Promoting the Affective Domain Within Online Education

184 Pages·2016·3.42 MB·English

Nova Southeastern University
NSUWorks
CEC Theses and Dissertations College of Engineering and Computing
2013
Promoting the Affective Domain Within Online
Education
Stephen Roche
Nova Southeastern University,[email protected]
This document is a product of extensive research conducted at the Nova Southeastern UniversityCollege of
Engineering and Computing. For more information on research and degree programs at the NSU College of
Engineering and Computing, please clickhere.
Follow this and additional works at:http://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd
Part of theComputer Sciences Commons
Share Feedback About This Item
NSUWorks Citation
Stephen Roche. 2013.Promoting the Affective Domain Within Online Education.Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University.
Retrieved from NSUWorks, Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences. (292)
http://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/292.
This Dissertation is brought to you by the College of Engineering and Computing at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in CEC Theses and
Dissertations by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please [email protected].
Promoting the Affective Domain
Within Online Education

by
Stephen H. Roche

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in
Computing Technology in Education

Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences
Nova Southeastern University

2013
We hereby certify that this dissertation, submitted by Stephen H. Roche, conforms to
acceptable standards and is fully adequate in scope and quality to fulfill the dissertation
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

_______________________________________________ ______________
Steven R. Terrell, Ph.D. Date
Chairperson of Dissertation Committee

_______________________________________________ ______________
Timothy J. Ellis, Ph.D. Date
Dissertation Committee Member

_______________________________________________ ______________
Ling Wang, Ph.D. Date
Dissertation Committee Member

Approved:

_______________________________________________ _____________
Eric S. Ackerman, Ph.D. Date
Dean
An abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to Nova Southeastern University
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Promoting the Affective Domain
Within Online Education

by
Stephen H. Roche
March 2013

In the past decade Higher Education Institutions have experienced tremendous growth in
enrollments. To meet this demand, many higher education institutions have embraced
online education and its requisite technologies. Online education has matured, and studies
focusing on the cognitive domain indicate that distance education is as effective as the
traditional face-to-face instructional modality. However, there is a scarcity of affective
domain studies due to: a) the need for the institutions of higher education to perform
quantitative studies to establish the quality of online education b) the affective domain’s
inherent subjective nature, and c) the educational research environment has slow
recognition of the validity and value of qualitative research.

This scarcity of research has created a reluctance to engage in online education on the
part of a large number of private and public mission-driven educational institutions.
Historically these institutions place great emphasis on the affective domain and currently
believe that the affective domain cannot be effectively promoted in the online
environment. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that if online education cannot provide
the affective component, then it is counterproductive to the mission of the institution
desiring to provide a transformative education. This reluctance threatens the existence of
many mission-driven institutions by falling behind in the distance education market
place. Quality research is needed in the area of the affective domain in distance education
to convince these institutions that the affective domain can effectively be taught in the
online environment.

This grounded theory study of an established online Bachelors of Radiography Program
has developed a theory as to why students report a strong sense of mission when
compared with other like institutions in the Mission Engagement Consortium for
Independent Colleges (MECIC). Through a series of interviews with eight students, two
alumni, four faculty, and the requisite coding, six contributing pedagogical phenomena
and three central categories emerged. The three central categories, Instructor Persistence,
Synchronous Encounters, and Integrated Institutional Mission, when working together,
were found to have created continued and significant impact on the affective domain for
the students of the Radiography program. Further research will be needed to
quantitatively test the theory developed in this study and establish a baseline of best
practices in promoting the affective domain in the online learning environment.
Acknowledgements

