The purpose of this study was to qualitatively describe the factors that influence the persistence rates of White undergraduate students attending HBCUs from the students' perspectives. Applying Tinto's Model of Student Departure (1975, 1993) as a lens for persistence, the overall aim in this study was to focus on the students' social and academic integration at the institution as well as their institutional experiences at the HBCU as it relates to their decision to persist or depart the HBCU. Through the participants"lived experiences", themes emerged relative to their decision to persist at the institution. The themes were: the influences on relationships with faculty, quality of academic programs, lack of racism from faculty, staff, and peers, involvement in campus activities and organizations, and affordability. The reasons associated with White students' persistence can assist faculty members and administrators at HBCUs in developing and cultivating a culture that is conducive for a positive matriculation and progression process all the way until graduation. Persistence leads to degree completion and no matter the institutional type, all administrators want to increase the number of students graduating from their institutions.

As of 2016 the number of international students in the United States has reached over one million. Institutions of higher education in the United States have been attracting increasing numbers of international college students, primarily from China and other Southeast Asian countries. As a result, organizations such as the Institute of International Education have encouraged colleges and universities to create pathway programs. Pathway programs accept international students who do not have strong English language and/or academic skills, yet have a desire to study abroad. These students take English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at the university before beginning their degree courses. Some program models also have students taking their first-year courses apart from the rest of the student body to help these students close their skill gaps. However, this study focused solely on a pathway program that offers only ESL courses. Previous studies have shown that students who have academic language proficiency, yet lack the ability to integrate socially, often struggle with acculturation. This, in turn, can lead to problems with persistence in their course work and ultimately lack of degree completion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the social integration of international Chinese students comparing those who participated in the ESL program and those that did not at the subject university. The study examined the influence of this treatment on college retention and on self-reported social integration of international Chinese students. The study findings demonstrate that international Chinese students at this subject university who have received the intervention persist, having similar graduation rates compared to the general cohort, similar retention rates to the general cohort; and equal to or declining grade point averages based on the treatment-level. The study also shows that the ESL students have less acculturative stress and are more socially active in their college community than the non-ESL students. The effects of this social intervention have been positive not only at the start of their degree programs, but carry through their program. The study presents evidence as to the benefits the treatment offers towards persistence at this university, which supports pathway programs.

Little is known about the college adjustment of first-generation students, particularly those from various racial/ethnic groups. This study sought to describe the college adjustment of first-generation students from three different racial/ethnic backgrounds (White/non-Hispanic, Black and Hispanic) and to determine whether generational status and race/ethnicity jointly or separately affect college adjustment as measured by responses to the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). A sample of 418 students (208 first-generation, 210 non-first-generation; 140 White, 138 Black, and 140 Hispanic) was drawn from a population of 4,718 degree-seeking, self-identified undergraduates at a research university in the Southeast. A 2 X 3 factorial ANOVA was used to assess the effects of generational status and race/ethnicity on college adjustment. There was no significant interaction between the independent variables on adjustment to college, nor were there significant main effects. Despite follow-up data collection efforts, a low response rate (34%) to the online administration of the instrument and consequent low number of respondents in each cell may have obscured existing differences. Other implications are discussed, including the question of SACQ sensitivity to racial/ethnic differences and difficulties of web-based survey administration in an institutional setting.

