Education Commons^™

Profiles Of Satisfaction And Frustration Of Undergraduate General Chemistry Students’ Basic Psychological Needs At The Beginning And End Of The Semester, Cara E. Worick

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The early college years represent an adjustment period characterized by motivational destabilization and academic and career-related uncertainty for many STEM majors (Robinson et al., 2019). Although students who begin college less academically prepared than their peers are at greater risk of struggling in introductory STEM courses, many still struggle in these courses despite adequate academic preparation (Perez et al., 2014). Self-determination theory proposes that motivation, optimal functioning, and psychological well-being occur through the satisfaction, as opposed to the frustration, of three basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2020). Although many studies in educational settings demonstrate …

First-Year Postsecondary Student Persistence Leading To Second-Year Enrollment, Collene G. Webb

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a southeastern U.S. university, the low retention of postsecondary, traditional-aged first-year students persisting to second year was a problem, importantly decreasing their ability to graduate and gain a career. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that have motivated postsecondary traditional-aged, first-year students to return to the university as second-year students and to learn from students what they perceived that the institution could do to increase persistence. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was Tinto’s institutional departure model. The research questions explored the factors that motivated first-year students to persist into their second year of …

First-Year Effects And Persistence Decisions: A Moderated Mediation Model Of Coping, Self-Efficacy, And Locus Of Control, Christina Gramatikova

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of a theoretical model encompassing psychological theories underlying student retention in postsecondary education. New conceptual operationalizations were applied to elaborate Bean and Eaton’s theoretical model of student retention. The influences of student entry characteristics, environmental interactions, psychological processes, attitudes, and intentions toward persistence were assessed using a repeated measures, longitudinal design. Within the framework, persistence is an endogenous variable based on actual re-enrollment into subsequent semesters.Three student samples were drawn from a large urban research university in California. Survey data collected from a first-year seminar and the National Survey of …

Qualitative Perspectives On The Strange Trails Of Persistence In Stem, Erika Johanna Zocher

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In 2019, a Midwestern state university was awarded a $1 million NSF S-STEM grant to support scholarships for academically gifted, Pell Grant-eligible undergraduates enrolled in one of six designated STEM majors. Educational research was also funded by this grant, with the goal of identifying and contextualizing supports and challenges that impact persistence in STEM within the setting of a near-peer-mentored social support group during the fall of 2019. The purpose of this group was to provide social support and foster a sense of belonging for the twelve scholars. Such support is important for guiding students towards personal development and degree …

Person Factors Affecting Student Persistence In College Reading And Writing Remediation, Loretta J. Morris Barr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has the highest college attrition rate among industrialized nations. Community college students face a much higher risk, particularly those who lack requisite reading/writing skills. Using the theory of planned behavior and self-determination theory, this study explored the relationship between persistence in college for students in traditional or corequisite remediation. Person factors under study were frustration discomfort, academic motivation, and self-reported symptoms of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). After 7 semesters, 72 adult student volunteers from the 2 remediation programs were recruited from 2 community colleges. They completed an online survey, which included a demographics questionnaire, the Frustration …

Resilience And College Persistence: Characterizing Students Who Have Failed Courses, Mary Merrifield

Dissertations

Students who fail a course early in their college careers are at risk of leaving college before completion of their programs. Little is known about this high-risk group and why some members of this group complete their programs while others do not. This research addressed this gap in the college-level persistence literature by focusing first on differences between completers and non-completers, then on differences between students who fail a course early in their college careers but become completers or non-completers. The goal was to understand the protective value of individual traits beyond the prediction of risk based on membership to …

An Analysis Of African-American Faculty Experiences During The Tenure Process, Katrina M. Hubbard

Dissertations

Abstract

How faculty allocate their time among research, teaching, and service, and the perceived quality of that work determines whether faculty obtain tenure or are released from the university (Bellas & Toutkoushian, 1999; Link, Swann, & Bozeman, 2008; Price & Cotten, 2006). Prior research indicated that African-American faculty comprised 4.5% of the faculty at high-activity research institutions and 3.5% of faculty at very-high-activity research institutions (The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac 2016-2017, 2016).

