Education Commons^™

Mapping A Course To Success: The Relationship Of A College To Career Navigation Exploratory Course To Academic Success, Patrick D U Davis Sr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, comparative study was to determine the relationship between retention and academic success of students who participated in a College to Career Navigation exploration course and students who did not participate in the course at a rural, community college serving a 14-county area in the Southeast U. S.

Archival data were collected from the participating community college’s student information system. Other data examined for this study included the student’s gender, at-risk status, and age. Retention data of the first-year, full-time students were collected and measured in accordance with the enrollment requirements of the community college’s governing …

University Budget Models, Institutional Size, And Student Outcomes, James P. Batchelder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the non-experimental quantitative research study was to identify if there is a significant difference between the types of budget model an institution utilizes, institutional size, and student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. This study was to identify if there is significant difference between institutional size and the type budget model utilized.

Member institutions of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) were selected to participate in this study due to their similarities of mission and admissions policy. AASCU institutions share a common mission that focuses on access, innovation, regional support, and inclusion. AASCU institutions are …

Black Male Student Success In Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Cherise A. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When compared to their peer counterparts, Black male students have a lower college attrition rate. Universities and higher education institutions explore ways to increase the retention and graduation rates for Black male students persisting toward college graduation, and all Black male students need to be included in the dialogue. This qualitative instrumental collective case study explored first-generation Black male college students’ lived experiences that contributed to their persistence toward graduation from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) framed within Tinto’s retention theory (1993). Snowball sampling was used to identify eight first-generation Black male students that were in good academic standing …

A Pilot Study On The Retention And Turnover Of Ncaa Division Ii Sports Information Directors, David Albrecht

Leadership Education Capstones

This study reports on sports information directors (SID) at the collegiate level limited to NCAA Division II athletic programs. An online survey was used for all participants, and select respondents completed follow-up interviews. Surveys were intended to determine the impact of work-life balance and overall workload of the SID role. Survey questions sought to find perceptions of SIDs by athletic administrators, including the athletic director (AD), and if their role provided opportunities for career advancement within collegiate athletic administration. The results of the study showed that institution/department culture, family, and professional growth factored heavily on retention. Adversely, turnover was linked …

Addressing Early Attrition In The Navy, Liza A. Sprang

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The Naval Training System (NTS) is the authority for training across the Navy, responsible for trainees until the completion of their on-the-job training (OJT) or ‘apprenticeship’ at sea. An emerging challenge are the rising rates of trainee attrition during OJT. Surveys indicate that trainees are motivated to go to sea, ready to apply their knowledge and skills (NTS, 2016, 2018); however, an increasing number of trainees are opting not to complete their OJT (MP, 2017). With new ships in production and the fleet returned from refit, the modern Navy is facing an unprecedented period of growth and with it, the …

Teaching For Student Success: Practical Ideas For The Classroom, Kyle Heys

TFSC Publications and Presentations

Kyle Heys shares practical suggestions for teachers about how to engage and encourage students for success in the college classroom.

Student Success Coaching: Intentional Training For Professional And Program Development, Andrea Aduna

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to improve the effectiveness of the Student Success Coaching Program’s retention and outreach of students on academic probation and midterm deficiencies. The research question is: How can I professionally develop the student success coaches, or peer coaches, to better engage with their nontraditional students? Research suggests that coaching programs must first define the unique support they provide students to be fully proactive. How can diversity and inclusion training add to the effectiveness of the program and the coach’s impact on students throughout the academic semester? The significance of my research was the value of …

Understanding What Contributes To The Persistence Of Teachers In Urban, Non-Fully Accredited Schools: A Phenomenological Study, Heather Marie Cobbs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the persistence of veteran teachers in urban, non-fully accredited public schools in eastern Virginia. The central research question of the study asked, How do elementary and/or middle school veteran teachers describe their experiences in urban, non-fully accredited public schools? The sub-questions of the research study focused on teachers’ mindset, motivation, and environmental fit. The theories guiding this study were the mindset and motivation theory by Carol Dweck and the person–environment fit theory by John Holland, as these theories focus on an individual’s motivation to succeed and an individual being the correct …

Retaining Special Education Teachers: The Relationship Between School Leadership And Special Education Teacher Retention In A Low-Income School, Amanda Elizabeth Jones

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

School districts across America are struggling to recruit, hire, and retain qualified teachers in the classroom (Wushishi, Fooi, Basri & Baki, 2014; Simpson, Whelan & Zabel, 1993). In 2006 the national teacher replacement cost in America averaged approximately $2.2 billion per year (Borman & Dowling, 2008). A once highly esteemed profession is now one faced with many positions left unfilled and students without instructors. The influence of teacher shortages across content areas can be felt by students and teachers alike (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019). Although general education teachers leaving their classrooms can negatively impact students in various situations, those students …

