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A methodology is developed to address the analyses of combat aircraft attrition. The operations of an aircraft carrier task force are modeled using the systems dynamics simulation language DYNAMO. The three mission-roles include: surface attack, lighter escort, and carrier defense. The level of analysis is performed over the entire campaign, going beyond the traditional single·sortie analysis level. These analyses are performed by determining several measures of effectiveness (MOEs) for whatever constraints are applied to the model. The derived MOEs include: Campaign Survivability (CS), Fractlon of Force Lost (FFL), Exchange Ratio (ER), Relative Exchange Ratio (RER), Possible Crew Loss (PCL), and Replacement Cost (RC). RER is felt to be the most useful MOE since it considers the initial inventory levels of both friendly and enemy forces, and its magnitude is easy for the analyst to relate to (an RER greater than one is a prediction of a friendly force’s victory). The simulation model developed in this research is run for several experiments. The effects of force size on the MOEs ls studied, as well as a hypothetical multimission aircraft deployed to perform any of the three missions (albeit at lower effectiveness than the speciallzed aircraft for their given roles but nonetheless with a higher availability). Evaluation of specific technological improvements such as smaller radar cross section, higher thrust/weight, improved weapons ranges, is made using the MOEs. Also, a cost-effectiveness tradeoff methodology is developed by determining the acquisition cost ratio (ACR) for certain modified alternatives the baseline by determining the required initial inventory of modified aircraft to produce the same total effectiveness of the baseline aircraft. / Ph. D.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many researchers turned to remote testing to continue to collect data. This shift provided new insights and exciting opportunities for researchers, including the ability to gain access to larger demographic pools. However, remote work has come with unique challenges. One factor that has proved to be challenging is the level of control researchers have when conducting remote studies. For example, compared to in-lab room setup and design, participants' home environments have numerous distractions for young toddlers (e.g., family members, pets, tv, toys). Thus, the increased variability has led to important questions regarding methodology, implementation, and in the current study, variability in participation. That is, are there systematic biases in final samples due to differences in participant characteristics, such as temperament? Particularly for remote work, the increased variability has created challenges for researchers to collect data but also exciting opportunities to understand how temperament may interact with participation and study completion rates. The current study aimed to understand whether temperament plays a role in study completion rates in remote research for toddlers ages 18 and 24 months. It was expected that effortful control would significantly influence participation and study completion, and that both negative affectivity and surgency would negatively influence participation in the remote study. Both effortful control and negative affectivity were not significantly related to participation, while surgency positively related to participation. / Doctor of Philosophy / Since the pandemic, many developmental researchers shifted from in-person settings to online testing. Although remote testing is not new, this shift provided many research labs with new opportunities to reach more participants. However, with this shift to remote testing, researchers relinquished control that has been designed in the lab, in that each home environment is different. For example, noise, internet speed, and computer size will vary across participants, whereas in the laboratory, these factors remained constant. Moreover, toys, tvs, pets, and/or siblings may be distracting for toddlers participating in a remote study. Thus, these differences across home environments have illuminated differences in toddlers' successful participation. For example, are some toddlers more likely to maintain their attention to the current task? Temperament was investigated in the current study to determine if certain skills may influence study participation and completion rates for toddlers ages 18 to 24-months. It was expected that effortful control (e.g., inhibitory control, attention focusing) would significantly influence the likelihood of a toddler completing the remote task. On the other hand, it was expected that both surgency (e.g., impulsivity, activity level) and negative affectivity (e.g., fear, shyness) would negatively influence task participation. Only surgency positively influenced task participation, and will be discussed in the context of toddler motivation, and engagement in the task.

