Peabody College

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https://ir.vanderbilt.edu/handle/1803/5548

Our well-rounded community includes five unique departments, a top-ranked graduate school, national research centers, and the largest undergraduate major at Vanderbilt. Peabody professors are well-known scholars and practitioners who actively mentor students. Our undergraduate, master’s, Ed.D., Ph.D., and professional development programs all attract people who share a deep concern for the human condition and education.

Address:	Peabody College Vanderbilt University 230 Appleton Place Peabody #329 Nashville, TN 37203-5721
Phone:	615-322-8410
Email:	peabody.admission@vanderbilt.edu
Website:	Peabody College

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 1008

The 20-Year Start-Up: Using Capacity Building to Address Systemic Underperformance in a Nonprofit Job Club
(2021-04-19) Brown, Binta Y; Cooper, Madia W
To understand the phenomenon of organizational underperformance in nonprofits and how to develop strategies for sustained improvement, we created a conceptual framework by synthesizing context-design theory (Wang, 2010), capacity building domains (2004, McKinsey & Company (2001) and capacity building engagement (Light & Hubbard 2004). We utilized a sequential mixed-methods approach. Our project’s findings suggest a number of factors connected across three major areas: leadership, operations structure, and board governance. Due to nonprofits’ complexity, and the highly situated nature of capacity building within organization, our four recommendations will allow LPJC to implement flexible capacity building strategies, thereby improving its performance towards a sustainable future.
A Case for Disability Leadership in Southwest Pennsylvania
(2024-05) Davis, James R.; Lundy, Jennifer R.; Hurst, Kelly M.
This project on disability justice examines the landscape of leadership by persons with disabilities. In primary partnership with Pittsburgh, PA-based FISA Foundation, which partnered with Chicago, IL-based Disability Lead, we investigate the opportunity to expand a disability-focused leadership development program (LDP) to Southwest Pennsylvania (SWPA). A review of extant literature revealed themes of barriers to leadership. As the literature failed to address persons with disabilities as leaders, we introduce a framework for disrupting the social model of disability by illustrating a ceiling of leadership expectations. Examination and coding of over 150 pages of documentation from interviews, focus groups, FISA Foundation meetings, and Disability Lead program curricula exposed four findings. The findings indicate FISA Foundation is well established in SWPA to launch a disability-focused LDP. They must act as a convener to align other advocacy groups towards a common goal, identify additional support within the community to serve as mentors, intentionally design the program to ensure physical accommodation and remove financial barriers, and forge partnerships within the business sector for financial support. The findings suggest that barriers to leadership by persons with disabilities exist at the societal level. To overcome barriers, individuals from the disability community must be deliberately and purposefully positioned as leaders at a societal level, not just within the sector serving individuals with disabilities.
A Framework for Strategic Planning Concerning Online Education at Chapman University
(2022-05) Cieply, Kevin; Ramadan, David
Following a period during the COVID-19 pandemic when Chapman University was forced to deliver its education remotely, coupled with the sale of Brandman University, its at-scale online entity, Chapman entered a de facto online era for higher education without a plan or strategy for online learning. This doctoral capstone project provides Chapman with a customized framework to strategize and decide how best to move forward with online education. A Policy Analyses Framework (PAF) developed by King et al. (2000), served as the foundational structure to design a mixed methods research approach. Researchers interviewed 49 individuals among Chapman’s leadership and faculty; surveyed 1037 students, faculty, and staff; and interviewed 22 students. Researchers found substantial interest for online courses to provide more flexibility/convenience, accessibility, and lower costs; but not to the degree that it creates isolation, exhaustion, or causes the students to question whether they are receiving a resident educational experience. Furthermore, the faculty and students prefer hybrid versus fully online degrees and/or programs. Researchers also found that any planning process concerning online education would require capturing the complexities of the University’s mission and culture. Lastly, the majority of faculty supports including online graduate education in the University’s strategic plan.
A Program Evaluation of a Promising Peer Tutoring Program
(2022-08) Henry, Youlanda M.
