Education Commons^™

Addressing Teacher Shortage: A Historical Policy Study On Teacher Credentialing In California, Liza Moritz Mastrippolito

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Teacher education enrollment has decreased 74% since 2013. Simultaneously, attrition rates have increased, with 20-50% of new teachers quitting within the first five years. These combined factors have brought California into a new teacher shortage, necessitating fast-track pathways to credentialing. Fast tracks and lowering of requirements often result in teachers not being prepared to teach as they begin their careers, and as data illustrates, children in high-poverty communities of color are those who are predominantly taught by non-credentialed teachers. This dissertation is a historical policy study on how educational policies enacted in California to address shortage have affected the supply …

At The Heart Of Policies And Programs: Community College Faculty Members And Peer Mentors As Human Levers Of Retention, Kimberly Russell

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Student attrition prior to the completion of a credential is an issue that has increasingly demanded the attention of stakeholders in higher education, particularly in the community college sector, in which less than half of all students complete a credential after six years. The costs of student attrition are high and widespread, ranging from the financial costs for institutions and federal and state governments to the personal and monetary costs paid by those students whose personal and professional goals are not achieved. With the ever-increasing focus on accountability for institutions of higher education and the growing movement toward performance-based funding, …

Compass Placement Assessment And Student Attrition At A Community College, Leslie Morris Samuel Griffiths Ii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Considerable research has been conducted regarding the usefulness of placement testing in community colleges. Many stuides show that using the COMPASS exam may lead to students' unsuccessful course completion. To better identify the factors that may result in reduced attrition, the relationship between attrition and placement testing was studied. Using Tinto's student retention model and employing qualitative methodology, this study explored the perceptions of students and faculty regarding whether COMPASS placement assessment predicted future student success in first year courses at a community college that reports higher rates of attrition when compared to other area community colleges. After completing interviews …

The Relationship Between First Year Student Expectations And Persistence Into The Second Year Of College, Ashley Baltuch Dees

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Incoming first year students have varying expectations for their college experience. As Florida public education budgets are more closely aligned with student persistence and graduation rates, it is vital institutions retain more first time in college students. The purpose of this study was to better understand how first year student college expectations on academic preparation, co-curricular involvement, socializing, and institutional commitment relate to persistence into the second year of college at one of Florida’s large, preeminent public research universities.

This quantitative study utilized the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) in order to better understand incoming student expectations. The …

A Preliminary Evaluation Of An Academic Support Program, James Colin Bumby

Theses and Dissertations

The responsibility for graduating students is a school responsibility. A large urban Midwestern research university created the Nursing Endeavor Program (NEP) to ensure that students from underserved minorities, first generation, and/or low income are enabled to graduate successfully. There is a 100% retention rate for the period from admission to the nursing major in the junior year; however, in the pre-nursing years, the retention rate is only 50%. The role transition from pre-nursing student to student nurse can be challenging and stressful. A qualitative phenomenographic research approach was utilized to identify the factors facilitating and the factors hindering this transition. …

First-Year Seminars And Student Expectations: A Correlational Study Of Retention And Success, Cynthia Edwards

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Performance-based funding is becoming the norm in higher education. High-impact practices like first-year seminars hold promise for improving some of the key metrics in the funding model, such as first-year retention rate and first-year institutional GPA.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of retention rate and institutional GPA between first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who completed a first-year seminar and those who did not. Additional data regarding pre-college experiences and expectations for college were investigated to gain insight into retention and academic success behaviors of FTIC students. Three years of data including institutional Beginning College Survey of Student …

Black Male Teachers: Retention And Importance In New Jersey, Charles Anthony Ozuna

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of Black male teachers in the K-8 teaching profession in Atlantic and Essex counties in New Jersey and their recommendations to increase hiring and retention in the teaching profession. This study implemented a qualitative approach by interviewing 12 participants from Essex and Atlantic Counties in New Jersey who identified as Black male teachers. Teacher success depends on a variety of factors that can have both a positive and negative influence on a teacher's ability to stay motivated and succeed in the profession. Knowing the motives and experiences that influenced Black …

Indicators And Precipitators Of Special Educator Satisfaction: The Role Of Certification And Advanced Coursework, Jessica Spencer

