Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Nobel S. Rebello / This dissertation reports on a naturalistic evaluation study of a series of NSF grant projects collectively known as PEPTYC -- Physics Enhancement Project for Two Year College Physics Instructors. The project encompassed seven different cycles of professional development occurring during the 1990's via May Institutes, held at Texas A&M University. Follow-up meetings were held at American Association of Physics Teachers - Texas Section Meetings. The research was conducted post hoc. The research evaluated the characteristics of effective professional development under an evaluation frame work designed by D.L. Kirkpatrick (1959) and adapted by the researcher to address issues that are pertinent to the professional development of faculty. This framework was adapted to be viewed through an educator's eye in an effort to ascertain the long term affects of the program and determine how the program affected the participants' attitudes, pedagogical knowledge, and instructional practices. The PEPTYC program philosophy was based on the premise, supported by research, that professional development programs addressing specific teaching practices are more successful than generic programs. Furthermore, professional development is more effective in helping teachers use alternative approaches when teachers are engaged in active learning experiences rather than passively listening to lectures or presentations. The naturalistic study was based on surveys and semi-structured interviews with 14 individuals who participated in PEPTYC workshops, as well as presenters of the PEPTYC program. The interviews were analyzed to describe how the PEPTYC project influenced the participants long after they had completed their training. This project can inform the development of similar evaluation studies of other professional development programs.

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions held by three significant groups concerning management training programs in two-year colleges in the United States on the present and desired future importance of these curriculum objectives: semi-professional, technical, supplemental, retraining and transfer. The perceptions were determined by analyses of responses to questionnaires sent to representative members of each of three groups.

The purpose of this study was to identify a set of determinants of quality for public two-year colleges. To identify specific measures of quality for public two-year colleges, 61 variables of quality were selected from recent research on quality in higher education and consolidated on the Inventory of Determinants of Quality (IDQ). This instrument was mailed to a random sample of two-year college presidents, two-year college faculty members, four-year college deans, and community business leaders. Of the 476 surveys mailed, 315 were returned. The ANOVA procedure identified 24 IDQ items which the four study groups agreed were important to determining quality at public two-year colleges and 6 IDQ items which were less important. The study groups differed significantly in rating the remaining 31 IDQ items as determinants of quality for public two-year colleges. The majority of items found to be important to determining quality at public two-year colleges were related to student outcomes and academic standards. Items related to faculty characteristics, such as research productivity, were found to be less important. Four-year college deans differed significantly from the other three study groups on 13 IDQ items. The major differences were on items related specifically to two-year colleges such as diverse instructional delivery systems and the relationship between the two-year college and its local community. The results of the study led to two major conclusions regarding the determination of quality of public two—year colleges. First, a different set of criteria must be used for measuring quality at two-year colleges. Second, outcome measures must be an integral part of any two-year college evaluation system. Further research is recommended to determine the degree to which the items identified as determinants of quality for two-year colleges should be measured.

Computer-based instruction including distance learning is fast becoming an integral part of higher education. Much of the current research has found that computer-based instruction is as effective as lecture-based instruction. Despite the wealth of studies that purport that students enrolled in computer-based instruction perform equally well as compared to their lecture-based counterparts, there is a high dropout rate associated with computer-based instruction including distance learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in students' withdrawal and completion rates in classes delivered via different instructional formats (distance learning, hybrid, or traditional) to determine if student learning style and/or student reasons for choosing an instructional format have an effect on the dropout rate in a remedial mathematics course. This non-experimental quantitative study employed logistic regression to estimate the probability of withdrawal from a Basic Algebra (MAT 0024) course based on student learning style, student reasons for selecting the instructional format, and CPT scores. Learning styles and their relationship to completion status within the three instructional delivery formats were examined. It was determined that those students who were enrolled in a hybrid or distance learning course had greater odds of withdrawing as compared to students enrolled in a lecture-based course. It was also determined that learning style did not impact the completion or withdrawal of students regardless of the delivery format. Student reasons for enrolling in a particular delivery method and the relationship to completion or withdrawal within the three instructional delivery formats was also examined. It was determined that those students who enrolled in the course based upon personal factors had greater odds of completing the course without distinction to a particular instructional delivery method. Those students who enrolled in the course because of their perceived learning needs had greater odds of withdrawing from the course without distinction to a particular instructional delivery method. CPT scores and their relationship to completion or withdrawal within the three learning styles were examined. Based on the data, there is no relationship between students' CPT scores and their withdrawal or completion in a particular delivery format.

The failure rate for students enrolled in the online sections of a gateway course, Introduction to Computers, was 15% higher than for students enrolled in the face-to-face sections at a rural community college in the southeastern United States. The computer course is required by all of the college's programs of study to obtain an associate degree. Failure to complete the gateway course increases attrition, time to graduate, and educational expenses. Guided by Bruner's constructivist theory, which maintains that students are active learners who construct their knowledge, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of students and teachers that might explain the gap in performance in the online sections, and to use the results of this study to identify strategies to improve online student performance. This qualitative study incorporated semistructured interviews with a randomly selected sample of 8 online students who completed the course and with the 2 online instructors. Perceptions of the students and instructors were coded to identify and analyze emerging themes. The findings revealed that online students procrastinated and had difficulty completing assignments. Suggested strategies to meet challenges were better preparation for online learning and study skills including time management. This study included developing a 3-day professional development project to enhance online instructional techniques and learning strategies to promote student time management skills, grades, and course completion. This study and project promote positive social change by providing a deeper understanding of strategies that could improve student performance. The study findings will be beneficial to teachers, students, and course administrators.

