Thesis (Ph.D.)--Liberty University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

The number of first-generation college students (FGCSs) attending four-year colleges/universities is on the rise. While numerous studies have examined descriptive characteristics of this growing population, few studies have examined why FGCSs choose to attend college. This study sought to tackle this question by conducting focus groups with thirty-five FGCSs. Participants were asked to identify sources of vocational anticipatory socialization (VAS) that were influential in their decision to pursue a college degree as well as the VAS messages they received from these sources. Focus group data revealed seven sources of VAS with parents being the number one source of VAS messages regarding higher education. Results also revealed five VAS message types, though messages referencing a perceived overall better quality of life were the most common. The findings show that FGCSs receive socializing messages from a variety of sources but parents maintain the greatest influence.

Thesis (Ed.D.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2007. / Thesis advisor: Marc Goldstein. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-84). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis advisor: Ana Martínez-Alemán / The past thirty years have seen an unprecedented expansion of access to higher education among traditionally disadvantaged groups. Along with increased opportunity, this access brings new challenges, including student preparation and social and academic integration of college campuses (Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, & Terenzini, 2004). One area of academic integration that requires further examination is how first-generation students acquire the written academic language they will need to succeed in college courses. Because language is closely tied to identity, acquiring academic language can have personal and social effects (White & Lowenthal, 2011). In addition to the struggles that these students have in acquiring academic language, they also bring alternate forms of cultural capital (Yosso, 2005) that are not captured in traditional assessment. This qualitative study considered the academic language acquisition of ten first-generation college students who completed a transitional bridge program. Writing samples from four different time points were assessed with an operationalized definition of academic language to capture how these skills were acquired during the first year. The samples were then analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis to identify alternate forms of cultural capital. Finally, the same ten students were interviewed about their experiences of academic language during their first year of college. The results of this study show that students benefitted from direct instruction of academic conventions and other assumed expectations of academic discourse, and they were most successful with assignments that drew on lived experience. The writing samples also revealed critical forms of alternate cultural capital that must be recognized and leveraged in academic settings. Finally, students saw the process of academic language acquisition as voluntary, conscious, and ultimately worthwhile. Understanding the challenges these students face, as well as their unique strengths, is vital to their full inclusion within the university and for meaningful diversity in higher education. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University of Pennsylvania. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2006. / "April 19, 2006"--T.p. Title taken from PDF title screen (viewed September 10, 2007). Includes bibliographical references and appendices.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Educational Administration, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Aug. 20, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-183). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-73). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Greater knowledge of specific populations? perception of the capacity for change will assist leadership practitioners in the design and implementation of effective leadership programs. These leadership programs will hopefully prepare students to lead effectively in a rapidly changing society where a strong capacity for change is needed. This study examined three specific populations of undergraduate students who participated in the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership in 2006. The three populations of interest were first generation college students, transfer students and male students. The purpose of the study was to determine the self-perceived capacity to adapt to change for selected college student populations based on the Social Change Model of Leadership (Appendix A). A second purpose was to determine differences in this self-perceived capacity to adapt to change between and among these selected college student populations. Responses to the 10 individual items of the Change Scale (MSL) were measured and analyzed to determine if any significant differences and/or interactions existed in the data. The results of this study inform the design of both Academic and Student Affairs student leadership development programs to enhance the leadership development of these selected student populations. The research design for the study included the use of descriptive statistics, a correlation matrix to examine the relationships of the 10 individual items of the change scale, and a 3X10 MANOVA. These tests and measures were utilized on all three independent variables (generational status, transfer status and gender) and the 10 individual items of the change scale within the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale. This study identified distinct differences between/among the three populations of interest and provided numerous recommendations for practice such as tapping into the unique life experiences of transfer and first generation college students to learn more about their stronger capacity for managing change and specifically recruiting students from the three populations of interest to assist in the delivery of change-related curriculum within leadership programs. Another recommendation was made for leadership practitioners to utilize the Social Change Model of Leadership development to help with the development of leaders who will share a commitment to positive change at the individual, group and community levels.