In 2013, one of the largest community college districts in the nation set forth a set of policies intended to improve the persistence and academic achievement of its sizable student population. Policies such as a new student orientation, course placement testing, and academic advising were now required of all first-time students who had their sights set on a degree or transfer to a four-year institution. One policy, however, was only applicable to those students who failed to demonstrate preparedness in the areas of reading, math, or English. For this cohort of students, an additional student success course was mandated that was intended to give these students the academic skills and confidence to persist that they were presumed to lack. While the student success course had been available in the district since the 1980s, it had never been a required course in the district even though many other higher education institutions had adopted it as such. There was no clear rationale as to why this course needed to be required starting in 2013, or why it was being required only of underprepared students. Further, little in the way of preparation occurred or resources provided to ensure the smooth and complete implementation throughout the ten-college district and there were no plans to evaluate the course's effectiveness other than measure each college's compliance to the policy. Thus the stage was set for a multi-lensed analysis of an entire policy lifecycle rather than the typical summative assessment of a policy's implementation. From formation to implementation to effectiveness, this single policy intervention in a single community college district is evaluated formatively. While each substantive formative analysis' content could stand alone, it is the intent of this dissertation to suggest and demonstrate that all are necessary for a complete evaluation of an educational policy.

This thesis explores the potential for creating a composition syllabus that presents a model of good writing, is an enthusiastic invitation to the discipline, and provides a clear roadmap to success, not only for the course, but also for the students’ college career. This is especially useful for an increasingly diverse student community that arrives to college with a varying knowledge of the academic institution, with its specialized language and systems. The project explores the existing research on syllabus crafting, uses current composition studies and a survey of English 100 students to interrogate the rhetorical situation of the author’s own syllabus, and finally reflects upon a section-bysection revision of that syllabus. With a present and positive voice from the teacher that includes students in the process of their own learning, a dynamic composition syllabus can initiate trusting relationships in the classroom, and support greater success for the students.

The purpose of this study was to compare the self-efficacy of two groups of first year teachers working in a large urban school district in North Texas. Twenty-eight of the participants were certified teachers. Ten participants held college degrees unrelated to teaching and were undergoing an alternative certification process. The Teacher Efficacy Scale was administered at the beginning and the end of the school year. Data from this scale was analyzed to determine if there were differences between the regular certification teachers and the alternative certification teachers at the beginning and the end of the school year, and to determine if their sense of efficacy changed over the course of the school year.

