Education Commons^™

The Strategic Application Of Alternative Grading To Improve Retention And Enhance Equity (Spring 2023), Teshome Abebe, Michael Gillespie

EIU Think Tank Reports and White Papers

Universities across the United States have been using the Pass/Fail grading system for a variety of reasons and in many different ways. There are so many uses of the system as there are universities.

In general, universities have used the Pass/Fail grading system to: help reduce stress and pressure on students; provide more flexibility in course selection and encourage students to explore and pursue interest without fear of damaging their GPA; reduce perceived discrimination and bias in grading, providing more equitable opportunities for all students regardless of race, socioeconomic status or prior academic background; and to improve retention rates by …

Undocumented Students’ Barriers To Completing Higher Education, Yesenia Muruato

Masters Theses

This study sought to examine the circumstances that influence DACA recipients in the United States to withdraw from their undergraduate institutions. This qualitative study on undocumented/DACA students who have left higher education prior to degree completion. It identifies the impact of immigration status on enrollment decisions, reasons for leaving higher education, obstacles students faced, and what programs or services might have successfully intervened and given them the opportunity to continue enrollment.

First-Generation Black Males’ Challenges In Attending A Pwi: Understanding What Makes Them Persist, Shakeitra Simmons

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology, the researcher studied the challenges and persistence factors for undergraduate First-generation Black males to persist at a Predominantly White Institution. Through conducting six one-on-one semi-structured interviews, the researcher identified the challenges faced by this group of students as mental health, lack of support, and racism/microaggressions. The researcher also identified the factors for persistence at the PWI to be upward mobility, family and school personnel support, and campus involvement.

Persistence Of African American Students At Predominately White Institutions, Candace Thompson

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology, the persistence of African American students at predominately White institutions was analyzed. This was conducted through semi-structured interviews by six participants which evaluated African American students’ overall persistence. Participants expressed what determined their selections of institutions as well as what institutional and personal factors negatively and positively affected their matriculation throughout the institution. In addition, the study provided recommendations to student affairs professionals to better serve this population.

The Effectiveness Of Student Success Courses On Students Enrolled In A Remedial Reading Course, Emily Walters

Masters Theses

This study examined the impact of strategies for success courses on success of students in remedial education at a rural community college. Participants included 594 students ages 17 to 51 (M = 20.03, SD = 4.25) that were enrolled in one of two remedial reading courses while concurrently enrolled in strategies for success course. A quantitative study was used to determine if students completed more terms and achieved a higher cumulative GPA, if they were enrolled in strategies for success compared to their peers that were not enrolled in a strategies for success course. Results showed that students enrolled …

Psychometric Analysis Of The Appreciative Advising Inventory, Nancy Crone

Nancy Crone

The Appreciative Advising Inventory is an instrument created for use in academic advising. The inventory helps the advisor get to know and understand the student, which in turn allows the advisor to better assist the student. This research provides a psychometric analysis of the Appreciative Advising Inventory to measure its validity and reliability and recommends alterations to the inventory based on the results of these analyses.