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Foley, Adam Michael. "Leadership Skills of First-Year Students." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31870.
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Colleges and universities are focusing on graduating students who will succeed in careers (Braxton, Smart, & Thieke, 1991; Erwin, 1991; Quinn, 2004). Numerous skills have been identified as important to employers, including leadership skills (Gale, 2002; Gerber, 2003; Kerka, 1990; Stronge, 1998; Santosus, 2003). As a result, institutions have introduced programs designed to train students on those leadership skills (Freeman, Knott, & Schwartz, 1994; Posner & Brodsky, 1993; Riggio, Ciulla, & Sorenson, 2003). Despite the interest in leadership skills, very little research has been done to look at baseline leadership skills that students possess when they matriculate.
The purpose of this study was to examine the pre-college leadership skills of first year students and examine differences by race and gender on eight distinct scales. These eight scales were defined by the Student Leadership Outcomes Inventory (SLOI) (Vann, 2000). A total of 550 participants of various racial and gender classifications were chosen to participate in the study from a population of all first-year students at a large, public, research institution in the United States.
Participants reported moderately high levels of leadership skills on all eight scales. Differences by race were not revealed. However, differences by gender were found on the technology scale of the instrument. An interaction effect between race and gender was also revealed on the technology scale. Overall, it would seem that students matriculate with some intact leadership skills. Administrators might use this baseline skill level when designing leadership development opportunities for students.Master of Arts
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Amelink, Catherine T. "Predicting Academic Success among First-Year, First Generation Students." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27094.
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Due to immigration the non-Hispanic White population continues to decrease and the population continues to change in regard to the ethnic and racial make-up. As these demographic changes take place higher education institutions will face increasing pressure from stakeholders to create environments that facilitate degree completion among mounting numbers of populations who are at risk in terms of academic success.
First generation status denotes one group of students who are at risk in terms of persistence towards a bachelor's degree. The purpose of this study was to examine what factors predict the academic success of first year, full-time first generation students. Furthermore, this study examined whether there is a relationship between race, gender, financial need, and language ability and factors used to predict the academic success of first generation students.
Factors were defined as variables measured by the 2002 Your First College Year Survey (YFCY) data (HERI, 2004a). Factors fell into five main areas: Student Background Characteristics, Agents of Socialization, Structural Characteristics, Institutional Environment, and Student Effort (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991).
The study was based on secondary analysis of the 2002 YFCY data provided by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. A combination of descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and logistic regression was used for this study.
Findings revealed there are significant differences between academically more successful FGs and FGs who are academically less successful in relation to three factors: Institutional Environment, Student Effort, and Agents of Socialization. FGs are more likely to experience academic success in regard to variables associated with the factor Institutional Environment. There is a greater likelihood FGs will be academically less successful in relation to variables associated with the factors Student Effort and Agents of Socialization. When considering demographic variables in relation to the three significant institutional factors, FGs who are Asian American are more likely to experience academic success. Alternatively, FGs have greater odds of being academically less successful if they are male, African American, Mexican American, and non-native speakers of English.Ph. D.
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Higgins, Margaret. "The first year experience." Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/3861.
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Purdie, John R. "Examining the academic performance and retention of first-year students in living-learning communities, freshmen interest groups and first year experience courses." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/4710.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on October 8, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Drake, Mary Elizabeth. "Listening to First-Year Community College Students." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1357.
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First-year community college students are often from underrepresented groups who are unaccustomed to voicing their needs or to being recognized for having more and varied needs than other groups. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain an understanding of the factors that may engender or prevent success through listening to what first-year community college students have to say. Research questions addressed what students identified as challenges and successes during their first year and how first person accounts can contribute to the information college personnel need to understand.
Human development theories and models of student persistence informed this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 18 to 24 year-old first-year community college students from a midatlantic state in the United States. Data were analyzed for themes related to challenges of time management, academic expectations, and balancing the demands of school, life, and work. Students who were interviewed remained attached to their families, worked full or part time, may have had less than optimal learning skills for college material, and did not ask for help regarding academic or financial matters. This study contributes to positive social change by adding qualitative findings to the understanding of the multiple and complicated challenges that traditionally-aged community college students face in persisting in postsecondary education. Using this information, college personnel can design programs to introduce incoming students to services that will promote success.
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Kopel, Jaclyn. "Personal Connections of First-Year College Students." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4865.
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A private, not-for-profit, 4-year urban university had been struggling to improve its 1st-year retention rate despite conducting previous studies and implementing various initiatives. This study explored the influence that students' personal connections to the study site had on their experience in their 1st year in college. Tinto's student integration models of attrition, Astin's theory on student involvement, and Berger and Milem's model of persistence served as the conceptual framework. A case study design was employed to examine faculty and staff members' beliefs on how the university established and maintained connections with its students and how faculty, staff, and students viewed 1st-year initiatives and retention in relation to personal connection. Individual interviews were conducted with 3 faculty members, 3 staff members, and 15 2nd-year students. The resulting data were coded both manually and using Microsoft OneNote and were analyzed for emerging themes. Some of the results that emerged from the study included that the study site had a difficult time establishing a connection with its students, 1st-year initiatives had mixed results, students stayed at the study site because of a personal connection, and urban institutions have a difficult time establishing a connection with students. These results shed light on a new area on which the university can focus its retention and 1st-year experience efforts. A white paper was written to offer possible solutions to administrators, including changes to the dormitories and a redesign of the 1st-year seminar course. Improvements to 1st-year retention will help promote positive social change by enabling more students to stay in college and graduate on time, which in turn enhances job opportunities and the potential for higher wages.
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Hayes, Kenneth J. II. "Socializing First Year Composition: A Study of Social Networking Sites' Impact on First Year Students." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1429104678.
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Bontrager, Karen Bernice. "Perceptions of Writing Process: A Study of First-Year Composition Students." OpenSIUC, 2009. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/61.
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF KAREN B. BONTRAGER, for the Master of Arts degree in ENGLISH, presented on June 18, 2009, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: PERCEPTIONS OF WRITING PROCESS: A STUDY OF FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION STUDENTS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Lisa J. McClure The purpose of this exploratory study was to ascertain the perceptions of the composing process held by English 101 students at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Questionnaires were distributed to students in twenty sections of English 101 in the first few weeks and the last few weeks of the fall semester of 2007. The questionnaires invited students to reflect and report on their writing processes. Results of the study indicate that students' perceptions of the writing process are colored by the Current Traditional paradigm: students place a high value on the final product and understand writing as a linear process. There is also evidence that students' perceptions of their revising habits may differ from their actual practices.
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van, der Meer Jacques, and n/a. "Mapping first semester challenges : first-year students making sense of their teaching and learning environments." University of Otago. Department of Education, 2008. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20081029.154312.
