Upward Bound (UB) projects provide educational support services to high school students in order to address inequalities in college access for low-income (LI) and first-generation students (FGS). However, access alone does not eradicate systemic barriers to positive collegiate experiences and degree attainment. As a federally funded program, UB regularly collects mandated outcome data; however, little is known about the specific academic, social, and emotional supports these programs provide. Especially lacking are in-depth qualitative studies that follow students into college and focus on students’ own stories. To address this gap in research, this study used in-depth interviews to capture the stories of LI, FGS first-year college experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify challenges, successes, and commonalities in how participants described impacts of their UB participation. The research questions included: 1) What are the academic and social experiences of Upward Bound alumni in their first year at a four-year postsecondary institution, and 2) What is the perceived relationship between Upward Bound participation and the first-year college experience of Program alumni? This research leveraged Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth framework to elevate diverse forms of capital involved in students’ UB participation and college experiences. Analysis revealed significant themes related to expectations, belonging, the pressure to succeed, mental health, the impact of the UB experience, and the power of voice, concluding that, through UB participation, students’ existing capital/cultural wealth is honored, leveraged, and ultimately multiplied. Recommendations for addressing pervasive obstacles to success in college are provided for Upward Bound projects and higher education.

The main purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how first and second generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia experience and precive their national identity. Furthermore to understand differences and similarities between first-generation and second-generation immigrants based on inbetweenship. Previous research has shown that people with one or more cultural backgrunds tend to develop more fluid identity in comparson to people who only have one cultural backgrund. Furthermore, previous research has also shown that people with immigrant background or a multi-ethnic background tend to end up in betweenship, to greater extent. To achieve the study`s purpose and answer the research questions I have chosen to conduct a qualitative interview study based on semi-structured interviews with first and second generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia living in Sweden. The theories used in the study to analyze the result were inbetweenship and national identity as a grounded conceptual definition.  The results showed that first-generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia did not perceive themselves as Swedes, but in all cases referred to their ethnic origin when speaking about their national identity and identity perception. The results also showed that second-generation immigrants partly experienced their identity in similar way. However, second-generation immigrants tended to experience their identity as Swedish and not in relation to their ethnic origin in half of the cases.

Adolescence is a critical stage of human development, one that can be especially challenging for teens that are navigating certain vulnerabilities in their identity formation. With the World Health Organization stating that 14% of 10–19 year-olds experience mental health conditions, educational environments are increasingly needed to address mental concerns in their curriculums. This qualitative research project used a combination of art based inquiry and narrative analysis to answer the following question, “How can educational environments promote resilience and positive youth development during adolescent identity exploration?” Findings illuminated several emergent themes that culminated in the following four recommendations for educational environments; 1) Integrate opportunities for creative self-expression in general education spaces, 2) Professional development for educators to integrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL), 3) Create opportunities for social interactions between students and educators, 4) Create and support opportunities for social interactions between students, and 5) Ensure educational spaces include mental health support for students.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether: 1) Southwest Region TRIO high school students between the years 1991 - 2001 continued to college immediately after high school at rates significantly different than similar population students on national and state levels; and 2) immediate college continuation for this group was a function of social and economic characteristics including race, gender, parental education, and home-care environment. The sample included 414 TRIO program participants from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Data on the 414 participants were gathered using an existing database containing demographic and post-secondary enrollment information on study participants. The findings of this study reveal Southwest Region TRIO students during this ten-year period continued to college immediately after high school at rates not significantly different than the national low-income population of students. Results indicate that when compared to all students in the five-state southwest region, the majority low-income, first-generation TRIO population continued to college at rates not significantly different than all-income students in the region. Findings of this study also revealed select social and economic characteristics were not predictors of immediate college continuation for this group. Finally, the study showed out-of-home care environment students continued to college at significantly higher rates than in-home care Southwest Region TRIO students.

