<p dir="ltr">Graduate education is a transformative period that demands the development of specialized knowledge, research skills, and a suite of professional competencies. In today’s competitive and rapidly evolving job market, graduate students are expected to excel academically while simultaneously preparing for diverse career paths and managing personal growth. However, traditional academic frameworks may not fully address the complex needs of graduate students, who often face challenges in balancing these varied aspects of their development. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">This thesis aims to bridge this gap by assessing an Individual Development Plan (IDP) tailored specifically for graduate students at Purdue Polytechnic. The IDP is conceived as a dynamic, student-centered tool that integrates academic, career, and personal development goals, offering structured support and continuous feedback to enhance students’ success. By examining the implementation and impact of this IDP, this study seeks to contribute a replicable model for individualized graduate student support, ultimately enriching the educational experience and improving outcomes for students in similar academic settings.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Doctoral students were more affected by mental health problems than the general population, frequently citing constant strain, feelings of unhappiness and depression, and loss of sleep due to worry. These mental health concerns tended to interfere with general life satisfaction among graduate students. One of the most significant factors that affected graduate students’ life satisfaction was burnout. Therefore, this systematized literature review aimed to discover how life satisfaction and burnout affected graduate students. Specifically, it explored and synthesized existing empirical evidence about definitions of life satisfaction and burnout, and the relationship between life satisfaction and burnout among graduate students. In addition, it sought to understand the reported protective factors to reduce burnout and increase life satisfaction among graduate students. Implications for assisting higher education institutions in creating inclusive and supportive environments for graduate students were also discussed.</p>

<p>The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how school leaders are assisting at-risk students in urban schools develop social capital. It sought to understand specifically what strategies they perceive as useful for developing social capital with students. This study’s findings are significant to the field of education in providing educational leaders the strategies other urban principals are using to support the development of social capital for their students. Schools need to recognize all the different ways they contribute to helping students achieve academic success. One of the most significant benefits a school can offer students, in addition to academic rigor, is preparation for facing the social and emotional challenges of life. This instrumental case study focused on five former Principal of the Year (POY) recipients from urban secondary (grades 6-12) school environments to maximize the quality and experienced practice of the leaders being studied. The urban school settings were all categorized as predominantly diverse (high minority composition and/or low socioeconomic status). Three assertions resulted from the study:</p> <p>●Principals must have a clear and communicated vision of excellence for all within the community and implement systems and structures that consistently support the mission, vision, and values of a student-centered school. </p> <p>●Principals must consistently find ways to foster collaborative, trusting, relationships with and between members of the school and local community.</p> <p>●Principal and staff within the school must consistently model, create, and nurture opportunities for students to grow and find uses for their social networks.</p> <p>The results of this study may offer school principals specific strategies they can use to positively impact the growth of social capital within their schools.</p> <p><br></p>

<p dir="ltr">This project aims to determine the overall attitude towards chemistry in a general chemistry course primarily taken by non-chemistry science majors. Given that this course is required for non-chemistry science majors, such as engineering, it is hypothesized that the courses (CHM 115 and CHM 116) directly relate to STEM retention within Purdue. Surveys were conducted and analyzed by format and course. It was determined that the course format does not affect student attitude towards chemistry. The factor that played the largest role in student attitude was if the student continued to CHM 116 after completing CHM 115. Overall, the surveys conducted on students who took this course displayed that they have a low attitude towards chemistry, with CHM 116 student attitude decreasing in several factors when compared to CHM 115. Interviews were conducted to gain deeper insight into student attitudes, where it was learned that the largest factor in the negativity towards the course was the lectures. Importantly, students cited their previous experience with chemistry in high school as the reason they enjoy chemistry, clarifying that if the general chemistry course was their only chemistry exposure they would have chosen a different career path. One student specifically stated that he felt the general chemistry courses were “weed out” courses due to the way the course was run. Participants made several suggestions to address in these issues, such as conducting more demonstrations in lecture, making videos on the LMS to help students with common problems, and providing more real-life examples to help students relate chemistry to their life. Further study will need to be conducted to determine which interventions will help increase student attitude towards chemistry.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The existing landscape of collaboration and partnership-based research involving university writing centers primarily explores joint initiatives with campus libraries, academic programs, and high schools designed to support a variety of student learning objectives. This project is motivated by the increasing demand for partnerships between institutions of higher education across national borders and responds to a critical gap in writing center collaboration research involving international partners and identity-affirming campus partners to support the literacy and language learning needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Through the lens of a multi-institutional partnership between Colombia and the United States, the study draws on the insights and experiences of staff, tutors, and administrators from two writing centers at partner institutions in Colombia and a Latino cultural center at a university in the United States offering multilingual support programming. Qualitative findings support ideas for the development of collaborative visions between partners and suggest implications for individual and collective agency in partnership settings. Based on participant input about student experiences with language politics, sense of belonging, and access to support on campus, this study also proposes recommendations for building accompliceships with partners through a critical collaborative approach aimed at developing intercultural competence and a mindfulness of difference in writing mentorship.</p>