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This thesis investigates first-year students� challenges in making sense of the learning and teaching environment during their first semester at university. The aims for the research are threefold. Firstly, mapping the range of challenges students at one university faced in their learning and teaching environments in the first semester. Secondly, developing a greater understanding of those challenges. Thirdly, identifying what educational initiatives the university could consider that might assist students to meet those challenges. The challenges were examined in the context of changes in higher education.
My interest and motivation for this research project concerns improved practices in the first-year teaching and learning environment, rather than improved students. This means that I did not look for deficits within students, but for indications of what helps or does not help students� introduction to the new environment of academia. By mapping students� challenges in the first semester, I hope to contribute to the understanding of academic staff of the range of challenges students have to deal with.
The interpretation of the results and my line of argument are partly influenced and shaped by the theoretical framework of academic literacies, and the notion of de-familiarisation.
For this project, two data sources were used. The first source was data from a survey carried out in May 2004 amongst students enrolled in 100-level courses. The second source was data from interviews conducted with first-year students in the same year. In considering the analysis as a whole, a number of key issues could be discerned. These related to communication, academic skills, access to resources and help, and engagement and connection. The results showed that some of these issues had less to do with educational practices, and more to do with contested understandings of the nature of university education, and the nature of students now entering university. I argue that underlying these issues there are contentious questions of who should adjust or adapt to whom: students to the university, or the university to students?
Students� reported experiences further suggest that some teachers seemed more aware than others that first-year students face particular challenges. Students did not consider their experiences as reflective of the university as a whole. The university was experienced as an institution with divergent ways of organising courses, of valuing aspects of university learning, and of interpreting seemingly similar things. This suggests that where students experienced challenges, these were not necessarily a function of students� characteristics, or students� attitudes to studying, but of particular course environments.
The overall picture that presents itself, then, is that there are challenges that could be considered unnecessary. Whereas few students would experience all of the challenges identified in the results chapters, I argue that there are some aspects that warrant improvement. Improvement initiatives in first-year education, however, are not necessarily considered important by all academic staff. This is another contested issue in universities.
A more explicit introduction of first-year students to academia as a range of heterogeneous communities would respond to first-year students� needs for familiarisation and clarity, as well as reflect some of the values that universities could be said to espouse. Successful interventions in first-year education, however, will also depend on ongoing dialogue with staff about various contested issues, the changed and changing context of higher education, and related challenges and opportunities.
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Vawda, Aamena. "The learning styles of first year university students." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/358.
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There has been a shift in the South African education system from a purely grade-oriented system to that of a learner-centred outcome-based system of education which challenges higher educational institutions and their faculties to adjust their goals to this system. In South Africa there is evidence of poor academic performance at higher education institutions. Among other things, noncognitive factors may be important mediators of academic success. With the expansion of higher education and the increased emphasis on access, retention and life-long learning, it is a good reason to explore the nature of different learning styles (Healey & Jenkins, 2000). Learning styles and personality types has been identified as significant predictors of academic performance. The present study aimed to contribute to this body of research in general and to Kolb’s (1981) theory of experiential learning and his conceptualisation of learning styles in particular. The aims of the study were to explore and describe the learning styles of first year university students (Aim 1), to explore and describe the learning styles of first year university students per faculty (Aim 2), and to explore the relationship between learning styles and academic performance for students in the various faculties (Aim 3). The study used an explorative descriptive and correlational research method and was conducted within a quantitative framework. Participants were selected using a non-probability convenience sampling technique. The sample was comprised of 391 first year university students to whom Kolb’s Learning Style Indicator was administered as part of the Explore programme during orientation week. Descriptive statistics were used in order to explore and describe the learning style of the learners for the sample as a whole and per faculty. Data for the learning styles and academic performance categories were cross tabulated so as to comment on the relationship between learning styles and academic performance per faculty. Small cell sizes made it impossible to analyse the latter data statistically. Across the six faculties the Accommodator learning style was the most represented, followed by the Diverger learning style. No significant relationship was found between learning styles and academic performance. The implications of the findings for counselling and teaching students are highlighted and suggestions to expand the research through using larger samples are also made.
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Raab, Marianne Fisher. "DO FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION COURSES BENEFIT BUSINESS STUDENTS?" University of Dayton / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1295625271.
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Rice'-Daniels, Patricia. "MULTICOMPETENCE, MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES AND FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION STUDENTS." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/786.
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The purpose of this study is to examine, gain, and ultimately share an understanding of certain cognitive differences, similarities, intelligence patterns, and preferences between competent monolingual (English) and multicompetent bilingual/multilingual first-year composition (FYC) college students. Within this project is an attempt to address the following questions: Do monolingual and bilingual/multilingual FYC students show different strengths and weaknesses in their cognitive abilities? Are there learning preferences and literacy differences or similarities between monolingual and bilingual/multilingual FYC students?
Primarily, two cognitive concepts were used in this examination to provide perspectives and quantitative data in response to the above questions. First, is Vivian Cook’s (1992, 1999) multicompetence theory, which involves cognitive differences between monolingual (L1) and bilingual/multilingual (L2/L3) speakers/users; and second, Howard Gardner’s (1999, 2004, 2006) multiple intelligences (MI) theory, whereby two types of MI assessments were used to study any such differences and similarities among FYC students.
To fulfill the requirements for this particular thesis, included is a conference proposal (abstract), a conference paper, and a publishable scholarly article. The necessary charts, graphs, tables, and appendices are provided, accordingly.
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Nelson, Margaret Ann. "First-Year Students' Reasons for Withdrawing From College." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7048.
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Retention of first-year students was a problem at a private 4-year university in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the reasons entering first-year students who were part of the Promise Program withdrew from the university during their first year. Tinto's model of student attrition provided the conceptual framework for the study. Research questions addressed students' rationale for selecting the school, their perspectives on the main causes of first-year attrition, their expectations of campus support services, and their recommendations for how to decrease student attrition. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 7 students from the spring 2016 and fall 2016 semesters. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using manual coding and coding software. Findings indicated that students' sense of belonging was the most influential factor in their decision to withdraw from college. Recommendations included a training program for administrators and staff on customer service techniques. This study can bring positive social change to the profession by seeking out systemic changes to promote entering freshmen's college completion. Conclusively, the implications of positive social change is most benefical to students when more students are able to earn a degree, and better their livelihood. The university would benefit by graduating more students and the success of their college graduates could be seen as their own success of addressing student's social and academic needs. Finally, the positive social change for externalities would benefit from the investment in human beings and human capital as a critical input for change and innovations to society.
