, argue that it’s the careful execution of design choices that grant the map its power. Without attention to design, cartographers warn, the map will not be able to successfully communicate its intended message. However, even with little direct discussion of map design being reported, participatory mapping has a proven track record in an expansive range of locations and contexts of successfully supporting communities in advocating for their rights. As such, this dissertation takes up this disciplinary dissonance to explore what, ultimately, makes a map effective. Through content analysis of cartographic education materials, interviews with leaders of participatory mapping projects, and participant observation at national and international professional gatherings for cartographers, this research reveals an underlying tension between what informs the established understandings of effectiveness and how that effectiveness is achieved. Such tension can result in instances of disciplinary shaming and gatekeeping which, in turn, limit exchange of information and consequently prevented an evolution of the understandings of effectiveness. This dissertation calls for an expansion of the discipline’s framework of cartographic efficacy. I ultimately invite cartographers to allocate resources for understanding forms of efficacy that expand beyond traditional modalities in addition to making space for those who are not professionally trained cartographers to assert their ability to make effective maps and explore design principles with aplomb

Blockbusting in Baltimore: The Edmondson Village Story

This innovative study of racial upheaval and urban transformation in Baltimore, Maryland investigates the impact of blockbusting —a practice in which real estate agents would sell a house on an all-white block to an African American family with the aim of igniting a panic among the other residents. These homeowners would often sell at a loss to move away, and the real estate agents would promote the properties at a drastic markup to African American buyers. In this groundbreaking book, W. Edward Orser examines Edmondson Village, a west Baltimore rowhouse community where an especially acute instance of blockbusting triggered white flight and racial change on a dramatic scale. Between 1955 and 1965, nearly twenty thousand white residents, who saw their secure world changing drastically, were replaced by blacks in search of the American dream. By buying low and selling high, playing on the fears of whites and the needs of African Americans, blockbusters set off a series of events that Orser calls a collective trauma whose significance for recent American social and cultural history is still insufficiently appreciated and understood. Blockbusting in Baltimoredescribes a widely experienced but little analyzed phenomenon of recent social history. Orser makes an important contribution to community and urban studies, race relations, and records of the African American experience. W. Edward Orser is professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland. Has deftly revealed the social fragility of an apparently \u27stable\u27 white community. -- American Historical Review A valuable contribution to urban history and to the history of race relations in the United States. -- Journal of Southern Historyhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_united_states_history/1007/thumbnail.jp

BEHIND THE MIRRORS: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN COSMETOLOGISTS AND SALONS IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION

African American beauty salons across the country have historically served as settings for social interaction, political activism, and community organizing in the African American community. These settings often offer opportunities for intimacy between cosmetologists and their clients. Research findings suggest that the unique bonds between women in salons can be a viable option when providing health intervention and education to large numbers of women. Data indicates that salon campaigns and promotions which focused on health issues such as stroke and diabetes education, breast and cervical cancer awareness, healthy living, and smoking cessation, have been efficacious in changing unhealthy habits or increasing knowledge. There are a plethora of social and health issues that could also benefit from this culturally sensitive platform. In particular, abused African American women face multiple barriers when accessing services offered by legal, medical, and social services. These barriers can impact the help seeking behaviors of victims/survivors. Developing strategic interventions that address the ways in which these women seek help as well as increasing access to services is essential. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how African American cosmetologists and salons might be used in domestic violence advocacy and education. Theories framing this research included intersectionality and the social ecological framework (SEF). The interrelatedness of intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, and societal factors within each framework was used to understand how women experience violence and how the social phenomena in African American salons might provide alternative means of intervention to reach and empower marginalized, abused women. Eleven licensed, African American cosmetologists in three separate salons were recruited. Their perceptions (thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and opinions) about domestic violence advocacy and experiences with clients were collected and analyzed. In-depth interviews with each cosmetologists recreated their daily encounters in the salon and provided information about their relationships with clients. These findings were triangulated by salon observations and survey instrumentation. Common patterns and themes from this data were identified and coded. The findings were reported using rich, descriptive narratives provided by the cosmetologists