This capstone project is a program evaluation of a peer tutoring and mentoring program that targets mathematics courses offered at a community college located in Northwest Florida. Social constructivist understandings of learning undergird the program’s theory of change and implementation strategies. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the program’s success in meeting its current goals and aspirational goals suggested by the literature in the field and stakeholder feedback and to offer recommendations for improvement and potential program expansion. The project has a mixed methods study design and relies upon stakeholder surveys, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews with key program stakeholders to answer the project’s core questions. The study suggests that the program has some notable strengths, particularly in its potential to enhance the classroom learning experience and to produce positive social outcomes for program participants. Areas for potential improvements include providing additional professional development for the tutors and faculty mentors in the program, developing formalized tracking systems for tutoring participation, and working to make the in-class experience more homogenous so that the program can amplify its academic and affective impact on students and demonstrate the program’s efficacy.
A Study of Differential Pre-K Readiness Across Racial/Socioeconomic Lines in Evanston/Skokie School District 65
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2017-05-01) Kenly, Avery; Klein, Amanda; Nicholson, Charles
Ackerman and Barnett (2005) suggest that "future academic success is dependent on being ready to learn and participate in a successful kindergarten experience" (p. 1). More importantly, a quality preschool experience has the potential to reduce gaps in achievement and the reproduction of socioeconomic inequalities that persist among disadvantaged families (Crosnoe, Purtell, Davis-Kean, Ansari, & Benner, 2016). Research has also indicated that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are at a disadvantage, as they begin school with fewer academic skills and greater gaps in cognitive and academic competencies than their more advantaged peers (Stipek & Ryan, 1997). According to Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, and Waldfogel (2004), "differences in children's childhood experiences play a formative role in shaping school readiness and largely explain the skill gaps at school entry" (2004, p. 117).
Academic Advisor Retention at Baylor University
(2024-08) Jamshidi, Ida; Lozano, Sara
Baylor University is a private, Christian, Research 1 institution in Waco, Texas. In 2010, the responsibility of academic advising shifted from faculty to professional staff, and advisors have played an increasingly important role in recruiting and retaining students. Given the crucial role that academic advisors play in student success and institutional performance, understanding the drivers of advisor retention is imperative. Currently, there is no data available to understand the value advisors place on various elements of their work experience when determining whether to continue serving in their roles at Baylor. This study investigates the extent to which six institutional factors (benefits, commitment to mission, opportunities for advancement, salary, supervisor effectiveness, and work modality) impact retention of academic advisors within the undergraduate schools and colleges at Baylor University. Through a mixed-methods approach, which included surveys and focus group interviews with the academic advisors, the institutional factors were ranked and benefits, salary, and commitment to institutional mission were the top three contributing factors. Comprehensive benefits, including healthcare, retirement, and tuition remission programs were found to be significant motivators for advisors to remain in their positions. While salary is often assumed to be a primary driver of retention, this study finds that it is one of several critical factors, and its impact is often moderated by other elements, such as job satisfaction and workplace culture. Additionally, advisors who exhibited a strong alignment with and commitment to the institution's mission were more likely to have lower turnover intentions. The findings suggest that Baylor University can enhance advisor retention by developing competitive benefits packages, ensuring salary structures are competitive, and fostering a strong institutional mission alignment. Recommendations include prioritizing communication and transparency, fostering inclusivity, and evaluating advisor responsibilities to ensure that pay aligns with work responsibilities. This study contributes to the broader understanding of employee retention in higher education and provides actionable insights for institutions aiming to improve advisor retention and, consequently, student success.
Academic Uses of Social Media Technology in the High School English Classroom
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2011-04) Gotkin, Kelly
The goal of this paper is to explore the potential uses of social media in high school English classrooms. Also explored is the reasoning behind integrating social media into the English curriculum. Social media use falls under the heading of digital literacies, but social media requires users to interact with each other, which sets it apart from non-social media such as PowerPoint presentations and computer word processing. Social media allows adolescents to perform multiple identities and to produce a wide variety of texts. Bringing these out-of-school practices into the classroom poses challenges for educators, though. Recent research begins to delve into how and why social media deserve a place in the classroom. Furthermore, educators may rely on case studies and practitioner reports to help fill in remaining gaps such as assessment of social media texts and processes. The paper explores how some teachers use social media to meet traditional goals of the English curriculum. Social media is a relatively new field, so there is also a discussion of some of its issues and implications of its future use.