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Howard, Jeff S. "Student Retention and First-Year Programs: A Comparison of Students in Liberal Arts Colleges in the Mountain South." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2013. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2270.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the retention rate and 9 firstyear student programs at Liberal Arts Colleges in the Mountain South, a region in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States. Nine first-year programs were studied: Summer Bridge Programs, Preterm Orientation, Outdoor Adventure Orientation, Targeted Seminars, Learning Communities, Early Warning/Early Alert Systems, Service Learning, Undergraduate Research, and Assessment. The data for this study were accessed via the college database of The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2013). Chi Square tests were used for analysis to identify associations between first-year student retention and the presence of each of the 9 programs. The results indicated that the presence of each of the 9 first-year programs was not significantly related to first-year student retention.
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Clark, Renita Renee. "A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of College Students in a Skill-Building Course for First-Year Students." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1245688404.
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Lillard, Shanetta S. "What Drives Underprepared Students From the First Year On." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7160.
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College students often enter college academically unprepared, as evidenced by low high school cumulative GPAs or poor SAT scores. In response to this problem, administrators at a 4-year university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Unites States implemented an intensive, semester-long program to introduce and acclimate conditionally admitted students to the rigors of collegiate life. The purpose of this study was to understand how to assist students in moving from Year 1 to full admission and beyond. In accordance with Bandura's reciprocal causation of social cognitive theory model, the research questions centered on conditionally admitted students' descriptions of their experiences with intensive, semester-long program participation. The qualitative case study used data collected from 10 semistructured interviews with conditional admission program student participants. Data analysis consisted of initial coding, axial coding, and iterative recategorization to identify the key findings. Among the findings were that the study site lacked strong faculty-student engagement and that students had mixed feelings regarding the seminar course being helpful. However, they found the university environment conducive to learning, leading them to stay. A white paper provided potential solutions to administrators, including increased faculty-student engagement and more meaningful required seminars for first-year conditionally admitted students. This study and the subsequent project may create positive social change by expanding degree achievement for underprepared, conditionally admitted college students, which thus increases opportunities for upward social mobility.
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Brozina, Stephen Courtland. "Learning Analytics: Understanding First-Year Engineering Students through Connected Student-Centered Data." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/77865.
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This dissertation illuminates patterns across disparate university data sets to identify the insights that may be gained through the analysis of large amounts of disconnected student data on first-year engineering (FYE) students and to understand how FYE instructors use data to inform their teaching practices. Grounded by the Academic Plan Model, which highlights student characteristics as an important consideration in curriculum development, the study brings together seemingly distinct pieces of information related to students' learning, engagement with class resources, and motivation so that faculty may better understand the characteristics and activities of students enrolled in their classes.
In the dissertation's first manuscript, I analyzed learning management system (LMS) timestamp log-files from 876 students enrolled in the FYE course during Fall 2013. Following a series of quantitative analyses, I discovered that students who use the LMS more frequently are more likely to have higher grades within the course. This finding suggests that LMS usage might be a way to understand how students interact with course materials outside of traditional class time. Additionally, I found differential relationships between LMS usage and course performance across different instructors as well as a relationship between timing of LMS use and students' course performance.
For the second manuscript, I connected three distinct data sets: FYE student's LMS data, student record data, and FYE program survey data that captured students' motivation and identity as engineers at two time points. Structural equation modeling results indicate that SAT Math was the largest predictor of success in the FYE course, and that students' beginning of semester engineering expectancy was the only significant survey construct to predict final course grade.
Finally, for the third manuscript I conducted interviews with eight FYE instructors on how they use student data to inform their teaching practices. Ten themes emerged which describe the limited explicit use of formal data, but many instructors use data on an informal basis to understand their students. Findings also point to specific, existing data that the university already collects that could be provided to instructors on an aggregate, class-level basis to help them better understand their students.Ph. D.
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Adkins, Lisa Rene. "Impact of an Online Student Bridge Program for First-Year Nontraditional Students." ScholarWorks, 2014. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/36.
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Low retention rates for first-year students plague many higher education institutions, and are even lower among online institutions of higher education. At Athena Colleges (a pseudonym), the attrition rate can be as high as 50% in students' first academic year. To address this concern, Athena Colleges has implemented an online bridge program that addresses students' academic needs and persistence. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the bridge program in reducing the first-time student attrition rate and academic performance in their first term. Most of Athena Colleges students are nontraditional students and due to this, the theoretical framework that guided this study was Malcolm Knowles's theory of andragogy. The design of the study was a formative program evaluation using a quasi-experimental design to analyze the data, which measured the primary goal of the bridge program, the reduction of attrition of first-time students. The data used for this study was archival data provided by the institution. The data provided included academic program start date, enrollment status, secondary education credential earned, secondary credential award date, first-term GPA, bridge program status, and date of termination (if applicable) and consisted of 4,916 total records. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and an ANOVA by comparing the academic performance of students who participated in the bridge program to those who did not, using a 300 student sample size for each group. The results showed there was no statistical difference between the two groups for retention, but there was a statistical difference on first term GPA. The social change implication of this study indicates that faculty and administrators must ensure that remedial academic services are in place for students who enter online programs with knowledge and skill deficits.
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Moleli, Malehlohonolo Florence. "Protective factors that could foster resilience in first year students." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
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Large numbers of students tend to experience failure and dropout in their first year at university. The fundamental aim of this research was to explore protective factors that could foster resilience amongst first year students. It is hoped that resilience research can give young adults the skills and support to survive academic challenges with the help of the university. This study undertook to determine resilience traits that could contribute to academic success. Students who enrolled at the University of the Western Cape for the first time during the year 2003 participated in this study.
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Tenser, Lori Ilene. "Stepping Off The Conveyor Belt: Gap Year Effects on the First Year College Experience." Thesis, Boston College, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:104364.
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Thesis advisor: Karen D. ArnoldTaking a gap year between high school and college has become more common in the United States in recent years, yet little research attempts to describe or analyze the experience of the students who arrive on college campuses after such a year out. This qualitative study followed 12 first-year students attending highly-selective private institutions in the northeastern U.S. as they experienced the transitions from high school to gap year to college. With varying levels of family support and high levels of personal motivation, the students participated in a wide range of gap-year endeavors. The findings indicate that students were heavily influenced by their encounters during the gap year, leading to strong evidence of self-authorship among the participants, which in turn shaped the way students pursued their goals when they arrived at college. Particularly influential were encounters that involved independent problem-solving, participating in multigenerational relationships, and immersion in new cultural settings. The students' transitions to college during the first year were marked by patterns of Sovereign Engagement with regard to learning, relationships, and decision-making. Commonly marked by internalized goals, authenticity in relationships, and greater individual agency, "Sovereign Engagement" captures the self-authored perspective that these students brought to their college experience. Contrary to suggestions in the popular media, not all gap-year students found the transition to be seamless; nor were they uniformly motivated to earn good grades. As a summary of the findings, the Gap Year Impact Model provides an important frame of reference for understanding the experiences, needs, and sovereign decision-making patterns of gap-year students. The results offer students, parents, colleges and universities an introduction to the lived experiences of gap-year students, who are arriving on campus in increasing numbers each year
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education
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Jorgenson, Jessica. "First-Generation Pedagogy: A Case Study of First-Generation College Students in First-Year Writing." Diss., North Dakota State University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10365/25663.
