An information ecology, in the words of MIT Press, is “a system of people, technologies and values in a local environment” (2000:[online]). This inquiry uses the elements of the information ecology – the interdependent system, its wealth of diversity, the co-evolutionary nature of the relationships within the environment, the leadership of keystone species, and the relationships and technology within its locality – to provide a framework within which to reflect on my learning as a postgraduate student at the Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg). Situated in a postmodern philosophical perspective and informed by constructivism, deconstructionism and critical theory, the phenomenological inquiry uses John Dewey’s model of reflective thought (1933) to examine the reasons for the disparity in the transfer of their new expertise by students who have participated in postgraduate programmes at the University, and to determine the principle factor that led to my incorporating such new skills into my own teaching practice. Evidence of this transfer of skills is presented in the description of an action research intervention that I designed and implemented in teaching basic computer skills to a group of ACE students in 2004. / Mr. G.V. Lautenbach

The Republic of the Philippines is an example country when it comes to gender equality within education. However, this trend does not persist when it comes to female labor market participation. Current research shows that a mere 53,4% of all Filipinas are currently employed in the labor market against 81% of their male counterparts, indicating a wide engendered gap. This study investigates why so few of the highly educated female population find gainful employment by studying the perspectives of university graduate students in the rural province of Antique through the use of a wide range, quantitative survey across three universities, and 9 qualitative in-depth interviews. By using Nussbaum and Sen’s capability approach, an inventory of both known and new barriers is made, which are organized in the following categories: barriers on the supply side of the labor market, barriers on the demand side of the labor market, and other barriers. Revealing those barriers that have not been researched before contributes to the existing body of knowledge on impediments that hinder graduating Antiqueñas to enter the labor market. The hindrances as described and discussed in this thesis can be used to improve gender sensitive policies that have the ability to expand freedoms, capabilities, and functioning for Antiqueñas, but also for Filipinas in general, since the barriers; lack of good and productive vacancies, (early) motherhood, a wide gender wage gap, unpaid family work, patriarchic views on traditional female roles, and a divide in male and female jobs are all barriers that hinder Filipinas on a national level.

Accurately predicting the success of graduate students is an important aspect of determining which students should be admitted into graduate programs. The GRE is a pivotal factor to examine since it is one of the most widely used criteria for graduate school admission. Even though the GRE is advertised as an accurate tool for predicting first year graduate GPA, there is a lack of research on long term success factors such as time to degree and graduate rate (Luthy, 1996; Powers, 2004). Furthermore, since most studies have low minority sample sizes, the validity of the GRE may not be the same across all groups (ETS, 2008b; Kuncel, Hezlett, & Ones, 2001). Another gap in GRE studies is that few researchers analyze student characteristics, which may alter or moderate the prediction validity of the GRE. Thus, student characteristics such as degree of academic involvement, mentorship interactions, and other academic and social experiences have not been widely examined in this context. These gaps in the analysis of GRE validity are especially relevant given the high attrition rates within of some graduate programs (e.g., an estimated 68% of doctoral student never complete their programs in urban universities; Lovitts, 2001). A sequential mixed methods design was used to answer the research questions in two phases. The quantitative phase used student data files to analyze the relationship of two success variables (graduation rate and graduate GPA) to the GRE scores as well as other academic and demographic graduate student characteristics. The qualitative phase served to complement the first phase by describing a wider range of characteristics from the 11 graduate students who were interviewed. Both proximal and distal moderators influence student behaviors and success in graduate school. In the first phase of the study, the GRE was the distal facilitator under analysis. Findings suggested that both the GRE Quantitative and the GRE Verbal were predictors of success for master’s students, but the GRE Quantitative was not predictive of success for doctoral students. Other student characteristics such as demographic variables and disciplinary area were also predictors of success for the population of students studied. In the second phase of the study, it was inconclusive whether the GRE was predictive of graduate student success; though it did influence access to graduate programs. Furthermore, proximal moderators such as student involvement, faculty/peer interactions, motivational factors, and program structure were perceived to be facilitators and/or detractors for success.