Contemporary Public Health: Principles, Practice, and Policy

Public health refers to the management and prevention of disease within a population by promoting healthy behaviors and environments in an effort to create a higher standard of living. In this comprehensive volume, editor James W. Holsinger Jr. and an esteemed group of scholars and practitioners offer a concise overview of this burgeoning field, emphasizing that the need for effective services has never been greater. Designed as a supplemental text for introductory courses in public health practice at the undergraduate and graduate levels, Contemporary Public Health provides historical background that contextualizes the current state of the field and explores the major issues practitioners face today. It addresses essential topics such as the social and ecological determinants of health and their impact on practice, marginalized populations, the role of community-oriented primary care, the importance of services and systems research, accreditation, and the organizational landscape of the American public health system. Finally, it examines international public health and explores the potential of systems based on multilevel partnerships of government, academic, and nonprofit organizations. With fresh historical and methodological analyses conducted by an impressive group of distinguished authors, this text is an essential resource for practitioners, health advocates, and students. James W. Holsinger Jr., M.D., Ph.D., is the Charles T. Wethington Jr. Chair in the Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky. He served as secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services from 2003 to 2005. “A comprehensive, integrated overview of public health in the early twentieth century, something that few, if any, other works provide students. Well written and clear, with an excellent choice of topics.” -- Max Michael, M.D., Dean, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health “A compilation of valuable information that provides an overview of contemporary topics. The authors include many leaders in the field of public health.” -- Joel M. Lee, Joel M. Lee, Dr.P.H., Director, Doctor of Public Health Degree Program, and Professor of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, The University of Georgia A major contribution to the understanding of this very important field--past, present and future. It brings together a stellar group of authors and their collective work will be a real help to students, practitioners and policy makers alike. In a time of significant change in health, health care and public health, this work will be of great benefit. -- William L. Roper, M.D., MPH, UNC School of Medicine and UNC Health Care System, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Contemporary Public Health offers a unique depth of wisdom based on a comprehensive analysis of the major forces shaping public health in our time. Dedicated to a true public health genius, Doug Scutchfield, this invaluable text will serve as an authoritative guide and a fascinating source of insights to inspire current and future generations as they serve the public\u27s health. -- Edward L. Baker MD, MPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Former Assistant Surgeon General, US Public Health Service These well written and succinct essays enrich the thoughts and the visions of the field of public health. -- Dr. Michael W. Popejoy -- Dr. Michael W. Popejoy -- Perspectives in Public Health If you are interested in more than a superficial and sound-bite driven discussion of the U.S.health care system, you really need to read \u27Contemporary Public Health.\u27 This comprehensive and thought-provoking book will definitely enrich your understnading of thhe disparity between where we are and where we potentially need to be on a topic that ultimately affects us all. -- Aaron W. Hughley, Department of Counseling and Student Affairs, Wesrern Kentucky University As services for public health in the US face budget cuts and the field looks forward to opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act, this edited collection of essays provides welcome historical and disciplinary perspectives on these and other contemporary public health issues. -- Choicehttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_public_health/1001/thumbnail.jp

Appalachian Health and Well-Being

Appalachians have been characterized as a population with numerous disparities in health and limited access to medical services and infrastructures, leading to inaccurate generalizations that inhibit their healthcare progress. Appalachians face significant challenges in obtaining effective care, and the public lacks information about both their healthcare needs and about the resources communities have developed to meet those needs. In Appalachian Health and Well-Being, editors Robert L. Ludke and Phillip J. Obermiller bring together leading researchers and practitioners to provide a much-needed compilation of data- and research-driven perspectives, broadening our understanding of strategies to decrease the health inequalities affecting both rural and urban Appalachians. The contributors propose specific recommendations for necessary research, suggest practical solutions for health policy, and present best practices models for effective health intervention. This in-depth analysis offers new insights for students, health practitioners, and policy makers, promoting a greater understanding of the factors affecting Appalachian health and effective responses to those needs. Robert L. Ludke is a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Cincinnati. He is also a member of the Board of the Urban Appalachian Council. Phillip J. Obermiller is a Senior Visiting Scholar in the School of Planning at the University of Cincinnati and a past president of the Appalachian Studies Association. This volume pulls together an enormous amount of information that has been scattered in obscure publications in diverse fields. It synthesizes that information, puts it in context, and makes it available to the anyone interested in general health issues. It should be in the library of every postsecondary education institution with an Appalachian constituency. -- Wayne Meyers, M.D. A well-written, insightful work that encompasses the breadth of this important topic. -- Baretta R. Casey, M.D., M.P.H. Ludke and Obermiller\u27s work goes far beyond the borders of Appalachia to document the relationship between health and economic status. It particularly emphasizes the long-term effects of poverty on health. Its usefulness is not limited to Appalachia but to all those who believe that the opportunity for good health should not be defined by income and wealth. -- William W. Philliber, author of Appalachian Migrants in Urban America An important and much-needed book. Mountaineers, both those inside the region as well as those beyond it, will receive better care from health-care providers and more humane treatment by policy makers if both read carefully the multidisciplinary perspectives contained in this timely volume. -- Chad Berry, author of Southern Migrants, Northern Exiles An excellent introduction to the persisting health challenges of Appalachia, where health disparities are one of the continuing markers of inequality. In this volume some of the region\u27s leading health researchers examine the economic, environmental, behavioral and systemic causes of those disparities. -- Ronald D Eller, Distinguished Professor of History, author of Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945 Brings together researchers who present data addressing health disparities affecting urban and rural Appalachians and offers possible solutions. -- Kentucky Enquirer Ludke and Obermiller summarize the state of Appalachian health. . . . An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia. -- Kentucky Libraries A truly exemplary book. . . . Surveys nine areas of health in the region and concludes with policy recommendations. -- Apalachian Heritage An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia. -- Kentucky Libraries This medical text, the first of its kind, focuses on health of the region’s inhabitants as well as those who have moved away. -- Library Journal While the idea of geographically-based health disparities is still evolving, this engaging resource has greatly expanded the concept in what is a remarkable volume of well-organized, well-written, evidence-based studies on health in Appalachia presented from a host of critical perspectives. This book should become required reading for policy makers, health care providers, community activists, and students everywhere. -- Elke Jones Zschaebitz, David C. Gordon, Family and Community Health Appalachian Health and Well-being develops an enriched analytical framework for health care and creates a new, comprehensive source of knowledge that will benefit multidirectional efforts to improve Appalachian health. Authors offer informed recommendations for assessing and preventing disease and promoting health. This compilation is a pioneering work that will inform and guide readers and serve as a model for future Appalachian health research. -- Journal of Appalachian Studieshttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_medicine_and_health_sciences/1013/thumbnail.jp