Education Commons^™

Variations In Dropout Rates Across Virginia, Joshua K. Bowser

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis, this study attempts to capture variation in dropout rates across Virginia counties and cities. With the respective dropout rates as the dependent variable, seven independent variables are used accordingly in order to provide as much explanatory power as possible. At the 10 percent significance level, four of seven variables are statistically significant with an adjusted R2 of .374. Important policy implications can be derived from the model and its statistically significant variables. The model finds that the percentage of blacks in the population, university access, the unemployment rate and single female-headed households to …

A Study Of Running Injury Rates In College Age Track Athletes, Scott Emerson

Graduate Theses

Emerson S.E. A Study of Running Injury Rates in College Age Track Athlete’s. 2006. One hundred and twenty college age track athletes filled out a questionnaire on running and injuries. A 4-page questionnaire consisting of 33 questions divided in four sections: personal, activity, presence of a current injury, and injury history. Of the 120 athletes, 43 claimed they were currently injured, while 56 had suffered an injury within the previous 12 months. The most significant factors associated with a current running injury was having a previous injury within the past 12 months (.004) and running mileage (.027). The knee was …

Predictors Of Persistence Among Community College Adult And Traditional-Aged Students, Kellie Crawford Sorey

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Previous literature has documented the high attrition rates for community college students. Beyond raw data, research has demonstrated that predictors of higher education persistence may include a student's background characteristics, a student's external commitments, institutional influences, and a combination thereof. However, empirical research on the persistence of community college students is scarce, and even fewer studies address the differential predictors of persistence between adult and traditional-aged students. The present study examined the predictors of institutional persistence among adult and traditional-aged degree-seeking, first-time enrollees at a public, multi-campus two-year community college in southeast Virginia.

A random sample comprised of 350 traditional-aged …

Examining The Relationship Between Student Support Services And Student Outcomes At A Four-Year Institution, Angela Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study identified and examined the service variable combination(s) provided by Student Support Services (SSS) TRIO program that had a statistically significant relationship with program participants’ academic performance and retention. SSS is a federally funded program designed to increase the retention and graduation rates of undergraduate first-generation, low-income, disabled college students. While SSS has played a significant role in the retention of disadvantaged students, scarce empirical research exist which examine the combination of SSS services that affect students’ academic performance and retention. Considering SSS programs will probably not experience large increases in federal support in the future and given the …

Workforce Investment Act Services: Effect On Dislocated Worker Reemployment, Martha A. Walker

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The effect of WIA services on the gainful reemployment of Virginia's dislocated workers was explored using a mixed method, non-experimental, ex post factoresearch design. Analysis of variance with follow-up post hoc tests probed for statistically significant differences in hourly reemployed wage and weeks dislocated determined by (a) WIA service level, (b) impact of training, (c) characteristics of training completers and non-completers, and (d) impact of dislocated worker characteristics. Qualitative methods were used to search for trends and patterns defined by the perceptions of both dislocated workers and employers.

Between 2000 and 2004, Virginia's dislocated workers averaged 1.5 years of …