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Through an examination of first year college students at a large, urban, public university, this study explored one university's use of alcohol course survey data from an online alcohol prevention program to determine whether it would increase the power of a predictive model for first year student retention. At a time when fiscal and human resources are both scarce and in high demand, institutions require policy and prevention strategies that promise to make a positive difference in the health, safety and academic persistence of its students. Using available data on 4,121 first year students this research identified key variables that, when combined with student attitudes about alcohol use, identify the significant predictors of first year college retention enabling university leaders to design more impactful strategies for intervention including a student-centered policy framework with an aim toward reducing harmful behaviors on campus. / Educational Administration

For nearly half a century, institutions of higher education have implemented bridge programs in order to increase the retention and graduation rates of at-risk students (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). In fact, summer bridge programs (SBPs), which typically occur prior to a student's freshman fall term, are among the oldest strategies used to improve college retention rates (Garcia, 1991). Surprisingly, even though SBPs are widely acknowledged by both students and program administrators to be beneficial, there is very little empirical evidence assessing their effectiveness (Garcia, 1991; Kluepfel,1994; Pascarella & Terenzini; Rita and Bacote,1997; Ackerman 1990; Gandara & Maxwell-Jolly, 1999). This study, therefore, used a mixed methods approach to investigate the various adjustment issues of participants versus non-participants in a summer bridge program for engineering students at a predominantly White institution (PWI) in the mid-southeastern region of the United States. Specifically, the Academic, Social, Personal-Emotional, and Goal Commitment/Institutional Attachment subscales of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) were utilized (Baker & Siryk, 1999) for this purpose. One important finding that the SACQ revealed was that the personal-emotional scale was significant for gender since scores for men were higher than for females. The Summer Bridge Inventory (SBI) that was employed in this research also revealed that summer bridge participants and the director of support programs shared similar opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of the program and its related activities. In conclusion, college administrators and directors of summer support programs should carefully assess programmatic outcomes to ensure that their institutions' SBPs provided the needed supports that will enhance the retention and graduation rates of at-risk students in engineering. / Ph. D.

In this national study, a combination of factors that affect teacher satisfaction and retention were examined. Domains that discriminate between teachers who choose to stay or leave the teaching profession were investigated. A research-developed questionnaire was administered to 450 randomly selected first, second, and third year teachers. Survey items were related to domains affecting teacher satisfaction and retention. A demographic section was included to collect background information. A principal components analysis resulted in the emergence of domains that were used in the final analysis. They are: emotional factors; school and community support; instructional support; prepration in teaching curriculum, managing students, and assessing students; collaboration; compensation and benefits; motivation to teach; and culture shock. Eleven percent of the respondents chose to leave the profession. Results of the discriminant analysis indicated that the best predictor in choosing to leave or stay in the teaching profession was emotional factors followed by compensation and benefits and culture shock. The analysis was used to determine if the individuals in the two groups were correctly classified based on their scores on the eight predictor variables. The number of cases correctly classified was 91.4 percent. / Ed. D.

Riley (1998) indicated that our nation's neediest communities, those with high rates of poverty and all too often large minority populations, suffer most from shortages of qualified teachers. Schools with these characteristics are often our Title 1 schools. Staffing these schools can be a very difficult task. Haberman (1987) attributed the shortage of qualified urban educators to factors such as racism, fear, a generally negative perception of what teaching in an urban setting is like, and the low percentage (5%) of faculty in schools of education who have urban teaching experience, which affects their ability to prepare teachers for urban settings. With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a new federal regulation, this task becomes even more arduous. This act requires that, effective the first day of the 2002-2003 school year, new teachers hired to teach in Title 1 schools be "highly qualified" (U. S. Department of Ed., 2002). This study was designed to determine why teachers choose to remain in the urban setting. The researcher surveyed experienced teachers (minimum of 10 years) in the Norfolk Public Schools District, a large southeastern urban school district, to determine the reasons why teachers stay in this urban district. The sample included all current teachers in this district with a hire date of August 1991 or before. The survey instrument used was designed to gather the following information: (1) why do teachers select urban school districts?, (2) why do teachers remain in this urban school district?, (3) what professional development activities are important in urban districts?, (4) what is the level of commitment of teachers who remain?, and (5) what is the relationship between reasons why teachers remain and their level of teacher commitment? Distributions of frequencies, mean scores, and standard deviations revealed survey results as they related to (a) gender of teacher, (b) race/ethnicity of teacher, (c) grade level assignment, (d) number of years of teaching experience in an urban district, (e) age of teacher, and (f) education level of teacher. A composite score was calculated for the teacher commitment section of the survey instrument. Also, a correlation matrix was conducted to determine the significance of the relationship between reasons why teachers choose to remain in this district and levels of teacher commitment. Other statistical analyses used were t-tests, ANOVAs, and Tukey post-hoc tests. The results of the study revealed that teachers choose to remain in this urban school district because they feel they have been effective in working with urban children; they have developed good collegial relationships within the district; and they have gained a sense of self satisfaction from working in this district. These reasons and several others were found to have statistical significance in teachers' levels of commitment. Also, teachers who were female, African-American, middle school teachers, with greater years of experience proved more likely to remain in this urban district. The findings of this study reveal significant implications to this and other urban school districts. Teachers have to feel some intrinsic motivation to remain in urban districts. Districts should use the results of this study to assist in developing opportunities for teachers to enhance their levels of self-satisfaction and to improve their hiring practices. Attention to these issues will increase teacher retention rates in urban districts. This study provides a foundation for future study in the areas of teacher retention, commitment, teacher certification and retention, and teacher quality. / Ed. D.

