Education Commons^™

Does Being Rural Matter?: The Roles Of Rurality, Social Support, And Social Self-Efficacy In First-Year College Student Adjustment, Allison L. Bitz Phd

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

One out of every three first-year college students will not return for a second year of college (Postsecondary Education Opportunity, 2010). Due to a variety of factors, minority students are at an even higher risk of dropping out of college. Rural youth, comprising approximately 22% of the nation’s total youth, form a significant minority population; yet the rural student experience in college has not yet been widely considered in research. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore college adjustment and its predictors among first-year students, with an emphasis on the role of rurality in college adjustment. Social self-efficacy, …

A Qualitative Study Of The Influence A 2009 Summer Bridge Program Had On Selected Participants, Amy M. Fellhoelter

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this case study was to explore the transition of Summer Bridge Program participants to college, and their persistence beyond their first-year of enrollment at a large research Midwestern University. Participants‘ academic and social transitions were defined through their engagement, involvement, and desire to stay at the institution beyond their first-year.

The University has a summer transition program to assist first-year students with their transition from high school to college. The Summer Bridge program is a three-week, summer, residential, learning community that assists students with their academic and social transition to higher education. Six participants were interviewed in …

A Mixed Methods Study Of How The Transition Process Impacts The Autonomy Of Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers, Linda Kasal Fusco

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods study sought to identify the impact that transition into the practice of teaching had on the autonomy of pre-service secondary teachers of Mathematics. It was based on the belief that a Mathematics teacher’s autonomy depended on: beliefs about Mathematics and how it was learned, reflections on the teaching practice, and social constraints of a secondary school culture. Data was collected between January 2009 and March 2010. In Phase I (Quantitative) the participants (N = 30), selected from ten State University of New York teacher preparation colleges and universities, completed five instruments to quantify the three factors of …