Despite a long history of providing open-door access to students who might not otherwise have an opportunity to attend college, community colleges have not been as effective in fostering student success. To counter this trend, early intervention programs have been developed to facilitate academic and social integration for first semester students to improve student success. However, there is much that is not known about the influence of orientation programs at community colleges as an intervention strategy. Therefore, this study examines the influence of one new student orientation on first semester student success. Grounded in frameworks developed by Astin (1984, 1993, 1999), Tinto (1975, 1993), and Bean and Metzner (1985), this study examines the ability of a new student orientation to academically and socially integrate students into the culture of the institution. The following research questions are posed: • Does new student orientation influence student retention; • Does new student orientation influence student success; • Does new student orientation influence student persistence; • Does new student orientation facilitate a student’s social integration into the institution? • Does new student orientation facilitate a student’s academic integration into the institution? The focus of this case study is a publicly supported, two-year, comprehensive community college that is part of a multiple college district located in a suburban area outside of a major city in Texas. Participants are students who attended a new student orientation session. Employing a mixed methods research approach, data is gathered on student success, retention, persistence, and through interviews. Findings demonstrate that there was no significant difference in first semester retention for students who participated in a new student orientation and for those who did not. However, students who participated in orientation were more likely to be successful in their first semester in college and much more likely to re-enroll for their second semester at the institution. New student orientation also facilitated students’ social and academic integration into the institution. This study concludes with recommendations for program improvement, recommendations for further research, and a discussion of implications for community college policy and practice in developing new student orientation programs. / text

This study examined the perceptions of non-native English speaking immigrant students at a small Canadian university relating to their transition to university, their experiences within the social and academic contexts of the campus, and their sense of belonging on their campus. This study used a phenomenological approach, and was supported by a conceptual framework of minority student persistence and belonging within postsecondary education. The findings of this study suggest that these students’ positive social experiences and perception of the campus as being diverse and open to diversity were connected to students’ sense of belonging. The findings also suggest that increased availability of customized support is needed for non-native English speaking students on this Canadian campus, and that greater awareness among university faculty and administration needs to be paid to students’ integration in classroom and campus practices. This thesis concludes with recommendations for practice and future research.

This study examined the perceptions of non-native English speaking immigrant students at a small Canadian university relating to their transition to university, their experiences within the social and academic contexts of the campus, and their sense of belonging on their campus. This study used a phenomenological approach, and was supported by a conceptual framework of minority student persistence and belonging within postsecondary education. The findings of this study suggest that these students’ positive social experiences and perception of the campus as being diverse and open to diversity were connected to students’ sense of belonging. The findings also suggest that increased availability of customized support is needed for non-native English speaking students on this Canadian campus, and that greater awareness among university faculty and administration needs to be paid to students’ integration in classroom and campus practices. This thesis concludes with recommendations for practice and future research.

This mixed methods study, a concurrent triangulation design, explored Tinto's integration theory as it relates to nontraditional students. The study explored the relationship of academic and social integration, defined by classroom active learning strategies and sense of belonging, with persistence. The study also expanded upon the idea of socio-academic integrative moments which might occur when social and academic integration converge or overlap. Consistent with Tinto's model, factors including initial institutional commitment, initial goal commitment, and subsequent institutional commitment were also analyzed. Multiple regression analysis of data obtained from a 38-question survey (n=299) revealed one common predictor of persistence among the three research questions: initial commitment to the educational goal. Qualitative data, interpreted from a diverse group of 10 nontraditional students, confirmed the quantitative findings and revealed that, in relation to persistence, initial commitment to the educational goal seemed to transcend all other theoretical factors including institutional commitment, social integration, academic integration, and student entry characteristics such as race, gender, parents' educational attainment, first-generation status, and high school GPA. In addition, focus group findings indicated the presence of socio-academic integrative described as academically-focused social integration. Recommendations for further exploration into the integrational convergence or non-linearity of Tinto's model are included. Recommendations for practice and future research prompt additional exploration into nontraditional student persistence including suggestions to identify factors related to meaningful integration for nontraditional students and how those factors might influence persistence.