The retention of special education (SPED) teachers is problematic throughout the United States. Many SPED teachers are leaving education due to burnout which can be caused by feeling isolated and having a lack of collegial support. Studies suggest that collegial support is a main contributor to the retention of SPED teachers. Induction programs, mentoring, and professional learning communities (PLC) have been widely used; however, there is not much research showing how professional learning communities impact the retention of special education teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify novice elementary school SPED teachers' perceptions regarding PLCs. Specifically, this study examined how elementary school SPED teachers' perceptions of PLCs affect the retention of this group of teachers. Themes from this study may indicate what schools can do to make their PLCs more meaningful for the SPED teachers participating in them. The study was guided by the following research question: What are the perceptions of novice SPED teachers regarding professional learning communities and their impact on teacher retention? Twenty SPED teachers with between 0 – 5 years of experience participated in online focus groups. Data from the focus groups were analyzed and themes were developed. The results of this study indicated that SPED teachers stay at their current schools due to support provided by colleagues such as SPED teachers, general education teachers, and reading and mathematics specialists. In addition, SPED teachers are more likely to stay at their current schools if the PLCs they attend are relevant and are more likely to leave when they miss instructional time with their students due to attending mandatory PLCs. The results from this study may help school and division leaders implement PLC support for SPED teachers that will positively impact the retention of SPED teachers. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify novice elementary school special education (SPED) teachers' perceptions regarding PLCs. Specifically, this study examined how elementary school SPED teachers' perceptions of PLCs affect the retention of this group of teachers. Themes from this study may indicate what schools can do to make their PLCs more meaningful for the SPED teachers participating in them. The study was guided by the following research question: What are the perceptions of novice SPED teachers regarding professional learning communities and their impact on teacher retention? Twenty SPED teachers with between 0 – 5 years of experience participated in online focus groups. Data from the focus groups were analyzed and themes were developed. The results of this study indicated that SPED teachers stay at their current schools due to support provided by colleagues such as SPED teachers, general education teachers, and reading and mathematics specialists. In addition, SPED teachers are more likely to stay at their current schools if the PLCs they attend are relevant and are more likely to leave when they miss instructional time with their students due to attending mandatory PLCs. The results from this study may help school and division leaders implement PLC support for SPED teachers that will positively impact the retention of SPED teachers.

Many school divisions throughout the U.S. are having a difficult time retaining teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Ingersoll, R. M., 2004). 'High levels of attrition, estimated to be nearly 8% of the workforce annually, are responsible for the largest share of teacher demand' (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, and Carver-Thomas, 2016, p. 2). According to Ingersoll and Strong (2011), Ingersoll and Perda (2011), and Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2016), reasons as to why teachers decide to leave the profession or change teaching locations include: job satisfaction, school demographics, student discipline, lack of administrative support, lack of teacher autonomy, and new teacher mentor programs. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify mentor and mentee teachers' perceptions about the current mentoring program and their recommendations for future revisions that will increase teacher retention. An urban, central Virginia school division was selected for this study. Participants selected for this study have served as a mentor teacher for new teachers hired into the selected division or have recently been hired into the division. The division has approximately 260 full-time teaching professionals. From the beginning of the 2013-14 school year to the conclusion of the 2015-16 school year, 125 teachers were replaced. The attrition rate of the selected division is approximately double the attrition rate in the Commonwealth of Virginia (Pitts, 2017). Mentoring programs appear to be among the prominent approaches to teacher retention (McCann and Johannessen, 2010). The researcher sought to determine perceptions of mentor teachers regarding their suggestions for improvement in the current mentor program as a determining factor in whether teachers decide to remain in their current positions. This study yielded eight findings and six implications. / Ed. D.

