<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective perceptions held by students of their interactions with faculty members in college, especially as those interactions relate to the integration and membership of students in the academic community. Academic integration, resulting primarily from student-faculty interactions, has been theorized as one element that affects students&rsquo; decisions to stay in or leave college (Tinto, 1993). This study, employing a phenomenological research design, collected data through 13 interviews with junior and senior college students attending a small, private college in northwestern Pennsylvania. Interviewees were selected from three majors (English, Psychology, and Hospitality Management). Analysis of the data followed the hermeneutical phenomenological approach described by Max Van Manen (1997). Data were analyzed by adopting three phenomenological writing &ldquo;lenses&rdquo;: the existential lens, the thematic lens, and the theoretical lens. Two themes emerged from this: Care and Boundaries. These themes are discussed in terms of Tinto&rsquo;s (1993) integrationalist theory of student departure. The theme of care (the recognition by students that faculty are attending to their personal and academic situations) was found to be present in Tinto&rsquo;s theory while the theme of boundaries (recognitions of the differences between students and faculty) is not. It is suggested that the theme of boundaries represents a separate value system held by students of their faculty. Implications of the study and future research are presented. </p>

<p>This explanatory mixed-method study explored the dropout phenomenon from an ecological perspective identifying the school organizational (academics, activities, structure) and social relationship (teachers, peers) factors that most significantly influence students&rsquo; decisions to leave school prior to graduation at a rural high school in south central Pennsylvania. </p><p> The quantitative phase of the study utilized a 40 question, forced choice survey to isolate the school organizational and social relationship factors that had the most influence on students&rsquo; dropout decision making, as well as to determine what, if any, correlation existed between the perceptions of students who are not at-risk, those who are at-risk but are still in school, and those who had already formally dropped out of school. The survey respondents included 80 students in school and 10 students who had dropped out of high school. The qualitative phase was composed of in-depth interviews of nine students who had formally dropped out of the rural high school in the study. </p><p> The results of the quantitative analyses revealed the following key findings: (1) there was no single predictor factor category which statistically and significantly influenced student persistence; (2) there was no statistically significant difference in the way students who were at-risk, but still enrolled in high school, and those that had already dropped out perceived any predictor category; and finally, (3) the responses of students at-risk (whether enrolled or who dropped out) were statistically and significantly different from the responses of students who were not at-risk in the predictor categories of school structure and teacher relationships. </p><p> The patterns that emerged from the interviews revealed that these students: (1) viewed the school structure as a barrier to diploma attainment; (2) believed the lack of content relevancy lead to detachment from school and justified the decision to quit school; and (3) shared that had an adult within the school intervened at the beginning of his or her divergence from the path to graduation, the results of his or her high school experience would have been different. </p><p> Several implications for practice emerge given these findings. First, proactive strategies such as multiple curricular pathways and the use of transition academies should be applied systematically for all students enrolled in school. These structural elements of the school&rsquo;s organization should be paired with instructional strategies that promote student engagement. Second, targeted interventions should be designed to meet the needs of students who are at-risk for dropping out of high school. Targeted intervention should include the: (1) use of an instrument that identifies students who are developing or who possess negative perceptions of the school and school staff; (2) at-risk students being assigned an education advocate to promote meaningful and sustainable relationships; and (3) school leaders&rsquo; efforts to creatively develop personalized learning for all students who are considered at-risk for early school departure. </p>

<p> Catholic colleges and universities in America have significantly changed philosophically, demographically, legally, and financially during the past 5 decades. Since the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, there has been considerable focus on attempting to accurately describe the Catholic identity for institutions affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Called to embrace the modern world, Catholic institutions of higher learning have been challenged to retain their distinctiveness even as they have become more closely aligned with secular institutions within the academy. Because of this convergence of institutional similarities, how does a potential student come to understand institutional Catholic identity during the search process? With over 230 Catholic degree-granting institutions to choose from in the United States alone, the task of determining a &ldquo;best-fit&rdquo; for the student can be challenging. It is important to have a framework for independently determining the strength of institutional Catholicity for a student seeking a uniquely Catholic undergraduate experience.</p><p> Specifically, this research identifies a set of 15 signal features for identification of a distinctively Roman Catholic institution of higher education within a framework for understanding institutional positioning with respect to the Roman Catholic Church from an external, or off-campus, perspective. In addition to the exploration of public documentation and the campus environment, select faculty and student leaders were interviewed at &ldquo;Holy Catholic College&rdquo; (a pseudonym) to understand their perspectives on the strength of Catholicity of their particular institution in the development of the framework and associated signal features.</p>

