This study examines the spatial distribution of educational attainment and then builds upon current predictive frameworks for understanding patterns of educational attainment by applying a spatial econometric method of analysis. The research from this study enables a new approach to the policy discussion on how to improve educational attainment for the states and nation; a dialogue where states are viewed not as independent, isolated observations but as a part of a larger system or cluster of observations. This research utilized data from the U.S Census Bureau, American Community Survey of 2009 and examined the percent of the workforce population with a baccalaureate or higher degree. Exploratory spatial data analysis was conducted to study the spatial distribution of educational attainment. Based on initial results, both classic linear regression and spatial autoregressive models were used. The findings from this study indicate that educational attainment is spatially dependent and furthermore, the consideration of the spatial context through spatial autoregressive models can provide greater insight and understanding into educational attainment. This research was able to distinguish significant geographic location effects on educational attainment from funding, economic and industry effects. In particular, spatial concentration of educational attainment was proven to be significant. Several important policy implications were derived from these findings. These policies relate to the following issues: a) allocation of funds to postsecondary education, b) consideration and promotion of industry, and c) acknowledging spillover effects from adjacent states.

Academic librarianship is a profession in the midst of change. Embedded within multiple social spheres, academic librarians are adapting to changes in higher education, the sociotechnical environment of information, and the system of professions. This research investigates the ways in which academic librarians publicly present the ways in which they are aligning themselves in the face of academic capitalism. Using a qualitative approach of document analysis of research library strategic plans, this study explores the ways in which academic librarians express their perceptions of changes in higher education, of changes in the sociotechnical environment of information, and of changing professional jurisdiction and relationships. The theoretical framework, based on Abbott's System of the Professions and Linked Ecologies. The study analyzes strategic plans from 75 American research universities from the membership of the Association of Research Libraries and the Association of American Universities. Academic librarians were found to be re-establishing claims to existing jurisdictions while also making new claims. They described their roles in 4 ways: Supporting, Collaborating, Competing, and Leading. These relationships demonstrate attempts to demonstrate centrality to the campus by strengthening institutional prestige and quality by strengthening the library itself, by contributing to the academic activities of faculty and students through supportive and collaborative activities, and by leading change in academia by leading changes in the system of scholarly communication. They also exhibited entrepreneurial behaviors by seeking to connecting to external sources of income, particularly through grant-seeking and private fundraising. There was also evidence that academic librarians perceived impacts of changes in the sociotechncial environment on their instructional roles, and on the ways they provide and manage scholarly research collections. Finally, there was some evidence of linkages between higher education and information environments, with mass digitization and search as hinge issues and librarian activities in publishing a scholarly communications as avatar activities.

<p> As retention becomes more of a key issue for community colleges, it is important that these institutions create an environment that is easy to navigate if they are to retain a greater percentage of their students. This study investigates the impact of the Student Support Services (SSS) program on the retention of students at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. Moreover, the study will look at and compare the performance of both SSS students and non-SSS students who entered the college during 2003-2007. A total of 250 students were involved in the quantitative analysis. Utilizing a mixed methods approach to determine if a statistically significant relationship existed between participation in the SSS program and non-participation semester hours, credit hours, GPA, and graduation. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate whether significant relationships existed between the independent variable(s) and the dependent variable(s). The implications of a relationship or lack thereof were considered as to their impact on future research, policy and practice pertaining to SSS. Findings and recommendations would therefore ultimately benefit the students at the college.</p>

