Education Commons^™

First-Generation Community College Transfer Students’ Perceptions Of Building A Sense Of Belonging And Its Subsequent Impact On University Retention, Tara E. Benson

Dissertations

Although attendance numbers are rising in both populations, transfer students and firstgeneration students have lower retention and completion rates (Bonet & Walters, 2016; Seider, Clark, & Soutter, 2015). All students, specifically first-generation and transfer students, have a better chance of succeeding if they feel they are academically and socially integrated into the university setting (Seider et al., 2015; Williams & Ferrari, 2015). The purpose of this study was to examine the success gap between firstgeneration transfer students and continuing generation community college transfer students who attend one Midwest university. The mixed methods study included an analysis of quantitative data of …

Using A Student Success Course And Transferred Credit Hours To Predict Student's Likelihood To Retain In Online Higher Education, Bailey Patricia Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As online education permeates a larger percentage of postsecondary student attendance, higher education institutions place a greater focus on online student retention. Online learners are entering college with varied backgrounds, demographics, and prior experience, yet most institutions are not differentiating the first-year programs for their incoming students with previous college-level experience. The following research used a binomial logistic regression analysis to explore existing, archival data to determine whether college transfer credit and a student success course can predict short- or long-term online student retention. This correlational study evaluated a randomized sample of 3,000 students who took a student success course …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Persistence Among National Junior College Athletic Association Division Iii Student Athletes, Carlton Hartsell Bryan Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of Division III National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) student athletes in central North Carolina who successfully persist to a four-year institution. The theory that guided this study was Vincent Tinto’s Theory of Student Integration (1975) as it established the principle that student’s personal commitment or determination to earn a degree and their commitment to their college or university determines whether they will complete their educational goals. The central research question guiding this study is: What are the experiences of the Division III NJCAA student-athlete in central North …

The Ties That Bind: Identifying Connections That Facilitate Students’ Successful Re-Entry To Higher Education, Toni Asay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ubiquitous roadblocks to university graduation have been investigated, identified, and interrogated for 7 decades, yet the mystery of retaining students to graduation continues to elude even the most prestigious universities. This researcher’s approach to increasing graduation began with the concession that increasingly, students may leave school at some point due to one or more of the retention issues that we recognize all too well—finances, illness, family problems, pregnancies, and other educational obstacles. However, leaving school does not mean that there is no going back. Student’s dropout status changes when they re-enroll in school; they take on new identities as …

Responding To The College Completion Crisis In New Mexico: A Case Study Of The University Of New Mexico, Kalith Smith

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

New Mexico’s funding of higher education has facilitated student access to college and helped the state rank fourth nationally in college attendance rates. However, the state ranks 47^th in the country in college completion rates. A majority of students who enter college in New Mexico do not complete their degrees, a situation which deprives the state of the highly skilled workforce that is necessary to attract and retain business and industry. While low-cost or free college has increased attendance rates, the low college completion rate has incited an economic crisis for the state. The state’s flagship institution, the University …

Different And The Same: A Comparison Of Vertical And Lateral Transfer Students., Joshua Harris Mckee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As more students evaluate their choice for higher education, the rate of transfer students continues to grow. The transfer population is often addressed broadly in research studies, and few examine differences among the population. This study was designed to analyze the differences in transfer shock and retention rates between students who transferred from a community college to a four-year institution (vertical) versus those who transferred from one four-year institution to another (lateral). Participants of this study consisted of 1,032 students who transferred to the University of Louisville during the fall 2014, 2015, and 2016 semesters. Results indicated, when controlling for …

A Phenomenological Study Examining The Experiences Of First Generation, Low Income, And Students Of Color In A First Year Experience College Course, Related To Student Persistence And Retention, Joanna White

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to understand the experiences of underrepresented student populations (first generation students, students receiving federal financial aid and students of color) enrolled in First Year Experience (FYE) courses who then persisted to the following semester and remained enrolled at the college. The study examined students at a large, urban community college in central Connecticut and included 8 students as participants. The theories that guided this study were Astin’s Theory of Involvement (Astin, 1999) and Tinto’s Theory of Departure (Tinto, 1993). The central question for this study was: how do students describe their experiences …

Impressions Of Viability: How Current Enrollment Management Personnel And Former Students Perceive The Implementation Of A Chatbot Focused On Student Financial Communication, Courtney Robinson

School of Education Doctoral Projects - Higher Education

The increasingly competitive modern higher educational environment has forced student services professionals to increase focus on recruitment and retention, which corresponds with an expanding body of scholarly literature and research on retention practices (Moore, Hossler, Ziskin, & Wakhungu, 2008). These large-scale recruitment and retention goals coincide with significant declines in state and federal funding, leaving many financially-limited institutions struggling to balance higher expectations and declining resources. Oftentimes, institutions seek out technological platforms that streamline the workload, while remaining cognizant that selected platforms must appeal to the current student population, the technologically-savvy Generation Z (Castillo, 2018; Stillman & Stillman, 2017).