Master of Science / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Christy Craft / Abstract Intrusive advising is a concept that developed in the 1970s as a method of working with at-risk students by identifying challenges they faced and solutions to overcome them (Backhus, 1989). Intrusive contacts are those that make early, unsolicited contact with students in the hopes of identifying and resolving academic and social obstacles that would prevent persistence (Frost, 1991). This proactive approach has been experiencing revitalization in the current economic times due to declining funds and changing governmental funding models that would fund higher education on the basis of graduation rather than enrollment. Because 44 percent of first year students do not persist to their second year, this type of governmental funding model has profound implications for administrators (Bushong, 2009). I propose that administrators consider restructuring residence hall personnel responsibilities to include intrusive contacts in an effort to address retention issues. While residence hall personnel will not have the responsibility of scheduling classes, they can begin identifying and addressing issues earlier in the semester. This paper identifies several institutions that currently implement intrusive contacts in their residence halls and the benefits of doing so. These schools have indicated an increase in their students’ grades, commitment and persistence, and overall satisfaction since implementing intrusive contacts (B. Silliman, personal communication, November 1, 2012). The findings also revealed that residence halls with effective intrusive contacts involve collaborative efforts between student affairs personnel and faculty members, engage students in building rapport with staff early in their first semester, and focus on developing students holistically. This report provides a summary of best practices and strategies for implementing these contacts.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Christy Craft / The increasingly integrated presence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on university campuses in recent decades has prompted calls for a better understanding of how students use ICTs in higher education, including the transition to college. While research indicates that students with higher self-efficacy are more likely to persist in college, current research makes few connections between students’ self-efficacy with ICTs and persistence. Additionally, researchers in the area of student retention call for educators to understand how their students perceive the college’s cultural environment so as to help students fit in at an institution and persist. Exploration of ICTs as part of a student’s social, academic, and cultural experiences at the university offers educators and administrators the possibility of modifying the college’s cultural properties in response to student needs. This qualitative study investigated first-year college students and their use of technologies to address the following research question: How do first-year college students perceive their experiences using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the higher education environment? Employing interviews and a phenomenological approach, this study explored the experiences of 19 undergraduate students. Six faculty members or instructors were interviewed about their teaching experiences with first-year students and the extent to which ICTs were incorporated in those experiences in order to provide triangulation of data. Through the analysis of interview transcripts and open coding, three themes emerged regarding how students experience ICTs in higher education. Statements from students and faculty suggest that students experienced ICTs in higher education as: a process of academic integration; situations for which they held internal or external loci of control when using them for academic purposes; and tools to use when becoming socially integrated into the university. The findings of this study have the potential to assist university faculty, instructors, and other staff who are designing courses and services for first-year students. First, the study’s findings indicate that instructors need to be as explicit as possible with their expectations of student use of technology. When students are expected to demonstrate certain behaviors with ICTs those behaviors should be both supported and modeled by faculty and instructors. Secondly, when using ICTs for academic purposes, faculty can help students feel more responsible for their learning by providing them with opportunities to make decisions about how ICTs are used or to incorporate their own problem-solving or learning techniques with ICTs when completing coursework. Finally, faculty, instructors, and other staff should be aware that when first-year students are using ICTs socially, they are trying to create and maintain in-person relationships. Faculty, instructors, and other staff can guide first-year students to events and resources that will help them meet people and locate a social group in which they feel like they fit in.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling, & Student Affairs / Kenneth Hughey / This qualitative study explored the college transition experience of eight first-year students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder at a midwestern research university. Using a three-interview-series model, students participated in structured interviews designed to explore their backgrounds, discuss their current experiences on campus, and discover what they have learned from their college transition experiences. The findings reveal that these students with ADHD did not adequately plan their college transitions, relied heavily on family for assistance with their transition and medical treatment, did not utilize many campus resources available to them, and lacked strategies to manage their ADHD symptoms. Additionally, they found the process of becoming college students to be stressful due to the many responsibilities inherent in the role. Findings also indicate that students relied on medication to perform academically in college; however, they lacked knowledge of medication and treatment options. The results contribute to research addressing individuals with ADHD across the lifespan, particularly in college, as well as research of college students and college environments. Recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.

M.Ed. / The core of this study is to review and analyse the management and effectiveness of induction processes for newly-appointed educators as they adjust to their entry into the teaching profession. The study employed a quantitative research method. The aim of the research study was to investigate the perceptions of educators with regard to the management of induction for newly-appointed educators. The study was prompted by the by the need to address challenges arising from a lack of a rigorous induction programme within the Ekurhuleni West District schools. These challenges are in line with the political changes that have taken place in South Africa. From the literature review it is evident that managers are having difficulties in adequately preparing and equipping newly appointed educators for the realities of the teaching profession which include, limited support for educators, unacceptable discipline among learners, overcrowded classes and poor salaries. This research indicates that it is necessary to support educators in a personal capacity in their absorption into the teaching profession. Furthermore, the literature study revealed that educators who are not properly inducted will experience adjustment difficulties at schools which may lead to frustration and loss of confidence and, in some instances, to resignation. It is thus the recommendation of this study that educators be inducted to avoid these unpleasant experiences as well as to prepare a career development path that is customised to individual needs. The researcher used structured questionnaires to gather data. The questionnaire was distributed to 20 schools in the Ekurhuleni West District to determine educators’ perceptions concerning induction. The finding was that, at present, there is no formal system to induct educators in South Africa and the majority of school management teams lack the capacity to induct educators.The recommendation was that school management teams must be trained on how to provide induction, and the workloads of school management teams need to be reduced. There is a need for further research on the induction programmes for Department of Education officials. / Dr.L.N Conley

First-year student retention has become a national priority for institutions of higher learning. Since 2004, retention of first-year college students has been on a steady decline. Due to recent the adoption of the Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomy for Diplomas (GRAD) Act, college administrators in Louisiana are determined to increase first-year student retention, a key performance measure. Of the many factors known to support retention, student-faculty mentoring relationships are known to have a positive impact on college students’ experiences, including increased first-year student retention. However, there is less known about the role of academic advising combined with success coaching in retaining first-year college students. The purpose of this study is to understand first-year college students’ experiences with academic advising and success coaching. By conducting a case study, the researcher further understands the retention of first-year college students to the second year at a comprehensive research public university in Louisiana. The data collected from this study identifies current practices in first-year student retention to inform the current and future programs and services provided on campuses for first-year students.