An Accelerated Journey: Unearthing the Perceptions and Experiences of Students in One Baccalaureate-M.D. Training Program
(2021-08-05) Crouch, Jenny
Each year, a small percentage of students pursue a combined Baccalaureate-M.D. pathway to physician licensure. Often called BS/M.D. or BA/M.D. degree programs, these medical training pathways allow competitive students to accelerate their entrance into the medical profession by condensing and combining undergraduate education with the beginning of the professional medical school curriculum. To date, little research has focused on the day-to-day experiences of this specific student population. Therefore, using social learning theory and conceptualizations put forth by Gruppen et al. (2019) regarding the learning environment of health professions, this capstone project sought to explore the personal, social, and organizational factors affecting combined pathway student satisfaction at one medical school in the Northeast. A mixed methods investigation of secondary quantitative, and new qualitative data revealed incongruences in students’ expectations of academic rigor and the reality of self-study, while highlighting the interdependent effects of psychosocial factors on student satisfaction.
Access to ACCIS: A sense of community baseline analysis for a growing and evolving membership association
(2022-08) Tavares, Joseph H.
Fundamental questions have been raised about how ACCIS, a membership organization for college counselors at independent schools, can be more inclusive for a growing and evolving membership. This mixed-methods study utilized McMillan and Chavis’s (1986) sense of community framework to explore inquiries relating to members' needs and on-boarding experiences. Recommendations to ACCIS leadership included: (i) mapping out the ideal trajectory for new members to ensure all have equitable access to basic information about ACCIS; (ii) reassessment of orientations (both virtual and in person) to ensure consistency in information-sharing and engagement optimization; and (iii) expansion of affinity group programming (i.e. for single office counselors, new directors, those inside and outside of metropolitan areas).
Achieving Entrepreneurial Scale Through Adaptive Organizational Alignment
(2021-12) Kennaugh, Scott F.
The alignment of organizational strategy, structure, and processes is fundamental to success in achieving organizational growth to scale. The key questions which guide organizational assessment are in two categories: how does the chosen strategy align with the “ideal” of this strategic type, and how do leaders align the four organizational capabilities of Entrepreneurship, Engineering, Administration, and Collaboration with organizational core activity priorities. The use of the Organizational Alignment Evaluation Protocol provides an assessment of organizational alignment and identifies areas of misalignment which hinder organizational effectiveness. To accomplish entrepreneurial growth to scale, the organization must engage in adaptive transformation to achieve their strategic goals.
Activating Social Learning Networks and Technology to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes in Hashimpur, Bangladesh
(2022-08) Desmarais, Kathryn; Thomas, Abdul-Hai
This paper examines how to activate social learning networks and technology to improve maternal health outcomes in Hashimpur, Bangladesh. The project questions evaluated 1) what factors contribute to the use or avoidance of birth healthcare centers (BHCs) in first-line antenatal care and delivery 2) what roles can be established and/or enhanced to develop communities of practice that increase first-line use and 3) how technology might dovetail with social networks and communities of practice to increase the use of BHCs for first-line antenatal care and delivery. Findings revealed that villagers and traditional birth assistants are open to using technology to improve the knowledge and effectiveness of the informal antenatal care communities of practice that already exist. Recommendations include formalizing connection circles, launching an antenatal care app, and applying for a grant focused on improving maternal outcomes in low resource settings.
Adapting early childhood philosophies and practice in teaching math in second grade
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-04-09T20:31:45Z) Wright, Holly
Admissions Selectivity for Missouri's Public Universities
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2021-05) Boyd, Autumn; Dunston, Emelia
This report discusses a recent study commissioned by the Office of Postsecondary Policy, located within the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, to evaluate the relevance and efficacy of the department’s admissions selectivity policy. A mixed methods research design was employed to assess the policy’s functionality, determine which pre-college characteristics are the strongest indicators of student success, and evaluate how the administration of state-sponsored aid factors into the equation. A review of the data determined that earlier deviations from the policy were caused by differential interpretations of the selectivity guidelines, but more recent changes were made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In practice, the primary performance metrics being used to gauge a student’s academic potential are high school grades and SAT/ACT scores. Based on the Fall 2014 cohort’s performance data, high school GPA as a single indicator was found to offer a greater predictive value than ACT Composite Scores, with respect to graduation rates. Additionally, the receipt of first-year state aid and the amount of aid received demonstrated some predictive value, suggesting that state aid plays a role in students' ability to persist and graduate.
Admissions, Enrollment & Pre-College Preparation: A Foundation Year Program In The Arabian Gulf
(2020-08) Schultes, Alexander E. O.