Outside …

Understanding The Development Of Honors Students’ Connections With Faculty, Shannon R. Dean

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Nearly 40% of full-time students enrolled at four-year institutions depart within the first year. Previous research has shown college students are more likely to graduate if they have meaningful interactions with faculty. Honors students provide unique perspectives because of their high levels of interaction with faculty, yet not much is known about how these connections develop. The purpose of this study was to understand how honors students develop connections with faculty. Six upper-division students were interviewed, and participants reflected on meaningful connections made with faculty during their first year. Two themes were identified as influential in developing connections: approachability of …

Impact Of New Teacher Induction On Beginning Teachers, Greta L. Scharp

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Teacher retention and its much more emphasized antithesis, attrition, affects the Federation of Affiliated Christian Churches (FACC) school system. The FACC created the New Teacher Induction (NTI) program after the New Teacher Center model for induction out of Santa Cruz, California to assist new teachers and increase retention rates in their school system. Mentoring, professional development opportunities, and principal engagement were the three-prongs of the NTI approach to teacher support which aimed at increasing new teacher self-efficacy. This qualitative case study examines new teacher perceptions of the NTI program, and its impact on their decisions to remain in or leave …

College Crime And Retention Rates, Abigail R. Hauer

Student Publications

Increased media attention on college crime has led to greater prioritization of campus safety when selecting a college to attend. This, coupled with society’s view of higher education as a necessity to succeed in the labor market, creates a potential tradeoff between safety on campus and future job success. To analyze such tradeoff, I examine whether college crime affects retention rates at four-year American institutions. While literature has focused on college crime and factors that affect the decision to begin attending a college, no study has solely focused on the college crime and the decision to continue attending a college. …

A Grounded Theory Study Of The Ideal Components Of An Orientation For A Distance Education Doctor Of Education Program, Kristy Ann Motte

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a model for a distance education (DE) Doctor of Education (EdD) program orientation based on the perspectives of students, non-persisters, alumni, faculty, and administrators. As students pursue a DE EdD, they must navigate a variety of stages and may require different levels of support at each stage. To develop a model that bridges the different stages of the EdD, this study sought to answer the following research questions: (a) How do DE EdD students persist in each stage of the doctoral journey? (b) How do DE EdD students integrate (socially, …

Is Utilization Of University-Sponsored Social Media Associated With Increased Social Integration And Retention Among Online Students?, Gary C. Eaton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the growth of online higher education, online student retention remains a problem for many colleges and universities. The seminal higher education retention models developed for residential students also explain the contribution to retention resulting from connecting online students with other students, faculty, staff, and connecting with the daily life of the university in order to create a sense of belonging and community. The difficulty for the university is that online students may live at such distances from the school that participation in on-campus activities or even a singular campus visit is impractical. Further, online students are often non-traditional students …

Parenthood And Persistence Of Adult Learners In The Western Region Of The United States, Emetrude Lewis, Alexia Bailey-Webb

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study explored the role of parenthood on adult learners who were parents of minor children and gaining an understanding of their needs while attending a college or university. A qualitative phenomenological approach and purposive techniques were used to identify and recruit adult learners who were parents of minor children located in the general area in the Western Region of the United States. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and Yüksel and Yıldırım (2015) guide used for phenomenological narrative data analysis. Recorded interviews were transcribed into text and NVIVO software was then used to organize the interview data and uncover …

Factors That Positively Affect Agricultural Educator Longevity And Retention In Kentucky: A Delphi Study, Loren Clifford Gross

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the favorable factors that positively affect the longevity and retention of agricultural educators in the state of Kentucky. This issue was examined by answering the following questions: What are the primary reasons you decided to become an agricultural teacher? Why have you decided to stay in the agricultural education profession for five or more years? What are some of the barriers that you have encountered during your teaching career that you have had to overcome that may have caused you to leave the profession? A three-round Delphi study was utilized to capture …