While a great deal of psychological research is conducted on college students, less has been done on their adaptation to college. These young adults, as they develop ego identity and differentiate themselves from parents and families, must adjust to the social and academic environment of college. Psychosocial adjustment predicts college retention better than academic predictors do. First generation college students face greater than typical challenges adapting to college. The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program exists to aid first generation, lower income undergraduate student who wish to pursue a doctoral degree. Self-definition scored from thematic apperceptive technique stories reflects an individual’s relative freedom from social role constraint. This study examined the role of self-definition and familial understanding and acceptance in this population as predictors of successful adaptation to college. While neither was found to be a significant predictor, family understanding and acceptance was found to be a more defining characteristic of this sample than was self-definition. This suggests that when social support is sufficient, individuals do not need to rely on self-definition.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-10-23T15:38:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana Richter_.pdf: 1738497 bytes, checksum: 77aa364612b2f91ef8b5a237bc7bb784 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-23T15:38:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana Richter_.pdf: 1738497 bytes, checksum: 77aa364612b2f91ef8b5a237bc7bb784 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-22 / Nenhuma / As empresas familiares representam 90% das empresas no mundo e também no Brasil. Somente 30% sobrevivem na segunda geração. Dentre as dificuldades encontradas por elas está o planejamento sucessório. Este planejamento tem impactos na gestão e, em especial, no desempenho econômico e governança das empresas, tema debatido academicamente na busca de respostas e de novos modelos. A literatura aponta quatro dimensões deste planejamento: CEO, Família, Propriedade e Gestão/Empresa, sendo neste estudo o líder (CEO) da organização, o fundador da empresa. A partir destas dimensões é possível compreender melhor a dinâmica e complexidade deste tema. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho é investigar como as empresas familiares de pequeno e médio porte planejam seus processos sucessórios sob a perspectiva do fundador. Para explorar esta questão foi selecionada a primeira geração (fundador) de empresas familiares do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Com base neste estudo foi possível concluir que há uma tendência de não planejamento formal no tocante à saída do fundador, tanto da liderança como da propriedade, a inexistência de espaços para a família discutir a sucessão do negócio, a dificuldade em separar a gestão da empresa com a propriedade, a falta de estruturas de governança corporativa, a tendência de profissionalização da gestão, o alto valor dado à boa formação dos filhos, a inexistência do planejamento sucessório incorporado nas rotinas das empresas e o desejo de os filhos sucederem sua função mais no aspecto que tange à propriedade do que à liderança. Isto aponta algumas diretrizes para melhoria do planejamento sucessório das empresas familiares estudadas. Estas diretrizes estão fundamentadas nas quatro dimensões. Fundador, Família, Propriedade e Gestão/Empresa. / Family businesses represent 90% of the companies worldwide and so it is in Brazil. Only 30% keep alive on the second generation. Among the difficulties found for these companies is the succession plan. This plan impacts the management and especially the economic performance and governance of the companies, subject academically discussed on the search for answers and new models. The literature indicates four dimensions of this planning: CEO, Family, Property and Management/Company, being in this study, the company leader (CEO), the company founder. From these dimensions, it is possible to better understand the dynamism and complexity of the theme. In this context, the goal of this study is to investigate how small and medium sized family businesses plan their succession processes on the founder perspective. Particularly, to explore this question it was selected the first generation (founder) of family businesses in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Based on this study it was possible to conclude that there is a tendency of not having a formal planning concerning the founder retirement, since the leadership to the property, the lack of space for the family to discuss the business succession, the difficulty to separate the company management from the property, the lack of corporate governance structures, the tendency of management professionalization , the high value gave to the descendants good educational formation, the lack of the succession plan incorporated in the companies routines and the descendants will to succeed more related to property than to leadership. It brings some directions to the succession plan improvement on the family businesses studied. These directions are based on the four dimensions Founder, Family, Property and Management/Company.

Several active learning strategies have been used when increasing the structure of a course as increasing course structure has been known to improve student learning in introductory STEM courses. Much has been studied on the value of frequent formative assessment; however, few studies have evaluated the effective modes of delivering summative assessment. This study examines the use of summative assessment as an inclusive teaching practice to improve first generation college student success in introductory biology and also uses faculty surveys to find out how instructors structure their introductory biology course and why they are structured that way. Final exams were evaluated by Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning. Survey results showed that many instructors used online activities most of the time to supplement face-to-face courses. However, student and faculty viewpoints on assessments offer many interesting insights into how instructors may modify teaching strategies to increase the success of diverse student populations.

