Education Commons^™

Trends In Student Attrition At An Urban Community College In The Southeast Region, Shirley Hardy

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the understudied reasons for attrition among urban community college students by way of Satisfactory Academic Program (SAP) appeals. The researcher used a qualitative methodology to understand the challenges associated with the mitigating circumstances attributed to academic attrition resulting in SAP appeals. The foundation for this study was laid by two renowned student departure theories: conceptual model of nontraditional student attrition (Bean & Metzner, 1985) and theory of student persistence in commuter colleges and universities (Braxton et al., 2014). The researcher sought to gain further knowledge to identify environmental factors that cause nontraditional …

Retention And The Sophomore Slump: Understanding Whether Campus Residency Predicts Retention Of Sophomore College Students, Raglena Salmans

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Retention in higher education is an ongoing challenge in America. Traditional research claims a multitude of reasons for freshman college students to stop out, drop out, or transfer colleges. The term sophomore slump was created many years ago as an all-encompassing phrase for the large amount of students who do not return to campus for their sophomore year or end up leaving during the sophomore year. Institutions of higher education are on a continuous journey to retain students and to understand what the cause of students leaving their university is. Campus housing has morphed through the years to provide programming …

Reasons For Academic Attrition Among Rural Community College Students By Way Of Satisfactory Academic Progress, Cathy Vaughan

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of the investigator’s research was to examine reasons for attrition among rural community college students by way of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeals. Seminal student departure theories of Spady (1971), Tinto (1993), Bean and Metzner (1985), and Braxton, Doyle, Jones, McLendon, Hirschy, and Hartley (2014) laid the foundation for this mixed methods investigation of challenges students face in meeting satisfactory academic progress as defined by federal financial aid guidelines: maintaining a 2.0 cumulative GPA, completing 67% of attempted coursework, and not exceeding the maximum time frame of credit hours for degree completion. Three broad categories of challenge …

The Importance Of Recruiting And Retaining International Students, Bill Mckibben

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

A steady decline in enrollment among postsecondary institutions and cuts in educational funding, both at the state and federal level, have caused these institutions to look for alternative sources of revenue. With postsecondary institutions struggling to financially survive, international enrollment has become the focus of higher education. The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding on the importance of recruiting and retaining international students. This study used a phenomenological approach and epistemology was used to provide the conceptual framework of the study. Qualitative methods were used to conduct this study. A series of semi-structured interviews provided the …

Persistence To Graduation Of Students In The Teacher Preparation Program At Murray State University, David Meinschein

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on persistence, and graduation rates of traditional students attending four-year public institutions. The study highlighted the complexity of persistence and degree completion by examining risk factors that impact persistence and degree completion. The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, the study sought consensus from a group of stakeholders, graduates from Murray State University’s (MSU) Teacher Education Program (TEP), to determine a list of specific expectations of a postsecondary institution in persisting to degree completion. Secondly, the study gathered data from the stakeholder of how each expectation was met while enrolled in the TEP at MSU.

This …

The Impact Of Kinderquest On Reading And Math In Early And Intermediate Elementary Students, Stephanie Sullivan

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This paper explored the history of education, including how the focus has evolved into the current demand for a qualified workforce, and the practices of retention and social promotion. Grade level retention research examined the positive and negative impacts on students, as well as alternative intervention approaches. An in-depth study of an early intervention program, KinderQuest, was conducted to determine the relationship between students’ reading and math achievement. Data was analyzed by comparing students that participated in the KinderQuest program and students that progressed through the traditional progression of kindergarten through Grade 6. Additionally, reading and math scores of KinderQuest …