Student Engagement And Retention Of Minority Students In A Faith-Based Institution, Stephanie Ann Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although there is research in student engagement and retention in higher education institutions, there is little predictive research that study minority students attending faith-based institutions. Due to the established relationship between student engagement and retention, it was important to understand what aspects of student engagement may predict the retention of minority students in order to establish programming and possibly raise the retention rates of these populations. Using the theoretical framework of student involvement and persistence, this predictive, correlational study used archival data to determine if any of the National Survey of Student Engagement’s (NSSE) engagement indicators predicted the retention of …

A Comparison Of Academic Outcomes In Courses Taught With Open Educational Resources And Publisher Content, Diane N. Ryan

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The academic outcomes of retention, completion, persistence and final exam scores between courses taught with open educational resources (OER) and courses taught with publisher content (non-OER) were investigated in this mixed method sequential study. The perceptions and experiences of the instructors who taught the courses were also explored. The participants were 215 community college students enrolled in an online section of Introduction to Communication (CST 110), Western Civilization (HIS 111), Applied Calculus (MTH 270) or Introduction to Psychology (PSY 201). Four instructors volunteered to teach an OER section and a non-OER section within each discipline. Students were randomly divided into …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Early Childhood Educators' Perseverance Experience, Alison Lee Mellott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences which motivated early childhood educators to persevere in their positions at the same early childhood education center, for five or more years, in south-central Pennsylvania. For the purpose of this research, perseverance was generally defined as continuous teaching at the same site for five or more years. The theory guiding this study was Herzberg’s (1968) motivation hygiene theory as it addressed experiences which impacted job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, directly impacting perseverance. One central research question and two supporting research questions were used to guide the study. The central …

Peer Mentoring Effect On Student Satisfaction At A Two-Year Institution, Lori Scribner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Student satisfaction has been linked to student persistence with higher retention rates (Edens, 2012). A correlation has been established linking academics, social integration, and retention (Collings, Swanson, & Watkins, 2014). Peer mentoring contributes to student satisfaction by helping students adapt to the culture of the institution. Peer mentoring is a way to help with social integration. Mentoring connects academic integration, social integration, and goal commitment (Collings et al., 2014). A research study examined the relationship between a peer mentoring intervention and student satisfaction with a private two-year higher education institution. The purpose was to answer the following question: Did the …

A Storytelling, Social-Belonging Intervention In An Introductory Computer Science Course, Shanon Reckinger, Chris Gregg

ASEE IL-IN Section Conference

A brief social-belonging intervention was tested in two introductory computer science (CS) courses. This intervention used storytelling to help improve a sense of belonging and establish the importance of persistence in the classroom. In previous experiments using this one-time intervention, there were significant results (Walton & Brady, 2017). Recent CS graduates were interviewed about their own struggles and failures in their computer science courses. These interviews were videotaped and edited to follow the storytelling pattern of a struggle, followed by an attribution, and concluding with redemption. Interviewees were selected to represent a diverse group of students including both dominant majority …

Implementing An Early Alert Workflow Process In Higher Education To Enhance Retention And Student Engagement, Joseph Huston, Kiara L. Sabina, M. Lisa Valentino, Lou L. Sabina

Journal of Applied Social Science Research and Practice

This case study examines the implementation of an early alert intervention system designed to enhance retention and student course engagement at a large suburban, public two-year degree-granting college. The focus of the study was to investigate the work-flow process and labor requirements for operationalizing the in-house intervention protocol, utilizing a Success Coach model. This paper documents the intervention procedures and reports findings pertaining to faculty time commitment and participation, frequency and prevalence of raised alert flags, and labor requirements for conducting student outreach. Cost efficiency and effectiveness are discussed, as are alternative approaches for implementation, including the use of automation …

Retaining Special Education Teachers For Students Within The Juvenile Justice System, Kendra Byrd

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The number of juveniles with disabilities entering the juvenile justice system is growing at a rapid rate. Many juvenile justice facilities are unable to provide adequate special education services due to the nationwide shortage of special education teachers. This dissertation uses the theoretical framework of teacher efficacy to examine the correlation among the retention of special education teachers who serve students within the juvenile justice system and teacher efficacy, stress, support, workload stressors, and burnout. The participants of this study consisted of 155 special education teachers who currently or previously provided special education services to juveniles within the juvenile justice …

The Mathematics Orientation Seminar: A Tool For Diversity And Retention In The First Year Of College, Salvatore J. Petrilli

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this article I describe Adelphi University's Mathematics Orientation Seminar, a new course that was introduced into the mathematics major to help students find their passion in mathematics and to strengthen the educational community within our department. I discuss quantitative and qualitative results of surveys among students in the Mathematics Orientation Seminar in Fall 2016 and Fall 2017, which suggest that this might be a useful course for other institutions to utilize within any major. Finally, I explore faculty perspectives and describe what I believe to be the final version of this course.

