Retaining novice teachers in a Northeast Florida county public school is an ongoing challenge. Research indicates that 14% of new teachers will leave the field within 5 years. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the major factors that contributed to this unique group of novice teachers' decisions to continue to teach at the school during their first 5 years in the field. The societal model served as the conceptual framework for this study of factors affecting teacher turnover, with emphasis on teacher and school characteristics in relation to teacher attrition. Data collected from 9 interviews and an observation and analyzed inductively were used to answer the key research question about what factors contributed to new teachers' retention. The findings of this study indicated that teacher preparation, administrative support, school environment, working conditions, and student characteristics influenced teacher retention at the local site. Recommendations that stemmed from the findings were formulated into a proposal for a new teacher professional development series that the participating school can use to improve new teacher retention rates. This study promotes positive social change by implementing measures to stabilize new teacher retention rates, which will improve student learning and promote academic success by creating stability in the learning environment.

Thirty-one selected church-related colleges with an average enrollment of fewer than 2000 students were surveyed regarding the status of their counseling service programs. The areas covered in the survey included the following: (1) a description of the counseling situation in each college; (2) the academic and professional background of the counselor; (3) the extent of the counselor's teaching responsibilities; (4) the adequacy of the counseling and clerical staff; (5) the role of the clergy-counselor; (6) the support accorded the counseling services; (7) the scope of counseling services rendered; (8) recommendations of the counselors regarding counseling services; and (9) the counselor's actual daily functions as compared with his ideal daily functions. The survey revealed that more of the colleges surveyed had formally organized counseling services and were staffed with more professionally qualified personnel than the review of literature would indicate. It was also revealed that counselors felt too much of their time was devoted to teaching, testing and housing advisement and not enough to such areas as career counseling, group guidance and seminars. Counselors' recommendations included the need for redefinition of the role of counselor, education of the faculty regarding counseling services, better utilization of community resources, and a redistribution of duties to include more time available for actual counseling services.

This study was conducted in order to determine the effects of educational budget cuts on student programming in universities and colleges. It was stated that the universities monies allocated specifically for student programming had decreased, the number of full-time university employees had decreased, the number of national performers brought to campus had decreased, and student participation had decreased A questionnaire was designed to send to those institutions that were NECAA, Great Lakes Region, members. A 62 percent return was received, the questionnaires were tabulated and data accumulated. The data indicated that most universities had received sufficient funds for student programming from their institutions. However, from 1979-1982, those respondents that felt they had sufficient funds decreased. The number of full-time, as well as part-time, employees in the area of student activities had decreased slightly. The number of national performers brought to campus decreased, while the number of local performers increased. It was also found that the cost of a national performance had decreased. The data indicated that student participation within student activities had increased. Recommendations were made based upon the findings and conclusions. It was suggested that the questionnaire be revised in order to obtain more useful information. It was also recommended that similar studies be repeated within this and other NECAA regions so as to provide continuous and current data in the field. It was further suggested that Western Kentucky University be made aware of the results of this study and participate actively in further endeavors.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the constructs measured by the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the Graduate Record Examination Analytical Scale in "gifted" adolescents 15 to 17 years of age. There were three hypotheses addressed in this study: 1) "gifted" adolescents would be able to think critically as measured by college level norms when measured by the Watson-Glaser and the GRE-Analytical; 2) significant differences would exist between different levels of gifted populations; and 3) a factor or group of factors of the Watson-Glaser subscales would significantly predict performance on the GRE-Analytical Scale. The Watson-Glaser and the GRE-Analytical were administered to 104 high school students, most of whom were seniors in high school or in the summer preceeding their senior year. The subject pool labeled "national gifted" consisted of 50 students in summer programs for academically gifted sudents at the University of Indiana and Western Kentucky University. The "local gifted" group consisted of 54 students in secondary schools in western Kentucky and northern middle Tennessee. Analysis of Watson-Glaser total scores indicated that the national group mean was at the 60th percentile and the local group mean was at the 30th percentile when compared to college senior women. GRE-Analytical total raw scores converted to scaled scores were 580 for the national group and 440 for the local group. Statistical analysis confirmed the significantly superior performance of the national group over the local group on both instruments. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relationship between the GRE-Analytical and the Watson-Glaser for both national and local samples. The relationship between the performance on the two instruments was highly significant for both groups. The local group data were subjected to stepwise regression analysis to determine which individual subscale or group of subscales best predicted GRE-Analytical performance. In the local sample, Subscale 4 clearly emerged as the best single predictor. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients based on a median-split of data from each test indicated that lower half total (national plus local) and local group scores were slightly more consistent than were the upper halves of these groups. Implications of these results for expanding the cognitive processes and motivating the gifted student were discussed.

It is the purpose of this study to present the results of an investigation of these entrance tests, which were given under the auspices of the Registrar's Office and the Education Department to freshmen who entered school at Western Kentucky State College in September 1948. The problem set up is of a three-fold nature, namely: To determine the value, if any, of the entrance examinations as predictive agents for college success. To study the weaknesses exhibited by students on the arithmetic achievement test. To suggest remedial measures for the weaknesses revealed by the arithmetic test.

