Predictors of long-term academic outcomes among Naskapi adolescents from Kawawachikamach, a reserve in Northern Quebec, were examined. Adolescents from this community as from other First Nations communities are statistically at risk for high school drop out and lower levels of educational attainment. However, efforts by communities during the past two decades to narrow the gap in educational attainment between First Nations students and the general population has resulted in significant gains for students who live on reserves. / In a series of three initial visits that spanned a year, adolescents from grades 6 through 11 completed a battery of measures used to assess a broad range of components of social competence. Intelligence and school grades were used as markers of the academic success; social perspective coordination and attachment to father, mother, and peers as indices of social adaptation; and identity with Native culture as an index of cultural identity. The follow-up indicators of academic success were based on school records of graduation from high school and of admission and entrance into post-secondary institutions. As expected within the academic domain, both intelligence and school grades contributed to long-term academic achievement. Within the social domain, social perspective coordination skills and attachment to father, but not attachment to mother or peers, promoted academic achievement. Within the cultural domain, lower identification with Native status was associated with school achievement. These findings highlight the need to promote both social and academic competence in the quest to further improve rates of high school graduation and post-secondary enrolment. The link between attachment to father and academic success also suggests that educational interventions should be focused on the family as well as the child. With regard to educational planning, the government-mandated curriculum should be adapted so that the Naskapi and majority education can be integrated in complementary ways rather than being pitted against each other in a way that allows for success on only one. Although each First Nations community is unique with regard to history, culture, language, and educational values, the identification of multiple predictors of academic success among Naskapi adolescents is likely relevant to other communities.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Although the field of coaching psychology has witnessed some theoretical and empirical advances in recent years, this has yet to translate into a commonly accepted theoretical and empirical foundation for coaching practice. Rather, coaching practice has run well ahead of related theory and research, and resulted in the establishment of an industry that lacks firm foundations. This doctoral dissertation reports on a series of reviews and empirical studies designed to further the development of evidence-based coaching practice (EBCP). A review of the relevant literature revealed that the development of solid evidence-based foundations is critical if coaching is to realise its promise and potential. As events surrounding the decline of the human potential movement (HPM) in the 1960s and 1970s indicate, the absence of theoretically-based rationales and solid research support may be a reliable predictor of decline for particular treatment modalities. Whilst the development of EBCP has important implications for the formal preparation of coaches, pedagogical recommendations to industry educators are difficult whilst the characteristics of the coaching industry remain hidden. In order to develop the profile of the Australian coaching industry, a survey was conducted of 148 practicing coaches. The results of this study revealed the presence of a diverse local industry. Despite the existence of a small core of highly experienced practitioners, the majority of coaches appeared to have little coaching experience and greatly varied skills and experience. Interestingly, only 20% of respondents reported any formal training in psychology or the other helping professions. Given recent data that suggests mental health issues may sometimes be encountered in coaching (Green, Oades, & Grant, 2006; Spence & Grant, in press), it is concluded that the majority of coaches lack the skills and knowledge to identify and deal effectively with such eventualities. As the development of an informed strategy for dealing with mental health issues would move the practice of coaching onto a more professional footing, it is recommended that coaches receive basic training in the identification and appropriate referral of such issues. Much of the work presented in this dissertation is based on the presupposition that client outcomes can be optimised through the use of EBCP. However, as this assumption has yet to be empirically tested, a total of 63 participants took part in a 10-week life coaching program. The results showed that when life coaching was conducted by coaches trained in cognitive-behavioural solution-focused (CB-SF) coaching methods (i.e. professional coaching), as opposed to untrained peers (i.e. peer coaching), participants were more engaged in coaching and reported significantly greater goal attainment, goal commitment and environmental mastery. Effective goal-directed self-regulation requires that individuals remain focused on their goals overtime, whilst managing a steady stream of disturbances that can destabilise goal directed effort. In this regard, the construct of mindfulness has much conceptual relevance. Mindfulness reflects the unique human capacity for directing conscious awareness via the controlled deployment of attention. After an extensive review of the scholarly literature, three alternative conceptualisations are presented (i.e. Eastern religious, socio-cognitive and cognitive-attentional perspectives), accompanied by a description of the mindfulness skills training practices associated with each. A total of 72 participants then took part in a study to assess the impact of three mindfulness training (MT) programs on mindfulness, goal-directed self-regulation, mental health and wellbeing. The results revealed that all the MT programs were effective in significantly increasing mindfulness and a variety of mental health and wellbeing indicators. Importantly, MT was also found to significantly increase goal attainment; suggesting that MT may be a valuable addition to EBCP. Goal attainment is a key dependent variable in coaching research. However, the measurement of goal attainment has yet to receive much attention in the coaching literature. As most empirical coaching studies have reported findings based on measures that rely exclusively on subjective measures of performance (measures that are susceptible to several forms of distortion and bias), some key issues relating to the measurement of goal attainment are reviewed and explored in detail. From this review, goal attainment scaling (GAS) is identified as a potentially useful methodology with which both researchers and practitioners can document and evaluate coaching outcomes. The final study pulls together the threads from work presented to that point, and integrates them into a practice framework for coaching. A total of 42 participants took part in this study, which investigated the efficacy of using MT and CB-SF coaching to facilitate the attainment of health goals. The results showed that the delivery of MT prior to (rather than after) CB-SF coaching was more effective in facilitating these outcomes. This suggests MT may be important in coaching for helping people prepare for change.

