The purpose of this study was to utilize the Student Readiness InventoryTM to profile retention and academic success rates for College of Agriculture freshmen. The Student Readiness Inventory (SRI) has been developed to help measure psychosocial issues related to academic achievement and college student retention. This information, combined with high school grade point average and admission test scores from American College Testing (ACT, Inc.), will help advisors and administrators in the College of Agriculture identify potential at-risk students during their first year of college. From SRI test results, a model for intervention will be built to meet the students' specific psychosocial needs, encouraging their persistence in obtaining a degree, and enhancing their college experience. Fifty-five incoming freshmen completed the SRI survey. Overall mean scores indicated that the students scored lower in psychosocial skills including social activity, study skills, academic self-confidence, and communication skills. Student SRI summary profile information will be provided to advisors and administrators to identify and help students who may be "at-risk" for dropping out of school before completing their degrees. The SRI information can help advisors and administrators in designing intervention programs or activities to assist students with improving abilities where they may be deficient. Further utilization of the SRI program may provide data on student trends with regard to retention and academic success for students in the College of Agriculture at Utah State University.

The idea of a scholarship program is almost as old as the oldest institution of higher learning. The universality of such a program is almost completely comprehensive throughout the world. Although the purpose of scholarship programs has varied as much as each of the institutions varies, in most of the situations the programs have been well acclaimed. The success of these programs in terms of the student has often been tested or at least scrutinized. This type of study has been attempted several times. However, both Harris and Endler, in reviewing the literature from 1931 to 1959, report that there is little agreement as to the relative merit of any particular kind of test, scores, grades, or other subjective evaluations used to select successful scholastic achievers. Henceforth, throughout this paper, these selective factors and others to be cited will be referred to as factors or variables predictive of academic success or predictive factors. A more complex type of problem associated with the granting of scholarships has been that of predicting the successful scholarship recipient. That is, the scholarship recipient who will be successful in college. An extensive review of the literature to date reveals only a few scientific studies on the predictors of successful scholarship holders. Most of the studies were conducted in an attempt to predict college success, using the grades for the first year of college as the criterion of success. Therefore, with confusion in the area of predicting college success as indicated by the author cited above, the need for such a study is evident. The purpose of this investigation will be to identify some of the variables which appear to be predictive of or correlates of the successful scholarship recipient. In this study it will be necessary to define what the writer means by successful scholarship recipient. Hereafter the term successful scholarship recipient will refer to those students who have been able to maintain, during their freshman year of college, a grade point average of 3.0 or B average. Universities and colleges generally require that a student maintain at least a grade point ranging from C to B to retain his scholarship. He must also live in accordance with the rules and regulations of the institutions. Very few scholarship recipients, for example, lose their financial aids for reasons of incorrigibility. The criterion for success, therefore will be that of maintaining the grade point average required. In this investigation the writer will attempt to answer the following questions: (a) What type of test scores, grades, evaluations or non-intellectual or biographical factors can be used to identify scholarship recipients who will be successful in college; (b) will the use of several factors together be more predictive of the academic success of scholarship recipients; (c) are nonintellectual or biographical factors useful in selecting scholarship recipients; (d) can the factors predictive of academic success now in use be validated.

The identification of reliable predictors of early academic achievement is imperative for the retention and graduation of all nursing students, and particularly underrepresented minority (URM) students. Students with a high sense of academic self-efficacy exhibit greater persistence and interest in their academic performance, a premise that led to this investigation of self-efficacy as a variable affecting early academic success among baccalaureate nursing students. The purpose of this study was to (a) to determine if a significant relationship existed between academic self-efficacy and successful progression for first semester baccalaureate nursing students in general and URM students specifically, (b) determine the predictive ability of academic self-efficacy on progression, and (c) determine if ethnicity moderates the predictive effect of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy theory, which is grounded in social cognitive theory, was the framework for this study. A cross-sectional, descriptive research design was employed utilizing the College Academic Self-Efficacy Survey (CASES). Correlational analysis and logistic regression were conducted to test the hypotheses. Demographic variables were analyzed regarding their relationship to academic self-efficacy. Although statistical analysis did not support any of the proposed hypotheses, a statistically significant relationship was demonstrated between academic self-efficacy and overall GPA, which, for this population, may have implications for retention. Age and transferring from a four-year institution were significant predictors of progression for this population. Although this study was limited by its lack of generalizability and small sample size, further research related to the effects of academic self-efficacy on academic success are warranted

This study analyzed elementary teachers’ perceptions of their challenges working with children who live in conditions of poverty. This study found that teachers often work with children from very difficult situations, including exposure to alcohol, drugs, violence, and abandonment. This study found that no matter the challenges teachers encounter daily, they remain motivated, dedicated and determined to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of their students. One way they do this is by using Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, which attempts to include various aspects of their students’ daily lives and interests in the curriculum. The teachers in this study were concerned about the number and frequency of mandated tests, which can take away from instructional time. However, this study also found that teachers valued formative assessments to help them meet their students where they are academically. All the teachers reported that establishing partnerships with stakeholders was important to obtain community support for their schools. Although children from a background of poverty will always present challenges, the teachers in this study remained committed to working with their students with respect and appreciation and to meet their personal and academic needs in moving these children towards academic success.

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In this educational study, Caucasian and minority learners’ grade point averages and overall academic success were examined at learning institutions. Several minorities experienced problems with completing college courses at universities and community colleges. Individuals from various racial backgrounds had school enrollment issues compared to Caucasian students without these same issues. This analysis revealed factors that contributed to these learners’ decreased academic attainment. For this study, racial groups were the focus along with their need to improve their impoverished conditions. Minority students needed more educational services such as peer tutoring and academic counseling. These services offered learners the opportunity to expand their educational knowledge and support system (Cohen & Brawer, 2003; Engstrom & Tinto, 2008; Lotkowski, Robbins, & Noeth, 2004). Also, rural and non-rural community colleges and universities were emphasized in this research analysis. In rural areas, minorities had a difficult way of life compared to non-rural regions. For example, Hispanics in a rural community in Ellis, Iowa experienced lower wages. Within Ellis, Iowa, Hispanics had limited employment growth and college degrees (Carr & Kefalas, 2009). Also, this research focused on Caucasian and minority learners’ who attended a junior college. Mississippi’s community colleges were assessed for students’ academic performances. In this examination, the one-way analysis of variance was selected to analyze the minority and Caucasian groups’ statistical data. In addition, the Welch, Post Hoc, and Tukey HSD tests were used to examine the racial groups in this educational study. For this study, only data from Mississippi State University was used for academic purposes. These learners were from 15 different Mississippi community colleges and the students transferred to Mississippi State University. In this study, the minorities and Caucasians transferred to Mississippi State University in the fall semester of 2011. Learners’ first semester cumulative grade point averages were analyzed. Comparing Caucasians with African Americans and Caucasians with Hispanics showed significant differences between their statistical scores. This study ended with suggestions to further evaluate minorities’ grade point averages and social economic status. Recommendations included: college incentives for low income students and single parents. These students needed to attend educational programs such as learning workshops.

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