Education Commons^™

Predicting First Term Success In An Associates Degree Nursing Program Using Cognitive And Noncognitive Factors, Richard Hilton Turner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the late 1990s the nursing field has experienced increased demand for RN’s as well as a number of internal and external factors that have worsened this problem. College admissions officers have struggled to identify those students who are most likely to persist in an associate degree nursing (ADN) program. Estimates of programmatic attrition vary, but fall somewhere between 25-50%. A great deal of research has been expended in an attempt to determine which preadmission variables are most likely to indicate programmatic success. Unfortunately, no “best set” of admissions variables has been identified. The purpose of this research was to …

An Assessment Of The Factors That Increase The Likeliness Of Hispanic Students To Attend Higher Education In Northeast Tennessee, Denise Chavez Reyes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From 2000 to 2014 the number of Hispanics grew 230%, representing an 8.6% of the national's youth (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2016). Although the population is growing, the educational attainment does not reflect this growth. This research tries to identify what factors influence individuals' decision to pursue higher education in rural Tennessee. Intrinsic (grit, hardiness, and motivation to lead) and extrinsic factors (Status in the U.S., caregivers’ education, involvement in high school and others) were explored. Sixty-six complete responses were submitted to our online survey. Hypothesis testing with Pearson chi-square, difference of means (ANOVA and two sample t-test), and correlational …

Spirituality: Relationship Between Grit, Equanimity, Spiritual Qualities And First-Generation College Students, Janett Cordoves

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This study investigated the relationship between spirituality and first-generation, undergraduate and graduate college students’ grit, equanimity, and spiritual qualities. The researcher, a higher education professional, sought to highlight spirituality, not religion, as an intervention method for first-generation college students’ retention and success at the university. The results indicated a significant relationship between first-generation college students’ level of grit and equanimity as well as a direct relationship between grit and spiritual qualities. These results help inform educators and highlight that first-generation college students are both resilient as well as calm and centered in the midst of adversity and uncertainty. Participants’ narratives …

Exploring The Impact Of The Associate Degree On Bachelor's Degree Completion For Reverse Transfer Eligible Students Using Propensity Score Matching, Justin Aaron Hull

Theses and Dissertations

Many students who enter a community college expect to transfer and earn a bachelor's degree, yet many are unable to do so largely because of inefficiencies in the transfer of earned credits. Prior research has shown that students who leave community college with an associate degree are more likely to complete bachelor's degrees. However, this has not been situated within the context of reverse transfer, which allows former community college students enrolled at four-year institutions to transfer their credits back in order to retroactively earn an associate degree. This study uses propensity score matching to compare the six-year bachelor's degree …

What Do We Really Know About Grit? A Multivariate Statistical Investigation On The Construct Validity Of Grit, Christine M. Collaco

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to collect evidence on the construct validity of grit using convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity principles. To accomplish this purpose and extend previous research on grit, college students from two schools completed an instrument comprised of a cognitive ability test, and a questionnaire. The questionnaire was comprised of existing and multiple measures of grit, interest, self-efficacy, locus of control, and conscientiousness along with a number of college success measures. Structural equation modeling was used as the primary statistical analysis technique. Factor analysis, correlation analysis, and path analysis were also used.

First, the results …