Education Commons^™

Barriers To Access And Success For Rural Community College Students At Rural Community And Technical College: Understanding The Effect Of A Mandatory First-Year Experience Course On Retention And Persistence, Amanda Spencer-Barnes

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of a mandatory first-year experience course on retention and persistence. More specifically, this study examined the effect of a mandatory first-year experience course on in-semester retention and semester-to-semester persistence rates for rural community and technical college students at one rural community and technical college in Southeastern Kentucky. Existing data about in-semester retention and semester-to-semester retention rates was used for students who took a mandatory first-year experience course as well as for students who did not take the mandatory first-year experience course. The data was analyzed using an independent samples t-test for each group to do …

Impact Of Retention Initiatives On The Levels Of Self-Efficacy And Hope In African American Students On A Historically Black College And University Campus In Kentucky, George Maurice White

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the levels of self-efficacy and hope of the students at-risk that participated in a college program with multiple retention initiatives. The students selected were identified as students at-risk due to their high school GPAs and standardized test scores. The initiative focused on enhancing their self-efficacy and hope through additional resources that assisted with a student's academic and social life. The development of self-efficacy has been proven important to a student's academic, cognitive, and personal development. Hope has been proven to be important in finding different routes to success and the motivation a person has to take those …

Predicting First-Year Academic Success Of African American And White Students At Predominately White Institutions, Jerel Benton

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine how models utilizing demographic, academic, and social pre-college characteristics are related to first-year academic success of White and African American students at PWIs. The demographic pre-college factors include students& race and gender; the academic factors include ACT composite score and high school GPA; and the social factors include the distance from home, percent of African American in students& high school, and parents& highest education level. First-year academic success is defined by the three dependent variables: first-year retention, first-year GPA, and first-year credit hour completion percentage. The results of the study showed that …

A Causal Comparative Study Of Student Success And Retention In An Undergraduate Program Offered Online And On Campus, Daniel David Tudor

Online Theses and Dissertations

Online education has grown significantly both in the number of courses offered and the number of degrees offered. The delivery format is being fueled by a student population that is growing more non-traditional. Work and family obligations dictate that classes are offered in a format that meets the needs of the students. The growth of universities toward online courses and degrees has brought opportunities to students, but it has also given institutions of higher education new income streams. In the case of public universities in Kentucky, this has helped offset reductions in state support. The viability of this format for …

Black Minds Matter: Black Student Perceptions Of Three Kentucky Regional Comprehensive Predominantly White Institutions And The Role Of Campus Support Initiatives In Reducing The Frequence Of Stop-Out And Drop-Out, Christopher W. Blakely

Online Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2015), between 1996 and 2008, Black (African-American may be used interchangeably with Black, as defined through this study) college students had the lowest graduation rates among racial groups at four-year public institutions. Furthermore, more recent provisional data from the National Center for Education Statistics for 2008-2013, further support continued disproportional retention and graduation rates of Black college students. Therefore, given this, the present study examined the relationship between academic achievement and an increase in Black students' satisfaction with their college experience at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) and institutionally funded supportive associations for …

Best Practices In Tutoring Services And The Impact Of Required Tutoring On High-Risk Students, Lara Kristin Vance

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the best practices in tutoring high-risk, first-year students. The study was conducted in three phases. First, the study investigated the tutoring practices at two four-year universities with similar admissions standards as Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) but with higher retention rates: Austin Peay State University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The qualitative and quantitative results of that phase of the study revealed five best practices.

The second phase of the study focused on the extent to which EKU’s tutoring practices align with the best practices found in phase one. The data revealed that, at least to …

Assessing The Impact Of First-Year Experience Courses On Student Success In Community And Technical Colleges, Luv'tesha L. Robertson

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact first-year experience courses have on first-year student performance when enrolled in these courses at public community and technical colleges in Kentucky. The target population for this research study was composed of freshman students participating in the course compared to students not participating in the same course in the same public community and technical colleges across the Bluegrass Region. Roughly 2,000 students were selected from the 2014-2015 fall academic year for this quantitative research study.

This study will aim to determine the effect of a first-year experience course on student performance and outcomes of first-year, at-risk …

The Effect Of Web-Based Learning On Retention Of Non-Traditional Students In A Rural Comprehensive University, Treva Gail Macy

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects web-based courses effect retention of nontraditional students. Gender, student classification, first generation, and ACT composite scores were used as predictor variables for the purpose of this study. Data were collected from the university's BANNER system. The analysis of the results revealed that the retention rates of students who participated in online courses were higher than their in-person counterparts. Recommendations for policy and implications for future research are provided.

The Effect Of University Campus Recreation Programs On Student Retention, Caelin Scott

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect campus recreation programs have on student retention for full-time freshman students at Eastern Kentucky University. Gender, first-generation, non-traditional students and participation in recreation programs were used as predictor variables for the purpose of this study. Data were collected from Eastern Kentucky University's campus recreation database on the utilization of general gym facility use, Adventure Programs, and Intramural Sports. The analysis of the results revealed that the retention rates of students who participated in campus recreation programs were higher than the students who did not participate in campus recreation programs had a higher retention rate than …

The Impact Of Orientation Programming On Student Success Outcomes At A Rural Community College, James M. Davis

Online Theses and Dissertations

Economic and fiscal challenges, increased public scrutiny, and calls for accountability from stakeholders necessitate that community colleges work diligently to improve student success outcomes. Programs, services, and initiatives need to be developed and implemented that will increase student retention. Orientation is an important intervention service that can help new students to acclimate and make a more successful transition to college. There is a need to study programs that increase student success, and new student orientation programs have demonstrated their promise in reducing student attrition. This quantitative study examined a first year new student orientation program at a rural community college …