Education Commons^™

Student Success Behaviors And Gender: Exploring The Impact On First-Year Students, Sarah Ramage

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

College demographics are rapidly evolving, and one area of concern is the enrollment and retention rates of male students. The National Center for Educational Statistics reported that in 2010, 57 percent of undergraduate students were female (Weaver-Hightower, 2010). The same report stated that the percentage was projected to grow to 59 percent by 2018 (Weaver-Hightower, 2010). Between 1997 and 2007, female enrollment has risen dramatically faster than male enrollment, with a 29 percent jump in 10 years. Male enrollment increased by 22 percent in the same time (Weaver-Hightower, 2010). Over time, this growing gender imbalance in higher education has been …

The Road Taken That Has Made All The Difference: A Narrative Inquiry Of Student Engagement And Success In Butler Community College's Accelerated Learning Program In English, Troy Nordman

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

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate whether students who completed the accelerated learning program (ALP) in English at Butler Community College in fall 2016 perceived a three-part, structured approach to the course as having been a significant factor to their persistence and successful completion of the course. These perceptions were gathered during the spring 2017 semester through one-on-one, face-to-face interviews with 12 students from the fall 2016 cohort. Utilizing the conceptual framework of narrative inquiry proposed by Clandinin (2006) allowing the individual student narratives to weave a common, thematic context, this study examined the specific factors associated with …

An Analysis Of Factors Leading To The Success Of Female Superintendents In P-12 Public Schools In Arkansas, Juanita Samantha Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine the history of women in the superintendency and the best practices that they have used to weather challenging conflicts to remain in the position. The research question that guided this study was: To what do successful female superintendents in Arkansas attribute their success? This qualitative research ascertained the factors needed for female superintendents in Arkansas to have long-lasting careers in that role, if they desire. Creswell (2012) recommends that for qualitative research data analysis, the researcher should arrange and structure the data, code the data, and represent the data. The data collected …

Helpers And Heroes, Hurdles And Highs: A Humanistic Autoethnographical Reflection On Working Class Student Experiences, Willey A. B. Dow

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research sought to answer the question of what helps working class university students at risk of withdrawal graduate from their program. An autoethnographic method was employed to systematically analyze my story, one of being a working class person navigating the higher educational system, compare the results to existing psychological research, and generate new themes, and ideas in the hope of ameliorating the experience, and increasing the likelihood of success for others. Themes, conclusions and implications for students were presented.

Characteristics And Success Of Long-Term Contracts In Major League Baseball, Briton A. Hagan

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

The current labor market in MLB is extremely lucrative for both players and owners; however, the system is not without its problems. Over the past two decades, owners have become increasingly aggressive when signing elite players. Owners must offer long-term contracts in excess of $100 million to outbid other teams and secure an elite player to be the face of their franchise. Because MLB contracts are guaranteed, owners take a tremendous risk when signing players to a long-term deal. The purpose of the study was to apply a framework for what a “successful” MLB contract is and then measure all …

The Perceptions Of Success Of Latino Nursing School Graduates In The Appalachian Region Of The United States, Barbara M. Rauscher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative descriptive study focused on nine successful Latino nursing school graduates. Five participants were interviewed twice and four participants were interviewed once for a total of fourteen interviews. Participants and their families immigrated from Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, and Mexico. Participants attended school in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Interviews revealed themes of Familism, Empowerment, and Perseverance. Familism was an overriding theme throughout each of the interviews. Participants described family as being their greatest support. They discussed sacrifices made by their families which assisted them in being successful. In addition, they also shared their willingness to make …

From High School To A Four-Year Urban University: Understanding The Transition Experiences Of Latina, Black, And White Female Working-Class Students, Rebecca Marie Freer

Theses and Dissertations

Working-class students’ success in higher education is a growing concern for policymakers and administrators. Previous research has shown that working-class students experience less success in college than students who are of higher social classes (Lauff & Ingels, 2015; Walpole, 2007). This qualitative case study explored how the university environment and students’ cultural wealth influenced success of Latina, Black, and White female working-class students during their transitions to college. Specifically, this study followed 12 students at a large urban public four-year university. Participants engaged in semi-structured interviews three times before and during their first semester of college. The study is framed …