Dissertations

Special education teachers are leaving the education field at a higher rate than other education professionals. The annual attrition rate for special education teachers is estimated to be between 8-10% of special educators across the United States. These attrition rates are concerning, as they contribute to the shortage of quality special educators. Considering that an estimated 50% of special educators leave their positions within their first five years, researchers have conducted studies examining criteria centered on teacher retention and attrition. This study examined the findings of such studies, and explored the role of how teachers' certifications and obtaining advanced degrees …

Listening To Our Graduate Students' Feedback: Graduate Student Exit And Alumni Surveys, Alison W. Hong-Novotney

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Student and alumni surveys have become some of the most widely-used methods of assessment of student learning in higher education. While the majority of literature on student surveys and assessment focuses on undergraduate students, this study looks specifically at why graduate student exit and alumni surveys can be valuable tools within a comprehensive assessment plan. Listening to the feedback of current and former graduate students, and then acting upon that feedback, is crucial for the engagement and success of this unique population of students who bring their particular strengths and needs to their educational experiences. This study examined how master’s …

Personal Connections Of First-Year College Students, Jaclyn Kopel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A private, not-for-profit, 4-year urban university had been struggling to improve its 1st-year retention rate despite conducting previous studies and implementing various initiatives. This study explored the influence that students' personal connections to the study site had on their experience in their 1st year in college. Tinto's student integration models of attrition, Astin's theory on student involvement, and Berger and Milem's model of persistence served as the conceptual framework. A case study design was employed to examine faculty and staff members' beliefs on how the university established and maintained connections with its students and how faculty, staff, and students viewed …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Students Who Withdrew From College Prior To Degree Attainment, Enedine B. Andre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nationally an estimated 41% of traditional students who begin seeking an undergraduate degree do not persist through degree attainment. Guided by Tinto's theory of student departure and the theory of social integration, the purpose of this study was to identify the reasons students withdrew from college prior to degree completion. A qualitative case-study design was implemented, and 13 former college enrollees were purposefully selected for individual semistructured interviews. The students graduated from one high school in the Southeastern United States. Data analysis was conducted using open coding procedures with iterative recategorization to identify key themes. Findings indicated that inadequate preparation, …

Challenges To Student Success In An Introductory Music Theory I Course, Megan Darby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A state college in the mid-Atlantic United States requires a music theory course for 4 of its undergraduate music programs. In the 6 years prior to this study, students had difficulty with the course, with many failing or withdrawing. Tinto's theory of student retention served as the foundation of the conceptual framework for this study, the purpose of which was to identify challenges to successfully completing the course. This purpose was reflected in the study's driving research question focused on students' experiences regarding challenges to success. In this instrumental case study, 12 students and 2 instructors participated in individual interviews, …

Student Self-Reported Academic Confidence As An Indicator Of First-Year Retention, Dr. Narine Mirijanian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many first-year college/university students have low retention and success rates which affect their ability to remain in college and attain a career. Despite matriculation practices employed by institutions of higher learning to increase retention, a gap remains in the understanding of the causative factors of retention. The purpose of this study was to determine if academic self-confidence scores of students prior to entry and post- completion of an FYS are reliable predictors of students' ability to progress from the first year to the second year of college. Tinto's (1987) academic retention theory framed the study. A quantitative case study approach …

Examining Attrition Among Bahamian Special Education Teachers And Implications For Special Education Reform, Norrisa Newton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing levels of teacher attrition in special education within Bahamian public schools are preventing students with learning disabilities from achieving their learning goals within inclusive classroom settings. Addressing factors that influence attrition is vital to enhance the quality of education and the efficacy of educators while supporting positive social change. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to ascertain why Bahamian educators leave special education. This was achieved by exploring the influencing factors that have incited the decisions of public special education teachers within The Bahamas to resign or request premature retirement from the teaching profession, as well as …

An Exploration Of Male College Student Departure In The Southcentral United States, E. Ted Siebert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Male college students' attrition has been a concern for higher education for 3 decades. This study focused on why young male college students leave postsecondary education before graduating. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences former male college students that led to their decision to leave a community college in the Southcentral United States. Research questions in this generic qualitative study were: How do men describe their experiences leading to the decision to discontinue their community college education and what supports do men perceive colleges could offer to support their decision to continue postsecondary education. Astin's theory …

