Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Alternative Break Programs and the Factors that Contribute to Changes in Students' Lives
    (2012) Niehaus, Elizabeth K; Inkelas, Karen Kurotsuchi; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to and ways in which student participants in Alternative Break (AB) programs report that their AB experience influenced their intentions or plans to volunteer, engage in advocacy, or study or travel abroad, or their major or career plans. Additional analysis explored the specific program characteristics related to the influence of the AB experience on students' lives in these six ways, and differences between domestic and international AB programs. The theoretical basis of this study was provided by Mezirow's (1991, 1997, 2000) theory of Transformative Learning, Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) theory of Reasoned Action, and Etzioni (1992) theory of Normative-Affective Decision Making. Building on these three theories, Astin's (1991) Inputs-Environments-Outcomes (IEO) model provided structure to the analysis and interpretation of the relationships between student, program, and institutional characteristics and the outcomes in question. The data from this study were collected as part of the National Survey of Alternative Breaks, a multi-institutional survey of students who participated in Alternative Spring Break programs in 2011. Overall 2187 students responded to the survey, representing 443 separate AB trips and 97 colleges and universities. Data from the survey were analyzed following the above conceptual framework (modified to account for the nesting of the data) using descriptive analysis and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The results of this study show that students overwhelmingly do report that their AB experience influences these outcomes, and there are a number of program characteristics related to the influence of the AB programs. The extent to which students were emotionally challenged and able to connect their AB experience to larger social issues, the frequency with which students wrote in individual journals, the amount students learned from their interactions with community members and other students on their trip, and the comprehensiveness of the reorientation program after returning to campus were all significant, positive predictors of all or most of the outcomes explored. Finally, an international program location was significantly related to the influence of the AB experience on students' intentions or plans to study or travel abroad.
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    "Haikus in the Subway": Understanding Student Meaning-Making of an Alternative Spring Break Trip
    (2009) Hui, Sarah Mei-Yen; Jones, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this constructivist case study was to investigate students' experiences on an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip and the meaning students made of the experience. The research questions guiding the study were: (a) What did students learn about themselves and others through their participation; (b) How did students' social identities interact with the contexts of the ASB immersion location and influence their experiences? In-depth data collection involved multiple sources of information, including post-trip semi-structured interviews, participant journals, and participant-observations. Data was analyzed through the constant comparison of data sources and analysis as themes emerged. Eleven participants and I traveled to Chicago during a week-long ASB experience focusing on affordable housing. Findings from this study include: (1) the intense immersion context of the trip and resulting disorientation and detachment; (2) the connections and complexities uncovered through interactions with community members, peers on the trip, and new perspectives; (3) a more complicated view of race in relation to the social issue and peer interactions; and (4) the challenges of reentry upon returning home.
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    Service-Learning in Teacher Education: Weaving a Tapestry of Relationships
    (2006-04-24) Castellan, Catherine Marie; Valli, Linda; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this interpretive study was to gain an understanding of the sense freshmen elementary education majors made of service-learning in their teacher education courses. Data were gathered from six majors during their Introduction to Education course in the fall and Learning Theory course in the spring of their freshman year. Three majors participated in a regular model of service-learning while another three participated in a cascading model. Data were inductively analyzed from codes organized into categories and then synthesized into themes. This study was conducted at a private college in a Mid-Atlantic city where many of the students came from middle and upper middle class backgrounds. Service-learning projects involved a local urban elementary/middle school. Findings indicated that majors made sense of their service-learning projects by recognizing that service-learning offered them the opportunity to establish relationships. A collaborative relationship was established between the majors and individuals in the school which resulted in majors learning how to collaborate and the benefits of collaboration. A reciprocal relationship was established between the majors and the teachers and students in the elementary school where the majors' service activities met school needs. A cognitive relationship was established as majors connected their course content to their service-learning experiences and learned the content. A relationship was established between the majors and others in an urban setting resulting in opportunities for majors to experience, address and adapt to issues related to diversity. Service-learning allowed majors to synthesize teaching principles from their experiences in an urban setting. There were some differences in perspectives between the cascading and regular majors. Cascading majors' experiences allowed them to develop more specific and in-depth insights into the world of elementary education than their regular model counterparts as they planned and carried out service-learning projects with the elementary school students. The cascading majors also experienced reinforced pedagogy when they taught the elementary students and then watched the elementary students teach others the same material. The effectiveness of the cascading majors' pedagogical approach was assessed by the application of that knowledge when elementary students introduced and taught the material to others.
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    The Contributions of Demographic Background and Service-Learning Experiences to Undergraduates' Perceptions of Appreciation of Diversity
    (2005-05-25) Tongsri, Chirapar; Inkelas, Karen K.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study investigated how race, gender, academic class standing, service involvement prior to college, and type of service-learning program may relate to students' perception of the contribution of service-learning on appreciation of diversity. The data were collected from 290 students at the University of Maryland, College Park in spring 2004, from a locally-created instrument. The findings revealed that there were significant differences in the reported contribution of service-learning to diversity appreciation between women and men and between freshmen and seniors, although there was no difference between races. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that aspects of class standing, type of service-learning program, race, and gender significantly predicted and contributed to the variance (8%) in students' reported contribution of service-learning to diversity appreciation. Further research should be conducted to better understand the role of race in this outcome as well as how practitioners can structure the service experience to enhance this outcome.
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    Service-learning and diversity: The relationship of race, gender, and prior service experience to students' self-perceived appreciation of difference and awareness of structural inequality
    (2004-08-10) Wilmarth, Laura Renee; McEwen, Marylu K; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This thesis explored the relationship between students' participation in a one-semester service-learning course and their self-perceptions of diversity, defined as appreciation of difference and awareness of structural inequality (O'Grady, 2000). Specifically, the study explicated the relationship between each of the two diversity components and race, gender, service hours required, and prior service participation. The study utilized existing data from the Curricular Service Learning Survey, a locally developed instrument. Results indicated that women's perceptions of appreciation of difference were significantly greater than men's perceptions, whereas students' perceptions of awareness of structural inequality differed significantly by race and gender. Blocked hierarchical regressions revealed that students' prior service experience and high school service requirement predicted a significant but small amount of the variance (6%) in their perceptions of their appreciation of difference and that prior service experience predicted a significant amount of the variance (6%) in their awareness of structural inequality.
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    DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH SERVICE-LEARNING IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
    (2004-05-04) Skjonsby, Britt; Torney-Purta, Judith; Human Development
    Many opportunities for service participation are emerging in educational institutions. While research has found effects of service in multiple developmental domains, variations associated with the context of service, and the students' gender, have not been examined. The current study examines 612 undergraduates participating in service activities in one of three contexts: service-learning course, co-curricular service, or America Reads America Counts (ARAC). Service-learning students were classified into low and high reflection groups. Self-report questionnaires measured perceived citizenship, leadership, and diversity outcomes. ARAC students reported higher scores on most items, with ARAC and high reflection curricular scores often significantly higher than low reflection curricular and co-curricular students. ARAC students likely reported more positive outcomes because of the time commitment required for their employment, and high reflection curricular students presumably reported more positive outcomes because of the integration of the service experience with their coursework. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.