Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2007. / Title from title screen (site viewed Aug. 2, 2007). PDF text: vi, 110 p. : col. ill. UMI publication number: AAT 3256644. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis advisor: Irwin Blumer / The focus of this dissertation is the student voice in College Bound (CB), a pre-college preparation program at Boston College. College Bound has existed on the Boston College campus for more than twenty years as an academic enrichment and supportive program that benefits urban students from two Boston Public high schools. The two essential questions of the research are "What do students say they learn at CB?" and "What suggestions do students have to improve the CB Program?" Literature about the importance of the student voice in the educational enterprise is reviewed as a means of giving context to the study. Primary data included student surveys (n=29), interviews (n=12), and focus groups (n=3). Other sources utilized included field notes and observations of the researcher as participant-observer, in addition to official College Bound documents. The constant comparative method was used to analyze data from the primary data sources. Data was also analyzed by data type and findings were presented thematically. Major findings included: CB students know a lot of what is going on and do not attend CB as empty vessels, but bring their own knowledge and experience to the CB Program. Students say they learn academic self-discipline, a more focused search for potential colleges to attend, and value their experience attending the CB program on the Boston College campus. Suggestions for improving the CB Program include: creating a regular schedule, re-establishing a community meeting experience, ensuring a consistent connection with their Boston College mentors, and providing more field trips to other colleges and museums. Participating student voices should be encouraged and respected as an important source of information in educational programs that exist to benefit those very students. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 106-116).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 17, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 220-229). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-237).

Thesis (Master)--University of the Free State, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-81).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 2009. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-198).

Many tertiary institutions are confronted with the challenge of unprepared students. This epidemic is largely due to factors in and out of individuals‟ control. These factors include academic proficiency, course-student match, support and integration, financial stability, preparation, personal circumstances and engagement. The main objective of this study is therefore threefold: Firstly, to describe what student readiness entails; secondly to understand why there is a lack of readiness among first-year Human Resource Management students, and thirdly, to identify and improve upon interventions that prepare students for tertiary education. For this study student readiness refers to the ability of students to meet the basic requirements to successfully enrol for a course without remedial assistance and to successfully complete their studies in the recommended timeframe. The target population of this study focussed on students who registered on a full-time basis for the National Diploma in Human Resource Management for the academic year 2014 (n=117). A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the students and an open-ended questionnaire additionally to the lecturers who teach first-year Human Resource Management students. The study was subjected to various statistical techniques such as Cronbach‟s alpha, t-tests, Pearson moment product correlation and Cohen‟s d. In doing so an improved insight into student readiness and success was developed. The main findings of the study indicated that there is a relationship between the type of schooling and readiness factors as statistical significance was noted. In addition, students who scored high on readiness factors were more likely to succeed in tertiary education. Moreover the number of interventions students is exposed to positively influence student readiness and success. This study has contributed to the body of knowledge which relates to the broader educational environment in South Africa and provides recommendations to address student readiness and success.

College readiness is a challenge for numerous college-bound students in the United States. A recent high school graduate or returning to school student has to contend with collegiate curricula, unfamiliar faculty, and new peers at a foreign institution. Therefore, acclimating to the new environment and new routine of college is necessary for a student’s success. A natural question that begins to arise is whether or not this experience is different for various subjects and disciplines. Mathematics is among one of the main disciplines in which college readiness is a main concern. Further complicating the situation, a true definition of college readiness is yet to be agreed upon. This qualitative study investigates the perceptions of math college readiness (MCR) of ten participants at a small parochial school. A purposeful sample of three types of individuals participated in the study. In particular, it documents teachers’, administrators’, and alumni’s experiences and how these experiences connect to their definitions of MCR. The primary data collection method was semi structured interviews and observations. Three main ideas emerged from the data relating to the definition of MCR: (1) content, (2) student behavior, and (3) school culture. Specifically, the cumulative characteristic of mathematics requires that gaps in knowledge need to be addressed as early as possible to ensure mastery. Student’s behavior allows for the material to be absorbed more efficiently. School culture plays a role in how this environment is formed in which students become learners and citizens in their community. Investigating how MCR is perceived can shed light on how we will better address the needs of a body of students in mathematics remediation. By examining the learning of mathematics we are offered an opportunity to explore the issues to better understand a remedy. This study provides recommendations for other practitioners in mathematics education.

After a review of K12-University partnership models, research into the current local and national education reform context, and an in-depth analysis of contextual factors in the launching of an initiative, the author proposed a program design for K12-University partnerships that included five essential components necessary for successful implementation. These components, also termed leverage points, were: clarity of the problem, outcome planning, a theory of change, clear stakeholder enrollment and commitment, and flexibility. Actively acknowledging and factoring in the fluid nature of public education initiatives, the author framed this program design within that of the emergence principle of complexity theory, which drove the rationale for flexibility in the model. The study then turned to a deep review of the successes and lessons learned from a K12/University partnership that was launched without the benefit of this program design. Finally, the study analyzed this specific K12/University partnership through the lens of the five essential components and made recommendations about the efficacy of this specific model. In the current national climate of declining resources and the need for more effective and innovative partnerships in the K12 and University settings, this program design offered a roadmap for local partnerships throughout the country to positively impact the student success.