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ABSTRACT SWIMMING UPSTREAM: A STUDY OF BLACK MALES AND THE ACADEMIC PIPELINE Rhonda D. Wilkins Post secondary participation and graduation rates of Black males are declining rapidly. Black women, however, are realizing substantial growth in both of these areas and account for the majority of the increase in Black student college enrollment. This qualitative case study addresses the decline in Black male participation in higher education by focusing on six Black men who completed college programs and the academic pipeline that brought them to their degree. The purpose of the research inquiry was to determine various factors that either helped or hindered the academic progression of the six Black male participants. For the study participants the two-year college was a component of their academic pipeline and was assessed based on its function as a conduit aiding degree attainment. The common factors that emerged from the findings as influential to the academic progression of the six Black males were categorized as: (a) personal attributes and perceptions, (b) relationships and external influences, and (c) institutional factors. The personal attributes of the participants included self-efficacy, endurance and resilience, and self-regulation. These attributes were framed within the central context of personal agency. Factors external to the participants consisted of family messages about higher education, role models, mentors and advocates, early exposure to college and participation in athletic sports. The institutional factors that surfaced were insufficient college preparation in high school, contrasts between the climate and culture of the two-year college and four-year institution, the lack of promotion of the transfer function at the two-year college. Race and gender were also considered relative to the men and their experiences with the academic pipeline. The salient factors included: (a) the general social and economic conditions faced by young Black males, (b) the perpetuation of negative or one-dimensional stereotypes in the media, (c) pre-college educational inequities, (d) the lack of assistance with college transition, and (e) the unwelcoming climates and lack of Black faculty at predominately white institutions. The study concluded that Black males may face many hurdles to postsecondary attainment and will therefore require personal, family, community, and institutional forces to push them through the academic pipeline.

ABSTRACT THE EFFECT OF PRE-TRANSFER GRADE POINT AVERAGE ON POST-TRANSFER GRADE POINT AVERAGE AS AN INDICATOR OF PERSISTENCE FROM TWO-YEAR COLLEGES TO STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA by Marci M. Middleton Community colleges provide an important access point for students who want to continue their educational studies and obtain a baccalaureate or advanced degree. Students have the opportunity to complete core curricula or the general education component of their education at a two-year college and then transfer to a four-year college or university in many higher education systems around the country including the University System of Georgia. Using linear regression initially and later multiple regression, this quantitative research study tested grade point average to project student academic performance at a state or research university upon transfer to such institutions. Data obtained for state systems institutions from fall 2001 through fall 2005 was used for the administration of this study. Research questions concerning the relationship between grade point averages before and after transfer were examined at various matriculation points with specific attention paid to pre-transfer grade point average and post-transfer grade assessment at three points across a student’s academic career. In addition, the strength of the relationship was tested for the aggregate student cohort of matriculants from fall 2001 through fall 2005 as well as sub-groups within the cohort.

This study investigates the predictive value of the high-school-level battery of the Tests of General Educational Development (GED) for two-year college academic performance. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using a variety of statistical techniques including univariate and multivariate correlation methods, t-test, and analysis of variance. Of the thirteen hypotheses formulated and tested in the study, eleven were statistically significant at the .05 level. With the acceptance of the majority of the research hypotheses, it is concluded that the GED is a valid predictor of first semester, two-year college GPA. It is also concluded that the use of the standard scores of individual component subtests of the GED as predictors provides valid and slightly more efficient prediction of first semester, two-year college GPA than the use of only mean GED standard score as a predictor, and that GED Test 4, Interpretation of Literary Materials, is the single most effective GED subtest in predicting this criterion.

Causative factors and some consequences of dystocia were examined in 3923 parturitions among Hereford and Angus x Hereford crossbred two-year-old heifers. Fifty percent of the parturitions required some assistance. Minor assistance was required in 34.5% of the parturitions and major assistance involving use of a calf puller, in 15.1%. Caesarean section and foetotomy were rendered in 0.3% and .05% of the cases, respectively. Abnormal presentation at birth, which included leg back, head back, backwards, hiplock and breech, was observed in only 2.9% of the births and therefore is a minor contributor to dystocia. The major causes of dystocia were not specifically identified in this study. Sex of calf had a definite influence upon the degree of calving difficulty with male calves requiring more assistance in both minor and major assistance categories. Crossbred heifers had a higher percentage of unassisted births (62.4% vs 36.7%) than Hereford heifers. Ninety and eight-tenths percent of all calves born were alive at 30 days postpartum. Of the 9.2% that died, 6.2% died at birth or within 24 hours after birth. Losses were particularly heavy in this early period among those to whom major assistance had been given, with 71.5% of all deaths in this group being in this early period. Death loss rate was higher in this group throughout the 30 day postpartum interval with a total death loss of 38.6% as compared to a loss of 3.8% and 3.4% for the minor assisted and the unassisted groups, respectively. Among the kinds of abnormal presentations, death loss was greatest among breech presentations with a 66.7% loss. Backward presentation ranked next followed, in order, by head back, hiplock and leg back. Loss from leg back, 21% was relatively low. Increases in degree of severity of dystocia was accompanied by increases in time required to complete the birth process. Labor duration and sex of calf were correlated with male calves requiring a longer parturition than female calves, 104 minutes vs 88 minutes, respectively.