Despite a substantially greater risk factor profile, Hispanics in the United States (US) consistently demonstrate better health outcomes compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts, an epidemiologic phenomenon termed the Hispanic Mortality Paradox. Emerging hypotheses suggest cultural values regarding relational interconnectedness and social support may help to explain these surprising health outcomes. The present study sought to inform these hypotheses via two aims: the first was to examine racial/ethnic differences in perceived social support, and the second was to examine the relationship between acculturation and perceived social support among Hispanic college students. Non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic college students (N = 330) completed an online survey for course credit. Contrary to expectations, no racial/ethnic differences in perceived social support were observed, nor was an association between acculturation and perceived social support evident among the sampled Hispanic students. The limited sample size, homogeneity in social support levels across groups, and the restricted range of age and acculturation may have obscured relationships that may exist outside the college environment. Future work should consider a more heterogeneous sampling strategy to better assess these associations.

Community colleges and for-profit institutions are considered open-access institutions and serve a large proportion of the United States student population. Furthermore, research confirms that students who are minorities, disadvantaged, and nontraditional attend these institutions in greater numbers than highly selective institutions. However, little is known about how these students choose between these two types of open-access institutions. The purpose of this study was to acquire a deeper understanding of the discriminating factors that influence these pathways and determine a predictive model of choice that is generalizable to undergraduate students choosing to attend open-access institutions. The study used the undergraduate portion of the 2011- 2012 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12) as its data source. NPSAS:12 contains a sample of about 95,000 undergraduate and about 16,900 graduate students enrolled between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 in approximately 1,690 Title IV-eligible institutions of higher education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The results of the study indicate that the odds are higher for students attending for-profit colleges and universities than public two-year colleges to: be female; have independent status (24 years of age or older); have dependents; be Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian and Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander; use higher amounts of financial aid; either not have a job or work fulltime; be less likely to attend college part-time; have higher college GPAs; and attend larger institutions. When restricting the sample for at-risk and non-traditional students, the odds for Hispanic and Latino and American Indian or Alaska Native students attending FPCUs increased, whereas the odds of Black or African American students attending FPCUs decreased. The results, implications for policy and practice, and recommendations for future research are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This study investigates two undergraduate curriculum programs at Bishop College in Dallas, in an effort to determine their effects upon selected groups of graduates, as measured in selected areas of their achievement before and after graduation. Conclusions of this study are as follows: 1. Neither curriculum program has attained a statistically significant degree of greater efficiency over the other in areas of students' undergraduate academic achievement, concepts of self and undergraduate academic experiences, and career involvement after graduation. 2. More stringent measurement than that of this study could possibly reveal that the Experimental Curriculum attained greater results to a statistically significant degree in more areas than did the Regular Curriculum. 3. Through achievement of a higher percentage of student retention, the Experimental Curriculum has attained greater effectiveness than the Regular Curriculum. 4. A need exists for increased relevancy of curriculum experiences to community problems. 5. A need exists for increased emphasis upon the student's development of effective self-expression and adequate self-confidence.

Since the close of WWII, higher education has been central to the growth of U.S. science, but the role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)has been under-explored within this narrative. The nation s 105 HBCUs constitute less than one percent of the U.S. higher education community, but consistently have served as a major conduit for the production of African Americans in the sciences, technology, mathematics and engineering. National Science Foundation data reflect an average 29 percent share for the period 1994-2001. The output is even more striking when examined by degrees awarded in disciplinary clusters 50 percent in the agricultural sciences, 45 percent in the physical sciences and mathematics, and 42 percent in the biological sciences. This research explores the role of HBCUs in educating African Americans in science from the boosterism period shortly following World War II, through affirmative action legislation of the 1960s and 1970s, and concluding with current federal policies. A particular analysis is undertaken of Spelman College, a private liberal arts college founded by New England missionaries in the South during the late 19th century as a seminary for former slave women and girls. Spelman presents a unique case to analyze the particularistic characteristics of race, gender and institutional setting within the context of a so-called normative structure of science. Over a 25-year period, Spelman was able to rise beyond the structural limitations of its position as a Black college, a women's college, and a southern college to become one of the single most productive undergraduate institution for African American women earning the baccalaureate degree in science. What new perspectives might the Spelman story specifically and the history of HBCUs generally offer about the history of U.S. science, the notion that careers be open to talent, and current public policy discourse regarding efforts to increase the participation of under-represented racial minorities and women in science, engineering and mathematics? My thesis is that it is the politics of particularlism, not an ideal of universalism, that has fundamentally determined who participates in science and has had a significant impact on HBCUs. Despite these constraints, the contributions that these institutions have made to the U.S. scientific workforce have been enormous.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Not available / text

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Njoki Wane.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-240).

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-28).

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Speech Pathology and Audiology, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-63).