<p> High attrition rates among Latino students have long been identified as a major problem in college. Few attempts have been made to understand the normative developmental experiences among this population. This study, based on a study of lives, a narrative approach, examines the experiences of urban Dominican-American college students. Their strategies for effectively navigating a wide variety of contexts (e.g., school, work, family, and neighborhood) are analyzed, and implications for their educational efforts are examined within a developmental framework. Gender disparities and immigrant processes are also explored. Two part interviews were completed with eleven participants. The first interview was semi-structured and the second was open-ended. Participants were also asked to collect images that represented success. Analysis of the data focused on gathering the following: 1) identifying `master `cultural narratives of Dominican immigrant experiences, especially those relating to school 2) highlighting the reproduction of culture and identity within the narratives 3) emphasizing and revealing strategies and choices that participants were making to gain success and 4) drawing attention to the immigrant experience and its salience in the psychological and developmental processes of this group of college students. The results showed that daily contexts in men's and women's lives appeared to be gendering educational experiences and opportunities for successful school outcomes. Both male and female participants cited challenges about staying in school with roles being influenced by the current social and cultural-historical context. Men's experience was uniquely challenging; their definition of success was contextualized within a framework that offered limited and negative meanings of masculinity. Women's definition of success focused on the search for independence and the desire to have a family. Education was a means of access to these goals. They experienced protection and support within their contexts. As immigrants, all students experienced a consistent negotiation of "self" and identity that led to transformative behaviors in themselves and their contexts. The current research aspires to contribute to understanding the complexity of psychological processes in immigrant groups living in the United States--beyond Dominicans and other Latinos. Of salience, it implies that institutional practices may contribute to the disengagement of young men of color.</p>

<p> The current study examined the creation and implementation of a dramatic arts integrated curriculum in an early childhood classroom. The goals were to support ongoing development and growth in the children with whom I work, to explore the development of an enriching curriculum, and to improve my own teaching practice through reflection. I used an action research design over the course of seven weeks (six cycles of action research) in a preschool classroom in a laboratory school located in Northern California. Data consisted of video documentation, field notes, and my written reflections. The findings of this study supported previous research in the field and made visible the growth of the children who participated in the activities. In addition, I improved my ability to create curriculum and enhanced my own teaching practice. Based on this work, I hope to provide a curricular framework as a resource to share with professionals in the field who have an interest in including dramatic arts in their classroom.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-10, Section: A, page: 4218. Adviser: Mohammad R. Torabi. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 20, 2008).

Thesis (Psy.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2005. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-02, Section: B, page: 1184. Chair: Judith Kaufman. Available also in print.

The number of high school graduates entering college needing to take developmental math courses is increasing. Gilmer State College (a pseudonym) introduced customized scheduling in which students identified as at risk after scoring low on the math entrance exam are placed in the developmental math course and additional courses that traditionally have a pass rate of 75% or better. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in passing and retention rates between 1st-time college freshmen who attended Gilmer State College before the customized scheduling and after the customized scheduling was implemented. This study was based on Adelman's theoretical framework of academic momentum because students tend to continue their studies when experiencing initial success. In this causal-comparative study, archival passing and retention rates for students identified as at risk from the previous 5 years were compared to 137 students who took the developmental math as a part of the aforementioned customized schedule in the fall semester of 2017. The chi-square test indicated that there was not enough evidence to support an increase in student passing rates in developmental math courses when taken as part of a customized course schedule (p = 0.054) but did show a statistically significant difference in retention rates (p < 0.001). The results of this study might generate positive social change by providing a framework in which collegiate institutions can help to discover alternative methods of helping at risk students succeed academically.

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Developmental mathematics courses are intended to help underprepared students but often are a barrier for hundreds of students who fail these courses. High failure rates prevent students from achieving their academic goals, therefore; educational institutions are looking for methods to increase success in these courses. Such was the case at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), where high failure rates in developmental mathematics presented problems to the institution and its students. To increase pass rates in developmental education courses, a college-wide redesign initiative introduced in 2009 led to the implementation of a research-based model for developmental education. This model would be implemented in the form of Academic Success Centers (ASC) incorporating practices tailored to increase student success and persistence. To examine success rates of students taking developmental education courses in the ASCs, the College conducted a longitudinal predictive analytics study known as the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID). The CHAID analyzed student success and retention of 10,051 developmental mathematics students over two academic terms. Additionally, the CHAID identified highly successful developmental mathematics teachers. These teachers, and the environment in which they taught (ASCs), became the basis of this qualitative study. The purpose of the study was two-fold. First, it focused on identifying pedagogical practices of highly successful developmental mathematics faculty who taught in the Academic Success Centers at FSCJ. Second, it focused on the areas of impact of the ASC as an environmental factor in student success. Data collected through observations, interviews, and documented analysis, along with the use of text mining, revealed that patterns emerged among participants in which they shared common beliefs about the importance of communicating with students, forming relationships with students, lecture and lab practices, the availability of physical resources, and the availability of academic support services within the environment where they interacted with their students. The intent of using the evidence from the key findings is to provide community college leaders with insight into pedagogical practices shared by highly successful developmental mathematics teachers and the role the learning environment serves in meeting students’ educational needs. / text

Success rates for students in developmental education are dismal. The greatest need for developmental education instruction occurs in mathematics, where high numbers of underprepared students generate great concern and the need for substantial changes in higher education institutions. With higher rates of students requiring remediation in the community colleges, the identification of effective policies and practices in developmental education is necessary to increase the achievement rates of developmental education students, and more specifically developmental mathematics students. This study explored the relationship between developmental mathematics student performance and developmental education programs of the Urban Community College District colleges. In addition, this study set out to identify institutional characteristics between colleges whose developmental mathematics students met state mandated academic outcomes at higher rates than their sister colleges. / text

Developmental education is a vital component to the transition from secondary to post-secondary education and has been the subject of much discussion related to current challenges faced in the changing academic environment. Through examination of three successful movements in higher education, the service-learning, Open Educational Resources (OER) and sustainability movements, attributes of effective reform will be discussed and analyzed. Levers for transformative change in post-secondary education will be discussed and applied to developmental education in an attempt to resituate developmental education and provide proactive suggestions for reform. / text

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.