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The purpose of this research was to examine the motivations and attitudes first-generation college students held toward classroom interventions and written assignments. This classroom research took place during one semester in a single English 120 College Composition II class that included fourteen enrolled students with three students self-identifying as first-generation college students. The study was composed of two separate qualitative surveys: a pre-survey and a post-survey and all surveys. The pre-survey was distributed to all fourteen enrolled students during week three of the semester. The post-survey was distributed to all students during the final week of the semester. Based on the findings of this survey, and previous research conducted on first-generation college students, this study argues for three pedagogical interventions that can best engage the needs of first-generation college students. The pedagogical interventions include creating structured peer review groups, creating an empathetic space, or safe space, within the classroom, and demonstrates the importance of teaching genres that open up pathways for an emotional discourse in the classroom. These three pedagogical interventions best benefit first-generation college students, but may also benefit the learning of all students.
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Khohliso, Sylvester Mziwonke. "Improving technological entrepreneurship of first-year students at universities." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6476.
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A challenge facing higher education institutions is the level of technological entrepreneurship of first-year students in the field of technological programmes. This challenge has put pressure on management of higher education institutions to introduce an entrepreneurial mindset and encourage innovation. According to Development Policy Research Unit (2007:18), 23 percent of students choose qualifications mainly for the employment opportunities. According to Shein, Crous, and Schepers (2010:1), not only in growing economies such as South Africa‟s, entrepreneurship contributes to a national growth and contributes to job creation. Shein, et al. (2010:1), further claim that recent studies have shown a shift towards studying entrepreneurship in an attempt to uncover its fundamentals and its importance in adding to the well-being of the country.
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Walton, Marguerite. "Mathematical requirements for first-year BCOM students at NMMU." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/886.
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These studies have focused on identifying the mathematical requirements of first-year BCom students at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The research methodology used in this quantitative study was to make use of interviewing, questionnaire investigation, and document analysis in the form of textbook, test and examination analysis. These methods provided data that fitted into a grounded theory approach. The study concluded by identifying the list of mathematical topics required for the first year of the core subjects in the BCom degree programme. In addition, the study found that learners who study Mathematics in the National Senior Certificate should be able to cope with the mathematical content included in their BCom degree programme, while learners studying Mathematical Literacy would probably need support in some of the areas of mathematics, especially algebra, in order to cope with the mathematical content included in their BCom degree programme. It makes a valuable contribution towards elucidating the mathematical requirements needed to improve the chances of successful BCom degree programme studies at South African universities. It also draws the contours for starting to design an efficient support course for future “at-risk” students who enter higher education studies.
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Wells, Jaclyn M. "Invisible conflict : working-class students in first-year composition /." Available to subscribers only, 2005. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1079657851&sid=26&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Wright, SCD, and JE Maree. "First year Baccalaureate nursing students: Reasons for drop-out?" University of South Africa Press, 2007. http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1001041.
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Improving throughput in the B. Tech. Nursing Sciences programme is a complex issue as not only the theoretical but also the practical component and undefined inner strengths of the student influence success. The purpose of this article is to report factors in the prospective students’ social background, their perceptions of nursing and nurses and their motivation that could influence their academic success in the first year of study. The research design was contextual, qualitative and exploratory. Triangulation of data gathering methods was obtained by using two instruments, a targeted selection interview and a written instrument. Data analysis was done through Tesch’s approach. The results indicate that prospective students perceive a nurse to be functioning from the affective domain, and that they judge themselves to be strong in the affective domain. The cognitive domain was rarely mentioned (7%). Due to the myths regarding the nursing profession, the profession continue to attract students who are interested in the myth and not the reality.
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González, Lomeli Daniel, Figueiras Sandra Castañeda, and Noriega María de los Angeles Maytorena. "Learning styles and achievement in first-year university students." Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2013. http://repositorio.pucp.edu.pe/index/handle/123456789/100927.
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A structural model of students' appraisals about their own learning strategies and the effects of these strategies on their school scores is presented. Self-reports of 229 new first-year-students of a public university were analized using a structural equations method. Participants responded to a learning-style questionnaire, and their final first semester course scores were also recorded. The measurement model confirmed the existence of acquisition, memory resources managing, and information processing strategies, very much alike those proposed by Castañeda (1995). Since the model explained only the 7% of the school achievement, the modeling of the dependent latent variable, conformed by a set of observed variables, is stressed and debated.Se presenta un modelo estructural de las valoraciones de 229 estudiantes acerca de sus estrategias de aprendizaje y el efecto en sus calificaciones escolares. Se realizó un análisis de ecuaciones estructurales que utilizó las respuestas a un inventario de estilos de aprendizaje y las calificaciones escolares del primer semestre. El modelo confirmó la presencia de estrategias de adquisición, de administración de recursos de memoria y de procesamiento de información, similar a lo propuesto por Castañeda (1995). Dado que el modelo explicó sólo 7% del aprovechamiento escolar, se discute la necesidad de modelar la variable dependiente como una variable latente conformada por un conjunto de indicadores que den cuenta cabal del logro escolar
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Steinhauer, Heidi Marie. "Assessment of First-Year Engineering Students' Spatial Visualization Skills." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/37596.
Full textAbstract:
This research was undertaken to investigate the assessment of the spatial visualization skills of first-year engineering students. This research was conducted through three approaches: (1) a review of cogent research framed by a spatial visualization matrix, (2) the development and validation of an Engineering Graphics Concept Inventory, and (3) an investigation into the relationship into the correlations between 3D modeling skills and performance on the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R) and the Mental Cutting Test (MCT).
The literature reviewed spans the field of published research from the early 1930â s to the present. This review expands and provides a new direction on published research as it is viewed through the lenses of the four common pedagogical approaches to teaching spatial visualization: the standard approach, the remedial approach, computer-aided design, and the theory-informed approach. A spatial visualization matrix of criteria was developed to evaluate each of the methods. The four principle criteria included: learning outcomes, active and engaged learning, stage of knowledge, and explanatory power. Key findings from the literature review indicate the standard method is not the most effective method to teaching spatial visualization while the theory-informed method as evaluated by the matrix is the most effective pedagogical approach of the four methods evaluated.