Diversity has become a central organizational goal especially as the U.S. population is experiencing racial demographic shifts (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Employees of color makeup one-third of the workforce, yet higher education institutions have been slow to adjust to the shifting demographics (Birnbaum, 1988; Brown, 2004; Yancey, 2010). Higher education leaders are seeking ways to recruit and retain growing numbers of administrators of color working at their institutions. Available research focuses on organizational fit and faculty of color (Bozeman and Gaughan, 2011; Jackson, 2003b; Jayakumar et al., 2009; Ortega-Liston and Rodriguez Soto, 2014; Victorino et al., 2013) or examines organizational fit at research universities (Barrett and Smith, 2008; Gasman et al., 2011; Ryan et al., 2012; Turner et al., 2011). A review of the literature shows there is scarcity of scholarly knowledge on the experiences of administrators from historically minoritized groups with organizational fit at small liberal arts institutions. The purpose of this study was to understand and describe how administrators of color at small liberal arts institutions experience organizational fit. The conceptual framework for this study was Jackson's (2004a) Engagement, Retention, and Advancement (ERA) Model. The participants in the sample included Black/African American, Asian American, Native Hawaii/Pacific Islander, and Latina/o non-academic administrators from institutions with less than 2,500 students. Using a phenomenological design, I interviewed selected administrators twice using a modified version of Seidman's (2013) life history structure. Data analysis revealed six themes including the pathways into higher education, attraction to small liberal arts institutions, institutional culture, position empowerment, multiple hats/roles, and professional success. The findings suggest these administrators of color experience similar ERA processes as other administrators. These similarities include desiring to fit in, an on-going process of building trust, and enjoying the small family business environment of a small liberal arts institution. Unique findings included how participants valued their quality of life despite limited salaries at small liberal arts institutions. They also assimilated, code switched, and served as cultural guides, adding responsibilities to an already hard working group. Implications for higher education leaders concerning the importance of supporting administrators of color can be gleaned from these findings. / Ph. D.

The sediment-water interface is an active biogeochemical zone within streams, where solutes come in contact with mineral surfaces, biota, and reducing conditions. Here, we sought to examine the influence of light, the sediment water interface, and algae on dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen, and phosphorus within Maple Creek, an agriculturally impacted stream located in Fremont, Nebraska. Simultaneous continuous injection experiments into replicate open- and closed-bottom chambers were used to control the hydrologic residence time. A bromide tracer was injected, and samples were taken for nutrient analysis in the surface and subsurface water at depths up to 8 cm. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and temperature were recorded in order to monitor biotic production. Experiments were conducted over 10 hours, encompassing both light and dark conditions. Results show a strong biotic influence at the sediment-water interface causing nutrient uptake and changes in carbon quality. Changes are especially pronounced during peak photosynthesis hours. The open-bottom mesocosms consistently showed removal of N and P from the surface water to the subsurface. An increase in DOC flux was observed in the open-bottom mesocosms and the organic matter pool exhibited evidence of microbial reduction. The closed-bottom mesocosm showed NH?⁺ increased likely due to photochemical oxidation. These results show the importance of promoting exchange through the subsurface and across the sediment-water interface due to the positive impact it has on nutrient retention. / Master of Science

It is projected that the majority population will become the minority population by 2050. In order to serve the needs of an ethnically diverse U.S. population, corporate agribusinesses are encouraged to employ an ethnically diverse workforce. The purpose of this research was to understand how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control in the workplace affects the intent of underrepresented groups to remain in working for their current corporate agribusiness. In current agriculture research, there are very few studies that focus on the experiences of underrepresented groups in corporate agribusinesses. There is also very little research and public information that provides the number of underrepresented students who are recruited and retained in corporate agribusinesses from year to year. For this reason the author sought to explore the experiences of underrepresented groups who work for agricultural organizations and gain an understanding of factors that impact their intentions to maintain a career in the field. Using a phenomenological qualitative research study design, individual interviews were conducted with underrepresented employees from various corporate agribusinesses from across the United States. A review of the findings indicate that underrepresented groups who work for corporate agribusinesses are satisfied with their jobs in terms of compensation, work/life balance, and the opportunities for advancement. Yet, they are sometimes faced with micro-aggressions, at times feel they are treated differently because of their race, and often work in cultural climates that lack inclusion and/or cultural intelligence. As a result the majority of the participants who participated in the study felt that they would remain with their corporate agribusiness employer until they found a new company to work for, started their own business, or a better opportunity presented itself. The findings from this study also show that anyone seeking employment in corporate agribusinesses need to have effective communication skills, cultural and emotional intelligence, agricultural competency, and a true passion for their field of agriculture in order to be successful in the industry. Other findings show that underrepresented groups and their White counterparts need to be educated on the contributions that underrepresented groups have made to the agricultural field in efforts to change the negative perceptions that underrepresented groups have about agriculture. / Master of Science in Life Sciences