The Great Resignation has brought a renewed national focus on job quit rates throughout the United States (Gittleman, 2022; Serenko, 2023). Researchers have explored why non-faculty higher education professionals leave the field of student affairs, but few recent studies have considered departure among functional area-specific professionals, with the exception of residence life and housing. Further, while there are studies on burnout, the field lacks research about how the day-to-day reality of fraternity/sorority advising (FSL work) impacts the quitting behaviors of fraternity/sorority advising professionals (FSAs). This general qualitative study was rooted in the sensitizing concepts (Charmaz, 2003) of the weight of the work of FSAs, the complexity of the fraternity and sorority advising job, and the burn-through that exists in fraternity/sorority advising. Participants included nine former campus-based FSAs who left the field from January 2018-December 2023. Data were collected through participant interest forms and semi-structured Zoom interviews to answer the following research questions: 1. How do former campus-based fraternity/sorority advisors describe their former FSA positions and work experiences? 2. What aspects of the fraternity/sorority advising position led to former campus-based FSAs' decisions to quit their campus-based role? Thematic analysis and inductive coding methods were used to analyze the data. Findings included four major themes related to the experiences of former FSAs: unrealistic expectations, challenges that are specific to working in fraternity and sorority life, the impact of the campus environment, and lasting personal effects of the FSA experience. This study offers implications and recommendations for policy and practice, specifically around the areas of training and onboarding, employee well-being, and the resources that are necessary to support the work of FSAs. Further research should explore how various stakeholders define the value of fraternities and sororities and the prevalence and lasting impact of the student affairs practice of burning through and exhausting student affairs professionals for the sake of the college or university. / Doctor of Philosophy / The Great Resignation has brought a renewed national focus on job quit rates throughout the United States (Gittleman, 2022; Serenko, 2023). In higher education, there is research on why non-faculty higher education professionals leave the field of student affairs, but few studies have focused on functional area-specific student affairs professionals, except in residence life and housing. Further, while there are studies on burnout in student affairs, there is limited research on the day-to-day reality of fraternity/sorority advising work (FSL work) and how this reality impacts the quitting behaviors of fraternity/sorority advising professionals (FSAs). The purpose of this study was to explore how the complex nature of FSL work influenced the quitting behaviors of formerly campus-based fraternity/sorority professionals. Nine participants participated in a Zoom interview where they each shared details about their experiences as former FSAs, their ultimate decisions to leave campus-based work, and how their experiences and decisions to quit impacted their lives. Findings from this study include four major themes related to the experiences of former FSAs: unrealistic expectations, challenges that are specific to working in fraternity and sorority life, the impact of the campus environment, and lasting personal effects of the FSA experience. This study offers implications and recommendations for policy, practice and further research that apply not only to fraternity and sorority advising, but also more broadly to student affairs.

Many school divisions throughout the U.S. are having a difficult time retaining teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Ingersoll, R. M., 2004). 'High levels of attrition, estimated to be nearly 8% of the workforce annually, are responsible for the largest share of teacher demand' (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, and Carver-Thomas, 2016, p. 2). According to Ingersoll and Strong (2011), Ingersoll and Perda (2011), and Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2016), reasons as to why teachers decide to leave the profession or change teaching locations include: job satisfaction, school demographics, student discipline, lack of administrative support, lack of teacher autonomy, and new teacher mentor programs. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify mentor and mentee teachers' perceptions about the current mentoring program and their recommendations for future revisions that will increase teacher retention. An urban, central Virginia school division was selected for this study. Participants selected for this study have served as a mentor teacher for new teachers hired into the selected division or have recently been hired into the division. The division has approximately 260 full-time teaching professionals. From the beginning of the 2013-14 school year to the conclusion of the 2015-16 school year, 125 teachers were replaced. The attrition rate of the selected division is approximately double the attrition rate in the Commonwealth of Virginia (Pitts, 2017). Mentoring programs appear to be among the prominent approaches to teacher retention (McCann and Johannessen, 2010). The researcher sought to determine perceptions of mentor teachers regarding their suggestions for improvement in the current mentor program as a determining factor in whether teachers decide to remain in their current positions. This study yielded eight findings and six implications. / Ed. D. / School divisions throughout the United States have struggled to retain teachers from year to year. Several reasons for this phenomenon were identified in the review of literature. Teacher mentor programs was the specific area the researcher selected to guide this study. This quantitative study focused on the perceptions of teacher mentors and teacher mentees and how their mentor program addressed teacher retention. Data were collected using survey methodologies. Participants for the study were selected from one small urban school division in Virginia. Through this study, the researcher identified eight findings and six implications. One limitation for this study was the small sample size. A suggestion for future research would be to expand the population of participants to include many more school divisions.

