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The exit/entry patterns of students in higher education have been a matter of concern to college administrators and counselors for over half a century. The purpose of this study was to identify certain characteristics commonly associated with persistence in order to determine if these same characteristics are likewise predictive of success in teacher training programs. The data base was the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. This study was an investigation designed to observe the educational and vocational activities, plans, aspirations, and attitudes of high school seniors of that year and subsequent years through three follow-up studies. The sample design was a two-strage probability sample with schools as the first stage and students as the second stage. The sample was highly stratified with variables such as type of control, geographical region, minority group enrollment, and level of urbanization making up the strata. The base year questionnaire was administered in the spring of 1972 and consisted of 104 questions. Subsequent follow-ups in 1973, 1974, and 1976 asked questions similar to those asked int he base year and others necessary to ensure continuity of data. The sample used for the present study consisted of 472 prospective teachers. Identifying education as a major and aspiring to teach was the method used to determine sample members. Additional criteria were used to select migratory and non-migratory prospective teacher sub-groups. The sub-groups identified were persisters, drop-ins, drop-outs, late entries, program transfers, and college transfers. Since most students move into migratory patterns due to one or more intellectual or non-intellectual reasons, the present study was designed to compare certain selected factors hypothesized to have a relationship with this movement. Ability, satisfaction with the college environment, values, and self-concept were factors chosen for this comparison. Ability was determined in the base year from standardized tests such as the Scholastic Achievement Test. The students' feelings toward their instruction, social life, campus resources, and curriculum were used as a measure of satisfaction. Having lots of money, being a leader in the community, living close to parents, and correcting social ills were used to determine values. Self-attitude, self-worth, external satisfaction, and internal satisfaction were factors selected to measure self-concept. Levels of satisfaction, values, and self-concept were collected in all three follow-up studies. Ability was determined only in the base year. The design of the investigation was to compare the only nonmigratory group, persisters, with other prospective teacher sub-groups considered migratory. Comparisons were made using the persistence characteristics identified earlier, namely, ability, satisfaction, values, and self-concept. Additional comparisons were made between prospective teacher sub-groups on the basis of race, sex, and type of institutionalized control. Longitudinal trends were incorporated into these comparisons. Prospective teacher sub-groups were also examined in relation to financial assistance. The results suggest that ability and satisfaction measures can provide a persistence index that permits differentiation between certain prospective teacher groups. There is a further indication that ability tests provide a clear distinction between minority and non-minority prospective teachers. Ability and certain self-concept and satisfaction measures provide a distinction between males and females in teacher training programs. Differences among private and public college prospective teachers can be seen with selected achievement tests. Public college late entries and drop-outs are more dissatisfied with the college environment than any other prospective teacher group. Finally, a relationship exists between the amount of financial assistance and the various prospective teacher sub-groups. This relationship is most pronounced for late entry students.

College is a time of emerging identity and habit formation for students. One hundred and sixty-two (162) college students were surveyed via an internet based survey. The survey asked questions regarding dietary habits such as consumption of dairy, vegetables, fruit, and protein. The survey also examined dietary knowledge such as ability to read food labels. The students were divided into two groups for analysis, nutrition majors and non-nutrition majors. The two groups differed in Body Mass Index (BMI) (p=0.004), but not nutrition knowledge (p=0.082). The nutrition students had an average BMI of 22.0+/-2.42 and a nutrition knowledge score of 2.44+/-0.60, while the non-nutrition majors had an average BMI of 23.9+/-4.50 and a knowledge score of 2.22+/-0.55.

This study was designed to analyse university presidents' perceptions of the student role in university governance. A comparison of these perceptions was made with the written policies and with student perceptions of actual student participation in the governance process on the individual campuses. These comparisons were made to determine if the presidential responses were congruent with or divergent from the stated policies and the perceived practices. The areas of university governance that were investigated were: faculty concerns, student services, physical plant, academics, and administrative concerns. A review of literature was conducted to determine what areas should be considered when dealing with student participation in the university governance process. This information provided a basis from which a questionnaire was developed for the purpose of interviewing university presidents, student leaders, and student government advisors. Handbooks, policy manuals, and other documents stating policies were obtained from the sample institutions to ascertain what the written policies were for each campus. The interviews with the student leaders and advisors provided information that was used to determine the student-perceived practice of university governance on each campus. A content analysis was made of the presidential responses and then the comparisons were made and placed on tables to simplify recording the information. The findings of the study indicate that there are many varied perceptions among university presidents in regard to the student role in university governance. The highest rate of congruency with stated policy and with student-perceived practice on campus came in the area of student services. The lowest rates of congruency were found in both the academic concerns and the administrative concerns. There were no strong patterns shown in making comparisons based on the type of institution, state or private, or the size of the institution, the three largest institutions as compared to the three smallest institutions. In the beginning of the study two predictions were made in regard to the presidential responses. These predictions were stated as follows: (1) The presidents' perceptions of the student role in university governance of state institutions will be more divergent from the stated policies on the student role in university governance than the perceptions of presidents of private institutions. (2) The smaller the institution, the more congruent the presidential perceptions of the student role in university governance will be with the student-perceived practice of university governance. In the final analysis, that made by totaling all responses, it can be concluded that prediction number one is true. The final analysis proves prediction number two to be false. There is a higher rate of congruency among the larger institution presidents than among the smaller institution presidents.

This study examines many of the common and unique barriers and obstacles that foster care youth encounter when transitioning into postsecondary education. It also considers how these obstacles affect the degree of commitment and persistence toward education aspirations and results. The subjects for the study were Indiana former foster care youth who received educational support funding through Educational Training Vouchers to enroll and attend postsecondary education for the academic years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.The data set used in this study constitutes the first and only comprehensive data on postsecondary enrolled former foster care youth in Indiana. Also of note, this study will begin to shine a light on the unique challenges faced by resource steams targeted to assist this population. By analyzing this available data using quantitative statistical research methods including logistic regression, those variables, which can be shown to be significant factors to educational continuation, will be discussed. And equally important, using these statistical methodologies, factors which do not hold significance to persistence are pointed out and discussed.By using quantifiable, structured, statistical methodology, relationships were explored between many variables including gender, ethnicity, degree type, grade point average and county of wardship. Implications for future research are included. / Department of Educational Studies

Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / To investigate the extent of the problem of use of fraudulent academic qualifications in Australia, the study used two approaches under the theoretical framework of risk management. Firstly, the author assessed the potential risk of Australian academic qualifications being falsified and available on the Internet, through an exploratory research question. Secondly, equivalency testing was used to assess how far existing verification tools were being employed by three separate users of academic qualifications in Australia. --p. xix. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1289333 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Education, 2007

Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / To investigate the extent of the problem of use of fraudulent academic qualifications in Australia, the study used two approaches under the theoretical framework of risk management. Firstly, the author assessed the potential risk of Australian academic qualifications being falsified and available on the Internet, through an exploratory research question. Secondly, equivalency testing was used to assess how far existing verification tools were being employed by three separate users of academic qualifications in Australia. --p. xix. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1289333 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Education, 2007

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Communication & Culture. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-104). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004 & res_dat=xri:pqdiss & rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation & rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR29630.

Thesis (M.A.)--George Mason University, 2008. / Vita: p. 105. Thesis director: Amy L. Best. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed July 3, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-104). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-135).