Education Commons^™

College Preparedness. Narratives Of Transitions From High School To College., Chelsey Luann Vincent

Theses and Dissertations

Despite many theories on student success as well as many resources to help students make the transition from high school to college, many students do not persist in or graduate from college. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide insight into what takes place when students leave P-12 institutions and enter institutions of higher education by using focused narrative inquiry. This study took place at a large research university in the south. The study included 4 participants at various parts of their transition journey. Participants in the study responded to written prompts. Follow up interviews were conducted, and a …

New Engineers’ Perceptions Of Their Transition To Practice, Todd Southern

Theses and Dissertations

The transition from student to engineering practice is complex, ambiguous, and critical for new engineers. New engineers are typically moving from a highly structured curriculum into a highly unstructured work environment, making it essential to understand new engineers’ perceptions and experiences throughout the transition to practice. This understanding can help improve the development of new engineers and the organizations that will benefit by supporting them. Given the relatively incomplete understanding of new engineers’ transition to practice experiences, the goal of this study was to explore how new engineers perceived their transition to practice throughout their first two years as professional …

Small-Town Living: Do Illinois Universities Understand The Rural College Student?, Erik Andrew Dalmasso

Theses and Dissertations

Rural students are confronted with unique challenges when considering postsecondary choices. According to McShane and Smarick (2018), scholarship on this overarching issue is limited, as it is “often shunted to specialized journals that have not been able to integrate findings into the broader education policy conversation” (p. 1). Rural students, and to a broader extent, rural education have little voice in the postsecondary pathways that have been created within higher education (Goldman, 2019). Recruitment of rural students, financial aid policy, remediation/developmental programming, state and federal postsecondary legislation have largely treated rural students in tandem with their urban and suburban peers, …

The Role Of Professional Development On Secondary Special Educators Self-Efficacy Regarding The Use Of Evidence-Based Transition Practices, Lauren P. Bruno

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how transition specific professional development influenced secondary special educators’ knowledge and perceived self-efficacy regarding the use of evidence-based transition practices. Past research has suggested that secondary special educators enter the profession with limited knowledge and skills to provide effective evidence-based transition practices to students with disabilities. Based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, and Desimone’s framework for effective professional development, this study identified how different variables related to professional development can influence teacher self-efficacy in terms of delivering evidence-based transition practices. Specifically, a correlational research design was used to investigate teacher self-efficacy to …

Building Bridges Over Troubled Waters: A Phenomenological Study Of Post-9/11 Guard And Reserve Military Veterans Transitioning To The Civilian Workplace, Jean Marie Pyzyk

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

BUILDING BRIDGES OVER TROUBLED WATERS:

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF

POST-9/11 NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE MILITARY VETERANS

TRANSITIONING TO THE CIVILIAN WORKPLACE

by

Jean Marie Pyzyk

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Professor Barbara Bales, Ph.D.

This qualitative, phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of 25 National Guard members and reservists representing the United States Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps returning to civilian careers following a post-9/11 deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. The research question asked: What are the lived experiences of post-9/11National Guard and Reserve military veterans as they transition back to the civilian …

From High School To A Four-Year Urban University: Understanding The Transition Experiences Of Latina, Black, And White Female Working-Class Students, Rebecca Marie Freer

Theses and Dissertations

Working-class students’ success in higher education is a growing concern for policymakers and administrators. Previous research has shown that working-class students experience less success in college than students who are of higher social classes (Lauff & Ingels, 2015; Walpole, 2007). This qualitative case study explored how the university environment and students’ cultural wealth influenced success of Latina, Black, and White female working-class students during their transitions to college. Specifically, this study followed 12 students at a large urban public four-year university. Participants engaged in semi-structured interviews three times before and during their first semester of college. The study is framed …

Examining The Career Transitions And Transformations Of An Urban Educator, Frank E. Penick Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the critical career transitions that transformed who I am on both personal and professional levels during my fifteen-year teaching career as an urban educator. This autoethnographic research approach systematically analyzed and described personal experiences within the broader cultural context (Ellis, Adams, & Bochner, 2010), utilizing Scholssberg's (1995) Transition Theory, as an analytical framework. I found that engaging in this autoethnographic study increased my awareness of the situations, self, support, and strategies (Schlossberg, 1995) impacting the career transitions I navigated throughout my career. I also found that this narrative examination fostered a deeper …