The purpose of this study was to explore individual perceptions of African-American at-risk students in an undergraduate teacher education program, specifically continuing students or community college transfer students in a four-year urban university College of Education (COE) program. Specific areas of interest included: (a) demographic characteristics profiling the study participants; (b) emotional and motivational factors as they affected the students; and (c) the personal thoughts and effect of institutional and environmental variables and administrative factors. Ten females volunteered to participate in a semi-structured interview. The 22 semi-structured interview questions were developed by the researcher. The questions captured the individual personal background, academic information, college environment, and reasons for leaving college. A triangulated set of research methods for data collection was used, including a demographic profile, the semi-structured interview, coding, and salient points and theme validation. Member checks and independent reviewers were used for verification and validation purposes.Conclusions drawn from this study include the findings that the majority of students were motivated to complete their degree, but a variety of barriers including personal problems, financial needs, faculty communication difficulties, lack of administrative support services, and isolation in classes existed. Some positive perceptions of the teacher education program included appreciation for most of the faculty in the college, technology services and the new facilities for the COE, and the existence of on-line advising capabilities. The following implications emerged from this study: (a) the COE needs a clear policy for recruiting at-risk African-American students; (b) flexible course selections and offerings conducive to non-traditional students are desirable; (c) a full-time recruiter to organize and facilitate student organization support is needed; (d) more African-American faculty are crucial as role models; and (e) it is essential to continue to focus on cultural awareness within the curriculum, and (f) creating a climate of support and togetherness in which students feel comfortable is necessary. Future research is recommended addressing the perceptions of at-risk African-American male students, other ethnic and racial minorities and other colleges within the university or across universities.

The issue of academic undermatching involves students enrolling at colleges and universities below the level of selectivity to which their academic profiles indicate they could gain admission. Undermatching has received significant attention because students who undermatch have been shown to experience less favorable outcomes than their peers who match, including lower levels of satisfaction with the college experience, lower graduation rates, lower rates of full-time employment, and lower annual incomes. Undermatching has also been found to occur with much greater frequency among various populations of students, including those of low socioeconomic status (SES), underrepresented racial and ethnic minority identities, and first-generation college students. The extant literature focuses almost exclusively on students from those groups. Research has also, however, identified a geographic component to undermatching, as rural students have been found to undermatch at significantly higher rates than their urban and suburban counterparts. Interestingly, rural students are less likely than nonrural students to attend selective institutions even after controlling for SES and academic preparedness, as well as other demographic and high school achievement variables. While the nature of the academic undermatching that occurs among rural students appears to be distinct from that which occurs among nonrural students, there are no qualitative studies focused on the intersection of rurality and academic matching. In fact, students from rural backgrounds are largely ignored in the broader literature on access and equity in higher education. This study seeks to address current gaps in the literature by focusing exclusively on rural students and employing a qualitative design to explore more deeply their college choice processes and experiences at a large urban public research university. / Educational Leadership

Skolåret 2021/ 2022 blev Malmö utnämnd till Årets studentstad med motiveringen“Det är en stad att leva och trivas i både innan, under och efter sina studier ochstudenterna ses som en självklar del av stadens utveckling” (SFS, 2021). Samtidigtvill Malmö Stad tillsammans med Malmö universitet utveckla studentstaden Malmö,och ställer sig frågan hur denna förändring och förbättring skulle kunna se ut. Härkommer vi som aktiva studenter och boende i staden in med ett arbete som kan sessom ett bidrag till diskussionen om denna frågan.Vårt syfte med kandidatarbetet är att uppnå både involvering och etableringav studenten i stadsrummet, där urbana studiemiljöer kan skapa livfullhet ochsammankoppling utanför universitetens byggnader. Detta gör vi genom attundersöka hur en implementering av Urbana studierum skulle kunna ge studentermöjlighet att bli en del av Malmös urbana sammanhang.Genom ett explorativt tillvägagångssätt bygger vi upp vår teoretiska tillämpninggenom insamling av empirisk data, tidigare forskning och teorier samt egnaerfarenheter av studentstaden Malmö. Vår avsikt med att nyttja det explorativatillvägagångssättet, är att generera mer kunskap kring ett ämne som inte tidigaredefinierats och utretts.För att skapa en tydligare uppfattning av staden och relevanta områden för vårtarbete krävs det att stora delar av arbetet grundar sig i empiriska analyser, dettager djupare förståelse av staden, dess användning samt väsentliga kopplingarmellan student och stad. Den empiriska insamlingen grundar sig i tre faser avområdesanalyser med en kompletterande enkätundersökning. Som underlag föratt förstå stadens framtida visioner kring studentstaden Malmö har vi dessutomstuderat Malmös översiktsplan och Campusplan Malmö universitet 2040.Den definierade benämningen av vad ett urbant studierum är och kan bli grundarsig i de två nyckelorden som begreppet är uppbyggt utifrån. Där många av dekännetecken som kopplas till dagens studierum implementeras på innovativa sätti nya sammanhang. Vårt projekt kommer föreslå en implementering av nämndastudierum i Malmös stadsmiljö, där en lärandemiljö flyttas ut i staden och skapar enurban hub för lärande, samtidigt som en etablering av studenter i stadsrum sker.Genom arbetet definierar vi vad ett Urbant studierum är med hjälp av teorier kringlyckade stadsrum, campusutformning och den omgivande miljöns påverkan.Arbetet framställer ett gestaltningsförslag för Urbana studierum, som kan geunderlag till Malmö universitet och Malmö stad inför fortsatt utveckling avstudenstaden Malmö. / The school year 2021/2022 Malmö was appointed as the Student City of TheYear, with the motivation; “It is a city to live, and thrive in, both before, duringand after their studies and the students are seen as an obvious part of the city’sdevelopment” (SFS, 2021). Simultaneously the City of Malmö along with Malmöuniversity wants to further the development of the student city Malmö, and thequestions as to what this change and improvement could look like arises. Here, asactive students and residents of the city, our work comes in as an important link inthis issue.The intent of this bachelor’s thesis is to achieve both involvement and establishmentof the student in the urban context, where urban study environments can createa liveliness and connection outside the halls of the university. We do this byinvestigating how an implementation of Urban studyrooms could create theopportunities for students to become part of Malmö’s urban context.Through an explorative approach, we build our theoretical application through thecollection of empirical data, previous research and theories together with our ownexperiences of the student city of Malmö. The intent of applying an exploratorycourse of action is to generate more knowledge on a topic that has not previouslybeen defined or explored.In order to create a more distinct perception of the city and relevant areas for ourwork, it requires that a great part of the undertaking is based on empirical analyses,this provides a deeper understanding of the city, its uses and significant connectionsbetween student and city. The empirical collection is based on three phases of areaanalysis with a supplementary survey. As a basis for understanding the city’s futurevisions around the student city of Malmö, we have also studied Malmö’s overviewplan and Campus plan Malmö university 2040.The defined designation of what an Urban Studyroom is and further can become isbased on the two main keywords on which the concept is developed upon. Manyof the characteristics associated with today’s study rooms are implemented in aninnovative way in novel contexts. Our project will suggest an implementation of thementioned Urban studyrooms being relocated out into the city, creating an urbanhub for learning. A place that creates opportunities for the students to become apart of Malmö’s urban context. Throughout the project, we define what an Urbanstudyroom is, with support in theories about successful urban spaces, campusdesign and the surrounding environment’s impact on people and learning.The thesis proposal presents a design proposal for Urban studyrooms, whichcan provide a foundation for Malmö university and the City of Malmö for furtherdevelopment of Malmö as a city for students.