This thesis details the lived experiences of ten first-generation Latino students at a large public university in the Pacific Northwest. Their experience and adjustment reveal that they relied on their friends and family, especially their parents for the male participants, for support and encouragement. The help these students received in the form of caring and social capital from faculty and staff during their freshman year ensured that they made a successful adjustment to college. Participants cite influential people and programs that motivated them to succeed and become comfortable in the college student role.

The number of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) is on the rise. Research suggests that institutions designated as HSIs graduate over fifty percent of Latinos enrolled in college (Santiago, 2006). However, few studies have examined the campus climate of HSIs and how such climate may influence the degree attainment of first-generation, Mexican American students. Considering the instrumental role HSIs have had in advancing the number of Latinos in postsecondary education, this study investigates the campus climate of an HSI along the U.S.-Mexico Border. By utilizing the theoretical frameworks of funds of knowledge (Moll, Amanti, Neff & Gonzalez, 1992) and organizational habitus (McDonough, 1997) this qualitative study involved first-generation, Mexican American students, faculty, and administrators from the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA). Data collection methods included: student focus groups, individual interviews, observations, reflective notes and a review of relevant documents. Instrumentation used for this study incorporated a student questionnaire as well as pre-established interview questions. Findings revealed students’ perceptions of a Border HSIs, the experiences they describe as helpful in allowing them to obtain a degree; and the institutional characteristics faculty and administrators found critical in allowing first-generation, Mexican American students to persist. This study builds upon a pilot conducted in 2009-2010, that assessed Latino students’ perceptions of HSIs. The goal of this study is 1) to contribute to the literature on first-generation, Mexican American student success and 2) to further enrich our knowledge about the campus climate of Border HSIs and their role in degree attainment of Latinos. / text

Dans le cadre de l’analyse des crises financières au sein des pays émergents, de nombreux travaux sont venus expliquer l’occurrence de ce genre de phénomènes. Pourtant, des faits nouveaux se manifestent sans pour autant s’inscrire dans les recherches déjà proposées (Brésil, Corée du Sud et pays d’Europe centrale et orientale principalement). En référence à cette littérature, la thèse pose en retour la question de l’incidence de la contagion financière sur la dégradation des fondamentaux macroéconomiques et macro-financiers de pays émergents susceptibles d’être initialement considérés comme « robustes ». La réponse passe par la mise en évidence des principales composantes des crises financières pour en extraire les limites face à l’hypothèse soulevée. La description des stratégies de rattrapage économique, par l’intégration au marché financier international, est à l’origine des vulnérabilités potentielles dans les effets de contagion. La structure instable de l’endettement international, à l’aide de l’Hypothèse d’Instabilité Financière de Minsky (1974), va offrir les éléments théoriques nécessaires à la modélisation des faits empiriques. Les premières générations de crises de change viendront conceptualiser la fuite des capitaux en attribuant la responsabilité de la contraction de la liquidité au reste du monde. Dans la transition qu’ils opèrent actuellement en vue de leur adhésion à l’UEM, les PECO ne peuvent être considérés comme étant à l’abri de la survenance de crises financières, et ce même s’ils bénéficient des impacts stabilisateurs favorables liés à leur appartenance à l’UE. Mais disposent-ils alors des facteurs de robustesse macroéconomique et macro-financière s / As part of the analysis of financial crises in emerging countries, many studies have come to explain the occurrence of such phenomena. However, developments occur without enrolling in research already available (Brazil, South Korea and countries in Central and Eastern Europe mainly). In reference to this literature, the thesis in turn raises the question of the impact of financial contagion on the degradation of macro-economic fundamentals and emerging countries' financial might initially be regarded as "robust." The answer lies in the identification of key components of financial crises to extract the limits against the hypothesis raised. The description of the strategies of economic recovery, by the international financial market integration, is the source of potential vulnerabilities in the contagion. The unstable structure of international debt, with the financial instability hypothesis of Minsky (1974), will provide the theoretical elements necessary for modeling of empirical facts. The first generation of currency crises will conceptualize capital flight by assigning responsibility for the liquidity squeeze in the world. In the transition they currently operate with a view to joining EMU, the Central and Eastern Europe countries cannot be considered safe from the occurrence of financial crises, even if they have favorable impacts associated with stabilizers membership in the EU. But then they have robust macroeconomic factors and macro-financial enough to ward off the economic impact of any pressure by contagion? The empirical part of the thesis should answer the question through analytical and econometric modeling