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This study used semi-structured interviews of athletic directors to present a descriptive narrative of academic support provided to student athletes in five Southern California high schools. These interviews highlighted what supports were provided as well as structures that would better support student athletes. The impetus of this study was the mixed findings regarding the academic performance of student athletes in comparison to their non-athlete peers. While high school students must satisfy academic requirements to remain eligible to participate, California high schools are not required to provide academic support to their student athletes (California Interscholastic Federation, 2017). Without an obligation to provide academic support, some schools may not (or cannot) invest in the resources needed to ensure that student athletes remain academically eligible, causing further disparate outcomes. The purpose of this research was to investigate what academic supports were being provided by five Southern California high schools to ensure that all student athletes were eligible to play their sport while achieving academic success. Additionally, the study further uncovered what structures athletic directors believed would better support their student athletes. This study applied the Total Person Program (TPP), a framework utilized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), as a basis of holistic supports for student athletes. Through analysis of the interviews, the researcher curated strategies that were being used to support the academic performance of student athletes and synthesized the ideas about structures that would better support student athletes. The results revealed that a collaborative approach is needed to implement various academic supports. The athletic directors identified that structures need to change to address the variance in academic performance and support student athletes with applying to college. Findings also point to the leadership capacity of athletic directors.

The academic and social integration of first-generation college students into institutions of higher education continues to be a topic of concern for university administrators, faculty, and staff. Students enter college with different background traits and experiences as well as have different college experiences that can either permit or prohibit their ability to integrate into the college environment (Choy, 2001; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1983). Academic and social integration are two key factors used in predicting whether or not a student will persist from one academic year to the next (Cabrera, Nora, & Castaneda, 1993; Ishitani, 2003). This is especially important for first-generation college students. A student's ability to navigate the college system determines their ability to academically and socially integrate. By understanding how the different background characteristics, pre-college experiences, college experiences, college environments, and academic performances of first-generation college students can influence academic and social integration, universities could increase retention and graduation rates. The development of comprehensive academic support programs by institutions of higher education has been one strategy used to improving the integration of first-generation college students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal impact of comprehensive academic support programs on the academic and social integration of first-generation college students during the 2008 academic year at a large public research university. This study employed a quantitative research design using variables from the 2008 CIRP Freshman Survey and the 2009 YFCY Survey. Astin's Input-Environment-Outcome model (1991) was used to examine the impact of the independent measures selected. The analysis plan utilized statistical weighting, factor analysis, descriptive statistics, and multivariate regressions. The results of this study indicated: 1) first-generation FYE students were not academically integrated into college by the end of the first year but participation in a comprehensive academic support program did have a positive impact on their academic integration; and 2) first-generation FYE students were socially integrated into college by the end of the first year and participation in a comprehensive academic support program did have a positive impact on their social integration. These findings have implications for theoretical frameworks, secondary education, and large public research institutions. / text

<p>The research findings are grouped according to the three themes identified which includes the relevance of the module, the effectiveness of the teaching and learning approaches and methods, and the integration of generic and discipline specific academic literacy. The researcher hopes this study will help illuminate perceptions of part-time students&rsquo / about the Academic Literacy for Commerce course and also how it can be improved to better serve the needs of part-time students.</p>

<p>The research findings are grouped according to the three themes identified which includes the relevance of the module, the effectiveness of the teaching and learning approaches and methods, and the integration of generic and discipline specific academic literacy. The researcher hopes this study will help illuminate perceptions of part-time students&rsquo / about the Academic Literacy for Commerce course and also how it can be improved to better serve the needs of part-time students.</p>

Magister Artium - MA / The research findings are grouped according to the three themes identified which includes the relevance of the module, the effectiveness of the teaching and learning approaches and methods, and the integration of generic and discipline specific academic literacy. The researcher hopes this study will help illuminate perceptions of part-time students' about the Academic Literacy for Commerce course and also how it can be improved to better serve the needs of part-time students. / South Africa

