In this exploratory study of 95 counseling program master's students at a large southwestern public university, students' scores on an admissions Group Interview Sociometric Rating did not correlate with their GRE Analytic Writing (GRE-AW) scores nor their basic skills course instructors' end-of-course assessment of students' counseling-related personality traits (Personality) or mastery of basic counseling skills (Mastery). However, Mastery was predicted by both Personality, with a large effect size, and GRE-AW, with a medium effect size. This study provides promising preliminary evidence that counselor educators may use Counselor Personality Assessment Ratings and GRE-AW scores to screen master's applicants by predicting students' abilities to master basic counseling skills early in their counselor preparation. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences exist between characteristics and attitudes of graduates and those of non-graduates of doctoral programs in education. The subjects were the 256 students who had successfully completed the qualifying examinations in the College of Education at North Texas State University during the years of 1978 through 1980. Although the data findings from this study are too numerous to list within the restrictions of this abstract, the most notable findings include that (1) 74.2 per cent had graduated; (2) graduates were more likely to have selected the dissertation topic before the qualifying examinations; (3) graduates rated personal motivation higher than did non-graduates; and (4) there were no significant differences in Graduate Record Examination scores (verbal, quantitative, or total) between graduates and non-graduates. Among the conclusions drawn from this study are that (1) the process of going through a doctoral program discourages the less serious students before they reach the qualifying examinations and (2) graduates have high personal motivation and receive high support for dissertation efforts from many segments of life (spouse, family, friends, major professor, and doctoral committee). The recommendations drawn from this study are for (1) further research into the personal motivation of the candidate, (2) further research as to the effect of the candidate's attitudes toward and grades for courses in research and statistics, (3) universities to maintain records that allow for determination of completion rates of doctoral students and to consider these rates in the evaluation of doctoral programs, and (4) graduate faculty to encourage doctoral students to give serious consideration to possible dissertation topics early in their graduate programs.

Why do some master's level students feel confident in completing their programs and some do not? Why do some feel connected to their department and some do not? Why do some feel legitimate as graduate students and some do not? This research proposes that there may be differences in how master's students understand the graduate student role based on whether they went directly from high-school through their bachelor's to their master's, or if they took time off between their bachelor's and master's program. This thesis used in-depth interviews with twelve second-year master's students at Portland State University to explore these questions: six with students who had a linear trajectory through higher education and six with students who had a break after completing their bachelor's and before returning for their master's (broken trajectory students). Students from both groups began their programs with questions about their ability to perform at a master's level. Broken trajectory students were more likely to have thought through their chances of success and entered their programs 'knowing' that they would successfully co~plete the programs even when they questioned their academic abilities. Students from both groups overall felt a progressive increase in feelings of connection to their departments. The linear trajectory students entered their programs with some established feelings of connection with other graduate students. The broken trajectory students did not have these established connections, but desired connection with other serious students. Overall, students from both groups experienced increased feelings of legitimacy as graduate students, but the criteria by which they judged their legitimacy differed between groups. Linear trajectory students used academic ability as a primary measure of legitimacy, where broken trajectory students used having a clear understanding of why they were in graduate school as the standard to determine whether they "belonged in college." The two groups also differed in the source of their student role standard: broken trajectory students used professors as their role reference group, whereas the linear trajectory students used peers and undergraduate students. This thesis closes with a discussion of the implications of this research for theory, programs, and current models of persistence.

