The study was concerned with the testing of a modified causal model of college anticipation and attendance for a nationwide sample of Puerto-Rican and Mexican-American high-school seniors. The key problem of this study was defined on the basis of two fundamental criteria. The first states that social-structural and social-psychological components of sociological theory can provide basic information needed to comprehend the educational aspirations and achievement behaviors of Hispanic youth in the United States. The second theoretical tenet of this study was that the logic of the modified Wisconsin Model of status attainment can be understood as a common process that applies to all sectors of the American system of stratification and mobility. The data used in this study were extracted from the High School and Beyond: A National Longitudinal Study for the 1980s (HSB) and its First Follow-Up. Path coefficients associated with the direct and indirect effects were used in attempting to explain the variance in postsecondary educational plans and attainments of the subjects. A summary of the most significant findings, using the aforementioned data follows. The analysis of the educational attainments for the two ethnic group subsamples shows no statistically significant difference when the two samples are classified by gender. The recursive causal model used in this analysis is not completely successful in explaining the variance in the dependent variables (postsecondary educational plans and attainments) of both Mexican-American and Puerto-Rican high-school seniors. As a result, only about one-fourth of the degree of change in postsecondary educational plans and less than one-half of the variability in the level of educational attainments are accounted for by the antecedent variables. Present results reduce the impact of some of the social-psychological intervening variables on the level of educational plans of Hispanic adolescents. On the other hand, the role of objective variables (academic achievement and socioeconomic status is magnified. The influence of some of the objective variables on the process of educational attainment is also noticeable.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational achievement is vital to economic competitiveness in the United States and abroad. Despite a concerted effort, the US lags well behind many similarly developed nations. Research suggests that the integration of fine arts education into traditional STEM curriculum (STEAM) boosts academic achievement in STEM subjects and closes gaps between low- and high-socioeconomic status students. Justifications for STEAM programs are based, however, on the unexamined assumption, for one, that fine arts courses instill creative and critical thinking skills that can be transferred to STEM subjects. The present study explores the impact of taking fine arts courses on mathematics achievement in high school. Using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 and multi-level regression modeling, this study provides evidence that credit accumulation in fine arts courses relates positively to advancing past Algebra II in high school. Additionally, this estimated impact is much greater in magnitude for low-SES students than for their high-SES peers.

The purpose of this study was to describe the resilience in adult at-risk college students who had overcome adverse circumstances and the role resilience played in the post secondary experience in formal education. This qualitative study examined the characteristics and behaviors of resilience within the framework of human development.The eight study participants were clients of the Educational Opportunity Center program in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The study participants were low-income, first generation college students. Several assessment tools were administered to evaluate levels of resilience in the eight participants. In addition, all participants were interviewed, which allowed the participants to share their post secondary experience.The analysis of the evidence gathered showed that the eight participants exhibited traits of resiliency. These traits included being goal-oriented and exhibiting a desire to excel, exhibiting positive responses to new opportunities, using a capacity to delay gratification, demonstrating a high level of personal discipline and responsibility, being self-understanding and independent, exhibiting a high self-esteem, being flexible and creative in responding to life events, displaying a strong internal locus of control, making wise use of the presence and support of a caring person, building positive relationships with others, selecting environments that provided positive and high expectations as well as an opportunity to participate and contribute, possessing an easy-going temperament, finding meaning in life and having a vision of the future, responding with a sense of humor, and possessing a strong faith.All of the eight participants believed that resilience is present in all people and that resilience can be learned. There was not sufficient evidence provided by the assessment tools in this study to support strongly that resilience is a developmental process in adulthood. However, the analysis of the data gathered from the interviews suggest that resilience may be learned and strengthened by observing and learning from others.Conclusions and recommendations of this study focused on the identification of resilient at-risk adult students, determination of the role environment plays in the development and use of resilience in at-risk adult students, and the evaluation of effective assessment tools in identifying resilient at-risk students. Implications of this study for low-income, first-generation post secondary students include providing and strengthening the support of at least one caring adult in students' lives, as well as determining methods to teach or foster resilient behavior in at-risk adult students. / Department of Educational Leadership

Retention, attrition, persistence, dropout literature.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the relationship between participation in one community college EOPS & CARE program and participant sense of preparedness for self-sufficiency.

While college completion rates have increased over time for all students, low-income students and students of color remain underrepresented among degree holders. The research presented here explores the role that family, peer, and contextual social capital play in perpetuating unequal representation in college, and whether AVID can increase the social capital resources available to students. Using multilevel models and data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), results indicated a positive, significant relationship between social capital and rigorous course taking, high school credential attainment, and college-going, with the relationship with family social capital being the strongest. The analyses revealed no direct relationship between AVID participation and academic outcomes, but results did offer modest evidence that some sources of social capital increase more for AVID students over time than non-AVID students with similar characteristics. These findings suggest that educational reform efforts aimed at building social capital are worth supporting. Keywords: social capital; AVID; HSLS:09 dataset; college access; first-generation students; noncognitive skills; cultural capital; neighborhoods; habitus

This study identified the problems of mature college women students, assessed their intensity, and described relationships between the intensity of problems and the following seven demographic variables: number of credit hours for which they were currently enrolled, number of hours previously earned, age range, marital status, number of dependent children, age range of youngest child, and estimated total annual family income range. The Introductory Chapter includes the problem, purposes, research questions, background and significance, definitions, and limitations of the study. Chapter II contains a review of the literature concerning mature women, with a focus on two areas: (a) motivation for enrolling in college and (b) measured personality traits. The need for further research on the problems of mature women is also presented. Chapter III describes the subjects, the development of the questionnaire, procedures for the collection of data, and the method of treatment of the data. The findings are reported in Chapter IV. The summary, conclusions and recommendations are presented in Chapter V.

Thesis (M. Ed. (Education Management)) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2013 / The study focuses on the challenges facing principals of high-poverty schools in the Lejweleputswa Education District in the Free State. This study moreover deals with the strategies employed by principals of high-poverty school in addressing these challenges. It further profiles the leadership qualities as exhibited by the principals of high-performing, high-poverty schools. An in-depth literature review which covered typical problems faced by such schools and the leadership styles generally employed when managing them, was conducted. An empirical investigation using a qualitative research design was conducted and data was gathered through interviews with the principals and focus group discussions with teachers of the five selected schools. In the final analysis, findings and recommendations were made to officials in the Department of Education, teachers and the principals of high-poverty schools on how to confront challenges in the disadvantaged communities while at the same time moving towards maintaining academic excellence.

The problem of this study was to determine the interrelationship of intelligence, socio-economic status, and ten subtest measures of achievement in a selected population of high-school seniors. In addition to the general problem, the specific problems were as follows: 1. To determine the relative independence of dependence of each of the variables in relation to their influence on each of the other variables. 2. To determine the degree of predictive validity with which behavioral regression equations can be used in terms of intelligence, achievement, and socio-economic status.

The purposes of this study were as follows: 1. To measure selected junior high school students' creativity in art. 2. To determine the relationship between the following factors and the degree and kind of creativeness in art demonstrated by the subjects involved: ethnic group, sex, social class, community size, previous art training, cultural interest in the home and community.