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Browsing by Author "Murphy, Pamela F."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Learning Style AND Entrepreneurial Operations:A Small Business Study
    Pacalo, Carla Ann (Virginia Tech, 2014-07-07)
    Americans spent approximately $47.7 billion on pet products and services in 2010, an increase of 4.8% over 2009, making the pet industry a market segment ripe with opportunity for entrepreneurial small business venture (American Pet Products Association, 2013). Small businesses invite innovation, create and provide new jobs, foster entrepreneurial spirit and creativity, and create competition that drives future business endeavors (Hillary, 2001). The pet dog industry is a salient example of entrepreneurial activity in which the pressures of business, economics, and learning coalesce. Because small businesses bolster about half of the private-sector economy and represent more than 99% of all business firms (Small Business Administration, 2013), it is useful for small business owners to learn and prosper as entrepreneurs. "Entrepreneurship is a learning process, and a theory of entrepreneurship requires a theory of learning" (Minniti, 2010, p. 9). However, there is still limited knowledge and understanding of the interaction between learning and entrepreneurship, and such a process remains one of the most neglected areas of entrepreneurial research and thus understanding (Deakins and Freel, 1999). This study explored entrepreneurial decision making by using the construct of David A. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory to examine an entrepreneurial operation in the pet dog-training industry. The researcher worked hand-in-hand with the entrepreneur in a collaborative partnership to explore the phenomenon using narrative inquiry research methods. A series of semi-structured interviews were used to collect and analyze stories and identify key considerations for learning style in relation to entrepreneurship. The results showed the entrepreneur's preferred learning style aligned with his expressed style and demonstrated a keen sense of operations awareness. Additionally, the entrepreneur had learned how to leverage his strengths over time while recognizing and compensating for his weaknesses. For a novice or someone with a desire to learn more about their own entrepreneurial inclinations, results from a learning style instrument could provide such understandings with helpful implications for small business ownership. Future studies could contribute to entrepreneurial research and add greater voice to the pet dog industry.
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    The Lived Experiences of the Adolescent Father in Northern Virginia
    Maiden, Brian Scott (Virginia Tech, 2013-10-03)
    The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of adolescent fathers in a suburban environment in Northern Virginia. Specifically, phenomenological methods were used to capture the essence of these nine adolescent fathers\' experiences surrounding their conceptualization and enactment of fatherhood. Participants included 5 Hispanic (56%), 2 African-American (22%), 1 Caucasian (11%), and 1 Asian (11%). They ranged in age from 16 to 19 years of age with an average age of 18. Their perspective adds to the current literature and assists counselors and policy makers in gaining a greater understanding of the needs and perceptions of this marginalized group. A transformative process best described the lived experience of these adolescent fathers. Fatherhood was described as a life-changing event, as they traversed a range of negative behaviors to become actively involved fathers. An eco- constructivist model provided an appropriate framework to better understand the subjective meanings the adolescent fathers attached to their lived experiences throughout the transformative process. While the results cannot be generalized, the narratives of these participants provide insight into this marginalized population. These participants define fatherhood in traditional terms (i.e., father as primary provider) and expressed enthusiasm about being actively involved in their children\'s daily lives. Further, the majority expressed a renewed focus on educational attainment to provide a better future for themselves and their children. Although participants received assistance from their families, support was lacking from the educational system. This lack of support provides an avenue for communities, schools, and counselors to become advocates for adolescent fathers. School counselors are encouraged to reach out to community agencies, clinical mental heath counselors, and community college counselors as avenues for more complete services for adolescent fathers. There is a need for further research relating to the needs of adolescent fathers. Longitudinal research with these participants is necessary to ascertain how they enacted their conceptualization of fatherhood and the barriers they encountered.
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    Relationships of Parenting Practices, Independent Learning, Achievement, and Family Structure
    Murphy, Pamela F. (Virginia Tech, 2009-03-25)
    An independent learner is one who actively takes responsibility for his or her own acquisition of knowledge, skills, and expertise. The capacity to self-regulate one's own learning is a necessity for success in higher education. Researchers have found that characteristics of independent learners begin to emerge in young children and continue to develop throughout childhood and adolescence as students grow into self-governing adults. The purpose of this study is to assess students' levels of independent learning attitudes and behaviors and to examine the relationships among parents' actions, family structure, independent learning, and academic achievement. Using a national sample of 10th grade students from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, several statistical analyses were performed in order to answer these research questions: 1. How do parents' actions relate to children's independent learning characteristics? 2. How do students' independent learning behaviors and attitudes correlate with their academic achievement? 3. How are parents' actions associated with their children's academic achievement? 4. Are single-parent children less likely to have developed characteristics of independent learning by grade 10 than children living with both of their parents? Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to arrange the available variables into appropriate subscales to be used in the statistical procedures for this study. Canonical correlations were used to measure the magnitude of relationships between three pairs of concepts: parents' actions and students' independent learning; students' independent learning and academic achievement; and parents' actions and students' academic achievement. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized model of relationships among parents' actions, students' independent learning behaviors, and academic achievement. Finally, multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare the independent learning scores of students living in four different family structures to determine if a significant difference in the development of independent learning between groups exists. Results suggest actions that parents can take to help their children develop as independent learners and succeed in the academic realm.
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    Students with Disabilities Who Contact the School Counselor for College Information
    Rainer, Paula L. (Virginia Tech, 2012-08-06)
    The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of students with disabilities who contact the school counselor for college information. Self-determination was the theoretical framework guiding this study. Self-determination refers to a student's ability to (a) act autonomously, (b) identify goals, (c) engage in problem solving activities, (d) appraise strengths and limitations, and (e) capitalize on opportunities. The current study used the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002), a nationally representative database that tracks high school students as they transition from high school to postsecondary options. The dependent variable was whether the student went to the school counselor for college information. The independent variables included student characteristics (i.e., sex, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability type, self-determination) and school characteristics (i.e., school enrollment, number of school counselors). This study has conveyed significant information about the relationship between students with disabilities and professional school counselors. The results of this study provided a wealth of information about students with disabilities who contacted the school counselor for college information. This results marks the first time research addressed the characteristics of students with disabilities who visited the school counselor for college information by utilizing the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002). The recommendations to school counselors as a result of this research are to develop comprehensive school counseling programs that embody the characteristics of students with disabilities. One logistic regression model was conducted to determine the influence of sex, race, socioeconomic status, disability type, and self-determination on whether students with disabilities were likely to visit the counselor for college information. Predicted odds were calculated to demonstrate the statistically significant, predictive quality of the variables on visiting the counselor for college information. The theoretical framework of self-determination demonstrated an important relationship in whether the student visited the counselor for college information. Finally, a Pearson correlation (r) that was used for enrollment and number of school counselor variables produced a positive correlation between the number of school counselors and whether the student visited the counselor for college information.