The next phase of this research focused on the two-year development, validation, and reliability of an Engineering Graphics Concept Inventory given to over 1300 participants from three universities. A Delphi method was used to determine the key concepts identified by the expert panel to be included in the inventory. A student panel of 20 participants participated in the pilot study of â think aloudâ protocols to refine inventory test items and to generate the appropriate distractors. Multiple pilot studies coupled with a detailed psychometric analysis provided the feedback and direction needed for the adjustment of test items. The reported Cronbachâ s α for the final instrument is .73, which is within the acceptable range. The inventory is ready to be implemented and the predictability of the instrument, in reference to studentsâ spatial visualization skills, to be researched.
The final chapter of this research was a correlational study of the relationship between first-year engineering studentâ s 3D modeling frameworks and their performance on the PSVT:R and the MCT. 3D modeling presence in graphical communications has steadily increased over the last 15 years; however there has been little research on the correlations between the standard visualization tests and 3D modeling. 220 first-year engineering students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University participated in the study in the fall of 2011. The main findings from this research indicate there is no significant correlational relationship between the PSVT:R and a studentâ s 3D modeling ability, but there is one for the MCT. The significant correlational factors reported for the MCT and modeling aptitude for the three assignments are: r = .32 (p < 0.05), .36 (p< 0.01), and .47 (p< 0.01). These findings may be used by undergraduate educators and course administrators to more effectively organize engineering graphics education to yield students with deeper, more meaningful knowledge about engineering graphics and its inherent connection throughout the engineering curriculum.
Together these three studies represent a sequential exploratory mixed methods approach that intertwines qualitative interviews and observations to frame the quantitative instrument and data collection. Results of this study can be used to guide the assessment of incoming freshmen engineering students, and the modification and development of engineering graphics courses.Ph. D.
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Allam, Yosef S. "Enhancing Spatial Visualization Skills in First-Year Engineering Students." The Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1259703062.
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Pickett, Rachel Fabel. "Examining vocational exploratory behavior in first-year college students /." Available to subscribers only, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1460291791&sid=4&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2007."Department of Psychology." Keywords: Vocational psychology, Career development, First-year college students, Counseling psychology, Vocational, College students Includes bibliographical references (p. 124-140). Also available online.
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King, Caitlin. "Thoughts of a first year teacher: Know Your Students." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2019. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/139.
Full textAbstract:
This Ethnographic Narrative is a research based look into the lives of socially disadvantaged students in a low-income area. It breaks down the assets and needs of each student individually and discusses how to better help them academically and socially based on their individual personalities and needs. The narrative also discusses the community in which these individual students live and attend school, it looks at research on the community to determine how each student is affected by the city that they live in. Finally the narrative concludes by looking at the teacher over the course of this past year and how this teacher developed in their profession and developed with each individual student. After extensive research and hands on experiences, my findings have pointed me in one direction: the more that a teacher gets to know their students outside of their academic skills, the more a teacher is going to be able to work with and mold their students. If students feel appreciated and respected, then they are willing to complete their work with ease. Teachers will have wonderful years in this profession when they truly know the students that they are working with.
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Smith, Dennell Lawrence. "Developmental Students' Perception of a First Year Learning Community." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1554.
Full textAbstract:
This project study was an evaluation of a first year learning community program for community college students enrolled in developmental coursework at a community college in California. The program had never been evaluated. The evaluation used learning community students' and faculty members' perception as a basis for evaluation, specifically concentrating on areas that promoted student success and areas that needed further refinement. Only former program participants and the program faculty members were eligible for the study. Of the 78 eligible participants, responses from 51 students and the 2 faculty members were collected. The theoretical framework was grounded in Tinto's work with learning communities. Data for the evaluation were collected using surveys with open-ended questions as well as interviews with faculty. The qualitative analysis required theme identification using key words from the surveys and interviews. The results from the study indicated that the learning community provided a social support for student learning that was considered a strength for the program but that various elements of programming such as class scheduling and policies were considered areas needing improvement. The project evaluation resulted in an administrative evaluation report. The findings may be incorporated as recommendations for program improvements and documentation of best practices at the community college. The implication for positive social change is that other community colleges may be able to use the recommendations generated in the report to improve their learning community programs so that their students might be encouraged to persist towards degree completion.
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Hope, Laura J. "Predicting Success in First-Year Associate Degree Nursing Students." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1604.
Full textAbstract:
An associate degree of nursing program in the southeastern region of the United States has had significant increases in student attrition over the past few years. Admission requirements did not include an entrance exam, such as the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS), which may be useful in decreasing the deficiencies associated with poor student progression. Guided by the Knowles' theory of adult learning and Bandura's social learning theory, the purpose of this correlation study was to explore the relationship between the TEAS scores and the cumulative grade point average (GPA) of first-year students to determine if success at the completion of students' first year in the nursing program can be predicted from the overall TEAS score and its subsections of reading, math, science, and English. Archival data for 130 nursing students enrolled from 2012 to 2013 were analyzed using stepwise multiple regression. According to the study results, there was a significant correlation of the total TEAS score and student GPA after the first year of nursing school. The first semester GPA was positively related to the TEAS English score and the TEAS science score; however, there was no significant correlation found for TEAS math and reading scores with students' GPA. A 3-day workshop and a student mentoring program were developed to address academic deficiencies of at-risk nursing students, particularly in English and science. Positive social change can occur through improved retention, which will lead to a higher number of nursing graduates eligible to take and pass the National Certification Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses, provide job security for graduates, and improve the present critical shortage of nurses in the United States.
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Coetzee, Carla. "Mathematical thinking skills needed by first year programming students." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/60991.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of this qualitative study is to explore and describe the mathematical thinking
skills that students require for a first level programming subject that forms part of the
National Diploma in Information Communication Technology (ICT) at a University of
Technology (UoT).
Mathematics is an entry requirement for many tertiary programmes, including ICT
courses, unfortunately the poor quality of schooling in South Africa limits learners'
access to higher education. From the literature it is evident that students lack fluency
in fundamental mathematical and problem-solving skills when they enter higher
education.
In this study, the concept of programming thinking skills is explored, described and
linked to mathematical thinking skills. An instrument (Mathematical and Programming
Thinking Skills Matrix for the Analysis of Programming Assessment) has been
developed and used to analyse examination papers of a first-year programming
subject (at TUT) in order to identify mathematical skills as these appear in
programming assessments. Semi-structures interviews were conducted with first-year
programming lecturers, examiners and moderators. The literature as well and the
results of the analysed data indicated and confirmed that mathematical thinking skills
are extremely important when learning to program. The results of the study indicate a
strong relationship between mathematical thinking skills and programming thinking
skills.
The outcome of this study is therefore a set of mathematical thinking skills that needs
to be developed when compiling a mathematics curriculum for first level programming
students studying towards a National Diploma in ICT.Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016.
Science, Mathematics and Technology Education
MEd
Unrestricted
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Freeman, Keri. "Investigating First Year Undergraduate EAL Students' Academic Literacy Experiences." Thesis, Griffith University, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/377655.
