Student-athletes are a highly visible subgroup of students whose performance and visibility can influence the formation of an institution's image (Zimbalist, 1999). Research must continue to advance understanding of the variables that lead to student-athlete academic success in order to enhance opportunities for student-athletes, improve institutional performance, and address important national priorities for intercollegiate athletics and higher education. The purpose of this study is to identify those precollege and college experience variables that influence student-athlete success at a major Division I institution in the Southeastern United States during a three year period from 2000 to 2003. Study variables included: race; gender; residency; high school grade point average; SAT composite score; scholarship amount; classification; major; Pell Grant eligibility; GPA for each of the first three semesters; number of degree hours each of the first three semesters; number of withdrawals for each of the first three semesters; and participation in an enrichment program. Logistic regression analyses were used to test the data. The precollege variables related to residency and SES were significant predicting variables of student-athlete graduation or non-graduation within six years. Student-athletes from out-of-state were less likely to graduate than in-state student-athletes. Student-athletes from low SES backgrounds, as determined by Pell Grant eligibility, were less likely to graduate than those from higher SES backgrounds. In regard to the college experience variables, sport, more specifically golf, was a positive and significant predictor of graduation within six years. Student-athletes who declared math and science majors at enrollment were significantly less likely to graduate. Higher GPA the second term of enrollment was negatively related to student-athlete graduation within six years. Finally, the number of degree hours student-athletes enrolled in the first, second, and third term was a significant predictor of student-athlete graduation. The overall conclusion of this study is that selected precollege and college experience variables appear to influence six year graduation among student-athletes. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: October 27, 2010. / College Success, Student-Athletes, College Experience Variables, Precollege Variables, Predicting Graduation / Includes bibliographical references. / Joseph Beckham, Professor Directing Dissertation; Frances Berry, University Representative; Thomas Wetherell, Committee Member; Shouping Hu, Committee Member.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1928. / Vita. Published also without thesis note. "List of one hundred dissertations analyzed by use of the check lists": p. 107-112. Bibliography: p. 99-106.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1928. / Vita. Published also without thesis note. "List of one hundred dissertations analyzed by use of the check lists": p. 107-112. Bibliography: p. 99-106.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universiy of Aarhus, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 350-369).

Ph.d-afhandling.

<p>From the Front Line to the Living Room: The Transition of Female Veterans Back Into Civilian Life. Bretia Arrington Gordon, 2018: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. Keywords: veterans, military personnel, military service, armed forces The problem addressed in this study was female veterans faced unique challenges during military service and even more difficult experiences when transitioning into civilian life. Women long served in the military and reported similar as well as different experiences than men, especially in relation to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). For example, female veterans reported a higher percentage of sexual harassment and gender discrimination than did male veterans. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues were also reported differently for female veterans than males. Women were found to be more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness after returning from deployment. This research was conducted using semi-structured interviews. The questions were broad in scope due to the sensitive nature of the problems faced by the participants. Questions focused upon recurring themes, such as PTSD, military sexual trauma, substance abuse, and impact on domestic relationships. The participants? experiences were analyzed for patterns and trends, and the information was used to encourage future research efforts in the improvement of services for female veterans. The purpose of this research was to collect information from OEF-OIF female veterans who experienced firsthand the challenges of being active duty and a civilian. The study also explored different aspects of issues not immediately identified or researched in depth in relation to this population. This research would help to inform change within the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) system and other organizations supporting OEF-OIF female veterans and families. Findings revealed participants shared similar experiences from their time in the military and during their deployment to serve in OEF and OIF. The accounts of their experiences presented themes of (a) PTSD and other mental health issues; (b) military sexual trauma; (c) discrimination based on gender, race, and rank; (d) different impacts of deployment; and (e) experiences with the VA health-care system. Findings provided a new understanding of the literature indicating the complex realm of what it is like for female veterans to (a) serve in combat, (b) transition back into their lives after deployment, (c) navigate the VA system, and (d) maintain their dignity and integrity while being discriminated against, and accepting and learning to live with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Findings supported past literature, suggesting female veterans were more likely to need long-term services to assist them as they returned from combat and transition back into civilian life. They needed specific female-centered assistance from the VA to treat them for issues related to physical and mental health, counseling and quality medical services, and housing and employment assistance to deter potential homelessness. Findings also supported the call for the Department of Defense, U.S. Military, and the VA system to acknowledge the issues of discrimination based on rank, race, and gender and to hold those accountable who used it as a means to control and limit the potential of female members of the military.

<p> This dissertation argues that bullying is a fundamental response to bullies&rsquo; feelings of insecurity. Past research has found factors associated with bullying to include socioeconomic status and propensities towards violent behavior. Contextual factors posited here that produce the feelings of insecurity, which lead to bullying, include peer group dynamics, school climates, and teaching. </p><p> In relationship to peer groups, the theoretical framework of this dissertation draws primarily from the theories of Robert E. Crosnoe and Dorte M. Sondergaard. The assumption is that students are socially embedded in peer groups in which they struggle for social status (Crosnoe 2011) and in many cases experience the threat of social marginalization (Sondergaard 2012). Sondergaard, in particular, theorizes that the more insecure students feel about their social status in peer groups, the more likely they are to resort to bullying behavior. </p><p> All multivariate analyses in this dissertation are limited to white, black, and Latino boys. The resulting sample comprises N=6,491 student observations nested within 153 schools. The nested sampling structure requires multi-level modeling (MLM) for the calculation of unbiased estimates.</p><p> I find that individual-level student background characteristics are stronger predictors of bully identification than the school context, as measured by student body composition and teaching style factors. In addition, social status insecurity is a mediating factor for many of the student- and school-level predictors of bullying. </p><p> The dissertation distinguishes four types of schools, each of which is above or below average on two major dimensions. The first dimension is academic support (i.e., how caring and responsive teachers are), while the other is academic press (i.e., how strict and demanding they are). </p><p> I find that black male students are more likely to self-identify as bullies in schools that are below average on both academic support and academic press, compared to those that are above average on both. The pattern for Latino boys is different. For them, self-reported bullying is higher when the school rates high on academic support, but low on academic press. </p><p> I find no statistically significant role for teaching styles in predicting the amount of bully identification among white males.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri--Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-142). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (doctoral)--Uppsala University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-245).

Published Article / This paper promotes the argument that although conventional postgraduate supervision is useful to address the research skills and competences of postgraduate students, a wider perspective is nonetheless required to educate and train any researcher (including postgraduate students upon their entrée into the world of research) to comprehend the demands made by research and how best these demands can be addressed. It is in this context that a more comprehensive concept of research education is promoted. The argument is based on the perspective that methodological understanding alone is not sufficient to assist a researcher in meeting the expectations of a research project. Research education refers to the training of researchers to be responsive to the research value chain. This includes aspects such as the formal research process, the importance of research ethics and integrity regarding the research project, the imperative to promote scholarship in research and the application of research results through technology transfer, innovation and incubation. Research education sensitizes the researcher to look beyond the scope of the academic research project and to extend the research to activities such as technology transfer, innovation, commercialization and partnerships. The aim of research education is to promote the wide range of aspects contributing to the understanding of what counts as research and its application.