In response to the increasing cost of college, colleges and universities are leveraging financial aid and academic support services to implement access and success programs intended to help financially disadvantaged students afford and persist through a baccalaureate degree program. This research is a study of the efficacy of one such program at a large research university in the southwestern region of the United States. The study sample included low-income program participants in four cohorts of freshmen enrolling for the first time in college from fall 2007 (Cohort 1) to fall 2010 (Cohort 4) and a comparison group of almost 400 low-income freshmen who enrolled for the first time in college in fall 2006 (the year prior to program implementation) for a sample total of over 2150 students. Approximately 64% were female, 36 % were males, over 60% were African American and Hispanic, and over 75% were first generation college students. Logistic regression was used to measure probability and odds of their academic success and retention in the first year of college utilizing gender, ethnicity, parental degree attainment, and program participation as the independent variables. The logistic regression models illustrated that participation in the program netted a consistently positive and significant impact on academic success across all cohorts, increasing the odds ratio for academic success no less than three times in favor of program participants vis-à-vis the comparison group. The statistical models illustrated that the program netted a slight positive impact on the odds of retention, particularly for African American students. Therefore, the principle implication that might be drawn from this study is that by strategically leveraging financial aid and academic support services, access and success programs can facilitate higher rates of academic success and retention for financially disadvantaged college students.

Throughout public discourse, sleep, despite being a physiological function and an important facet of an individual's health, is frequently utilized as a rhetorical device to comment on an individual's productivity within society. As Antje Richter (2003:34) explains, to consider someone early to rise yet late to bed is less a comment on their sleeping behavior and more an assessment of their dedication to their business. Too often productivity is conveyed as existing in the absence of sleep, an idea that has contributed to the association of sleep with laziness (Yi 2003:60) and a general misuse of time (Richter 2003:36). The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between sleep and personal perspectives of productivity within a college population. Utilizing in depth, ethnographic semi-structured interviews, and working with 25 college students from the University of Central Florida, it was found that the standards and expectations students have internalized regarding their productivity are influencing the way in which they are practicing in their daily sleeping behaviors and ultimately influencing the amount of sleep they get each night.

Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTEs) have been a topic of research and interest among voice specialists for over three decades. An SOVTE is "any exercise in which the vocal tract is made partially closed at or near the lips." When this kind of occlusion occurs there are numerous consequences that follow, but of primary interest is a beneficial change of impedance. These beneficial changes are still being studied, but efficiency in phonation, as well as a shift in the configuration of the vocal folds during phonation are two significant findings thus far. Efficiency in vocal production is paramount to a performer's vocal health. Therefore, a dissipating impedance or a hindering reactance would be undesirable. Research over the last three decades has largely addressed the degree of reactive inertance possible through such impedance and its health benefits on the speaking and singing voice. The performing arts health aspects of these benefits are increasingly relevant to professional voice users. Although research on SOVTEs has become plentiful and widely available to voice teachers, it is unknown how or if this population is digesting the current performing arts health research and implementing it within their vocal instruction. Understanding the extent to which SOVTE science is known and implemented by the current voice-teaching population could inform the current and future voice-science community on how to best alter the dissemination of upcoming research.

A strong social support network can be important to an individual’s recovery from addiction of alcohol, drugs, or another addictive behavior. A Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) can provide college students an opportunity to attend college with a network that supports the choice to remain free from addictive substances and other addictive behaviors. While research has established a CRP can serve a purpose on the college campus, less is known about the connection of a CRP and the role of family in recovery. The following study reviews the role of family from the perspective of Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Human Development with emphasis on the family system to describe what behaviors of the family support or hinder the recovery process and how the college student impacts the family through the recovery process. By reviewing a southeastern CRP and reviewing the research regarding the behaviors and relationships of the family in the recovery process, a foundation for future work with college students was established.

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Collaborative learning skills are one of the essential learning outcomes for a college education in 21st century. College students are expected to possess the ability to collaborate with others in order to succeed in their career after graduating from college. However, the effects of collegiate experiences on collaborative learning for different gender and academic areas are almost unexplored. In addition, researchers highlight the need for more research on interaction effects to explore whether different types of students respond differently to various collegiate experiences. The researcher examined the relationship of student-student interactions and student-faculty interactions with graduating seniors' perceived collaborative learning skills. Furthermore, the researcher explored whether this relationship was moderated by students' gender, academic area, and retrospective perception of their collaborative learning skills. Social-cognitive learning theory and Astin's involvement theory were used as conceptual frameworks to guide this study. Astin's input-environment-output college impact model served as a theoretical guide. Using an institutional cross-sectional data set, multiple regression analysis was utilized to examine these relationships. According to the results, the relationship between student-student interactions and graduating seniors' perceived collaborative learning skills was positive after controlling for the other independent variables in the study. Further results revealed that the relationship of student-student interactions and student-faculty interactions with the outcome variable was moderated by students' gender, academic area, and retrospective perception of their collaborative learning skill. The relationship between student-faculty interactions and the outcome variable was significantly weaker for male students, whereas the relationship between student-student interactions and the outcome variable was weaker for female student. The relationship between student-faculty interactions and the outcome variable was weaker for students in hard pure academic areas when compared to students in soft applied academic areas, while the opposite was observed for the relationship between student-student interactions and the outcome variable. The findings of the present study can be used to shape students' interactions with faculty and their peers with the awareness that these impact different types of students in different ways. / Ph. D.