Knowing more about student enrollment at preparatory programs is particularly significant to the field of international admissions and recruitment. Struggling to meet aggressive admissions targets, and the inability to attract students who fit an institutional profile, is an existential threat to an institution’s core business. Unlike previous studies, which examine students enrolled in traditional degree programs, this study focuses on international student enrollment at a foundation year program, in an emerging Arab Gulf country, using a qualitative approach. Two research questions are investigated: What drives enrollment decisions at university academic preparation programs? After accounting for student variables of any type, what institutional factors most influence the enrollment of new students? This study found the emergence of three interconnected identities for students, staff and programs. Identity can assist decision makers by providing a form of analysis to focus on critical factors impacting student enrollment. After identifying the linkages of enrollment decisions to factors that influence staff development and retention, this study makes eight recommendations to foster a community that will more effectively support new students.
Adult College Student Choice: Individual and Institutional Factors that Influence Students
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2017-05) Crounse, Shane; Hinkle, Lygie; Shatzer, Christin
The Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) asked us to explore why adult students, individuals age 25 and over, in Tennessee choose to enroll in private nonprofit institutions like their member campuses. It is their hope that better understanding adult college student choice will support TICUA’s role in the Tennessee Drive-to-55 initiative. To understand the issue context, we explored existing data sets from TICUA and the Tennessee higher education commission (THEC). To frame our research and study questions we met with staff of TICUA, THEC, and several campus administrators. After developing our study questions, we reviewed literature on college choice and adult students. Finally, we administered a survey of current adult students enrolled at several TICUA institutions and conducted interviews with adult students and campus administrators who work with adult students. Our analysis of these data sets led us to posit a set of best practices specific to Tennessee private, nonprofit colleges and universities. TICUA institutions can draw on this set of best practices in ways that suit their geographic contexts, program offerings, and campus culture. Tennessee is a laboratory for higher education innovation. A strong state lottery scholarship program has supported the growth of several initiatives that align with the latest thinking of the U.S. Department of Education and national think tank organizations like Lumina Foundation (USDE, 2012; Lumina, 2016). The Tennessee Reconnect program has mirrored Lumina’s call for states to serve adult students through first credentials, articulated pathways, and advising. The 2017 expansion of the Tennessee Promise scholarships, through the Tennessee Reconnect Act, gives adults free community college and puts the state ahead of any other in supporting adult college students (Fain, 2014). Tennessee’s higher education programs also largely address U.S. Department of Education recommendations for supporting adult learners with programs targeting access, quality, and completion (USDE, 2012). While TICUA’s membership of four-year institutions are largely excluded from press coverage surrounding the Tennessee Promise scholarships, these 34 campuses award the bachelor’s degree that is more highly coveted by employers and more versatile in the job market (CEW 2010, 2013). TICUA institutions certainly serve a smaller number of adult learners than other segments of the Tennessee higher education community, but they are expected to serve increasing numbers of adult students and offer experiences and programs unavailable at public or for-profit institutions (THEC, 2015). Additionally, nearly a third of bachelor's degrees awarded by TICUA institutions go to adult students (THEC, 2016). Our review of the existing data and literature suggest that students aged 25 and older pursue higher education in different ways than traditional aged students. These differences are best served by changes to marketing, recruiting, onboarding, classroom engagement, and path to degree. Adult students are more focused on specific employment outcomes, expect efficient administrative services, welcome classroom rigor, and require a clear and timely path to graduation and credentialing. While the four-year bachelor's degree is more sought-after by employers and more flexible in the national job market, adult students prefer to know that the knowledge and skills they personally learn will be worth the time and energy they expend to acquire them.
Advancing Impact and Perception of Literacy Professional Development
(2020-12) Fraser, Christopher
A Literacy Professional Development engaged in a year-long quality improvement project to seek ways to define and deepen its impact on its clients' student learning. Through the lens of self-efficacy and customer loyalty theories and a mixed methods data collection approach, recommendations are provided to the organization on how they increase their impact, improve their relationships with clients, and, ultimately, most positively impact student learning.
