Education Commons^™

Resiliency In The Shadows Of The Ivory Tower: Examining The Strategies Utilized By Undocumented Students To Succeed In Higher Education, Estefany Paniagua-Pardo M.Ed

Masters Theses

Undocumented students experience uniquely distinctive barriers in their pursuit of postsecondary education. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which undocumented students make meaning of their lived experiences by examining the various dimensions of their educational journey outside of the broader legal and political context. The study specifically highlighted undocumented student stories to investigate the strategies used by individuals to survive, persevere, and navigate institutions of higher education. Rooted in Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth Model, this qualitative study used semi-structured interview methodology to unveil the ways in which undocumented students utilize numerous and intersecting forms …

Undocumented Students’ Barriers To Completing Higher Education, Yesenia Muruato

Masters Theses

This study sought to examine the circumstances that influence DACA recipients in the United States to withdraw from their undergraduate institutions. This qualitative study on undocumented/DACA students who have left higher education prior to degree completion. It identifies the impact of immigration status on enrollment decisions, reasons for leaving higher education, obstacles students faced, and what programs or services might have successfully intervened and given them the opportunity to continue enrollment.

Persistence Of African American Students At Predominately White Institutions, Candace Thompson

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology, the persistence of African American students at predominately White institutions was analyzed. This was conducted through semi-structured interviews by six participants which evaluated African American students’ overall persistence. Participants expressed what determined their selections of institutions as well as what institutional and personal factors negatively and positively affected their matriculation throughout the institution. In addition, the study provided recommendations to student affairs professionals to better serve this population.

First-Generation Black Males’ Challenges In Attending A Pwi: Understanding What Makes Them Persist, Shakeitra Simmons

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology, the researcher studied the challenges and persistence factors for undergraduate First-generation Black males to persist at a Predominantly White Institution. Through conducting six one-on-one semi-structured interviews, the researcher identified the challenges faced by this group of students as mental health, lack of support, and racism/microaggressions. The researcher also identified the factors for persistence at the PWI to be upward mobility, family and school personnel support, and campus involvement.

Retaining Staff Members Of Color At A Midwestern Predominantly White Institution, Tiffany L. Steele

Masters Theses

There continues to be a gap between the growing multicultural student body and predominantly White faculty and staff members who work with students. One factor in increasing the likelihood of persistence in college for minoritized students is the presence of a mentor with a similar ethnic background. Nevertheless, as of 2004, the populations of faculty, staff and administrators are still disproportionately dominated by White Americans. This study investigated how a university or college can better retain staff members of color. The participants were current and past staff members of color who worked at one university within the Midwestern United States. …

Students’ Motivations And Barriers To Online Education, Vladimir Abramenka

Masters Theses

The problem explored in this study stems from the paradox between the growing number of online classes and the decreasing retention rate of students who take online classes. In order to understand the reasons behind this decreasing retention rate the study is aimed at revealing barriers students encounter when taking online courses. The second main area of the study is to determine whether or not differences exist between students who want to take online classes and those who do not want to take online classes. Answers to the first research question were obtained by gathering and analyzing survey responses.

Multiple …

Inferring Word-Meaning, Morpheme-Based, And Word-Based Second Language Vocabulary Teaching Methodologies, Qingli Liu

Masters Theses

In this study, an experiment was conducted to compare the three teaching methods: the inferring word-meaning method, the morpheme-based teaching method, and the word-based teaching method. The results showed that students taught by the inferring word-meaning method outperformed both the students taught by the morpheme-based method and the word-based method in terms of word retention. The possible reason is that the inferring word-meaning section enabled students to pay attention to and spend more time on each word. On the other hand, the disadvantage of the inferring word-meaning method is that it might not be an efficient way to teach a …

Student Success And Service-Learning: Exploring The Relationship At A Two-Year Public Institution, Leah Renee Kicinski

Masters Theses

This exploratory study examines the relationship between service-learning and student success at a two-year community college in the urban Midwest. Students who participated in service-learning during the 2010-2011 academic year were identified by institutional research and planning (n=788); additionally, students completed a survey regarding service experiences and learning outcomes (n=280). The data suggest that student success appears to be related to service-learning; 76% of subjects who participated in service-learning met a success indicator compared to 62% of students who were enrolled 2011-2012. Additionally, students reported learning communication, critical thinking, diversity, interpersonal, and personal skills as a result of their participation.

The Effectiveness Of Student Success Courses On Students Enrolled In A Remedial Reading Course, Emily Walters

Masters Theses

This study examined the impact of strategies for success courses on success of students in remedial education at a rural community college. Participants included 594 students ages 17 to 51 (M = 20.03, SD = 4.25) that were enrolled in one of two remedial reading courses while concurrently enrolled in strategies for success course. A quantitative study was used to determine if students completed more terms and achieved a higher cumulative GPA, if they were enrolled in strategies for success compared to their peers that were not enrolled in a strategies for success course. Results showed that students enrolled …