"The ultimate goal involved in the construction of this paper is to create a desirable plan of activities for an extended school program in the Richmond Hill Community. To reach this goal it is necessary to gain a clear understanding of all elements pertinent to the success of such a program. The problem with which this paper deals, then, will unfold thus: the development of extended school services in Georgia will be traced, with attention to the results of the 1952 program. Then a geographic, social and economic picture of the Richmond Hill School Community will be presented, the existing needs of the community will be cited and a suggested program of activities that might meet those needs outlined"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1953." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Eugene S. Lawler, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-84).

International students at our institutions of higher education have educational and personal needs which extend beyond the classroom. These needs are supposedly provided for by student personnel services, but little data has been collected which examines how international students use student services, and if their use differs significantly from use by American students. If their perceptions of students services and use of these resources does differ, what does that signify? This study measures the use and perceptions of student services by international and American students at Southern Oregon State College. Twenty-one philosophical objectives were examined for levels of importance, effectiveness, and resultant need. A list of twenty resources at the College were compiled and respondents were asked to rate the helpfulness of each resource. Demographic data on students included residence, length of time on campus, involvement in extracurricular activities, and other characteristics and was compared to knowledge of student services resources. International students were asked to identify their English language proficiency and this was compared with their need for student services objectives. All three hypotheses that there would be no differences between American and international students; in their perceptions cf the;:, importance, effectiveness, and helpfulness of student services were rejected at the . 05 level of significance. International students found three objectives to be ineffective, and the focus of these objectives suggested that cultural differences may contribute to student problems. A correlation between self-reported English language proficiency and satisfaction of needs for student services objectives was noted, while no relationship between TOEFL score and satisfaction of needs was found. Southern Oregon State College may want to reconsider its orientation procedures in light of the number of "don't know'' responses from students when asked about a variety of student services. Awareness of student services and the effectiveness of those services for both American and international students are issues which this study aims to help the college address.

This thesis focuses on the academic advising and teaching needs of adult learners. It1 is a qualitative study involving twelve Ball State University adult learners, three academic advisors, three college instructors from different departments, and four Student Affairs administrators from different campus offices. The past research explores demographics of adult learners, academic advising strategies, classroom etiquette, and campus resources. The researcher used observations and interviews in the research design. The information was divided into common themes. The themes were demographics, reasons for returning to higher education, concerns, classroom procedures, advising procedures, and campus resources. The conclusion includes a discussion on adult learner needs on-campus and how to address them. There is also a discussion on the responsibilities of the institution.. Included in the thesis are recommendations for future research. / Department of Educational Leadership

Researchers have documented that supporting student needs, particularly their social-emotional learning, is critical to their success in the classroom. However, little research has been done to explore how district and school leaders make decisions about allocating resources (funding, personnel, curricula, and infrastructure) to student support services, especially during times of fiscal constraint. This study explores the ways that some of the largest high-needs districts in the United States decide to provide the needed resources to maintain social-emotional learning and other student supports in schools as well as the effects of these policy decisions on resources and schools. It examines district leaders’ rationale and the bounds that shaped these decisions using bounded rationality theory. It focuses on a seven-year period from the 2006–07 school year to the 2013–14 school year, the time period before, during, and after the 2008 Recession. This study employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. Through a series of fixed-effects analyses, the study explores funding trends and the impact of student support services (SSS) funding on student support service staff as well as academic and non-academic outcomes. These analyses were conducted in two phases. First, the study explores the impact of SSS funding on the outcomes across the seven-year study period for the 120 largest districts in the United States as a reference and, then, conducts the same analyses exploring the impact within 48 large, high-needs, districts. Following these analyses, the researcher conducted a series of interviews with district leaders in 5 high-needs districts to learn how they were supporting the needs of their students and what considerations shaped the decisions to allocate resources to these support areas. Like the fixed-effects analyses, the interviews focus on the seven-year study period, though context beyond these years is included. The findings indicate that changes in student support services funding are related to changes in student support services staff and high school completion outcomes. The experiences of high-needs district leaders provide additional insight into the decision-making process around student support services funding and the observed variation. District leaders expressed various levels of challenges stemming from changes in federal, state, and local budget reductions as well as challenges in specific years like those that followed the 2008 Recession. These reductions coupled with other limitations and considerations led to different decisions across and within these districts. The constructs of bounded rationality aided in better understanding these limitations, district decisions, and the consequences for students and schools.

