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A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To My Ph.D.: Exploring Issues Affecting Attrition And Completion In The Doctoral Program In Instructional Technology At A Major Research University, Carla L. Williams

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This study sought to understand why some students at Eagle University (pseudo.) complete the doctoral program in instructional technology while others do not. The study explores factors and issues affecting doctoral attrition and completion of the Ph.D. in instructional technology (IT) in the College of Education at Eagle University, a major research university with very high research activity. Participants in the study were eleven former doctoral students from Eagle University (pseudo.), six of whom met the requirements for graduation (completers) and five of whom ended the pursuit of the doctoral degree in instructional technology at EU (non-completers). A qualitative study …

Standards-Based Instruction: A Case Study Of A College Algebra Teacher, Anthonia O. Ekwuocha

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

ABSTRACT

STANDARDS-BASED INSTRUCTION: A CASE STUDY OF

A COLLEGE ALGEBRA TEACHER

by

Anthonia Ekwuocha

The lecture method has dominated undergraduate mathematics education (Bergsten, 2007). The lecture method promotes passive learning instead of active learning among students, thus contributing to attrition in undergraduate mathematics. Standards-based instruction has been found to be effective in reducing students’ attrition in undergraduate mathematics (Ellington, 2005). College algebra is gatekeeper for higher undergraduate mathematics courses (Thiel, Peterman & Brown, 2008). Research indicates that if college algebra is taught with standards-based teaching strategies, it will help reduce students’ attrition and encourage more students to take higher level …

Testing A Model Of Participant Retention In Longitudinal Substance Abuse Research: The Moderating Role Of Participant Characteristics, Devin Gilmore

Psychology Theses

Longitudinal substance abuse research has often been compromised by high rates of attrition, thought to be the result of the lifestyle that often accompanies addiction. Several studies have used a standardized follow-up protocol to minimize attrition, however it is unclear whether this protocol is equally effective for participants struggling with varying levels of housing stability, support for sobriety, and substance abuse severity. The current study extends research supporting the effectiveness of this protocol by demonstrating the importance of two central aspects of the follow-up protocol: locator form completion and continual verification contacts. Results indicated that each additional piece of locator …