Full textAbstract:
Australian universities have become places where students from diverse backgrounds and cultures come together to pursue tertiary education. This study contributes to current understandings of how universities have responded to their now diverse student body, and adds insight into curricula and classroom practices which might better accommodate learners who have English as an Additional Language (EAL). While issues surrounding EAL students have been examined and discussed for two decades, Lea and Street (2006), Leask (2013), and Wingate (2015) contend that university pedagogies and practices are yet to adequately cater for students from diverse backgrounds. In particular, disciplinary pedagogies tend to be dominated by assumptions that EAL students’ linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds are deficits, which limit their capacity to adapt to Australian tertiary learning environments. Accordingly, research which focuses on first year EAL students’ academic expectations and experiences is critical so that Australian universities can enhance current pedagogies which guide curricula and classroom practices.
This study employed Lea and Street’s (1998) academic literacies approach to examine how first year undergraduate EAL students from a range of educational and cultural backgrounds, and fields of study, mediated their first year at an English-speaking university. The study investigated participants’ academic expectations, academic socialisation, and academic literacies, including their experiences constructing new student identities, and engaging with teachers and peers. Such research is important to provide evidence of best practice strategies to support EAL students’ literacy and learning, and foster a sense of belonging. This study also examined participants’ academic reading, a fundamental aspect of academic literacy which has been under researched (Hill & Meo, 2015; Wingate, 2015). Three research questions guided the study: Research Question 1 investigated participants’ expectations of their new learning environment; Research Question 2 examined how the students mediated their academic socialisation; and Research Question 3 investigated what factors enabled and constrained participants’ academic literacies.
The primary research method was a multiple case study approach in which eight units of analysis were embedded within the research setting, a university in South East Queensland. The study employed a three phase explanatory qualitative and quantitative research design. A self-administered questionnaire with a convenience sample size of 159 first year EAL students was implemented in Phase I. The questionnaire examined respondents’ expectations of academic conventions and skills, academic reading, and engagement with teachers and peers. The survey data were analysed using SPSS software to generate descriptive statistics. The findings informed the qualitative case study inquiry. Phase II was the first stage of the multiple case studies. Eight case study participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Phase II examined participants’ academic socialisation experiences. Data was collected through weekly structured interviews, and course document analysis. In Phase III, semi-structured interviews investigated participants’ classroom experiences, student identities, and academic relationships with teachers and peers. The case study data were analysed using thematic analysis, which involved an iterative process of reading, rereading, and coding the data into themes related to the issues under investigation.
The multiple sources of data revealed that participants’ expectations and experiences were homogenous, despite their diverse backgrounds. This suggests that first year EAL students share similar literacy and learning needs. Participants demonstrated an understanding of disciplinary literacy practices and conventions. They expected to enhance their language, academic, and intercultural communication skills, with the help of course teachers. They believed it was important to feel a sense of belonging in their new academic community, and engage with domestic peers. However, these expectations were largely unfulfilled. The findings also showed that EAL students often underestimate the reality of course reading demands. Nevertheless, participants demonstrated positive student identities by adapting and extending their literacy practices to successfully mediate disciplinary requirements. They read strategically by engaging with academic texts they believed were relevant to their literacy and learning. Participants’ academic achievements indicated that their linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds did not hinder their capability to engage in their courses and complete assessment tasks. This suggests that the prevailing perception about EAL students’ cultural and educational backgrounds being barriers to learning is misguided.
However, the participants’ academic literacies were hindered when they encountered classroom learning environments which did not incorporate language and literacy instruction, constructive feedback on assessments, or peer engagement. There was also little evidence that courses applied reading pedagogies. These challenges, in particular the lack of classroom engagement with domestic peers, negatively affected their sense of belonging in their new academic community. The study findings reveal a disparity between EAL students’ classroom experiences, and best practice first year and internationalisation strategies recommended in the literature (e.g., Lea & Street, 2006; Leask, 2013; Wingate, 2015). A noteworthy finding is that the teaching practices which help EAL students’ communicative confidence and learning require little effort. That is, when teachers show interest, and facilitate cross-cultural classroom interactions, there is a positive impact on students’ feelings of belonging. The implication is teachers are in the best position to provide supportive and inclusive classroom learning environments that fulfilThesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School Educ & Professional St
Arts, Education and Law
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de, la Harpe Barbara I. "Design, implementation and evaluation of an in-context learning support program for first year education students and its impact on educational outcomes." Thesis, Curtin University, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1319.
Full textAbstract:
This research was concerned with furthering theoretical and practical understanding of student learning at university through a longitudinal, cross-sectional, in-depth study of first year students in a specific learning context, namely Educational Psychology. The main aim of the study was to investigate ways of assisting students to be effective learners. The particular role that affect played in learning and the relationship between learning behaviour and learning outcomes, was explored. A Conceptual Model of student learning incorporating student cognition, metacognition, motivation, affect and academic performance in a specific social and cultural context, underpinned the study. The study documented the design, implementation and evaluation - from both the students' and teacher's perspectives - of an in-context learning support program for first year students, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.The program was based on a theoretical framework which integrated cognitive, behavioural and social learning perspectives and focussed on increasing students' repertoire of learning strategies, promoting their higher level thinking and understanding, developing their metacognitive skills and managing their affect. It included an emphasis on student goal setting and time management, reading and writing strategies, learning for tests and exams, self-management, reflecting on and evaluating learning, and dealing with test anxiety.The main findings of the study were that providing in-context learning support was associated with positive changes in students' learning strategy use, motivational orientations, and affective reactions. Students valued teacher support and instructional strategies that promoted active learning. The instructor found that providing learning support was more challenging and rewarding than teaching content alone. The role of context - in particular, assessment tasks - in learning, was highlighted. The implications for teaching and learning were examined and the Conceptual Model was further refined. The research resulted in a more holistic and integrated perspective on learning support provision and on the role of cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and affective factors, and academic performance, in student learning.
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Stevens, Margaret Carnes. "The Impact of Service Learning on Students in a First-Year Seminar." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1179318210.
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DeAngelo, Angela. "Orientation Instructors and Undecided Students' Perceptions of Course Objectives." See Full Text at OhioLINK ETD Center (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing), 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=toledo1083072363.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.E.)--University of Toledo, 2004.Typescript. "A thesis [submitted] as partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Education degree in Higher Eduction." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-69).
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Havlik, Mary Kate. "An Assessment of a First-Year Leadership Program." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31969.
Full textAbstract:
Leadership development programs provide many positive outcomes for college students (Cress, Astin, Zimmerman-Oster, & Burkhardt, 2001; Striffolino & Saunders, 1989; Zimmerman-Oster & Burkardt, 1999). Leadership programs aid students in their academic achievement (Striffolino & Saunders, 1989), and leadership skills (Zimmerman-Oster & Burkardt, 1999).