The university’s processes of tutoring and mentoring have been described as relevant toolsfor overall development and academic integration of the university student and overalldevelopment of the university student, and academic integration. This study conducted a bibliometric review about tutoring and mentoring programs in Brazilian universities between 1998 and 2013 in order to map existing initiatives, configuration, objectives, key findings and relevance. After consulting CAPES Repositorium, SciELO, INDEXPsi e BVS-Psi, 31 papers were analyzed. Most studies in the area of health were conducted in public institutions with qualitative methods, in the southeast and northeast of Brazil. Results indicated positive evaluation of the experiences, and point to aspects to be considered in future projects. / Los procesos de tutoría y mentoría académicas se han descrito como herramientas relevantes para el desarrollo global y la integración académica del estudiante universitario. Este artículo realiza una revisión bibliométrica de los programas de tutoría y mentoría en universidades brasileñas, entre 1998 y 2013, con el fin de mapear las iniciativas existentes, su configuración, objetivos y principales resultados. Después de la revisión del Banco de Tesis de CAPES, SciELO, INDEXPSI y BVS-Psi, fueron encontradas 31 publicaciones sobre el tema. La mayoría de los trabajos se refieren a estudios cualitativos en el área de la salud desarrollados en el sureste y noreste del país en instituciones públicas. Los resultados indicaron una evaluación positiva de las experiencias de mentoría y tutoría, pero fueron señalados algunos aspectos a considerar en futuros proyectos con el fin de mejorar los resultados.

Orientador: Elizabeth Nogueira Gomes da Silva Mercuri / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T05:22:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ghiraldello_Luciane_M.pdf: 889680 bytes, checksum: ace7a2f932df873f2dfe8253982f4b6e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: O ingresso no ensino superior constitui-se em uma etapa repleta de desafios, impulsionando ações por parte do estudante, pouco vivenciadas, anteriormente, no ensino médio. Sendo caracterizada por fortes mudanças, face às múltiplas e complexas tarefas, esta etapa influencia os níveis de sucesso, satisfação acadêmica e decisão de evasão/permanência na educação superior, assim como, na atuação profissional posterior. O sistema de ensino superior brasileiro vem, com sua expansão, ampliando e diversificando não só as áreas e cursos, como reunindo um corpo discente cada vez mais heterogêneo, demandando investimentos no conhecimento desta população e seu processo de formação. Sendo o aluno do curso de Turismo um dos grupos menos conhecidos, o presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar as vivências acadêmicas de alunos ingressantes do curso de Turismo e sua relação com semestre e turno. Participaram deste estudo 35 estudantes ingressantes dos turnos matutino e noturno de uma IES privada do estado de Minas Gerais. Utilizou-se como instrumento de coleta de dados o Questionário de Vivências Acadêmicas ¿ versão reduzida (QVA-r), uma escala tipo Likert de cinco pontos, aplicada ao final do primeiro e segundo semestres de curso. O valor da média geral obtida no conjunto total dos dados (70 aplicações) foi de 3,72 e nos domínios foram: ¿pessoal¿ (3,09), ¿interpessoal¿ (3,90), ¿carreira¿ (4,13), ¿estudo¿ (3,46) e ¿institucional¿ (4,06), sendo observada diferença significativa entre os domínios ¿pessoal¿ e ¿carreira¿ (Z = -7,143; s = 0,000). A análise entre os dois turnos indicou diferença significativa apenas no domínio ¿pessoal¿ (t = 1,977; p = 0,056) e entre semestres limitou-se ao domínio ¿institucional¿ (Z = -2,196; p = 0,028). Os dados totais mostram um padrão de integração acadêmica dos estudantes de Turismo próximo ao dos de outros cursos de graduação. A semelhança no processo de integração entre os turnos matutino e noturno foi atribuída às características do aluno do noturno, que neste curso não apresentou perfil típico do estudante desse turno. A não observação de um processo expressivo de mudanças na integração, de um semestre para outro, sugere a necessidade de novos estudos com coleta de informações em outros momentos de freqüência ao curso e, de novos suportes de dados, em especial os de natureza qualitativa, que permitam a avaliação dos instrumentos utilizados / Abstract: The entrance in the higher education is a stage of challenges in the life of the student that arouses student's actions that had not been experienced in the seconderay school. Due to the strong changes face the multilple and complex new activities, this stage influences the sucess levels, the academic satisfaction and the decisions on his evasion/permanence in the university as well as in his further professional life. A clear expansion in the brazilian higher education system is addressing to an extension and diversity not only in some disciplines our courses, but it has also been producing an even more heterogeneous discent board, what demands a large investiment both in his own knowlege as in his formation process. As the Tourism student is one of the less known groups, the present work aims to analyse the academic experiences of the student who has just entered the university in relationship to the semester and turn. In this study we had the participation of 35 new students who assisted classes at daytime and nightime turns in a private IES of Minas Gerais state. We utilized as instrument for collecting the data the Questionnaire of Academic Experiences ¿ limited version of (QVA-r) a kinf of a five points Likert scale applied by the end of the first and second semesters of fthe course. The general average value obtained in the total assembly of the data was of 3,72, and in the domains they were: ¿personal¿ (3,09), ¿interpersonal¿ (3,09), ¿career¿ (4,13), ¿study¿ (3,46), and ¿institutional¿ (4,06), and it was observed a meaninful difference between the ¿personal¿ and ¿career¿ domains (Z = -7,143; s = 0,000). The analysis between both turns suggested a significant difference only in the ¿personal¿ domain (t = 1,977; p = 0,056), and between the semesters it was limited to the ¿institutional¿ domain (Z = -2,196; p = 0,028). The whole data show a model of an academic integration of the Tourism student that comes near other graduation courses. The similiarity in the integration process between courses was ascribed to the caracteristics of the nightime student, that did not present in this course a typical profile of the student who has classes in this turn. The lack of observation of an expressive changing process in the integration between one semester and the subsequent suggests the necessity of new studies by collecting information in other moments of frequency to the course, and new data support, in special those ones from qualitative nature, in order to allow the evaluation of the utilized tools / Mestrado / Ensino, Avaliação e Formação de Professores / Mestre em Educação