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Current Physical Violence, and Perceived Norms about Child Maltreatment as Correlates of Child Maltreatment Perpetration
(2023-04-28) Walker, Sarah
Misperceived social norms frequently impact personal behaviors. However, little is known about how this occurrence of misperceived social norms interact with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Current Violence (CV) in the context of violence against children. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 2020-2022 that targeted all adult men and women with children aged 6 and up who resided within eight villages in Rwampara District, southwestern Uganda. Corporal punishment of children was elicited by self-report. We also asked participants what they believed to be the prevalence of corporal punishment of children among other parents within their village (i.e., perceived norms). Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to estimate associations between child maltreatment by adults and several potential correlates (including perceived norms, ACEs, and Current Violence) among women and men living with at least one child over age 6 in the household. Misperceiving the local child maltreatment norms to be exaggerated was associated with an increased likelihood of hitting one’s child. There is a gender difference in relative risk. Men and women are both influenced by what they perceive other people of their same gender are doing in their village. Men who perceive that “Most men hit children in their households 3 or more times per week” are 4.95 times more likely to perpetrate violence as those who perceive that “Most men do this 0 times per week” (p<0.001). Women were also impacted by their perception of other women’s actions, and women who reported current physical violence were 1.48 times more likely to perpetrate violence as those who had not experienced violence from the opposite sex in the past three months (p=0.027). Women who reported ACEs were 1.35 times more likely to perpetrate violence as those who had not experienced ACEs (p=0.005). Interventions to correct misperceived norms about child maltreatment may decrease violence against children.
The Affective and Social Needs of English Language Learners
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-09-12) Dillon, Kelly; Dr. Robert Jimenez
With a goal of exploring the impact of English language learners' (ELLs) affective and social needs on academic achievement, this paper examines the issue from four frameworks: the learner, the learning environment, the curriculum and instructional strategies, and, finally, assessment. The framework of the learner addresses issues such as self-confidence, inhibition, attitude, the need for positive adult models, and the need to belong and contribute as they relate to language learning and academic achievement. The section detailing the learning environment explores the critical role of the teacher, the importance of high expectations, the influence of peers, the physical classroom arrangement, and the presence of native languages. The critical need for comprehensible input, the use of cooperative grouping, providing students with opportunities for success, and giving ample wait time are all issues examined in light of curriculum and instructional strategies. In addition, this section briefly outlines and explains several language instruction approaches including the Natural Approach, the Language-Experience Approach, and the Counseling-Learning Approach, as well as bilingual instruction. The last framework of assessment addresses the limitations of traditional paper and pencil assessment and emphasizes the need for authentic assessment and continuous feedback. Finally, the essay concludes with a section describing how the above insights impact practice.
Alamo City Colts: Recruitment and Retention Explained through Athlete Enrollment Management and the Athletic Triangle
(2024-05) Daniels, Michael D.
This project was a quality improvement project for a new (two-year-old) non-profit competitive youth sports program with a mission of providing competitive youth travel tackle football to financially disadvantaged children. The project applied the theoretical lens of strategic enrollment management and the athletic triangle with a mixed methods approach to assist the Alamo City Colts Youth Football and Cheer Association (ACC) with recruitment and retention of youth athletes. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected, analyzed, and validated to understand how ACC’s problems with the recruitment and retention of youth athletes could be addressed to allow the organization to continue its community outreach and provision of participation scholarships and financial assistance. The project provided insights into the development of solidified recruitment and retention strategies using the theoretical concepts of strategic enrollment management and the athletic triangle.
Algebra as a Civil Right
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2012-06-14) Mitchell, Lauren
This paper addresses the argument that algebra should be viewed as a civil right and mode for social justice. The framing question addressed is, “How and why is algebra a civil right?” The goal of the paper is to discuss how effective algebra instruction is beneficial for students beyond academic achievement. Algebraic knowledge provides students with a skill set that they can employ to better understand, evaluate, analyze, and critique the society in which they live. Through logical skills and quantitative analysis, students are able to view the world through a reflective and transformative lens. The conceptual frameworks for this paper include the tenets of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Social Justice Pedagogy. While some may argue that math is not for everyone because some jobs do not explicitly use algebra, these pedagogical philosophies allow educators to see the benefits that algebra has beyond mathematical literacy and achievement. If algebra is taught as relevant to students’ lives and as a tool for building equity, students can transfer their mathematical knowledge outside the classroom. During this paper, the Algebra Project will be used as an exemplary initiative to demonstrate both the academic and social benefits of high quality algebra instruction.

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