I would like to express my deep appreciation to my chairperson Dr. Steven Terrell whose
personal integrity, encouragement, patience and caring guidance sustained my spirits
through-out this journey. In addition I would like to express my appreciation and
gratitude to my committee members, Dr. Timothy Ellis and Dr. Ling Wang. Their expert
advice and recommendations were pivotal in the completion of this research. To all three
I would like to express my gratitude for your commitment to education; experiencing
each of you in the classroom was a joy and inspiration. Thank you for giving of
yourselves to this noble profession. I would like to thank my colleagues at Adventist
University of Health Sciences who supported, assisted, and encouraged me in my studies,
Dr. David Greenlaw, Dr. Don Williams, Dr. Wanda Hopkins, and the entire Library Staff.
In closing I would like to dedicate this work to Dr. Robert Williams, whose sixty plus
years of experience in higher education has informed, inspired, and directed thousands of
faculty and students. I am so fortunate to have learned from, and served with, such an
inspirational human being and academic. I am forever changed for knowing him.
Table of Contents

Abstract iii
List of Tables viii
List of Figures ix

Chapters

1. Introduction 1
Problem Statement and Goal 1
Background 3
Relevance and Significance 10
Limitations and Delimitations 13
Definitions of Terms 14
Summary 15

2. Review of the Literature 17
Introduction 17
Affective Domain History and Development in Higher Education 17
Affective Domain and Online Education 31
Affective Domain and Institutional Mission 42
Summary 44

3. Methodology 46
Introduction 46
Description of Study 46
Methods 49

4. Results 56
Introduction 56
Participant Demographics 57
Six Phenomena that emerged from Data Analysis 58
Educators Influence and Dedication 58
Sharing 58
Encouragement 59
Reducing Fears 61
Lifelong Learning 62
Connecting 63
Four Word: Nurture, Excellence, Stewardship, and Spirituality 64
Consistency 65
Desire for Understanding 66
Caring 67

v
Growth Opportunities 67
Opportunity for Advancement 68
Self-Actualization 70
Self-Discipline 71
Personal Mission 72
Self-Confidence 73
Management Skills 74
Ethics 75
Educational Milieu 77
Mission 77
Human Need 82
Critical Thinking 83
Accountability 85
Unique Online Components 86
Organization 86
Community 87
Assessment 89
Capacity for Personal Change 91
Reflection 92
Desire for Change 93
Desire to Contribute 95
Past Experiences 96
High Level Communication 97
Prayer 97
Sharing 99
Help Assessment 100
High Stakes Subject Matter 102
Theoretical Model 103

5. Conclusion, Implications, Recommendations, and Summary 107
Conclusions 107
Tie to Values and Mission 108
Contributing Online Practices 109
Improvement on Current Practices 110
Implications 111
Recommendations 111
Summary 112

Appendixes
A. University Vision and Bachelors’ of Radiography Philosophy Statements 116
B. Mission Perception Inventory 117
C. Mission Perception Inventory License 121
D. American Society of Civil Engineers Vision Statement 122
E. American Society of Civil Engineers Professional Outcomes 123

vi
F. American Society of Civil Engineers License 125
G. Kang: Conceptual Framework 126
H. Kang License 127
I. New Millennium Learners Educational Measurement Tool 128
J. Garrison: Community of Inquiry 130
K. Garrison: Community of Inquiry (Elements, Categories and Indicators) 131
L. Garrison: Cognitive Presence 132
M. Elsevier License 133
N. Hill: Major Factors of Social Learning Theory 139
O. Social Learning Theory License 140
P. Student Interview One Protocol 141
Q. Faculty Interview One Protocol 143
R. Course Instructor Responsibilities 145
S. Section Adjunct Responsibilities 149
T. General Education Requirements 152
U. Example of Course Project 153
V. Healthcare as Ministry: Four Assumptions 154
W. Healthcare as Ministry: Dimensions of Learning 155
X. Healthcare as Ministry: Beyond Healthcare 156
Y. Healthcare as Ministry License 157
Z. Adventist University of Health Sciences Learning Outcomes 158
AA. Learning Outcomes License 160
BB. Course Development Manual 161
CC. Grading Metric 164

References 168

vii
List of Tables

Tables
1. Expressions towards weekly written devotions 60
2. Student Comments 68

viii
List of Figures

Figures
1. Six Phenomena and Refined Categories 56, 108
2. The Theoretical Model 103, 107, 115

ix