Student academic progress has been at the centre of concern to all higher education institutions in South Africa. It is understood that student progress emanates from a range of dynamics that gives students different educational experiences. The student cohort at University of Pretoria (Abdulghani et al., 2014) come from diverse cultural backgrounds in South Africa, aptly called the rainbow-nation, and subsequently bring different levels of proficiency and world experiences to the higher education sector. The student population is like a tapestry interwoven from different cultures and includes students from all 'walks of life', rich and poor, alternative lifestyle and background, as well as students who are disabled, and students who have diverse sexual orientations. The transition from school to university is regarded as a time of extreme stress for students arriving at the university door for the first time. The expectations of students are mostly unknown, but educators know that students entering university come from positions of extreme inequality, not only in terms of schooling, but also of financial and other resources. It is well-documented that in addition to all the other changes, a large number of students arrive at the university lacking the necessary knowledge and skills that will help them cope at university. These are largely students that come from underprivileged schools that still bear the ravages of apartheid education. To assist students in overcoming the lack of these skills and bridging the educational gap, higher education has to address these needs. Hence, it is the intention of this research to "explore the undergraduate Information Technology experience of an extended programme". The research is a four-year longitudinal study of IT students in the extended (four-year) IT degrees at UP, and has analysed interviews conducted with IT graduates in a range of professional settings. Taken together, these components have been designed to expand the researcher's understanding of undergraduate IT experience (extended programmes) and the transition from university to the workplace. Furthermore, it focuses on how students in Information Technology experience their education, how they gain knowledge of what Information Technology is, and what their post-graduation plans are. Based mainly on the theoretical framework of Vincent Tinto (1975), this study provides an analysis of research regarding student experiences, retention and withdrawal in the extended four-year programme (E4YP) in IT. The research methodology used to conduct this study includes a mixed methods approach undertaken from more than one point of view. The researcher used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research features. The data was generated by surveys (online questionnaires and mini-questionnaires), mini-essays and the results of statistical analysis using academic results and Students� Academic Readiness Survey (STARS) scores. The findings of this study paint a portrait of typical first-year students irrespective of study direction. Their experiences and journey during the first-year are fraught with issues such as finance, accommodation, transport, gender inequality, institutional hiccups, loneliness and exhaustion, and difficulty in finding their way around campus. However, many expressed experiencing the euphoria of freedom from school/parental rules, meeting new friends and socialising, and enjoying the general feeling of being a university student. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Informatics / PhD / Unrestricted