Texas Success Initiative Test Scores As A Predictor Of College Mathematics Success, Brooke Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Advisors use placement test scores as a means of predicting students' proficiency in mathematics; however, there is a debate about how accurately these scores predict students' success. This nonexperimental quantitative study focused on one test, the Texas Success Initiative (TSI). The purpose of the study was to determine whether the test is an accurate predictor of students' success in college algebra for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, and whether students who took the test continued pursuing a STEM major. The theoretical framework for this study was Tinto's theory of retention. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences …

Instructional Behavior And Its Impact On Student Engagement, Debra Joan Crumpton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to expand understanding of leadership behaviors and their influence on follower engagement. Researchers have shown that engagement is a predictor of retention and organizational performance. Leadership theory and the conceptual framework of worker engagement were the study's theoretical anchors. Despite a proliferation of leadership studies, engagement antecedents are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to narrow the gap in the literature by examining the extent to which there may be a relationship between college instructors' behaviors and student engagement. Although not traditionally regarded as frontline leaders, extant leadership literature affirmed college …

The Role Of Administrative Support In The Retention Of Special Education Teachers, Atinart Koonkongsatian

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Administrative support of special education teachers can be a determining factor towards their success in teacher retention, motivation, and overall well-being. Special education teachers manage paperwork, meetings, and other administrative duties in addition to their teaching responsibilities. The extensive workload often leads these teachers to feel stressed, inadequate, and most importantly, this reduces their desire to continue working in their field. Administrative support of special education teachers can play an important role in promoting retention, increasing motivation, and supporting the overall well-being of a special education teacher. Their caseload of students is extensive, and often these teachers do not receive …

Persistence To Graduation Of Students In The Teacher Preparation Program At Murray State University, David Meinschein

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on persistence, and graduation rates of traditional students attending four-year public institutions. The study highlighted the complexity of persistence and degree completion by examining risk factors that impact persistence and degree completion. The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, the study sought consensus from a group of stakeholders, graduates from Murray State University’s (MSU) Teacher Education Program (TEP), to determine a list of specific expectations of a postsecondary institution in persisting to degree completion. Secondly, the study gathered data from the stakeholder of how each expectation was met while enrolled in the TEP at MSU.

This …

Higher Education Support Services And Graduation Rates Of Structured Education Program Students, Seth Hepner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The 1st-year retention rate of the Structured Education Program (SEP) is 90%, yet the 6-year graduation rate of SEP students is 29%. The gap between SEP 1st-year retention and graduation rates is the problem that this study addressed. The low graduation rate of SEP students is an important issue because graduation rates are used to measure the quality of higher education institutions. The purpose of this study was to understand the low graduation rates of SEP students. Tinto's retention theory, which seeks to explain dropouts from higher education institutions, was the main framework of the study. The study's research questions …

Differentiating Successful And Unsuccessful Nursing Students, Trilla Mays

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Administrators of nursing programs in community colleges are aware of the need to retain and to graduate students to meet the growing demand for licensed practical nurses (LPNs). High attrition in a 2-year nursing program in South Carolina affected the number of students either graduating as a LPN after completing the third semester, or continuing in the program to become a registered nurse (RN). Guided by Jeffreys's nursing undergraduate retention and success model, this causal comparative study investigated the differences between students who were and were not successful in the initial 3 semesters of the program. Archival student records for …

A Case Study Of Student Success In Physical Therapist Assistant Programs: A Systems Approach, Penelope Lescher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Graduating sufficient numbers of healthcare providers to fill the needs of an aging population in the United States is a major social concern. To address this problem physical therapist assistant (PTA) programs need to improve their graduation rates to keep up with the demand for qualified personnel. Applying Senge's theory of effective systems, 1 medium-sized community college with an average pass rate of over 90% on the National Physical Therapist Assistant Examination (NPTAE) was selected to address the research question: What are the systems factors and how do they operate together to support student success in an associate degree PTA …

A Survey Of The Big Five Personality Traits Among Elementary Teachers, Afrina R. Rohani