A specific type of leadership development programs are first-year leadership programs, or FYLPs. With similar goals as general leadership programs, FYLPs are created with the special needs and interests of first-year students in mind (Peraza, 2004). These programs encourage higher retention rates (Striffolino & Saunders, 1989), leadership skills such as teamwork and self-awareness (Outcalt, 2001), and ethical leadership (Peraza, 2004). As important as FYLPs are to the development of first-year students, though, there has not been sufficient enough research on their effectiveness in achieving their purpose.
The purpose of this study was to assess the short and long-term effects of a particular FYLP on its participants as measured by the Student Leadership Outcomes Inventory (SLOI) (Vann, 2004). Participants included both FYLP and non-FYLP students at a midsized Midwestern institution. Results showed little difference in the improvement of leadership skills between FYLP and non-FYLP participants, and little change between each class of FYLP. Results did show that students who participated in the FYLP their freshman year went on to engage in more leadership activities than students who did not complete the FYLP.Master of Arts
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Hunt, Allan James. "An Examination of the Narrative Development of First-Year Psychology Students." Thesis, Griffith University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366339.
Full textAbstract:
Emerging adulthood is defined largely by two factors: its changeability and the focus on identity construction. The current trend towards increasing frequency of post-secondary education means that a major event in which these factors manifest with regard to is attending university. University is a time of increasing personal independence and identity development. Despite its contribution to individuation, university has come to be seen by many as the default, with alternative choices often being viewed in contrast with this default option—“if not university, then what?” At the same time, the negotiation of university has implications for future earning potential. Stories provide a unique and useful perspective for understanding the role of university studies in adult development. Stories are inherently about transition, as well as simultaneously being a thing-in-themselves and a metaphor. As a result, the study of the fluid, contradictory, metaphorical yet real, transitional yet discrete, stage of life development associated with commencing university studies is particularly well-suited to being studied through the stories individuals and groups tell about themselves and their experiences.Thesis (Masters)
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
School of Applied Psychology
Griffith Health
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O'Neill, Keith Brendan. "Changing Places: Narratives of Spiritual Conversion during the First College Year." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1395615005.
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Linder, Patricia L. "An Analysis of Self-Directed Learning of First-Year, First-Generation College Students." Thesis, University of South Florida, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3558620.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the reflective essays of first-year, first-generation college students for evidence of self-directed learning at the conclusion of their first semester at the university. A phenomenological qualitative method was employed and a content analysis rating rubric used to identify and code evidence related to four themes: Self Awareness, Decoding and Pattern Fit, Autonomy/Responsibility, and Academic Success.
The study findings indicated that first-year, first-generation college students have the capacity to take ownership of their learning in ways exemplified by self-directed learners. Participants demonstrated deep reflection and metacognition and their essays revealed unexpected student vulnerability as they voiced fears and hopes with a nearly innocent transparency and candor. Study findings also emphasized the importance of a support system that includes coursework designed to facilitate understanding of individual learner characteristics, emphasize strategies to maximize learner efforts that lead to successful outcomes, and empower students to become more self-directed. This study also expands the field of adult education by providing evidence that learner control is a key component of self-direction and is positively correlated to academic success. Ample evidence related to metacognition, self-regulation, and learner control was identified in the essay data.
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Linder, Patricia Lynne. "An Analysis of Self-Directed Learning of First-Year, First-Generation College Students." Scholar Commons, 2013. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4529.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the reflective essays of first-year, first-generation college students for evidence of self-directed learning at the conclusion of their first semester at the university. A phenomenological qualitative method was employed and a content analysis rating rubric used to identify and code evidence related to four themes: Self Awareness, Decoding and Pattern Fit, Autonomy/Responsibility, and Academic Success.
The study findings indicated that first-year, first-generation college students have the capacity to take ownership of their learning in ways exemplified by self-directed learners. Participants demonstrated deep reflection and metacognition and their essays revealed unexpected student vulnerability as they voiced fears and hopes with a nearly innocent transparency and candor. Study findings also emphasized the importance of a support system that includes coursework designed to facilitate understanding of individual learner characteristics, emphasize strategies to maximize learner efforts that lead to successful outcomes, and empower students to become more self-directed. This study also expands the field of adult education by providing evidence that learner control is a key component of self-direction and is positively correlated to academic success. Ample evidence related to metacognition, self-regulation, and learner control was identified in the essay data.
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Ruff, Chloe Besse. "Examining and Supporting Domain Identification and Student Interest in First Year College Students." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/52938.
Full textAbstract:
Students entering college with a pre-selected major have often developed some beliefs and knowledge related to their major. Domain identification (DI) and interest are two constructs that could be particularly useful to researchers and practitioners examining the first year experiences of college students within their prospective major. This dissertation examines how first year college students and their professors perceive DI and interest in a prospective science major within the context of courses designed to introduce students to their major.
This dissertation uses a manuscript format to examine DI and interest through theoretical analysis and the lived experiences of first year college students and their professors. The theoretical manuscript (Chapter 3) compares the theory and research supporting Osborne and Jones' model of DI as well as Hidi and Renninger's (2006) and Krapp's (1999, 2002) models of interest development. The two empirical manuscripts (Chapters 4 and 5) qualitatively explore perceptions of first year college students and their professors by focusing on the following areas: (a) first year college students' perception of their DI and interest in their prospective major, (b) professor's perceptions and support for their first year students' DI and interest in a prospective science major, and (c) the similarities and differences between these perceptions.
Taken as a whole, the findings of these manuscripts highlight the theoretical and practical distinctions between the two constructs. Although the models are similar in framing DI and interest as value-based concepts that develop through experience, they each possess a distinct theoretical framing and definition for value. This distinction between the value components of DI and interest is emphasized in the students' descriptions of their current major's relevance to their future goals and aspirations. Themes emerging from both of the qualitative studies are generally consistent with Osborne and Jones' (2011) model of DI; however, the findings of these studies did not fully align with Hidi and Renninger's (2006) model of interest. The comparison of student and faculty perceptions provided support for some methods the professors used to encourage the development of DI and interest in their students.Ph. D.
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Kurtyka, Faith. "Rhetorics and Literacies of Everyday Life of First-Year College Students." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/217110.