The Retention Of Adult Sport Participants: The Challenge Of Player Ratings, Edward Horne, Matthew Brown

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The current study investigates the retention of competitive tennis players in the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA’s) adult league system to answer the following questions: What factors do participants identify as impactful to their participation in adult league tennis? How do participants believe these factors impact their retention? Results suggest participants believe the current system fails to incentivize development as competitors fail to transition successfully to a higher rating and struggle socializing into a new team. Competitors therefore seek to cheat the system. The current study illustrates the importance for league policymakers to consider unintended consequences and provides recommendations. Subscribe …

Aligning Best Practices In Student Success And Career Preparedness: An Exploratory Study To Establish Pathways To Stem Careers For Undergraduate Minority Students, Kimberly D. Kendricks, Anthony A. Arment, K. V. Nedunuri, Cadance A. Lowell

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Undergraduate minority retention and graduation rates in STEM disciplines is a nationally recognized challenge for workforce growth and diversification. The Benjamin Banneker Scholars Program (BBSP) was a five-year undergraduate study developed to increase minority student retention and graduation rates at an HBCU. The program structure utilized a family model as a vehicle to orient students to the demands of college. Program activities integrated best K-12 practices and workforce skillsets to increase academic preparedness and career readiness. Findings revealed that a familial atmosphere improved academic performance, increased undergraduate research, and generated positive perceptions of faculty mentoring. Retention rates among BBSP participants …

2018-2019 Berklee Factbook, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment

Berklee Factbook

Welcome to the 2018–2019 Berklee Factbook. This factbook has been designed by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment as an accessible resource for official Berklee statistics.

On the following pages, you will find valuable data on student enrollment, retention and graduation rates, faculty, staff, programming, tuition, and more. Gathered from many areas throughout the institution, data are shown for Berklee as a whole as well as for each legacy institution, where applicable and available. These data reflect information as of the fall 2018 semester, unless otherwise noted. Data and trends from previous years are also available.

Don’T Count Me Out! The Impact Of Mentoring On The Persistence Of African-American Male Students At Predominately White Institutions (Pwis), Darryl E. Hylton Jr.

Education Dissertations and Projects

Over the years, more opportunities have been provided to individuals of all ages due to more and easier access to higher education; however, despite these opportunities, major barriers still exist that impact the success of a specific demographic—African-American males. While students of color had the greatest growth in postsecondary enrollment in 4 decades (Fry, 2010), research indicates a deficit trend of undergraduate males of color who fail to graduate once enrolled in colleges and universities (Carnevale & Strohl, 2013). To address this issue, institutions of higher learning have implemented programs, initiatives, and other strategies in an attempt to help these …

Older, Online And First: Recommendations For Retention And Success, Cathy Stone, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The university student population in Australia contains increasing numbers of older students returning to learning after a significant gap in their educational journey. Many are choosing to enrol online to combine their studies with other time-consuming responsibilities. This article examines the nature of this online student experience with a focus on those aged 25 and over who are the first in their families to embark on university studies. Drawing on interviews conducted with both staff and students operating in this virtual space, as well as other related research and literature, this article offers recommendations to higher education institutions and educators …

Scaffolding Feedback For Longer Term Knowledge Retention, Skye Playsted

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Raising Retention Rates Towards Achieving Vocational And Career Aspirations In Pacific Communities, Jioji Ravulo

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is a need for culturally relevant and appropriate retention pro- grams within a climate of ever-increasing neo-liberalism that is seeking to change the very nature and underlying rationale of higher education. This article is posited alongside the reflections of past and current university students, who highlight various socio-economic and socio- cultural pressures which affect their ability to maintain engagement within tertiary institutions in which they strive to study. Pressures include the neo-liberal ideology of unfettered individualism within a higher education setting, which seeks to make the university a competitive producer of 'consumers' rather than life-long learners who serve and …