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Browsing by Author "Basile, Vincent, committee member"

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    Academic writing retreats for graduate students: a qualitative case study
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Stewart, Cyndi, author; Gloeckner, Gene, advisor; Aragon, Antonette, committee member; Basile, Vincent, committee member; O’Donnell, Cindy, committee member
    Writing retreats have proven to be a productive experience for faculty, if they are well-organized, focused on bulk writing and assist in reaching an individual's goals and connection to his or her writing. If writing retreats have shown productive for faculty, arguably there may be even greater opportunity for success considering students are seeking writing interventions to support completing their thesis or dissertation and graduating. This study examined the experiences of graduate students who participated in a writing retreat, if it was beneficial for them and understanding the aspects that led to productive writing. This qualitative case study on academic writing retreats was researched and examined to understand graduate writing retreats. The study provided retreat participants the opportunity to share their experiences at a CSU Writes graduate writing retreat, and the information gained can be used to inform other universities and academic professionals who are seeking interventions to support productive writing. The primary data source was collected from interviews with 30 participants who had attended a CSU Writes retreat during the research period. In addition to participants interviews, the data collection included an interview with the Director and facilitator of CSU Writes, a document review and evaluation of the participant evaluations and the researchers direct observations of the presentations, group discussion and the group writing environment of the retreats. The data analyzed and collected from this study provided an overview of the participants' perspectives on their experiences at an academic graduate writing retreat, their writing results and what occurred at the retreat to facilitate productive writing. In addition, this study provided an initial retreat design model from the review of the literature to support graduate writing and a proposed updated model after the research was collected and analyzed. The writing retreat could be suggested for students feeling stuck, procrastinating writing and in need of an intervention to move forward. The findings from this study expound that graduate students found retreats effective for writing productivity. This outcome, concluded from participants experiences was due to the fact that participants recognized the retreat provided an opportunity to complete a lot of writing over a period of two days, two and a half days or five days. The participants additionally stated they experienced productive writing by being part of a group where they felt an accountability to write, the retreat provided dedicated uninterrupted writing without distractions, they alternated between writing and editing depending on their personal productive times of the day, they set goals for the retreat or goals for each writing session and followed the retreat agenda of writing sessions with breaks versus binge writing. Although writing with others may be viewed as a distraction, the study discovered that writing with others resulted in positive feelings such as motivation to write, a commitment to writing and a focus and intensity towards writing. The conditions which supported productive writing were feeling part of a community of writers through writing together as a group, group discussions, learning many students experienced similar challenges to productive writing and identifying as writer as a direct result of completing a lot of writing. Out of the 30 participants interviews, 26 participants reported they either met or exceed their retreat writing goals. Based on the study's findings and results, writing retreats are a viable intervention for universities to consider for graduate students writing a thesis or dissertation and seeking productive writing. Also, a proposed retreat model to consider was provided and evaluated.
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    Depression and the college transition: the lived experiences of first-year college students who self-report as having depression
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Alvarez, Joshua T., author; Anderson, Sharon K., advisor; Peila-Shuster, Jackie, committee member; Basile, Vincent, committee member; Snodgrass, Jeffrey, committee member
    The transition to college is a transformative time in a student's life. The first year of college is especially critical as the transition from secondary education to college can determine whether a student succeeds or fails in in college (Gale & Parker, 2014; Taylor & Harris-Evans, 2018). Students with depression enter their first year of college with symptoms that create difficulties with work, home, or social activities (Pratt & Brody, 2014). Depressed mood results in a lack of energy, concentration, self-worth, and interest in daily activities (Auerbach et al., 2018; National Institute of Mental Health, 2019; Vanderlind, 2017). This phenomenological study examined the research question: How do students who recently completed their first two semesters describe their lived experienced with depression during their first-year transition to college? The 11 student participants who participated in this study had graduated from high school in the spring and transitioned to college the next fall, recently completed their first two semesters at a public university, and self-reported having depression prior to and during their first year of college. Using Schlossberg's Transition Model as a framework, the study's ordinate themes were captured within the 4S's: Situation, Self, Support, and Strategies. The ordinate themes of Situation consisted of: Transition Recognition, Adulting, Loneliness and Isolation, Questioned College, and Hopeful. Self consisted of: Comparing to Others, Minoritized Identities, and Self-Discovery. Support consisted of: Family Support and Friend Support. Strategies consisted of: Changing Strategies, Detrimental Coping Strategies, and Inability to Cope. The study provided implications for higher education and future research.