<p> There remains limited research on the gap between the participation and persistence to graduation rates for American Indian students in higher education. It is pertinent to explore the experiences of these students who did not persist to graduation to be able to gain a better understanding of the factors involved in this gap. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a greater understanding of why twenty American Indian college students who were high-achieving and received the Gates Millennium scholarship (AIGMS) did not persist to graduation. To achieve this greater understanding from an Indigenous perspective, it was important to utilize existing theoretical frameworks developed by Native scholars that employed critical, culturally sensitive lenses for the analysis. Through the lenses of Tribal Critical Race Theory, Cultural Models of Education and the Family Education Model, the research questions were developed with a critical focus on the institutional influence of the participants&rsquo; experiences. This study employed a phenomenological qualitative approach guided by an Indigenous research paradigm.</p><p> The findings of this research inquiry were broken down into five main sections. The first section discussed the pre-collegiate experiences of AIGMS. This set of findings emerged throughout the interviews as participants shared their experiences in college, they often referred back to influential moments with their families and tribal communities leading up to college. The second section highlighted the conditions that impeded AIGMS&rsquo; success in institutions of higher education. What emerged as the major factors of AIGMS&rsquo; non persistence within higher education was GMSP&rsquo;s inflexible deferment policy and missing structures on campus to represent participants&rsquo; Native and Gates scholar identities, such as space for AIGMS to practice their cultural spirituality and direct support on campus for being a Gates scholar. The third section reveals the push-pull factors influential to AIGMS&rsquo; experiences on campus and back home in their tribal communities. The main push factor from the institution was the lack of support they felt from key institutional agents, such as from a multicultural center director, financial aid officer or academic advisor. The fourth section describes the impact of the campus racial climate on AIGMS&rsquo; experiences on their respective campuses. Some AIGMS assumed that being awarded this prestigious scholarship would be acknowledged either through their faculty or staff on campus. Instead they described examples of exclusion, lack of belonging, marginalization, isolation and invisibility on campus. The final section described the experiences of AIGMS who returned to higher education, including those who have found success in tribal colleges as well as those who have since completed their degrees without funding from GSMP. This finding is of particular importance because it demonstrates that the loss of financial aid affected the type of institution AIGMS&rsquo; returned. </p><p> Principally, AIGMS were thoughtful and rational about their decision to defer from higher education, taking into account the factors pulling them from outside the institution &ndash; such as family/medical/health issues. They were also impacted by their experiences within their institutions that pushed them out from within &ndash; such as experiences with invisibility and marginalization on campus. Faculty, institutional agents and their peers played into these experiences. The Gates Millennium Scholarship Program and institutions&rsquo; lack of cultural understanding of how to serve these AIGMS led to a disconnection with these students. These AIGMS&rsquo; experiences with push and pull factors places more responsibility on the institution and the scholarship program for their non-persistence.</p>

<p> This quantitative study examined the degree aspirations of first year, first time, Latina/o college students, using Tara Yosso&rsquo;s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth Model as a framework. Secondary data was obtained from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program&rsquo;s (CIRP) 2015 The Freshman Survey to complete t-test and linear regression analyses exploring gender differences in degree aspirations between Latina and Latino students as well as predictors of degree aspirations. Findings include academic self-concept, pluralistic orientation, neighborhood racial composition, and age as significant predictors of degree aspirations. The survey items that make up the CIRP constructs for academic self-concept and pluralistic orientation were also indicative of the importance of navigational, aspirational, and linguistic capitals as predictors of degree aspirations.</p><p>

<p> A well-designed, academically-centered, transitional program can narrow the college readiness gap and provide essential tools for underprepared students to be successful. The Summer Bridge Program offered innovative solutions for academic preparedness using a cohort model and many 21^st century student success strategies. The free five-week credit-bearing residential Summer Bridge Program focused on developing underprepared students academically and socially. This study examined the students&rsquo; summer, fall, and spring grade point averages, retention rate, credit hours earned during the first year, and graduation rate. In addition, the academic performance of first-generation compared with non-first generation Summer Bridge Program participants who benefited from the same success strategies were assessed. Finally, an assessment of the programs and services that were most valuable and contributed to student success for the Summer Bridge Program participants was conducted based on feedback from students and perceptions of program leaders. The Summer Bridge Program participants excelled at or above the pace of non-participants during the first year of college. A key component to academic success was providing programs and services that prepared students to succeed in college. Evidenced-based transition programs will be the tool colleges and universities utilize to increase completion, retention, and success rates for under prepared students. The Summer Bridge Program is a proven model of success that has positively impacted enrollment, retention, and graduation rates in higher education.</p>

The thesis drew upon the findings of a longitudinal study about post- Access to HE students’ experiences as they undertook their degrees in art and design. It used the theoretical frameworks developed by Basil Bernstein alongside Aristotle’s notion of phronesis or practical wisdom to analyse the data. Through narrative inquiry (Andrews, 2014; Butler- Kisber, 2010; Clandinin and Connelly, 2004) it has been possible to show that these students used continuous reflexivity and practical wisdom in order to meet both the demands of the degree programme and those of their families. At the same time they were pursuing the dream of becoming an artist or designer; seeing this as part of living a good life. The key research questions were firstly; did post-Access to HE students receive a democratic education as defined by Basil Bernstein (2000) when they studied in art and design higher education? Secondly, were post-Access to HE students able to draw upon their practical wisdom in order to act well for themselves and others whilst studying their degrees in art and design? And finally did receiving a democratic education also entail students as well staff being able to deliberate wisely according to their previous experiences and practical wisdom? The institutions where the students studied appeared to be mostly inflexible so that the post- Access students had to be adaptable and responsive in order to achieve excellence in their art and design work. The imagined future was an important strand of the students’ stories. In this future the aim was to be paid for creative work whist paying off the student loan. The degree was seen, in some cases, as being instrumental in gaining employment in the art and design industry and not an end in itself. Some students began making external links in their first year with a view to gaining experience for the future. Post-Access to HE students did not always enjoy their academic achievements due to worry and self-doubt coming from a perception that they were different from the other students in their cohort. It was found that some aspects of art and design pedagogy positioned mature students as ‘other’. However, on occasion all mature and younger students drew upon their past experiences and character to act well on their degrees for themselves and others; often through generous acts of friendship. This was sometimes stymied by the managerialism of the institution so students did not always maintain or develop self- confidence; feel included or participate politically in their education (important facets of Bernstein’s democratic education).