Dehydration can impact the general population but it is particularly detrimental for athletes, due to their physical performance requirements. Although fluids in general contribute to meeting hydration needs, some beverages aid in the rehydration process more than others. The Beverage Intake Questionnaire (BEVQ-15) is a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that can rapidly assess habitual beverage intake; this FFQ has been validated in children and adults. However, no beverage consumption questionnaire has been validated in athletes. In addition to monitoring fluid intake, hydration status can be assessed through urinary and blood indices. Urine color (UC) has been utilized as a practical hydration biomarker in several populations. However, this biomarker has not been validated among the general population of collegiate athletes. The first study (n=58): formulated a novel whey-permeate-based beverage to promote hydration and assess its sensory characteristics in the general population. The overall acceptability of the beverage was lower than the control beverage, according to a 9-point Likert scale (x̅ = 4.5 – 4.9 and x̅ = 6.7, respectively). The second study (n=120): evaluated the comparative validity and reliability of the BEVQ-15 and UC within NCAA Division 1 collegiate athletes. Associations were noted between the BEVQ-15 and multiple 24-hr dietary recalls (reference method) for total beverage fl oz and kcal (r=0.41 and r=0.47, p<0.05, respectively). There were associations between athlete's UC and urinary specific gravity (USG; hydration biomarker) rated by athletes and researchers (r=0.67 and 0.88, p<0.05, respectively). Lastly, a systematic review was performed to evaluate original research addressing the validity of UC as a hydration biomarker in the adult population more broadly, including athletes and older adults. Eleven of 424 articles met inclusion criteria, and the available research generally reported significant correlations between UC and other hydration indices (r=0.35-0.93). However, limitations in existing research were evident. Although the BEVQ-15 may be a valid beverage intake assessment method in collegiate athletes, additional modifications were identified which could improve its validity. Future work includes re-evaluating the validity and reliability of the BEVQ-15 specifically modified for athletes, as well as assessing the sensitivity of this FFQ to detect changes in beverage intake. / Doctor of Philosophy / Drinking adequate amounts of fluids is important for maintaining normal bodily functions. When body water losses exceed fluid intake, dehydration may result, which can lead to numerous consequences such as headaches, dizziness, decreased mental focus, and fatigue. An athlete, who has high physical demands, may experience these negative consequences as well as muscle cramps, increased strain on the heart, and decreased athletic performance. Some beverages can replenish lost fluids better than others, due to their electrolyte (i.e. sodium, potassium, magnesium) content. This may include whey-permeate based beverages. In order to prevent dehydration, it is important to monitor fluid consumption and fluid losses. A beverage intake questionnaire (BEVQ-15) can be used to quickly assess usual beverage intake. Studies have shown that this questionnaire is accurate in children, adolescents, and adults. However, there are currently no validated methods for usual habitual beverage intake in athletes. This dissertation evaluated the taste of a new whey-permeate hydration beverage, and the accuracy and test-retest reliability of the BEVQ-15 within NCAA Division 1 collegiate athletes and found positive results. Measurements in urine and blood can be also be used to assess hydration status, but some of these methods are more expensive and less practical for daily use in real-world settings. Urine color (UC) has been studied as a hydration indicator, but this dissertation is the first to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of this method within a diverse group of collegiate athletes, in a real-world setting. Our results suggest that UC is a simple and reasonably accurate hydration assessment method when compared to another urinary assessment method. Nonetheless, there is limited research which has studied this topic. Future work can address methods to improve the effectiveness of these approaches for maintaining and evaluating fluid intake and status in the collegiate athletic population.

A review of the research indicates that identifying self as a teacher can be a life-long, complex personal and social process. This researcher investigated 4 pre-collegiate students' construction of a teaching identity during their participation in an introduction to teaching course conducted in a rural high school located in a southeastern state. Two purposes framed this investigation, 1) to gain an in-depth understanding of the pre-collegiate students' past and present experiences related to teaching and the meanings the students make of these experiences, and 2) to examine these experiences as connected to construction of personal teaching identities. Using a life history methodology, data sources included 3 interviews, drawings of self as a teacher, journal writings, and personal experience writings. The findings are presented in 4 narratives one for each participant. Each narrative, represented by an exemplar quote, (i.e., Being There, Being a Kid, Right Heart, Being A Helper) illuminates the nature of the participants' teaching prototype, which emerged from past and present educational experiences. Results indicate that the participants possessed well-defined beliefs pertaining to caring teachers and to teaching as a profession, in addition, to commonly held cultural teaching beliefs. These beliefs guided their course experiences and self-assessment of a teaching identity. Although the identification to a teaching identity varied among the 4 participants, results indicate that 1 participant was actively constructing a storied teaching identity. A storied teaching identity involved a significant nuclear episode with a teacher that became the bound context for a teaching story. This type of high school level career studies course can assist in strengthening the recruitment pool of teacher education candidates and assist in testing a vocational teaching identity. Implications are offered for future research involving pre-collegiate students enrolled in an introduction to teaching course and investigation of storied teaching identities. / Ph. D.