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High School Adolescents' Academic Engagement, Behaviors, And Achievement: Associations With Intrapersonal Factors And Academic Support Systems, Elizabeth Suzanne Robtoy

Wayne State University Dissertations

The current study investigated the roles of select intrapersonal and environmental factors in high school adolescents’ academic engagement, behavior, and achievement. This aforementioned combination of factors has not been considered for their combined ability to explain greater proportions of variance in academic engagement, behavior, and achievement, despite the fact that ecologically, there are multiple life contexts that interact to explain academic achievement development and this selection may provide important information. Participants were 415 high school students (171 males, 244 females) from a mid-western, suburban high school that enrolls about 1,285 students. Future educational goals, as well as executive functioning, emerged …

Adolescents' Characterization Of Their Neighborhood Through An Art-Based Community Project, Eileen Finnegan

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study adolescent participation in the development of a neighborhood mural as an art-based community project. I examined perceptions of the adolescents regarding the awareness of their community and neighborhoods. Additionally, I explored adolescents' perceptions of their own development in terms of building their self-confidence. To accomplish this, I facilitated the creation and design of a mural that depicts their perceptions of their neighborhoods, using art as a modality for expression. Fourteen seventh grade students attending a parochial school in a low socioeconomic area of a large metropolitan city participated in the study. They …

Broadening The Learning Community Experience: An Outdoor Orientation Program's Impact On Engagement, Persistence, And Retention, Christy David Nolan

Wayne State University Dissertations

The Keystone Learning Community was implemented by the Department of Campus Recreation to address retention at the institution. This learning community for incoming freshmen consists of two phases. Phase I is as an outdoor orientation program that includes a three day, two night canoeing and camping experiencer lead by upperclassmen leaders. Faculty and staff from the institution complete every aspect of Phase I with the freshmen. Phase II is class time that concentrates on development of critical thinking and writing skills.

Through surveys and interviews, participants in the Keystone Learning Community reported strong peer, faculty, and upperclassmen engagement initiated by …

Using Academic Advising To Increase Motivation And Engagement In First-Year College Students, Lisa Remsing

Wayne State University Dissertations

According to ACT Educational Services (2010), more than one-third of college freshmen will not progress to their sophomore year. Several states, including Michigan, have proposed higher education performance funding models, which directly correlate state funds to student retention and graduation rates (Jesse, 2012). As higher education suffers from diminishing resources, there is a heightened focus to increase retention and graduation rates (Tinto, 2007).

The transition from high school to college can be a traumatic time for adolescents. This age group has unique motivational needs as they adjust to an unfamiliar academic environment (Perry et al., 2005). The first year of …