Supporting Teacher Retention In A Proprietary Asian School, Andrew Shutsa

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores how best to support Green Planet Academy (GPA; a pseudonym), an international school in a large Asian city, in improving teacher retention beyond initial two-year contracts. The problem of practice that is addressed is the current low retention of teachers and lack of a plan to retain them. Through a variety of lenses, including a social constructivist worldview, self-determination theory, distributive leadership, and transformational leadership, the specified problem of teacher retention problem is framed and analyzed. Teachers moving around to various international schools is not out of the ordinary, indeed it is almost expected, …

Teacher Of Color Retention: Stories Of Staying From Teachers Of Color In A Suburban School District, Andrew Beard

Doctorate in Education

A teaching force which is representative of the student population is critical to creating equitable learning opportunities in the increasingly diverse United States. Both students of color and White students must see themselves represented in their teachers. Additionally, it is important for all students to see people of color as educators as well as in positions of power. Unfortunately, the proportion of teachers of color currently in the field of education does not come close to the proportion of students of color in public schools in the United States.

While there are many aspects which add to the problem of …

Teacher Turnover And Teacher Retirement, Dillon Fuchsman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teachers have an important impact on students in the short- and long-term, but only teachers’ experience consistently predicts high teacher quality. This dissertation, divided into three chapters, investigates two topics that are related to teachers’ experience levels: turnover and retirement.

The first chapter studies the relationship between voluntary beginning teacher turnover and teachers’ levels of conscientiousness. It uses the data from the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study and the effort that teachers put on a survey taken during their first year in the profession as a proxy for teachers’ levels of conscientiousness. The results of this chapter indicate that teachers putting …

Supplemental Instruction In First-Year Chemistry Courses: Efficacy And Gender Balance, Deidre R. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing student success and retention rates are top goals for many higher education institutions. Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a widely used academic support program designed to increase students’ academic performance and provide students the learning skills they need to persist to graduation. Unfortunately, a lack of time, personnel, and resources often prevent in-depth, meaningful analysis on the effectiveness of SI programs. This study examined the relationship of attending SI sessions for first-year chemistry courses to student grade outcomes and retention rates for attendees. The gender of SI leaders and SI participants was also assessed to determine if leader and participant …

C4: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Improving Retention With Developmental Students, Kirk Weller, Heather Pavletic

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

In this session, we describe an interdisciplinary learning community program designed to improve retention among freshman students with three developmental placements. We will discuss how a similar program could be developed at other institutions and emphasize issues of transferability and scalability in the context of declining resources and retention.

The Relationship Between Academic Advising And Student Motivation On The Persistence Of Freshman Exploratory Studies Students, Marlene N. Fares

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Academic advising is associated with increased student retention and academic success. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate a relationship with the student-advisor relationship and locus of control as an essential variable to understand Exploratory Studies students’ success. This study investigated the influence of the advising relationship with Exploratory Studies students and their locus of control as it impacts their overall retention and persistence. Based on Kutztown University (KU) institutional data sources, over 9 percent of freshmen Exploratory Studies students fail at least one course in their first semester at KU. In addition to satisfaction with advising and …

The Relationships Between Online Adult Student Clep Transfer Credit Subject Types And Six-Year Graduation, Clifford James Stumme

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

College Level Examination Program exams are accepted at thousands of schools, but the question remains as to whether College Level Examination Program students are prepared to graduate and whether accepting College Level Examination Program students benefits higher education institutions. While research has been done on College Level Examination Program student success, further research is needed to know whether increased College Level Examination Program exams and College Level Examination Program credits in specific disciplines correlate to an increased likelihood in online adult student graduation. College Level Examination Program exams’ relation to graduation and online adult learners’ use of College Level Examination …

Trauma And Social Frameworks: The Effect Of Uasd-Government Conflict Between 1966 And 1978 Over Perspectives About Higher Education, Jesús Leonardo D'Alessandro

Dissertations

Currently, the expenditures for higher education by the Dominican government are at record highs (OECD, 2012; MESCYT, 2018). Yet, nationwide, student attrition rates in universities average a challenging 50% (OECD, 2012). This percetange climbs to 80% in Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). UASD is the oldest public university and the largest higher education institution in the Dominican Republic, hosting 44% of all undergraduate students enrolled in the country (OECD, 2012; UASD, 2018). The institution’s attrition levels suggest that while the Dominican government’s investment in higher education is high, the return on that investment is low.

Although domestic plans and …

Belonging: A Grounded Theory Approach To Retaining First-Year Students In Women's Colleges, Marcia J. Thom-Kaley Edd

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Existing theory regarding first-year retention is explored. The Holistic Systems Approach to retaining first-year students in women's colleges is developed and examined.