This study compares the instructional, academic support, and student services needs of international and American students at Portland State University (PSU), Portland, Oregon. Variables measured include the perceived importance of university-related services, and the level of satisfaction with services received. A questionnaire with 26 background questions and 41 service-related items for ranking and discussion was mailed to 225 undergraduate international students and 225 undergraduate American students, with a response rate of 52%. Responses were tabulated to ascertain demographic profile of PSU students, importance of university services to international students at PSU, current level of satisfaction of international students in regards to university services received, importance of the various university services to U.S. students at PSU, current level of satisfaction of U.S. students in regards to these university services, if U.S. and international students at PSU differ in the importance they assign to university services, if U.S. and international students differ in their level of satisfaction with services at PSU, relationship between perceived importance and level of satisfaction for U.S. and international students, relationship between perceived importance and level of satisfaction for international students, perceived reasons for dissatisfaction concerning service quality for U.S. and international students, and any suggestions these students have for improving the quality of services. Respondents' descriptive characteristics were reported and tabulated as background information. Frequency distribution, the chi square test of significance, and means were calculated using responses to queries about the service-quality items, and responses of international and American students were compared. Major findings included that there are many areas of agreement between international and American students. However, significant differences were found: 2 "need" items under instruction, 5 "need" items under academic support, and 13 "need" items under student services. Focus group interviews were also conducted. Researchers can use this additional data to develop theories about answers given; university administrators could use this information to develop programs to ameliorate perceived problems, or make changes in the quality or delivery of existing student services.

No description available.

This qualitative case study explores how moments perceived as ‘ defining’ or being a climatic turning point may influence students’ preconceived ideas and viewpoints. Institutions worldwide are becoming cognisant of the importance of preparing students for global leadership roles. In meeting this objective the Student Leadership Development Office introduced students on its leadership course to the topics of leadership and citizenship. The Leadership Course’s structure used an ethical lens to elaborate on elements of citizenship related to knowledge, skills, efficacy, and commitment. The course aimed to imbue students with a sense of stewardship, and commitment to civic involvement. The provision of real-world learning experiences included the use of a culturally responsive form of teaching, by the introduction of the African spiritual concepts of ubuntu and umhlangano. Lessons were further amplified by prior research, feedback, and the use of reflective journals by course participants. Using Mezirow’s (1991) theoretical framework of transformative learning, this study considers how the course facilitates the possibility of catalytic experiences for course participants. This study is particularly interested in determining whether real change is possible via defining moments which may potentially trigger transformative learning. Data gathered from reflective journals and email questionnaires has been coded and analysed for possible themes. Triangulation between sources allowed for greater validity for the findings of the data collected. The study shows how, via transforming experiences, students became aware of preconceived biases and judgements in their internal landscapes. These defining moments contribute to catalysts for development. Case study results suggest that students could develop a broader understanding of the responsibilities of leadership and citizenship by obtaining an overall understanding and appreciation for diversity and being motivated to implement activities that could potentially have a positive bearing on community life. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This document summarizes the results of an investigation into the experiences of students with physical impairments studying at Durban University of Technology. The purpose of the investigation is to understand how these students live their lives amongst the able-bodied students and how they cope in the environment created for able-bodied students. The study aims at heightening the awareness of DUT community about the students with impairments’ needs. The study will also attempt to explore how the facilities of the institution are accommodative to these students with impairments. The study hopes to shape the policies regarding the students with impairments at DUT as the government had developed policies which are inclusive of people with impairments.. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This study sought to determine what university stakeholders see as the role of the division of student affairs in university education. 20 participants were drawn as follows: 5 students; 5 lecturers; 5 administration and senior management staff; and 5 student affairs staff. Recorded open-ended interviews were used as the data collection instrument in this qualitative research using the interpretive social science as a paradigm. Categorisation and coding of data centred on Blimling’s (2001) communities of practice in student affairs. The ‘Other’ category was added to cater for any other responses which did not fall within the espoused four communities of practice in student affairs by Blimling. Thematic and content analysis was employed in addition to the Lacey and Luff’s (2001) stages in the analysis of qualitative data. The study used both the first-order and second-order interpretations in assigning significance. This study revealed that the division of student affairs is perceived as primarily responsible for provision of student services - a non-academic, non-complementary yet supplementary role to the teaching of students in a university. Secondly, student affairs is also perceived as responsible for student development programmes targeting the growth of the ‘person’ in the student amid concerns, though, that this tends to be haphazard hence risks being branded ‘a secondary thing’ that requires less human and material resources. In the main, this study recommends that all units of the university operation must collaborate in so far as the total learning and development of a student into a responsible and meaningful citizen is concerned. As faculty does much of this role in the lecture room, so does the division of student affairs outside the classroom. However, the latter is challenged to develop planned scholarship in an outcomes based education (OBE) fashion. Finally, it is also recommended that universities recognise, reward and award students’ achievement out of class by any means necessary if not by way of another transcript that reveals the student’s learning and development out of class. It has been claimed that more than 90% of what a student learns takes place outside the lecture room. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

The purpose of this study was to examine the successes and challenges in implementing community art programs for youth in low-income communities. The National Arts and Youth Demonstration Project (NAYDP) was initiated in September 2001 in five program sites across Canada. This article reports on the qualitative findings of NAYDP staff implementation journals that were utilized in the first term of the project. Findings suggest that community partnerships in program recruitment, youth management and engagement and survey administration were all key aspects in the ability of staff to deliver the program. Positive Youth Development (PYD) provides a guiding framework and implications for social work practice, education and future research are explored.