Special education faces persistent challenges with teacher attrition and retention in the ever-changing landscape of education post COVID-19. Using empirical research and scholarly insights, this systematic review investigates the factors that influence whether special educators choose to continue or leave their jobs following the pandemic. Central to this investigation are the aspects that influence educators' career decisions pre pandemic, such as job satisfaction, working conditions, support systems and opportunities for professional growth. Through this exploration, we gain insights into the reasons why special education teachers choose to stay or leave their roles. The study emphasizes the pressing need to address the issue of losing education teachers and finding replacements. Teacher turnover not only affects student success by reducing teacher effectiveness, but it also disrupts collaborations and negatively impacts those who remain. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory framework adds depth to our understanding of these dynamics by providing information that can help improve teacher training programs and assist policymakers in addressing the pressing challenges of special education teacher attrition and retention. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the factors post COVID-19 that are crucial for making empirical-based changes to support and retain education teachers. Although this study sheds light on the factors influencing teacher turnover and retention it acknowledges its limitations in establishing causal relationships among these factors. Nevertheless, the study's findings lay a groundwork for research and interventions based on evidence to strengthen the special education workforce in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Client pre-treatment expectations have a significant impact on psychotherapy outcome, therapeutic alliance, and attendance. Client expectations are thought to account for approximately 11-14% of variance in premature termination from psychotherapy. However, measures that conflate treatment beliefs and distinct measurement techniques for the same outcome construct obscure the relationship between expectations and psychotherapy outcomes. Clarifying these associations is necessary to support development of useful methods and processes that support client retention in evidence-based treatments. With drop-out rates of approximately 20% across treatment settings, and as high as 69.4% in psychology training clinics, risk of attrition is a significant liability to effective treatment. The meta-analytic findings presented herein clarify the association of pre-treatment expectations with psychotherapy outcome, considering competing definitions for client expectations and discrepant psychotherapy outcome measurement. Implications for attrition, treatment outcomes, and therapeutic alliance are discussed.

Doctor of Education / The Perceptions of Elementary Teachers on their Induction Program and Retention Bernette D. Brock General Audience Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine teacher perceptions of induction programs and their decision to remain in teaching. The participants in this study included elementary teachers in one rural Virginia school division. Quantitative research methods with a survey methodology were used to gather data about the participants induction experiences, induction program length, and induction activities. Three open-ended questions were also included to allow participants to share additional information about their induction experiences that was not captured in the survey questions. School divisions can benefit from this quantitative study to attract, train and retain teachers as they look for strategies to recruit and retain teachers. Findings indicate that a well-organized structured induction program that include the assignment of a mentor, facilitator, or coach, along with participation in professional development were perceived to be the most valuable induction activities by elementary teachers in this study for both development and retention.

This study conceptualized remedial education as an attrition process in which students either progress onto the next stage or they do not, and had a particular emphasis on how age affects students’ remedial path. The purpose of this quantitative study was twofold. The researcher first sought to understand the points at which students fail to progress within the remedial math process (enrollment in remedial coursework, completion of the remedial sequence, enrollment in a college-level course, and passing the college-level course), and to statistically model the pre- and post-college entry predictors of that attrition among first-time, associate degree-seeking students referred to remedial math in community colleges in Louisiana. The study also had a particular focus upon the effect age has on students’ ability to successfully remediate. Longitudinal, student-level data from ten community colleges in Louisiana were used for the analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was utilized to answer the research questions. Results showed the first step in the remedial process (enrolling in a remedial math course) to be the greatest attrition point, with 88.2% of students failing to enroll in a remedial math class. Gender, high school GPA, age, full-time enrollment, and college GPA were found to be significant predictors of remedial math course enrollment. In terms of the second step (enrollment in a college-level math course), age, extent of remedial math need, unmet financial need, high school GPA, and college GPA were found to be significant predictors. By the third step (enrollment in a college-level math course) and fourth step (passing, with a grade of C or better, a college-level math course), the significant covariates narrowed to extent of remedial math need and college GPA, respectively. With regards to age, this study’s findings reveal that age matters during the first two stages of remediation (enrollment in a remedial math course and completion of the remedial math sequence). Specifically, age decreases the likelihood of enrolling in a remedial math course but increases the likelihood of completing the remedial math sequence.