Education Commons^™

Nontraditional Student Persistence Amid The Transition To Corequisite Remediation: Examining The Relationship Of Developmental Education And Academic Support Courses, Priscilla Renee Burns

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, correlational study was conducted to examine how persistence of nontraditional college students is influenced by participation in developmental education and academic support courses. The persistence rate of students, especially nontraditional students, can have a profound impact on today’s workforce and the funding of the postsecondary institution. This predictive correlational study utilized logistic regression to examine the relationship between the predictor variables (developmental mathematics, developmental reading, and academic support courses) and the criterion variable (persistence to the next academic year). The sample for each research question was comprised 100 first-year college freshman who met at least one of the …

California's Impact Of Attrition Practices On Latinx English Learners, Dulce Ramirez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone examines the impact of attrition practices on Latinx English learners in California. The project explores three recommendations from Guadalupe Valdes' book, Learning and Not Learning English. The three are age-appropriate academic content, revolving door policies involving classification/ reclassification, and the importance of teacher preparation. The discussion covers how the three impact English learners' attrition rate, causing negative self-efficacy, lack of college preparedness, and employment opportunities. Given this, the school districts allocated funding to create programs to prevent attrition problems among English learners, including the Latinx ELs. The literature review and interviews with educators indicated that Latinx English learners' …

Firefighter Trainee Fitness, Reasons For Academy Release, And Predictive Capabilities Of Fitness Tests, Robert G. Lockie, Fernando Montes, Robin (Rob) Marc Orr, J. Jay Dawes

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Firefighter trainees need a level of fitness to be admitted to and complete a training academy. Fitness could indicate a trainee’s likelihood of graduation. PURPOSE: Determine fitness differences between trainees who graduated (GRAD) or were released due to a) injury (RELI), b) skills test performance failures (RELP), or c) resignation (RELR); and whether fitness predicted graduation or academy release. METHODS: Data from an occupational physical ability test (OPAT) for 686 trainees were analyzed, including: Illinois agility test; push-ups; pull-ups; leg tucks; estimated maximal aerobic capacity (V̇O_2max) from the multistage fitness test; backwards overhead 4.54-kg medicine ball …

The Role Of Self-Efficacy And Emotional Exhaustion In Teacher Considerations Of Job-Related Stressors And Attrition: A Mixed-Methods Study, Raymond Nance

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Teacher attrition is a problem currently afflicting classrooms around the world. Emotional exhaustion and teacher self-efficacy have been demonstrated to be factors in attrition. This study assesses the efficacy of potential tools for use in evaluating emotional exhaustion and self-efficacy before problems arise and to guide professional development in efficacious directions.

This parallel-convergent mixed-methods study performed quantitative regression analyses on the joined effects of emotional exhaustion and self-efficacy to assess their potential mediating role between teachers’ job stressors and considerations of leaving the job. The existence of mediation was demonstrated. Qualitative thematic analysis of transcripts from six interviews with current …

Best Practices Of Exceptional College Professors Who Program Relevance Into Online Distance Learning Courses: A Phenomenological Study, Keri Ann Palasz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this proposed transcendental phenomenological study was to describe specifically the experience of exceptional professors who convey relevance to students in online distance learning higher education courses. The theory that guided this study is Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory (ALT), as it clarifies the relationship between course design and delivery and the characteristics of adult learners. This study addressed four research questions posed to a sample of award-winning college professors who teach online distance learning courses in the American field of higher education to understand better what these professors do to convey relevance in a way that appeals to …

Factors That Affect School Counselor Retention In Rural Settings-An Exploratory Study, Rawn Boulden, Chris Schimmel

The Rural Educator

Teacher attrition is a well-known issue impacting K-12 schools in the United States. Sizeable research exists highlighting noteworthy factors that promote retention and attrition. However, scant research exists describing these factors within the context of school counselors working in rural settings. Considering this gap, we employed an inductive phenomenological approach to learn more about key attrition and retention factors, utilizing a sample of five rural school counselors employed in rural locales throughout the United States. Two overarching categories were identified: (a) school-based factors and (b) school community factors. Limitations and implications for rural school districts and counselor preparation programs are …

The Perceived Impact Of Membership In African American Fraternities And Sororities On The Collegiate Experience And Persistence At A Predominantly White Institution: A Phenomenological Study, Darrick A. Claiborne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand if the experiences of African American members of African American fraternities and sororities at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) impacted their collegiate experience and persistence to graduate. The researcher used Albert Bandura’s social learning theory to guide this study. Methods for African American students' persistence include leadership and modeling. The researcher chose a central question considering the perceived impact of membership in African American fraternities and sororities on its collegiate experience and persistence at a PWI. The participants of this study were a purposive type of sampling. The participants …

Teachers' Values For The Reduction Of Teacher Attrition In Utah Public Schools, Forrest Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition is a major concern of educational systems. Research has investigated causes of attrition but have primarily neglected the role of teachers' values. The aim of this study is to explore how teachers prioritize four different factors: salary, administrative support, medical benefits, and teaching difficulty. Teachers (448) responded to a survey that asked them to (a) order the four factors by importance, (b) decide between job offers that differed with regards to these factors (e.g., a job with better salary or better administrative support), and (c) report information about teachers' characteristics. Data analysis involved exploring how teachers with differing …

Assessment Of Factors Affecting Dropout Intentions During The First Year In A Modeling School, Mauro Echeverri

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To date, there has been little research done on student dropout rates in modeling schools. This quantitative study utilizes applied research methods to analyze 138 female students in STAGE, a modeling school, where most students are between the ages of 11 and 18 years old. This study aims to examine why students drop out during their first year of study. The model utilized in this research integrates variables derived from Vincent Tito’s theory of departure, in addition to other variables not included in this theory like the parental support impact on extracurricular activities. Correlations analyses were used to assess the …

