Date of Award
9-1-2020
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Educational Administration
First Advisor
Donahoo, Saran
Abstract
Millions of students continue to struggle academically throughout K-12, which can harm student access and retention in higher education. Also, with arts continually being removed throughout the K-12 education curricula, students have a lack of support toward enhancing their hidden talents and skillsets. This study describes the impact that the Meet & Teach program had on youth through experiential learning in relation to developing and enhancing their skillset in media arts. The two research questions that guide this study are: (a) How does the Meet & Teach program support skill development for higher education through experiential learning? (b) In what ways does experiential learning aid in increasing student’s interest in pursuing higher education? Data was collected from participants using pre and post-surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, as well as filmed and photographed observations. Data indicate that the Meet & Teach program supports skill development for higher education by developing participants’ various skillsets. Data also indicated that experiential learning aids in increasing students’ interest in pursuing higher education by providing access to hands-on experiences in the media arts. Further research is needed to identify other aspects that could strengthen the effectiveness of future media arts programming.
Access
This dissertation is Open Access and may be downloaded by anyone.