Education Commons^™

Beta Drift: Forecasting The Manifold Relationships Between Students And Their Pursuit Of Stem Careers, Douglas D. Havard

Education (PhD) Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which motivational and persistence factors predict the occupational career choices of underrepresented students in their pursuit of a STEM career. Data selected from the High School Longitudinal Study beginning with the base year through the fourth wave were employed in a large-scale multinomial regression analysis. Anticipated STEM occupation at the age of 30 was examined across six years of complex survey data using multiple taxonometric definitions. Social Cognitive Career Theory provided the theoretical framework for defining relevant factors affecting this STEM pursuit construct. The findings from the study suggest …

Rural Students On College Enrollment: Perceptions Of Influence Surrounding College Choice, Lucas M. Simmons

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting the study was to describe the community, personal experiences, and life events of individuals from rural Arkansas communities in developing their decisions to attend college and how the community impacted their successful enrollment at the University of Arkansas. Specifically, the study set out to explore how rural communities were perceived to influence college enrollment decisions and choices in degree selection. Although situated at one case study institution, the University of Arkansas, the findings have importance for all rural students and communities, and ultimately public policy and institutional behaviors. Therefore, the purpose for conducting the study was …

Improving Retention And Degree Attainment For Underrepresented Students In Stem: Is Experiential Learning The Solution?, Cori Henderson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Experiential learning opportunities, such as undergraduate research, are found to be useful in promoting retention and graduation in STEM majors, and specifically for underrepresented student populations. These opportunities are being implemented throughout the United Stated as a means to improve student learning and persistence. In Kentucky’s strategic plan, experiential learning activities are seen as an avenue to help students persist in college and are key components in helping the commonwealth reach their goal of sixty-percent of adult Kentuckians earning a college credential by 2030.

Mirroring the commonwealth’s strategic plan, Northern Kentucky University (NKU) emphasized the importance for experiential learning opportunities …

Gifted Education: A Multi-Case Study On The Identification Process Of Historically Underrepresented Students In Gifted Programs In North Carolina, Michael David Acosta

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how Newland, Big Hills, and Edison Elementary, which are public elementary schools in North Carolina, identify gifted students who are historically underrepresented for placement in academically gifted classes. Based on statistical data from the Department of Education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, there is a disparity between the identification of Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, especially in impoverished communities. The study sought to understand the process of identification of gifted students and how it contributes to under-representation of Black, Hispanic, and impoverished students. The study revealed what social …

Are We Ready?: A Review Of Getting College Ready: Latin@ Student Experiences Of Race, Access, And Belonging At Predominantly White Universities, Jung Eun Hong

The Qualitative Report

Getting College Ready: Latin@ Student Experiences of Race, Access, and Belonging at Predominantly White Universities by Julie Minikel-Lacocque describes the pre-college and college experiences of six Latin@ college students (four female and two male) at a specifically predominantly White flagship higher education institution in the Midwest United States. By delivering those six Latin@ students’ voices through the author’s interpretation based on the lens of Critical Race Theory, she presented their challenges applying to college, maintaining enrollment, and being successful at the college as underrepresented minority students, most of whom were first-generation college students. The author also discussed effective ways to …

The Effectiveness Of The Student Support Service Program On Retention At A Rural Community College, Deborah D. Hodge

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the role of TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) programs for students who persist in college. The intent of this study was to determine whether the services provided to participants in SSS helped them achieve higher grade-point averages (GPA), retention rates, and graduation rates. Student Support Services programs are designed to assist first-generation college going, low-income, and students with disabilities with gaining the academic and self-advocacy skills necessary to persist towards an educational goal, 2-year degree completion, transfer to a 4-year university, and/or completion of a certificate program. Services provided to student program participants included: academic tutoring, academic …

Influence Of Talent Search Program On College Readiness And Success, Donitha Jones Griffin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Precollege programs, such as Talent Search (TS), are widely used to increase college readiness skills, particularly among underrepresented students in higher education. The college examined in this study had implemented the TS program, but little empirical evidence existed about the efficacy of the program. The purpose of this ex-post facto quantitative study was to evaluate the effect that the local TS program has had on college readiness and success as measured by incoming freshmen placement exam scores and students' first-year grade point average (FYGPA). The theoretical framework for the study was Conley's 4 dimensions of college readiness designed to help …