Perceptions Of Homeschooling: A Qualitative Study Of The Lives Of Homeschool Parents, Thomas A. Sackett, Jacqlyn A. Fletcher

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

We conducted a qualitative research study on the lives of homeschool parents. We interviewed 24 parents who have either homeschooled their children in the past or were currently homeschooling at the time of the study, regarding constructs such as success of homeschooling and the effects homeschooling has had on the personal lives of the parents. Several themes emerged from the study’s data. One such was the feeling of homeschooling being a success in comparison to traditional education. They shared accounts bonding with their children and being able to set the curriculum speed just right for their children. The second theme …

Hispanic Students' Perceptions Of Success: A Phenomenological Study On The Impact On K-12 Academic Achievement, Rodney Stephens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the impact of Hispanic learners’ perceptions of success on their completion of secondary/post-secondary studies. The following served as a guiding research question: How do the perceptions of success among male and female Hispanic high school completers/non-completers ages 18-29 impact their educational pursuits? This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of Hispanic participants through social/cultural contexts framed around Bronfenbrenner’s (1974) ecological systems theory, Vygotsky’s (1978) social learning theory, Rotter’s (1954) social learning, and Bandura’s (2002) social cognitive theory. Participants included 22 Hispanic high school completers/non-completers ages 18-29 who were clients or students …

Growth Mindset –The Answer To “Why Do I Need To Know This?”, Carmen D. Long

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Students deserve a meaningful answer to the question “Why do I need to know this?” They are often given empty reasons like, “we must review the standards based curriculum” or “it is on the test”. These answers are not motivating to any students. We will discuss practical strategies to encourage Growth Mindset approach to difficult life experiences and academic challenges.

The Factors That Contribute To Success In College Freshmen With Specific Learning Disabilities A Descriptive Study In Learner Characteristics, Caleb J. Conklin

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Once students graduate from high school and enter postsecondary education the academic support services change. This study uses a qualitative methodology to investigate the perceptions of students’ with specific learning disabilities (SLD), particularly the students’ perceptions of student motivation, success, and psychosocial factors such as self-efficacy, self-advocacy, and the stigmas related to having an SLD in an effort to identify the factors that impact success in college students who have specific learning disabilities. The researcher will interview students with a SLD regarding the length of time their disability has been identified, the accommodations previously accessed in the secondary educational setting …

Success For Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Julie J. Soderlund

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Special education students with emotional and behavioral disorders have the right to receive an education that addresses their specific, individual needs. There are many challenges that accompany these students. It is beneficial for teachers to take a positive perspective of support and value collaboration with team members when working with these students. Teachers must also accept a mindset and perspective of the importance of inclusion for all students, regardless of disability or behavioral challenges. All students deserve the opportunity to access general education curriculum with their peers. This is how E/BD students will achieve future success.

Mentoring Generation X Women: Program Elements To Increase Success For Principals Or Nonprofit Leaders, Mollie A. Bond

All Capstone Projects

Mentoring may encourage leadership development in Generation X women who wish to gain leadership positions in nonprofit sector organizations or school administrations. However, cultural values and female natural tendencies may form a glass ceiling for females seeking leadership roles. This qualitative study asked 11 women about their experiences in mentoring programs to determine if what elements are necessary for mentoring programs to help female Generation Xers be successful. Participants were mentored by females in one of two programs: the Chicago Women in Philanthropy (CWIP) Women’s Leadership Mentoring Program (WLMP) or the Metropolitan Institute for Leadership in Education (MILE) Principal Mentor …

Predicting Success Of Developmental Math Students, Isaac Martinez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Addressing the needs of developmental math students has been one of the most challenging problems in higher education. Administrators at a private university were concerned about poor academic performance of math-deficient students and sought to identify factors that influenced students' successful progression from developmental to college-level coursework. The purpose of this retrospective prediction study was to determine which of 7 variables (enrollment in a college success course, math placement results, frequency of use of the developmental resource center, source of tuition payment, student's age, gender, and race/ethnicity) would be predictive of success in developmental math as defined by a final …

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 …