A generally untested assumption within the stereotype threat literature is that it is only those individuals who are highly identified with a domain who will be susceptible to stereotype threat. Further, many of the studies on stereotype threat have been confined to artificial laboratory settings and have been conducted on American samples. The current study aimed to develop a measure of domain-identification in order to test this central assumption of stereotype threat theory on a sample of students in a humanities access programme in a South African university. Results indicate that the experience of stereotype threat varies with respect to the combination of 1) the degree of domain-identification, and 2) the degree to which students are aware of negative domain-relevant stereotypes. That is, students who were highly domain-identified and were highly or moderately aware of negative stereotypes performed worse than highly domain-identified individuals who had low levels of awareness of others negative stereotypes about their in-group. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

The main aim of the study was (1) to identify errors committed by learners in financial mathematics and (2) to understand why learners continue to make such errors so that mechanisms to avoid such errors could be devised. The following has been hypothesised; (1) errors committed by learners are not impact upon by language difficulties, (2) errors committed by learners in financial mathematics are not due to prerequisite skills, facts and concepts, (3) errors committed by learners in financial mathematics are not due to the application of irrelevant rules and strategies. Having used Polya’s problem-solving techniques, Threshold Concept and Newman’s Error Analysis as the theoretical frameworks for the study, a four-point Likert scale and three content-based structured-interview questionnaires were developed to address the research questions. The study was conducted by means of a case study guided by the positivists’ paradigm where the research sample comprised of 105 Grade-10 Mathematics Literacy learners as respondents. Four sets of structured-interview questionnaires were used for collecting data, aimed at addressing the main objective of the study. In order to test the reliability and consistency of the questionnaires for this study, Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated for standardised items (α = 0.705). Content analysis and correlation analysis were employed to analyse the data. The three hypotheses of this study were tested using the ANOVA test and hence revealed that, (1) errors committed by learners in financial mathematics are not due to language difficulties, as all the variables illustrated a statistical non-significance (2) errors committed by learners in financial mathematics are not due to prerequisite skills, facts and concepts, as the majority of the variables showed non-significance and (3) errors committed by learners in financial mathematics were due to the application of irrelevant rules and strategies, as 66.7% of the variables illustrated a statistical significance to the related research question.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which academically successful first-generation college students, compared to academically successful non-first-generation college students, used academic support programs provided by UNT and to measure their perception of the benefits of these programs. Differences were examined using information gathered from a Graduate Student Survey administered to students graduating in fall 2006 from the University of North Texas. Analysis of the data from the survey indicated that there was no statistical significance between the use and perception of benefit of academic support programs between the two groups. Overall, students that used academic support programs provided by the university believed they benefited from the programs they utilized. Both groups indicated that they believed the Math Lab provided the most benefit. The Graduating Student Survey also examined input, environment and output factors of academically successful first-generation and academically successful non-first-generation students. Again, both groups indicated similar responses to the questions asked. First-generation college students in this study were successful in graduating from the University of North Texas and utilized some of the resources provided by the university to do so.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The purpose of this study is to determine the nature of support services offered to Extended Curriculum Programme students in a South African university. The primary goals of support services in higher education are to support students holistically and reduce barriers to learning in the teaching and learning environment. One of the faculties in a South African university established a support unit to assist with the low throughput level. The academic support unit is housed in the Academic Development Department (ADD) in a faculty. The unit attempts to address the needs of underachieving students in the Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP). The thesis first identifies the challenges the ECP students are experiencing. Then, support services in the university and in the support unit are described. Thereafter, the challenges experienced by the centre of support services in the university and the support unit are illuminated. Qualitative data was gathered through individual interviews with senior management. Then, a focus group discussion with tutors who volunteer in a support unit was facilitated and lastly the staff members employed in the support unit were also interviewed individually. The thesis was able to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to learning the ECP students are experiencing. It became evident that the support services available in the university and the support unit are not sufficient to address the needs of the students. The challenges the support service centre of the university and the support unit are experiencing are twofold. The first is a lack of organisational resources that hinders service delivery, the second is a lack of skills and expertise in attain structures that limits the provision of support services.