Thesis (PhD (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Persistence is not a well researched phenomenon. In addition, no previous research has suggested a process depicting a combination of variables that are related to persistence. The current study explores the process of persistence from a fortigenic paradigm, which emphasises psychological strengths. The aim of the current study is to determine the relationship between various fortigenic variables and persistence. The fortigenic paradigm also suggests that psychological strengths can be developed. In order to understand the process of persistence, the current study includes both cognitive (locus of control, optimism, hope, self-efficacy) and emotional psychological strengths (self-esteem, performance self-esteem, resilience) that are related to persistence. Based on literature, the current study suggests a model depicting a sequential process of interrelationship amongst the fortigenic variables and their relationship with persistence. To test the validity of the proposed model, the current study uses a sample of individuals that must be persistent in order to achieve their career goals. A group of 295 aspiring Chartered Accountants who wrote Part 1 of the Qualifying Exam during 2005 participated in the study. From this group, 156 (53%) did not pass the Qualifying Exam during 2005. The study employs both survey and statistical modeling methodologies to guide the investigation. Standardised questionnaires are used for the eight different fortigenic variables. To determine the applicability of the factor structures of these instruments on the current sample, exploratory factor analysis is conducted. The suggested factor structures are confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis with acceptable levels of fit. The revalidated instruments provide better levels of fit than the original instruments. The current study first tested the model of persistence on the total group. The theoretical model depicting the process of persistence provides acceptable levels of fit with all the suggested paths in the model being statistically significant. The same model was tested on the group of individuals that failed previous attempts of the Qualifying Exam, but passed it during 2005. Better levels of fit are obtained with all the paths being statistically significant except between self-esteem and resilience. Again the model was tested using the group of individuals that failed previous attempts at the Qualifying Exam, which failed it during 2005, but still persisted in writing. Acceptable levels of fit are obtained with all the paths being statistically significant except between self-efficacy and resilience. However, the group that failed the Qualifying Exam during 2005 has significantly lower levels of both hope and performance self-esteem. In addition, discriminant analysis shows that hope, optimism, and resilience are factors that can classify individuals into either passing or failing. Of importance is the fact that as individuals write the Qualifying Exam on different attempts, there seems to be a lowering in the number of statistically significant relationships between the fortigenic variables and persistence. The current study ascribes this phenomenon to resource depletion. The latter makes it difficult for individuals to persist in using the same psychological strength if it is not replenished before usage. The study suggests an intervention programme that may enhance the levels of psychological strengths and persistence and counteracting the impact of resource depletion in aspiring chartered accountants.

This study sought to determine the extent a relationship exists between locus of control and the rate of completion for proposal and dissertation defense among doctoral students. Levenson's Internal, Powerful Others, and Chance scales were utilized to identify locus of control orientation. Findings indicated that: (1) a majority, 102, scored highest on the Internal scale; (2) Internal scale scores above the median related to increased probability of a proposal and dissertation defense and to reduced time in reaching those points; (3) no significant difference was found between male and female defensive externals in completing the proposal or dissertation defense; and (4) females tended to score higher than males on the Internal scale. Among conclusions drawn are: (1) Internal scale scores above the median relate to a reduced length of time to complete the proposal and dissertation defense; and (2) few doctoral candidates scoring higher on the Powerful Others or Chance scales were identified in this doctoral program after the point of qualifying examinations.

Much scholarship on first-generation students has focused on their academic and social integration in college (Collier & Morgan, 2008; Lowery-Hart & Pacheco, 2011; Stuber, 2011). Little is known about the experiences of first-generation students in schools of social work. In this research I've expanded the focus beyond students' experiences of academic integration to explore how first-generation students in a school of social work describe their relational worlds and the implications for professional socialization. Informed by Standpoint Feminism and Postmodern/Post structural Feminism, I conducted focus groups with 19 students in two undergraduate programs and one graduate program in a school of social work and analyzed these conversations using Voice-centered Relational Data Analysis (Brown & Gilligan, 1992). This research highlighted how students bridge the cultures of home and school through 1) Experiences of support from home cultures while 2) pursuing school largely on their own and experiencing 3) the potential for distance from cultures of home, as they 4) work to stay integrated in home cultures while simultaneously 5) working to become integrated in school. I've also written about students' experiences of becoming caught "in-between" the cultures of home and school (Anzaldúa, 1987/2012), a less common but nevertheless important experience for educators to attend to. Here I've argued for broadening the focus beyond academic integration (Tinto, 1975, 1993) and underscored the relational nature of first-generation status, as well as drawing attention to potential for relational injury embedded in our narratives about educational attainment and class mobility. Implications for social work education, practice, and research are discussed.