This study explores the relationship between student satisfaction and faculty responsiveness to student concerns. "Action Research" was employed. Data analysis focused on group comparisons.

abstract: For more than 30 years, social science researchers have studied how students in online learning environments interact with each other. This has led to the development of a construct called social presence. Studies have shown that high social presence can lead to improved student retention, engagement, and satisfaction. The literature explores how social presence has been measured by faculty or researchers, but lacks insight on how other university staff can affect social presence in online graduate students. This is an action research mixed-methods study conducted by an academic advisor and attempts to measure social presence through a webpage intervention for an online graduate business program. A pre-and-posttest were conducted in a five month span, as well as semi-structured interviews with students of the program. Results suggest that overall, the intervention did not increase social presence in the program. It also suggests that social presence is developed between students in a variety of ways, and can even be developed between their academic advisor and themselves. Overall, this study acknowledges how academic advisors can explore social presence to improve academic advising techniques and interventions for their programs, while also adding to the literature a different perspective through the eyes of a university staff member. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2020

Purpose: The present study of doctoral physical education teacher education (D-PETE) programs was part of a longitudinal study that provided an extensive description of demographics including: (a) doctoral program characteristics, (b) faculty, and (c) doctoral students/graduates. Method: This trend study incorporated 3 data sets (2005–2006, 2008–2009, and 2011–2012) that described the characteristics of D-PETE programs. Academic heads of D-PETE programs provided demographic information on their doctoral students, faculty, and institutional characteristics for the 2005–2006, 2008–2009, and 2011–2012 academic years and selected summary data from 1996–1997 through 2011–2012. Results/Conclusion: As a result of this longitudinal data collection, the following trends were revealed. First, there was a decrease in the number of D-PETE programs and an increase of nontenured and part-time pedagogy faculty. Second, initial teacher licensure programs remained in existence at the vast majority of D-PETE programs. Third, funding for doctoral students at D-PETE programs was decreasing. Fourth, racial composition of doctoral graduates and current doctoral students remained largely skewed toward Caucasians. Fifth, there was a slight decline in the percentage of doctoral graduates entering higher education, but employment rates were exceptionally high. Sixth, non-U.S. doctoral students and ABDs were marketable in the United States.

There is little diversity among earned doctorates in the United States. First-generation college students are especially at-risk for not matriculating to a doctoral degree. This applied dissertation provided an understanding of the obstacles faced by first-generation college students in doctoral programs by studying alumni of the McNair Scholars Program. The study examined the components of the McNair Scholars Program that can help ameliorate obstacles faced by first-generation college students as they enroll and persist into graduate school. This study utilized a sequential exploratory mixed methods approach to evaluate the components of the McNair Scholars Program that prepared students for successful persistence into graduate school and subsequent completion of an earned doctorate.

Faculty advising is crucial for student success, but little is known about the specific relationship between advising and master's students' success. Given that master's student enrollment is growing and diversifying, examining the relationships between advising and success is imperative for institutional efficiency and educational excellence. This quantitative study investigated nearly 1,000 master's students' experiences with two primary types of advising--administrative and mentoring. The study looked for correlations with multiple proxies of student success (e.g., graduation, retention, institutional commitment, and GPA). As well, other potentially influential individual, educational, and organizational variables (e.g., background characteristics, peer culture, and department climate) were examined for their effect on the relationship between advising and success. Results indicate that student satisfaction with advising is correlated with success. In particular, student satisfaction with administrative advising, which communicates accurate policies and helps students form educational plans, increased student success. Student satisfaction with mentoring advising, which emphasizes individualized professional support (e.g., feedback on thesis writing) was also shown to facilitate master's student success. Recommendations highlight the importance of creating degree maps and electronic degree tracking as a form of administrative advising support for students and the importance of having nurturing multiple faculty-student contacts within the department to build collegial rapport and mentoring relationships.

Over the last several years, the number of international students attending colleges and universities in the United States has increased substantially. While considerable time, effort, and university resources are often devoted to the recruitment of international students, it is unclear how well institutions are meeting the needs of these students. This growing number of international students requires foreign exchange professionals and university administrators to better understand the reasons why international students pursue higher education in the United States and the challenges they face. This exploratory case study is to examine the challenges international graduate students encounter in adjusting to their new status as graduate students. Six research questions framed this study: What difficulties do international students face in their first year in graduate school? What adjustments do they need to make in their first year in graduate school? What challenges do continuing international graduate students face? In what ways are perspectives of continuing international graduate students similar to perspectives of beginning international graduate students? What university support resources do international graduate students say are helpful? What PSU support resources are needed, but missing? The relevant literature addresses academic, social, psychological, cultural, financial, and housing adjustment challenges. The data for this research were collected by interviewing and surveying international graduate students at PSU. Data were analyzed using standard methods of qualitative data analysis. Consistent with the results from other research, this study reveals the following adjustment challenges: unsatisfactory accommodation; inadequate financial resources; lack of culturally specific programs that are intentional, flexible and accessible; unfamiliarity with the new educational system; limited English proficiency; undeveloped infrastructure for on-going orientation; insufficient health services information; and unavailability of international student mentoring programs. The findings of this study have the potential to inform both researchers and practitioners as institutions attempt to create sufficient international student support services.

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