The purpose of this study was to 1) document African-American faculty experiences during their tenure probationary period at PWI research institutions; 2) compare faculty experiences during the …

An Exploratory Case Study: Persistence And Retention Of Students In An Alternative High School, Lametrica Andrews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) are at greater risk for dropping out of high school than other students, and are likely to experience fewer employment options and more societal marginalization. Alternative schools have been viewed as a last chance and best option for educating many students with EBD who have not actually been diagnosed. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore persistence and retention in the alternative school setting for students who may or may not have been diagnosed with EBD. Students in this study will be referred to as EBD. Although they have not been …

The Effect Of The Sophomore Slump On Students’ Persistence, Vanessa Harris

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

For years, universities have focused on student admissions and getting students through their first-year. According to Schaller (2010), this has resulted in limited literature and research regarding the persistence of sophomore students. From Fall 2010 to Fall 2015, the University of New Mexico (UNM) has experienced a decrease in the persistence of its cohorts from the third to the fifth semester. The existence of this higher attrition rate amongst sophomore students has been associated with a phenomenon known as the “sophomore slump” (Tobolowsky & Cox, 2007). The purpose of this research study was to utilize student retention conceptual models to …

Choice And Growth Mindset, Neysa B. Matt

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This study sought to determine if lessons in growth mindset would improve engagement and thus positively affect elementary students in finishing work, and if enhanced engagement would enrich work quality. Prior to implementation, a tally of incomplete work cycles and an assessment of students’ overall persistence were gathered. Student interviews regarding their views on unfinished work were conducted. Five students were randomly selected to provide work samples which were assessed by the students and their teacher. Twenty-six, six to nine years-olds in a private, lower elementary Montessori classroom received four lessons to promote a growth mindset and were assessed for …

High School To College Transition Among Black Males: An Action Research Project, Orval Albert Jewett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A participatory action research project involving social workers as stakeholders from high schools and the local community college in Nassau County, New York, provided the basis for an inquiry that addressed the effectiveness and implementation of clinical social work practice with Black male students transitioning to community college from high school. This study addresses how clinical social work practice may be utilized to enhance the experience of the transition process for Black male students from high school to college. Through the use of a qualitative in-depth interview process, 16 school-based social workers provided professional perspective and expertise that resulted in …

Student Involvement As A Mediator Of The Relationship Of Peer Leaders In First-Year Seminars To Academic Achievement And Persistence, Liyun Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Peer leaders as a component of First-Year Seminars (FYS) are designed to assist in the adjustment, satisfaction and persistence of first-year college students. Although previous studies have consistently found the positive and direct impact of peer leaders on first-year students’ academic achievement and persistence, there is still a lack of clear understanding on why peer leaders have this positive relationship with students’ academic achievement and persistence. Thus, drawing on Astin’s theory of student involvement for higher education (1984, 1993, 1996), and Tinto’s interactive theory of departure (1993), this short term longitudinal study examined the process through which peer leaders resulted …

An Event History Analysis On The Effects Of Academic Integration Factors On Degree Completion Of Low-Income Underrepresented Minority Students, Lisa Marie Metzger-Mugg

Dissertations

Disparities in educational outcomes still exist for low-income and underrepresented students. Community colleges are an important entry point for student groups that have faced the most significant barriers to success. Community colleges account for almost half of all undergraduate enrollments in the United States and also enroll a higher proportion of low-income and minority students (American Association of Community Colleges, 2012; Aud, Hussar, Johnson, Kena, & Roth, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine the timing of academic integration factors that contribute to degree completion of low income, underrepresented minority community college students over the course of seven …

The Use Of Non-Cognitives And Learning Strategies As A Predictor For Completion Of Developmental Mathematics At A Community College, Megan Healy

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

With a large global, national, state, and local drive for post-secondary credentials, higher education institutes are exploring new retention and graduation strategies to meet the needs of the employers and employees. Many students who are unprepared for college level work will enter a community college to take developmental courses. Developmental mathematics has been a large barrier to completion and success in community college.

The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of non-cognitive traits to predict persistence in completion of a developmental math sequence at a community college. Non-cognitive traits were identified from the three components of strategic …