Education Commons^™

Predictors Of Associate's Degree Completion In Engineering And Engineering Technologies, Lynsey Reys-Nickel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ex post facto study was to describe completers and non-completers of associate’s degree programs in engineering and engineering technologies and determine whether and to what extent completion in these programs is a function of selected student-related variables and institutional variables. Data from the 2004/2009 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS: 04/09) of associate’s degree completers and non-completers in engineering and engineering technologies were accessed and analyzed through PowerStats, a web-based data analysis tool from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Descriptive data indicated that, proportionally, engineering and engineering technologies completers were mostly White, married, middle income, …

Students Engaged In A Learn And Earn Program: Exploring Characteristics That Identify Those Interested In A Career In Manufacturing, Amy M. Koning

Dissertations

The 2008 recession proved to be difficult for the manufacturing industry. As a result, strategies for succession and talent attraction are now important for the resurgence of the industry. The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret how community college students, preparing for entry-level technician positions in manufacturing, experience a “learn and earn” industry and education partnership. For this study, “learn and earn” can be defined as students enrolled full-time in an associate degree program while working at a company that is sponsoring a full ride scholarship for their education.

Past studies have focused on (a) preparing young …

The Use Of Online Supplemental Materials In College Courses To Improve Retention, Amy Lynn Hennings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

First-generation college students continue to have lower retention and success rates in colleges and universities, reducing their likelihood of staying above the poverty line. The study tested Bandura and Vygotsky's social cognitive theories of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and student ability to self-pace in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore if offering supplemental online materials to traditional class delivery, which can be self-regulated and self-paced, impacted students' success rates in the class and semester-to-semester retention. Using a quasi-experimental method, first-semester college students, in a small private liberal arts college (N = 678); were compared on use of supplemental …

Exploring Preservice Teacher Attitudes Toward Black Students, Audra L. Greuel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The majority of the preservice teacher population is young, White, and female; however, the urban school system student population continues to become increasingly diverse, including an increasing population of underserved Black students in urban schools. The racial differences between the preservice teacher population and the urban student population complicates the challenges faced in educating Black students effectively. Teachers and students often encounter misunderstandings, and thus, utilize incompatible styles of classroom management and instruction, often resulting in Black students experiencing difficulties with learning. Many of these complications derive from the profound presence of race, racial difference, and racial inequality throughout U.S. …