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    Investigating individually expressed motives and collectively generated goals for equity-oriented reform in undergraduate mathematics education
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Tremaine, Rachel, author; Hagman, Jess Ellis, advisor; Arnold, Elizabeth, committee member; Miranda, Rick, committee member; Basile, Vincent, committee member; DiGregorio, Gaye, committee member
    Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an explicitly stated goal of many mathematics departments across the country, and addressing ongoing disparities in outcomes and experiences within undergraduate mathematics is a shared responsibility among undergraduate mathematics community members. Despite the prevalence of ideological, political, and contextual barriers to equity-oriented action within undergraduate mathematics spaces, many community members can and do take a responsive stance toward enhancing DEI within their department and at their institution. Understanding how mathematics faculty members, administrators, and students are personally motivated to take up work toward these aims within their own mathematics departments is paramount in ensuring that such work continues. In this dissertation I present two investigations which draw on cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) as a conceptual and theoretical lens. In the first investigation, I analyze the motives of 30 undergraduate mathematics community members (five administrators, 17 faculty members, and eight students) across three institutions to understand their reasoning for participation in an intradepartmental community focused on creating transformative, equity-oriented change within introductory mathematics courses. A reflexive thematic analysis of journal entries and individual interviews with participants resulted in five themes which motivated participation in collaborative equity reform within their mathematics department: a relational motive, a self-improvement motive, a student experience motive, an influence motive, and a values to action motive. With these themes in mind, I then consider how a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) at one institution developed a shared object for their work through a CHAT lens, highlighting what rules, communities, subjects, artifacts, and divisions of labor proved salient to this development. The prevalence and pervasiveness of self-interests, identity neutrality, and paternalism are critically discussed within the context of these investigations, and I build on existing literature to produce recommendations for disrupting such ideologies to produce transformative change in undergraduate mathematics environments. Among these recommendations are the need for critical engagement to see beyond self-interest in the context of one's own reform work, and the need for collaborative reform groups to not only position students as experts on their own experiences, but to also conceptualize instructors as novices on student experiences. I conclude with a discussion of future work supporting continued theorizing of the link between individually expressed motives and collectively generated goals in undergraduate mathematics reform efforts.
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    Perceptions of stakeholders in English language learning: a case study
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Day, Leah K., author; Ginsberg, Ricki, advisor; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana, committee member; Basile, Vincent, committee member
    This study was conducted as a qualitative narrative inquiry. The purpose of the study was to understand the perceptions of stakeholders on English Language Learners and how this shapes their educational path. By using a qualitative narrative inquiry, we can get a closer look into the life and learning of just one specific student. Data was collected in the form of interviews with the participants. The interviews were guided with a set of questions that were designed to interrogate perceptions and experiences of all stakeholders with regards to language learning in the context of one student. With the exception of WIDA scores that provide information about the language mastery level of the student, all data collected was qualitative. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and the data was coded inductively. This was then compiled in the form of a narrative that described the shaping of the educational pathway of the student. This study does not seek to generalize beyond this context but can provide insight into similar experiences and perceptions of the English Language Learning process. The themes that developed as findings of this study were centered around the disconnects between stakeholders. This presented itself as subthemes like lack of teacher understanding, feelings of isolation, perceptions of English Language Learners, and varying teacher perceptions of their language abilities. There are implications in the teaching of English Language Learners that point to the importance of collaboration between all stakeholders. This includes transparency and clarification of educator roles, parent outreach, and professional development.