Three-hundred ten non-returning and two-hundred nineteen returning Western Kentucky University freshmen were surveyed regarding contact with academic advisors, availability of advisors, and quality of advisement, as well as awareness, use of, and value of selected student personnel services. One-hundred eighteen (53%) returning and one-hundred fifteen (37%) non-returning students responded. Returning and non -returning students differed significantly regarding number of contacts with advisor and perceptions of advisor availability. Returners reported more contacts with their advisor than did non-returners ,and returners were more likely to find their adivisor readily available than non-returners. More non-returners used counseling services and developmental studies while returners used the recreational facilities more. Returning students evidenced higher levels of social support. They reported being associated with a close-knit group of friends, being in clubs or organizations, living on campus and perceiving their instructors as being personally interested in them as individuals.

The problems of this thesis are three-fold: To familiarize administrators and citizens with the problems and needs of accreditation to the extent that these problems become axiomatic, To determine who does the accreditation and how comprehensively is it done, To revise the present state form used for accreditation of Kentucky schools by comparison with other state-accrediting forms.

The specific focus of this study was to examine the differences between the home environment, college environment, and the personal-emotional and academic characteristics of the dropout and persistent students at Western Kentucky University. Within the design of this study three separate clusters of factors were examined. These factors were as follows: The home environment as expressed by family size, income, parental pressures, size of community and high school graduating class I-as an influence on persistency. The college environment as expressed by the student's relationship with other students, his advisor, faculty members, and the personnel services has an influence on persistency. The individual's emotional, personality, and academic characteristics as expressed by his feelings of happiness-unhappiness, encouraged -discouraged, healthy-unhealthy, good study habits-poor study habits, self-confidence -lacking self-confidence, adequate ability-inadequate ability, etc., have an influence on persistency.

The principle objective of this study was the investigation of whether or not an enrichment program would increase the success of remedial students attempting to complete a university program of study. An descriptive analytical design was utilized to test a null hypothesis related to selected control and experimental samples of remedial students. Analysis of variance and descriptive statistics were utilized to compare differences between the control and experimental samples. A two sample t-test treated for equal or unequal variances was utilized to determine significant difference (.05) between grade point average (GPA) and earned hours (ER) of the control and experimental groups at the end of the first year. A Chi-square test was utilized to test for significant difference (.05) in success of completion of four years between the control and experimental group. Descriptive statistics were utilized to present success rates at the end of the first, second, third, and fourth years. A comparison of student retention for the four academic years of this study produced the following results: All students in both groups completed the first year. Control group students produced a mean GPA of 1.43597 and earned 21.67164 hours of credit. Experimental group students produced a mean GPA of 2.11791 and earned 24.35821 hours of credit. At the end of the first year, approximately seventy percent of the control group had failed to earn a two point or higher GPA while approximately thirty-five percent of the experimental group had failed to earn a two point GPA At the end of the second year, fifty (seventy-five percent) of the experimental group and forty-one (sixty-one percent) of the control group remained in school At the end of the third year, thirty-four (fifty-one percent) of the experimental group and nineteen (twenty-eight percent) of the control group were still in school At the end of the fourth year, twenty-six (thirty-nine percent) of the experimental group and sixteen (twenty-four percent) of the control group had successfully completed four years of university work. First year analysis of variance utilized a two sample t-test treated for equal or unequal variances to determine significant difference (.05) between grade point average (GPA) and earned hours (ER) of the control and experimental groups. This form of analysis of variance was possible since all participants in each group were retained, producing data for comparison. Comparison of GPA data indicated that the experimental group earned a significantly (.001) higher GPA than that of the control group. The experimental group also earned a significantly (.02) higher number of earned hours than did the control group. At the end of the fourth year, only twenty-six (thirty-nine percent) of the experimental group and sixteen (twenty-four percent) of the control group had successfully completed four years of university work. Since missing data precluded the use of analysis of variance techniques similar to those used with year one, a Chi-square analysis was utilized to produce a probability of significant difference based upon retention. Chi-square analysis of the control and experimental groups at the end of year two produced an odds ratio of (1.865) and a probability of (.1388). End of year three data produced an odds ratio of (2.603) and a probability of (.0013). End of year four data produced an odds ratio of (2.021) and a probability of (.0094). These data, with the exception of end of year two, indicated a significantly higher level of success for the experimental group as defined by retention.

Samples of successful freshmen students voluntarily withdrawing from Campbellsville College were studied and compared to determine the reasons for leaving the College. It was anticipated that findings would help to identify some of the problems involved in student withdrawal, thus giving the College some better understanding with which to proceed in an effort to build retention. Forty academically successful freshmen of the class 1974- 75 were surveyed using a questionnaire and telephone and personal interview. These students were grouped in three divisions: (1) those who entered with plans to transfer, (2) those who entered with indefinite plans, and (3) those who entered with plans to graduate. Questionnaire responses were placed in nine categories and tabular data was prepared to present basic reasons identified as "very important" and "fairly important" for leaving by division. The procedures used resulted in obtaining the "real or actual" reasons the students in the study withdrew from the College. Students who enter with plans to transfer are least critical of the college. Those who are undecided about plans to graduate are more critical and students who enter with plans to graduate are most critical. The "real" reasons why students leave are discussed and recommendations are made by the researcher to suggest retention efforts needed by the College.