Factors In Graduate Student Resilience And Intention To Persist During Doctoral Study, Amber Mosley

Dissertations

Attrition is a major problem for the doctoral education system and in particular for underrepresented groups. Research has proposed several reasons for students dropping out that include both personal and programmatic variables. A review of the literature identified several factors that overlap in the research on attrition, resilience, and intention to persist however, there have also been varied results across studies and very few studies focused specifically on doctoral students. Doctoral education can be considered in three phases of the education process, each with its own stresses and challenges. Factors and variables that could be the most helpful for universities …

A Missing Link: Exploring The Connection Between School Climate And Teacher Retention, Christine Lynn Whitt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative correlational study examined the strength of the correlations between school climate and teacher retention in rural, low-income elementary schools in North Carolina. In addition to identifying the overall relationship of school climate to teacher retention, this study examined the relationships between the overall climate factors (autonomy, community, induction, shared leadership, responsibility, and recognition) and teacher retention. Utilizing data from the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NC TWCS), 150 teachers were surveyed. Teachers included in the data collection were identified as working in low-income and rural schools, serving pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. Existing data was requested from school …

Attrition In United States Air Force Mq-9 Instructor Pilots: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Isabelle Ione Perry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology was to describe the shared experiences of MQ-9 instructor pilots who were considering discontinuing military service at the USAF’s MQ-9 FTU. Discontinuation of military service was defined as separation at the expiration of their Active Duty Service Commitment. The theories guiding this research were Vroom’s expectancy theory, as it connects the relationship between military members’ expectations from their employers and resultant attrition rates, and Herzberg et al.’s (1959) motivation-hygiene theory, as it explains the disconnect between a military member’s motivation, well-being, and work environment. This research followed a transcendental phenomenological design. Purposive and snowball …

The Impact Of Content-Specific Virtual Mentoring On Job Satisfaction And Attrition: A Mixed Methods Study Of Delaware Arts Teachers, Rachel M. Hoke

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition is most prevalent among novice teachers and occurs largely as a result of poor job satisfaction. Content-specific mentoring interventions demonstrate effectiveness in combating novice teacher attrition, but are inaccessible by visual and performing arts teachers due to their status as one-person departments within school buildings. This mixed methods action research implemented virtual delivery of content-specific mentoring for novice arts teachers to mitigate geographic isolation throughout the state of Delaware. Research questions assessed (1) the intervention’s impact on attrition intentions, (2) the intervention’s impact on job satisfaction, and (3) perceptions of mentoring by novice and experienced arts teacher participants. …

Mindset, Stereotype Threat, And The Fear Of Failure: Why Female Students Leave A Secondary High Honors Mathematics Pathway, Annabelle Merg

Theses and Dissertations

The disproportionate attrition of female students in STEM is well documented in higher education but less well understood at the secondary level. In a large, public high school in an affluent, highly educated city, the high honors mathematics pathway is the only math pathway that has not yet achieved gender parity, an implication for future educational and economic equity. Female students leave this pathway at significantly higher rates than male students, especially during and immediately after the first course. Through an explanatory, mixed methods approach, this study found that these female students are not less well prepared than their male …

The Dissipating Energy: When Teaching Priorities Are Repositioned, Lauren May

Virginia English Journal

The issue of teacher attrition has strengthened over the course of the decade, especially with the influence of a global pandemic (Zamarro et al., 2021). Ingersoll et al. (2018) found that 44% of teachers leave the field of education within the first five years of their careers. More recently, Zamarro et al. (2021) described a 6% increase in teachers expressing the desire to leave their teaching careers within the next five years. A wide range of demands have contributed to teacher attrition across the years, and it can be problematic when teaching philosophies are pushed aside as teachers attempt to …

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 …

Hyper-Performativity And Early Career Teachers: Interrogating Teacher Subjectivities In Neoliberal Educational Assemblages, Kirsten Lambert, Christina Gray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper explores the hyper-performative expectations of early career teachers (ECTs) in the context of neoliberal education assemblages. The need to support and retain beginning teachers is a salient issue in the context of troubling rates of teacher attrition. The study explores how ECTs perceive teacher identities in response to national standards. Our research revealed that ECTs held concerning conceptions of ‘quality teaching’ that are largely constructed through discourses of competition and job insecurity. ECT subjectivities were heavily influenced excessive extra-curricular hours, high-stress environments, and performative school cultures. This paper concludes that hyper-performative expectations of ECTs and insecure patterns of …

Attrition, Mobility, And Retention Patterns Of Public-School Teachers, Matthew Hise

Theses and Dissertations

Attracting and retaining teachers may be a problem in many rural school districts. According to previous research, teacher attrition is greater in rural regions due to various demographic and other factors. Retention was also cited as a key issue in these rural school districts. The number of teachers quitting their professions before they can retire has risen drastically. In addition, teachers in rural schools and in some suburban and urban places confront obstacles such as lack of resources, little support, poor pay, inconsistent professional development opportunities, and inadequate preparation that cause them to lose their enthusiasm for teaching. Therefore, this …

An Exploration Of A Researcher-Instructor Partnership In Implicit Racial Bias Awareness And Mitigation In College Stem Classrooms, Jacqueline Johnson Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Seventy-six percent of all minority students who enter college with declared majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) do not graduate with STEM degrees. Black students represent 40% of minority attrition from STEM. Implicit racial bias was indicated as a contributor to the challenges faced by Black students. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a researcher-instructor partnership brought awareness to and the potential for mitigation of implicit racial bias in course delivery and instructor interactions with Black students in STEM classes. A case study design was used over three phases to gather survey, observational, and interview …