A Study On The Influence Of Social And Academic Integration On Student Retention Through The Lens Of Academic Discipline, Kyle Demitri Warren

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student retention and social and academic engagement and how it varies by academic discipline. Research indicates that students may have varied experiences within higher education based on their academic discipline. Such varied experiences may be due to integration factors related to their social and academic experience. How these differences lead to varied retention outcomes and the degree to which that is the case is an area of inquiry that is minimally explored throughout the retention literature. As such, this study explored the disciplinary differences in college student retention along …

Impact Of Grit And Emotional Intelligence On Longevity Of Expert Principals, Marcia Hamilton

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine what relationship exists between emotional intelligence (EI) and grit of expert principals with three or more years’ longevity. This study was conducted to deeply understand the relationship between these variables and to discover expert principals’ perceptions of how these personal attributes impacted their longevity.

Methodology. This study followed a sequential explanatory design model whereby quantitative methods were used initially to collect baseline data via electronic surveys followed by qualitative methods, which were used to dig deeper into the results via in-depth, semi-structured interviews.

Findings. The major …

Increasing Doctoral Student Completion Rates Within The College Of Humanities And Sciences At Virginia Commonwealth University, Victoria A. Keel, Michaela R. Bearden

Doctor of Education Capstones

Research on doctoral education primarily focuses on broad fields of study and general attrition. Often overlooked, is an examination of the student at each stage of their program and the challenges they face that can potentially lead to stopping out. This capstone project explored the doctoral student experience within the Department of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. A mixed method study via an online survey was utilized to gather data about the student experience on their path towards candidacy. Quantitative and qualitative data was analyzed through Chi-square tests and thematic coding to identify answers to each research question. …

Alternate Route - An Examination Of Alternatively Certified Teachers' Job Satisfaction And Self-Efficacy, Adrienne W. Mcelroy

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the job satisfaction and self-efficacy of alternatively certified teachers in a rural, midsize, public school district in Florida. The examination will include the relationship between job satisfaction and self-efficacy. The results of this study aim to provide school officials with a better understanding of the role alternatively certified teachers fill during the teacher shortage facing our nation.

The researcher utilized two existing surveys. The Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) was developed by Paul Spector. The JSS further delineates job satisfaction into two subscales: intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale …

Developing A Sustainable Model For Impactful Academic Advising, Ronda M. Bond, Stephen C. Byrd, Sandra J. Mazzoli, Reginald L. Stroble

Doctor of Education Capstones

The primary focus of this research is advising delivery models for community colleges. This capstone focused on the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), namely John Tyler Community College (JTCC). The research focused on delivering the most consistently supportive advising framework for faculty, staff, and students. A mixed-methods study was used by way of an online survey and in-person focus groups. Secondary data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) was used to compare JTCC to other colleges in the VCCS. This study also focused on best practices regarding academic advising and advisor development, evaluated the needs of current advising …

Exploring The Effects Of An Afrocentric Learning Community On The Retention Of African American Students In Community Colleges: A Quantitative Study, Andre Crenshaw

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of African American students who begin postsecondary educational pursuits do not graduate within 6 years, resulting in one of the lowest postsecondary completion rates in America. As of Fall 2019, the degree applicable retention rate for African American students in California community colleges was 62%, compared to all students 87.65%. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to examine whether a learning community positively affected retention and success rates of African American students in community colleges, comparing outcomes with cohort Fall 2016 with cohort Fall 2019. This analysis applied Tinto’s Student Integration Model Theoretical Framework with supporting …

Examining The Influence Of Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions Of Academic Advising On Student-Institution Relationship Quality, Student Loyalty, And Enrollment Intentions: An Application Of Relationship Marketing In Higher Education, Linda Marie Hockaday

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

As higher education institutions continue to compete for a declining population of students (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2019), an increased focus on retaining existing students is required to maintain current levels of undergraduate enrollment (Elliott & Shin, 2002; Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012; Judson & Taylor, 2014; Schertzer & Schertzer, 2004, Vianden & Barlow, 2014). Predominant student retention models (Astin, 1965; Bean, 1985; Tinto, 1987, 1993) emphasize the interaction between students and institutional representatives as a primary factor influencing the student experience and student decisions to continue enrollment in future academic terms. Although academic advisors are the institutional representative …

Diversity In School Leadership: Re-Conceptualizing The Narrative Of Black Male School Principals And Assistant Principals For Recruitment And Retention, James Avery

Theses and Dissertations

Educational leadership is one of the most vastly explored topics in education. School principals and assistant principals make up a substantial portion of those in leadership positions. Experiences in educational leadership have been chronicled for a number of years; however, the diversity in the recorded lived experiences is lacking. To that end, the purpose of this study was to contribute to the literature by developing an understanding of and recording the essence of Black males’ experiences working in K-12 school leadership positions.

The intersection of race and gender has been proven to create dynamics which impact the enactment of leadership …