<p> Florida has been a leader in the K-20 educational reform in an effort to ensure the seamless transition into postsecondary education for all students, but specifically improving preparation for, and access to, higher education for populations traditionally marginalized and underrepresented in higher education. The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic composition of students participating in dual enrollment programs in Florida, and the relationship between dual enrollment participation and postsecondary success, as measured by student persistence and degree attainment, moderated by race, gender, and Pell status. Alexander Astin&rsquo;s (1993) I-E-O student involvement theory was chosen as the theoretical lens with which to guide the design and analysis of the study.</p><p> A quantitative analysis of archived student records retrieved from the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at a large urban state college in Florida was used in this study. The analytical sample included 2614 first-time-in college students in the fall 2009 semester. Data was analyzed via SPSS, version 20, using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and discriminant analysis. The analysis revealed that students who were dual enrolled were more likely to persist in college and more likely to earn a degree than their non-dual enrolled peers. A discussion of the findings and conclusions in relationship to earlier studies are enumerated followed by recommendations for K-20 school leaders and future research.</p>

<p> This study examined the social class of African American students in an upper middle class high school and their engagement in school influenced by a parent advisory group consisting of upper and middle class African American men. Student engagement has become a hot topic for school policy makers, administration, teachers, and parents at all educational levels. The question of how best to engage students for academic success is the priority. Although research suggests middle and upper class students do well in school as compared to lower class and working class students, the upper and middle class African American students in this particular school were failing until a group of parents intervened. The school experienced increased student engagement resulting in higher GPA, increased graduation rates, increased numbers of college enrollments and graduation rates, and a reduction in the achievement gap. Using the narrative inquiry method, a qualitative approach, the researcher listened to the participants' authentic voices and conveyed their story. Using a semi-structured conversational interview protocol, the participants shared their "lived" stories about the impact that a parent advisory group had on student engagement at the high school of interest. Findings suggest that when adults exhibit care, build meaningful relationships, and communicate that students are valued, student engagement increases and students are successful in school. The participants explained how the identity, behavior, and status of a group of parents gave options to a group of students in order to increase their academic success and hope for the future.</p>

<p> This dissertation examines the influence of social capital through social relations on student engagement. Specifically, it examines how the resources of social capital through the social relations developed with a group of high school students may have influenced their engagement in school. A narrative inquiry method was used to elicit the voices of students, teachers, administrators, community members, and parents belonging to an advisory group. Open interviews were conducted with participants so they could freely express their insights concerning the influence of social capital through social relations on student engagement. Data from the "authentic voices" of the participants were gathered and analyzed to discover commonality in the experiences and perceptions of the participants. Common themes were found concerning the influence of building positive social relations through social capital resources by looking at social interactions in group memberships, networks and social connections, and personal relationships. The investment of social capital resources through social relations reflected positive student engagement, according to responses of the participants interviewed. Bourdieu claimed, "The economic, social and symbolic 'profit' that follows from belonging to the associations establishes a concrete base for the growth of solidarity," according to Siisianen (2003, p. 294).</p>