Thesis (M.S.)--California Polytechnic State University, 2009. / Title from PDF title page; viewed on Mar. 25, 2009. "March 2009." "In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree [of] Master of Science in Psychology." "Presented to the faculty of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo." Major professor: Lisa I. Sweatt, Ph.D. Includes bibliographical references (p. 102-103). Also available on microfiche.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Toronto, 2007. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2799.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Cozzens, Susan; Committee Member: Boston, Thomas; Committee Member: Gaughan, Monica; Committee Member: Leggon, Cheryl; Committee Member: Shapira, Philip.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 230-236).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2010. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Sandra D. Sloan, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Workforce Education and Development, presented on October 23, 2008 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: ENROLLMENT, ATTAINMENT, AND OCCUPATIONAL OUTCOME PATTERNS OF SUBBACCALAUREATE BUSINESS STUDENTS: A NATIONAL ANALYSIS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. MARCIA A. ANDERSON Participation in postsecondary education has increased in the last few decades, and subbaccalaureate career and technical education (CTE) is an important part of that educational system. By federal mandate, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has collected data and compiled statistical reports regarding participation in subbaccalaureate CTE through the Career and Technical Education Statistics System. Within subbaccalaureate CTE, one of the most popular programs is business. Although data is collected on subbaccalaureate CTE business students, and even though there are some reports that have specifically included findings regarding these students, very little extensive research has been done on their enrollment, attainment, and occupational outcomes leaving a gap in the research for shareholders in business education. This study attempted to fill that gap. Conclusions from this study indicated that the most significant change in subbaccalaureate CTE business programs over a 15-year period was the decrease in overall enrollment. However, aside from a few exceptions, the composition of subbaccalaureate CTE business students remained stable. The majority population enrolling into subbaccalaureate CTE business programs over a 15-year period were unmarried, White females under the age of 24. The few significant changes included a decrease in the proportion of the White population, an increase in the proportion of the Black population, an increase in the proportion of the Asian/Pacific Islander population, and an increase in the proportion of students 24 and older. Additionally, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of Black, non-Hispanics attaining associate degrees and/or bachelor's degrees. Recommendations for practice included suggesting that shareholders in subbaccalaureate CTE business programs have discussions about the current population being served by subbaccalaureate CTE business programs and determines whether efforts to encourage and recruit members from populations not currently being served should be made in order to diversify the population in this field of study.

The 1950s and 1960s witnessed a period of mass immigration to the UK from former colonies. One of the outcomes of this inward migration was that the children of immigrants entered the UK higher education (HE) systems in order to maximise their life opportunities. Despite their entrance in HE, there is a body of evidence showing that an educational attainment gap at degree level exists between BME students and their White counterparts, even when at the point of entry BME students and their counterparts have nearly identical entry grades, hence showing they are equally equipped. The shortfall between the performance of BME and White students has implications for the sector and society per se. So that a better understanding for the rationale of the degree attainment gap could be gained, adding to the quantitative research demonstrating this gap, 20 qualitative research interviews amongst first and second generation university attendees were completed. To support this work, a case based study approach at Coventry University was undertaken which enabled a deeper understanding of the reasons for specific attainment. The research findings reveal that a number of factors have an influence. The factors are external, namely previous experience at school and the route taken to reach HE, course aspects in relation to the one that is chosen and teaching staff. Internal factors centre on attitudes and aspirations, peers and the individual’s knowledge of HE. The final area to emerge is a middle ground, the image of the institution and its ability to make students feel welcome. Educationalists can do little to influence external factors; however, institutions must take action, through curricular changes, course materials and attitudes of tutors, to minimise their negative impact upon attainment. Attainment statistics demonstrate that the gap has started to reduce; however, it still needs addressing further as degree attainment has the ability to impact individuals’ lives and their employment opportunities. Institutional actions can improve the attainment of all HE students.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Family structure is related to educational attainment; it is evident that individuals from two- parent homes complete on average more years of schooling and are more likely to graduate from high school, attend University and complete University as compared to peers raised in single-parent families. Parental characteristics such as educational level, income and parents, aspirations for their children are variables said to influence schooling outcomes of South African learners. Children from disadvantaged families are less likely to graduate from high school and attend an institution of higher learning. The aim of this study was to explore and describe how single parenting in a disadvantaged community influences a learner's decision to enrol at a higher education institution. An explorative and descriptive research design grounded in a qualitative research approach was utilised. Research participants were purposively selected from two senior secondary schools in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape. Three sets of data, namely (a) grade 12 learners raised by single parents (b) parents of these learners, and (c) principals and grade 12 Life Orientation teachers were collected for greater insight of this situation. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and field notes were used to collect the data. Tech's eight steps of data analysis were used. Ethical considerations such as confidentiality, voluntary participation, and informed consent from learners, parents, teachers and informed assent from learners younger than 18 years of age were adhered to. The greatest influences to enrolling into a higher education institution and the type of institution were family structure and the learner's socio-economic status. Learners feel responsible for taking care of their parents and siblings; therefore feel obligated to work after high school. Those that have the desire to study further are concerned about how they will finance their studies. The Department of Education (DoE) needs to conduct a needs assessment and provide schools with the resources they need. This includes teachers and administrative staff. The resources schools have influence school outcomes. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to do an analysis of what the barriers to enrolling into university and college are at the various schools. When they have identified these barriers they need to tailor-make their information sessions with high school learners so that they have all the necessary information before they assume enrolling at higher education institutions is inconceivable. Schools need to provide the necessary information about university and college; including available funding to learners and their parents from earlier grades. This will be of use to those who genuinely want to study further but are concerned about finances.