<p> This study explored the influence of student-university fit on the matching of academically diverse, under-represented minority students&rsquo; college search and choice processes. To examine the relationship between academic match and student-university fit, a qualitative research design was used. This basic interpretive qualitative design incorporated a screening form, two semi-structured interviews, and document analysis over a nine-month, time-elapsed data collection process. The interview protocols, informed by Hossler and Gallagher&rsquo;s (1987) three-stage model and Perna&rsquo;s (2006) conceptual model, were administered to eight participants involved in a nonprofit college access program. Document analysis was used to gather data from transcripts, test scores, and college profiles to determine students&rsquo; academic match with the schools on their college lists and their final college choice. Vignettes captured each participant&rsquo;s story, and the emergent themes described in detail larger ideas across participants resulting from the coding process. At their colleges of choice, five participants academically matched, two undermatched, and one overmatched. The study found that students&rsquo; college choice and academic match results from various student-university fit factors that are fluid and constantly changing. During the college process, students&rsquo; web of resources &ndash; including parents, guidance counselors, and college mentors &ndash; provides support, but many students still resort to making decisions independently when they feel overwhelmed. College counseling proves especially important for racial minorities and low-income students. In the past, college match research has focused solely on academic match, but students make their college choice based on a variety of factors, including location, major options, and cost. Together, Perna&rsquo;s and Hossler and Gallagher&rsquo;s conceptual models provided a framework for this study since using either model in isolation would result in a gap in understanding. Namely, Hossler and Gallagher&rsquo;s model does not account for the counseling students receive throughout their process, and Perna&rsquo;s model focuses on the college process as a whole but does not differentiate between the stages. College match research must focus on both academic and social fit to provide an accurate and comprehensive understanding of how students experience their college search and make their college choice.</p>

<p> Games contribute to the whole-person, academic, and career development of college-aged individuals (Alderman, 2015). However, many higher-education institutions do not sponsor gaming as a collegiate extracurricular activity, thereby possibly eliminating the opportunity of an all-inclusive environment (Alderman, 2015). To elucidate the problem, Astin and Antonio&rsquo;s (2012) I-E-O model was engaged as conceptual framework for college-aged individuals&rsquo; perception of Magic the Gathering&rsquo;s role in their whole-person, academic, and career development. The purpose of the study was to employ Magic the Gathering as the input; higher-education institutions as the environment; and whole-person, academic, and career development as the outcome. Descriptive survey data were gathered regarding college-aged individuals&rsquo; perception of Magic the Gathering&rsquo;s role in whole-person, academic, and career development. Since this study is the first of its kind, a survey was an appropriate instrument for the research (Creswell, 2013). The sample to participate in the survey were college-aged individuals from North America and Europe who played Magic the Gathering. After an in-depth analysis by means of quantitative methods, descriptive statistics were used to determine college-aged individuals perceived Magic the Gathering plays somewhat of a role in their whole-person development. Furthermore, by analyzing the descriptive statistics, it was found that college-aged individuals perceived Magic the Gathering plays somewhat of a role in their academic development. Lastly, per the descriptive analysis taken through the survey, college-aged individuals perceived Magic the Gathering played very little of a role in their career development.</p>

<p> This dissertation addresses the influence of working class culture on transition to college for first-generation, low-income students. Transition to the dominant culture of college often leaves first-generation students living in two worlds, creating cultural dissonance and leading to lower retention and persistence. Through narrative inquiry, this study explores the lived experiences of students of color, including recent immigrants, at both private and public universities during the first semester of college. Focusing specifically on how habitus and social class shape academic and social experiences for this population, this qualitative study employs virtual go-alongs or walking interviews as a methodology to supplement formal interviews. Using common geospatial technologies, virtual go-alongs are a modification of the go-along ethnographic research tool and allow for greater exploration of habitus and transition to college. This inquiry advances an understanding of the heterogeneity of this student population and provides insight into how a working class background shapes expectations, attitudes and aspirations for college, first-generation identity, and cultural transition; the imperative to interrogate further the intersectionality of race, ethnicity and social class emerged as an outcome of this study. Recommendations for practice include using the virtual go-along as a tool for advisors, faculty and other higher education professionals to advance knowledge of first-generation students from working class backgrounds. </p>