<p> College faculty members are often inadequately prepared to use technology in their classrooms. They often learn technology without institutional support, and without understanding technology's impact on student learning. As a result of these shortcomings, the use of technology in the college classroom is often not systematic or focused on improving learning. This study used a conceptual framework based on Wenger's learning community or community of practice idea. This study examined a Midwestern university where faculty made only limited use of classroom technology and did not demonstrate contemporary approaches to student learning. The study set out to determine the impact of technology-based faculty learning communities on student engagement. Five university faculty members served as research participants; all agreed to form a learning community and participate in a series of interviews that examined the impact of technology integration and the role of learning communities on adopting technology. Interview data were analyzed using an emergent and exploratory approach where themes and trends were identified through direct observation and examination of interview transcripts. One of the emergent themes was that increased faculty technology use depends primarily on positive prior experiences with technology. Another theme was that students' self-reported technology competency does not accurately reflect classroom uses, which may have a significant impact on educational technology integration strategies. The study's findings provide guidelines for a best practice model of faculty professional development to improve and enhance classroom learning with educational technology.</p>

<p> Latino/a students currently have lower graduation and higher dropout rates than their white peers. This population of students also performs lower on state exams. This qualitative study explored teacher-student relationships and their impact on Latino/a student populations. Using Funds of Knowledge and a social justice perspective, the study characterized positive teacher-student relationships and ways that schools can support their formation. This dissertation study consisted of two rounds of interviews; participants were interviewed individually and then as part of two focus groups. The first phase consisted of one-on-one interviews, where the participants were asked questions on effectiveness, teacher-student relationships, and administrative support. The results from these interviews were analyzed for themes. The themes were then brought to the participants in forms of two focus groups for further exploration and clarity. Findings indicate that teachers characterize six themes in positive teacher-student relationships; student voice, humanization, trust, openness, respect, and personal connections. Three areas of school support were also uncovered; this included community circle, time to connect, and opportunities outside the classroom. The findings support the need for educators to be aware of the elements of positive relationships and to include these areas of school support in teacher and leader preparation programs.</p>

<p> This qualitative study examined the cognition and practices of four teachers teaching in low-SES schools. The four case studies were comprised of three elementary teachers and one middle school teachers in the state of Columbia*. The study explored how the teachers' schooling, professional coursework, classroom practices, and contextual factors affected their teaching practices. The conceptual framework for the study came from Borg's (2003) representation of teacher cognition for language teachers.</p><p> Data were triangulated and collected from interviews, documents, and classroom observations. The four teachers were interviewed three times each. The documents collected were professional correspondence, pertinent papers, homework, or other artifacts that demonstrated the teachers' cognition.</p><p> The findings of the study showed the teachers' cognition was primarily influenced by schooling, classroom practices, and contextual factors, but not professional coursework. The findings also suggest that the teachers in the study found relationships with students and a student reflexive curriculum to be paramount in their classroom practice in a low-SES school. In addition, three of the teachers all regarded the contextual factor of equity in their schools to be of importance in their cognition of teaching.</p><p> *pseudonyms.</p>

<p> Users play a key role in many training strategies, yet some organizations often fail to understand the users&rsquo; perception after a simulation training implementation, their attitude about acceptance or rejection of and integration of emerging simulation technology in medical training (Gaba, 2007, and Topol, 2012). Several factors are considered to contribute to the acceptance level of simulation training by the users, including cost, the existing training and certification policies, technical issue, realism of training, values of it, concerns about it, and its effect on the patients outcome, and medical errors (Clever, 2011and Dawson, 2006).An often overlooked factor in the success of a simulation training merger is the impact on the users and medical profession (Dickemen, 2007). This qualitative phenomenological research study explored the lived experiences of a purposeful sampling of medicals simulation training users in the decision and none decision making roles, who had been involved in simulation training at least for one year. The study obtained their perceptions, their lived experiences, feelings associated with the experience, and interactions. And then how those feelings, perception, opinions, attitudes, and interactions evolved. Data suggested that the presence of feelings attached to experience, preconceived views, existing training policies, affect the level of effectiveness, users&rsquo; view of its outlook, impact on the decisions, and the medical profession. In addition the users&rsquo; perception, beliefs, and feelings all affect the interpersonal dynamics, interactions, communications, of simulation training users during adoption of simulation technology and its implementation. Understanding the medical simulation training phenomena through the understanding of users&rsquo; perspective can redefine how they communicate, interact, share, learn in simulated environment , and from one another that help with the subsequent additions and modifications to the existing simulation training strategies. </p>