Full textAbstract:
This project presents results from a year-long teacher-research study of 50 students in two sections of first-year composition. The goal of this project is to create writing pedagogy in touch with first-year students' everyday worlds and to represent students as people who enter the classroom with literacies, knowledge, and resources. Using funds of knowledge methodology, this project shows how to use students' existing literacy practices and rhetorical skills to move them to deeper levels of critical literacy. Employing frame analysis, this research shows how contemporary consumerist ideologies inform students' orientations towards their education and demonstrates how to use these ideologies as a bridge to getting students to both question the meaning of a college degree and take an active role in their education. To show some of the tensions that emerge for students moving between the spaces of student life, this project uses activity theory to compare the everyday practices of lecture-hall classes and composition classes. "Third Space" theory is suggested as a way for students and teachers to leave familiar practices and scripts to question larger assumptions about the creation of knowledge. Activity theory is also used to examine students' experiences in campus communities, where it is argued that students feel they are engaging in more authentic learning experiences, though they retain some of the attitudes they have towards their academic work in these communities. Combining activity theory, pedagogical action research, and principles of student-centered teaching, conclusions argue for a paradigm for "student engagement research," a methodology for teacher-researchers to both study students' everyday lives and incorporate student culture into the teaching of writing.
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Yates, Elizabeth Alice. "Factors Leading to Withdrawal Prior to the Second Year of College." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31659.
Full textAbstract:
Persistence and withdrawal have been issues throughout the 368 years of higher education in the United States. As higher education shifted from a privilege of the elite to an expectation of the masses, conversations surrounding persistence and withdrawal have become more prevalent (Trow, 1979 as cited in Somers, 1995). Approximately 60% of entering college students leave higher education without obtaining a degree, and most do so during the first two years of college (Porter, 1990 as cited in Hickman, Bartholomae, & McKenry, 2000). Research illustrates that reasons leading to withdrawal in the early stages of the college experience are very different from those that influence withdrawal in the later years (Daubman, Williams, Johnson, & Crump; 1985; Pickering, Calliotte, & McAuliffe, 1992; St. John, 1990; Tinto, 1987).
Models have emerged to explain attrition (Hossler & Galligher, 1987; Bean, 1980; 1985; Tinto, 1975; 1982; 1987; 1993). These models examine the relationship between persistence and background characteristics (Milville & Sedlacek, 1992; Pascarella, Terenzini, & Wolfle, 1986; Pickering et. al 1992), high school profile (Pickering et. al 1992; Richardson & Sullivan, 1994), and the college decision process (Brower, 1997). These factors, however, have been studied in isolation.
The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing Year 1 to Year 2 (Y1Y2) retention among students. Specific factors included demographic characteristics, high school profile, and the college decision process. Sex, ethnicity, parentsâ educational level, and concern regarding financial capability were included in demographic characteristics. High school profile encompassed high school GPA, standardized test scores, and time spent during senior year in selected activities. Reasons to attend college and reasons to attend the particular institution at which the study was conducted defined the college decision process factor.
The sample consisted of students at a large public, land-grant institution in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data from 2,214 first-year students who completed the Annual Freshman Survey (AFS) sponsored by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) were analyzed. All participants completed the AFS in the summer of 2003 at the institutionâ s orientation program. The participants were assigned to one of two groups: those who returned for their second year of college in the fall of 2004 and those who did not.
Results revealed statistically significant differences on 15 out of 51 total chi-square tests conducted on responses to 10 items on the AFS. Those who did not return were more likely to be males and students with B or C averages in high school. In addition, Non-Returners were more likely to have some or major concern regarding their ability to finance their education and felt that low tuition was a very important factor in deciding to attend a particular institution. Non-Returners were more likely to spend five or fewer hours per week studying; six or less, or more than 15 hours per week socializing; and less than an hour or more than 15 hours per week on household and childcare duties during their senior year of high school. Non-Returners were more likely to feel that gaining a general education and preparing for graduate or professional school were not important reasons to attend higher education. This group felt that graduates getting good jobs, being admitted through early action/decision, and a visit to campus were also not important reasons to attend a particular institution.Master of Arts
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Farrell, Cornelia A. "Experiences of First-Year Master's Degree Counseling Students: A Grounded Theory." Ohio : Ohio University, 2006. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1156276730.
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Lippi, Angela Luisa. "Critical factors of success for first-year students in four-year institutions : a university, faculty and student initiative /." Abstract, 2009. http://eprints.ccsu.edu/archive/00000568/01/2008ABSTR.htm.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2009.Thesis advisor: H. Jane Fried. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Counseling." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-53). Abstract available via the World Wide Web.
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Matshotyana, Ntombiyakhe Victoria. "Optimising the teaching-learning environment of first-year nursing students at a public nursing college." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018274.
Full textAbstract:
Transition from secondary to tertiary education presents unique challenges for first-year nursing students, similar to those experienced by other first-year students at any other tertiary education institution. Nursing students’ experiences are further complicated by the fact that nursing education incorporates almost equal amounts of time for class attendance and clinical practice placement. As a facilitator of learning for first-year nursing students, the researcher had observed how some new students were apprehensive and uncertain in their first year of study at the college. These and other observations, including those of the researcher’s colleagues, prompted the researcher to conduct a study to obtain information on how the first-year students at her college experience their first year of the nursing programme. This study, therefore, examined the experiences of first-year nursing students at a public college in the Eastern Cape Province enrolled in the four-year diploma programme that leads to registration as a nurse and midwife with the South African Nursing Council (SANC). Insights into these experiences were used to develop guidelines for nurse educators to optimise the teaching-learning environment of these students.Kotzé’s (1998) nursing accompaniment theory was used as a theoretical grounding for the study. The study followed a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design. Two of the college’s campuses were sampled for the study. One campus was in a more rural area and the other in a more urban area. Data was collected using purposive sampling of second-year students who were requested to think back to their first year of the nursing programme. Semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face, individual interviews were conducted. Interview sessions were digitally recorded and then transcribed verbatim by the researcher. The researcher and an independent coder analysed the transcriptions using Tesch’s method of data analysis. The study’s trustworthiness was demonstrated through the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability and authenticity. The results indicated that students had positive and negative experiences in their first year of the nursing programme. Literature control placed the study’s findings within the existing body of knowledge with regard to students’ experiences of their first year. The students’ suggestions on how to enhance first-year nursing students’ experiences were incorporated into the guidelines that were developed for nurse educators to optimise the teaching-learning environment of first-year nursing students at this college.
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Bell, Aleece V. "Alcohol prevention a four-week seminar for first-year students /." Muncie, Ind. : Ball State University, 2009. http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/680.
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Sobel, Karen D. "Promotion of Library Reference Services to First-Year Undergraduate Students." Thesis, School of Information and Library Science, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1901/441.
Full textAbstract:
This study describes a survey of 237 first-year undergraduate students conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Through this study, the researcher aimed to fill in gaps in librarians’ knowledge about first-year students’ awareness of reference services, and students’ preferred modes of communication with librarians. The results show significant positive relationships between librarians’ verbal promotion of reference services and students’ tendency to ask reference questions in person.