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research examined the possibility that personality traits play a part in career longevity and job satisfaction in the education field. The current study examined trends among the Big Five personality traits (Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) and their relation to job satisfaction in the elementary classroom. This researcher hypothesized that some common personality traits that are shared by teachers who persist in the classroom for five or more years, who are satisfied with their jobs and do not intend to leave. This researcher hypothesized that more experienced teachers would be high in Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. This …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Factors That Influence Teacher Turnover, Harold Anthony Mccray Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher turnover is a critical issue for the public education community because it influences student performance, school climate, and employee morale. In a large urban school district in the northeastern United States, the turnover rate has been high; teacher morale is low, and teacher participation in the school community is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of novice teachers about factors that influence their job satisfaction and their future employment. Guided by Maslow's theory of motivation-which is characterized by motivational needs that drive individuals to improved performance-this study examined the perceptions of novice teachers about …

Relationships Between Early Academic Indicators And Accelerated-Baccalaureate Student Nurse Success, Bonnie J. White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2013, the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses' (NCLEX-RN) passing standard was increased, leading to a decrease in NCLEX-RN pass rates. The passing standard increase was prompted by an advisory panel's determination that a gap in safe, competent practice existed among new graduate nurses. New graduates' success on NCLEX-RN is critical to meet workplace demand for new nurses. The purpose of this study was to examine whether cumulative grade point average at completion of 200-level nursing courses and scores on the standardized final exam in the 200-level fundamentals course were related to on-time nursing program completion and a …

Relationships Among Student Type, Gpa, And Retention Within A Proprietary Career College, Steven Charles Parker-Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have suggested that the college student population in the United States is evolving and the number of nontraditional students is rising. New student retention and academic success were ongoing concerns at a college in the southern United States and the association of those outcomes with instructional delivery model and student type was not known. In an effort to improve new student outcomes, this study examined differences in first-quarter student retention and academic success, as measured by GPA, for courses taught strictly online or on campus, and for traditional versus nontraditional students. Guided by Bean and Metzner's conceptual model of …

New Teacher Mentees' Perceptions Of Mentorship As An Assimilation Strategy, Konstance Laverne Grimble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attrition among new teachers with fewer than 5 years of experience was high in an urban high school in Texas. The high attrition rate is a problem for students, because high teacher turnover can result in teachers with low expertise. In this study, the conceptual framework used was Hord's professional learning community (PLC) model, which emphasizes trust and a utilization of a cycle of inquiry among colleagues to prepare lessons and assessments that affect student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine new high school teachers' perceptions of assimilation techniques used by their mentors in the new teacher …

Factors Related To Nursing Student Persistence In An Associate Degree Program, Patricia Ann Farley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The retention of nursing students remains a challenge in higher education, and the need for nurses in the United States is projected to increase. The purpose of this study was to investigate nursing student persistence in an associate degree program by examining differences in the presence of key social, environmental, and academic factors across 2 types of students: completers and non-completers of the 1st course in a registered nursing program. The study framework was based on Tinto's Student Integration Model and the Nursing Undergraduate Retention and Success Model, which identify key social, environmental, and academic factors as critical to student …

Losing New Graduate Bedside Nurses, A Practice Improvement Initiative, Beverly Elaine Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

New graduate nurses (NGNs) at bedside are faced with numerous challenges, which prompt them to leave jobs in their first year. The transition from being a student to competent nurse requires a NGN to have the necessary skills and experience. Subsequently, hospitals continue to face shortages of staff because of high turnover and low retention levels. Nonetheless, evidence from reviewed literature has indicated that the use of residency programs can increase NGNs' stay at bedside, improve retention, reduce costs of operations, and return employees' turnover. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to identify the likelihood of NGNs remaining …

Bridge Program Participants' Satisfaction, Retention, Grade Point Average, And Credits Earned, Chip Palmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of first-generation college students enroll in college each year. However, according to national statistics, as many as 900,000 first-generation college students drop out each year. Colleges have developed summer bridge programs to help first-generation students succeed; participants have shown an increase in grade point average (GPA) and retention. There is limited research focusing specifically on private nonprofit university bridge programs, and national statistics show 34% of first-generation college students electing private universities. Thus, the purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to evaluate a private nonprofit university bridge program called the Pfeiffer Readiness Education Program. Using the …