Student Number : 0110601M - MSc research report - Faculty of Science / Based on the perceived need for improved graphing skills of students at first-year university level, two lecturers wanted to produce a web-based computer programme to improve first-year university biology students’ ability to construct and interpret graphs. Prior to designing and developing the package, however, it was important to establish whether there was a need for such a programme, and what might need to be included. The investigation to establish this provided the research described in this research report. A situation analysis was conducted to establish the nature and extent of the problems of graphing skills discussed anecdotally in the staff room of biology departments at a number of institutes. The ultimate intention (beyond this study) was to determine whether the problems were extensive and serious enough to warrant developing supplementary teaching materials to teach graphing skills. All lecturers (n = 5) and teaching assistants (n = 4) involved in using or teaching graphing skills to first-year biology students at one university were identified and interviewed. The purpose of the interviews was to establish the problems they believed are exhibited by their first-year students (with reference to graphing skills), and the nature and extent of current teaching of such skills in their first-year courses. In order to triangulate the information on student’s problems an item analysis was conducted of all questions incorporating graphs in two mid-year examination papers (n = 478 and n = 65), and students were observed during a practical session (n = 43). Results revealed that students experienced fewer problems with interpreting graphs than with graph construction. Of the four categories of graph interpretation problems identified by the teaching staff, the most popular category was students inability to describe quantitatively what the graph is showing (4 teaching staff). This was confirmed in the question paper analysis when 58% of the medics students (n=478) were unable to answer correctly one question involving several interpretation skills. No specific skills for graph interpretation were observed as being a problem in the College of Science question paper (n=65). Observations showed interrelating graphs as the biggest problem (5 students out of 43). Five categories for problems with graph construction were identified by the teaching staff. The most commonly mentioned problem (4 teaching staff) was identifying or plotting variables, whereas class observation revealed scaling axes as the most problematic skill shown by students (15 out of 43). In the exams, 80% of the medics students could not correctly answer one question requiring multiple skills including identifying variables, and 56% could not correctly answer another question that required skills that also involved identifying variables. The College of Science question paper revealed that 85% of the students could not supply the units of measurement for the y axis. A needs analysis was conducted to establish how the lecturers thought graphing skills should be taught and who should teach the skills. This information was needed to provide suggestions (from education “experts”) about what could be included in the computer programme to be developed subsequent to the research study, and how the teaching could best be done. Four members of the teaching staff said it was important to give students a lot of exercises to practice the skills and five members of the teaching staff said it was the responsibility of the university tutors or lab staff to teach graphing skills.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to discover the value of ‘deep’ talk in developing Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), with primary focus on a group of ‘under-prepared’ first year university students for whom English is an additional language (EAL), who were registered for an ‘extended degree’ in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg, Kingsway campus. The method of research was qualitative and took the form of a teaching intervention in which groups of students voluntarily participated in the performance of different learning activities (such as reading, talking and writing) either as individuals of as members of a group. All of the students were given identical background texts to read. The texts provided contextual information on a topic pertaining to a gender debate. Some students read the texts prior to participating in a discussion on the topic, after which they wrote an argumentative essay. Other students talked about the topic first, and then read the texts before writing their essay. A ‘control’ group of students did not talk at all, but just read the texts and then wrote an essay on the topic. The researcher analysed transcriptions of tape-recordings of the group discussions, using limited discourse analysis to highlight various ‘speech acts’ to assess how the students used language to actively engage with each other and build their arguments. The research findings were also assisted by an analysis of the essays and reflections written by each student. The research found that the process of talk itself in which the students used language to respond to each other’s ideas, helped to cognitively challenge the students in the development of their arguments. The research also found that the cognitive development gained through the talk was helpful in assisting students to formulate their written arguments in their essay. The research found that some contextual support in the form of background readings was also helpful. The order in which this took place was also found to be important. The research found it to be particularly useful for students to be given background reading before their talk, rather than after their talk, as this gave students a more informed perspective with which to approach their group discussion. By examining the essays in relation to the transcripts of the talk, the researcher explored the extent to which a more informed perspective on the topic, coupled with the way in which students used language, helped students to develop a more balanced approach in developing their written arguments.