This dissertation examines the relationship between living learning programs (LLPs) and student success at Boston University, a large, private research institution. The focus of this research was to better understand the distinctions between different types of living learning program formats (honors, academic, and special interest) and traditional housing in terms of the types of students they attract and what relationship they have with academic performance, retention, and student perception. Using the conceptual frameworks provided by Astin’s “I-E-O” model and Tinto’s longitudinal model of student departure, a mixed method design employing both quantitative (binary logistic and linear regression) and qualitative (interviews with LLP program faculty, staff, and student advisors) components was used. Results indicate that there were significant differences in student characteristics, academic performance, and perception between LLP participants and students in traditional housing. LLP participation was found to be positively related to retention, academic success and a student’s evaluation of the overall environment of the University. Academic LLP participation was linked to increased retention and first year cumulative GPA, while honors LLP participants were more inclined to rate their overall experience as excellent. These findings demonstrate that LLP format and composition are important in evaluating how these programs impact first year students. While research was limited to the students enrolled at a single institution, this study provides information about LLPs with varying level of academic integration, which can be useful to administrators looking to establish or review LLP programs on their own campus.

abstract: Research on the impact of stress on the academic performance of Hispanic undergraduate students is limited, leaving institutions of higher education without needed information about how to better support this growing population of students. The purpose of this study was to identify stressors that have a negative impact on academic performance of Hispanic undergraduate students. Themes were derived from focus groups and interviews regarding stress, stressors and related academic performance impacts of Hispanic undergraduate students attending a large multi-campus urban university and incorporated into a survey addressing common stressors, their impact on academic performance, stress impact on other areas of life, stress management ability, and demographic characteristics. The survey was administered to a random sample of Hispanic undergraduate students using an online format (n = 169). Descriptive statistics were used to examine frequencies. Stressors were placed into themes and tested for reliability of fit using Cronbach's Alpha. Pearson's Chi-Square and Cramer's V were used to measure association. Significance was set at ¡Ü .05. Overall stress of respondents resulted in serious performance effects among 32.5% of respondents and moderate performance effects among 43.8% of respondents. Stress impeded academic performance at least weekly among 36.1% of respondents. Stressors resulting in the most serious stress and academic performance effects included family, time factors, finances, and academics. Moderate stress and academic performance effects were evident in stressors related to mental health, technology, commuting, personal concerns, physical health and legal problems. The majority of respondents indicated doing a fair (n = 84, 49.7%) or good (n = 52, 30.8%) job managing stress. The remaining 20.0% (n = 33) of respondents did a poor job managing stress. Students with lower grade-point averages managed stress poorly compared to students with higher grade-point averages, X2 (6, N = 163) = 15.222, p = .019, Cramer's V = .019. These findings provide evidence that stressors related to family, time factors, finances, and academics, and overall stress have considerable negative effects on the academic performance of Hispanic undergraduate students. Institutions of higher education can improve academic outcomes among this student population by addressing and reducing the impact of common stressors affecting these students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Higher and Postsecondary Education 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the long-term effects of play therapy on social contacts, self-esteem, school-related behavior patterns, level of academic functioning, attitude toward school, and family relations. There were no significant differences between the group out of play therapy one to six years and the group out of play therapy six to ten years on social contact, self-esteem, school-related behavior patterns, or level of academic functioning. Statistically significant differences occurred at the .05 level of significance concerning the effects of time on home and family relations, with subjects in the six- to ten-year group perceiving more independence while parents in the one to six years group perceived more recreational activity occurring in the family. There were no significant differences between play therapy and non-play therapy children on social contact, self-esteem, school-related behavior patterns, or level of academic functioning. There were statistically significant differences at the .05 level of significance on home and family relations, with subjects one to six years out of play therapy perceiving more organization in their homes than their evaluation-only counterparts, while parents of the group one to six years out of play therapy perceived significantly more cohesion than did parents in the evaluation-only comparison group. In the opposite direction, parents of the group one to six years since evaluation valued more goal-oriented behavior than did their play therapy counterparts. There were also statistically significant differences in the six- to ten-year category on home and family relations. Subjects in the category six to ten years out of play therapy perceived more independence in their homes, while their non-play therapy counterparts perceived more family recreational activity occurring. Between-group differences occurred on cohesion, expressiveness, and moral-religious emphasis, with non-play therapy subjects and parents disagreeing on these values significantly more than their play therapy counterparts.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:36:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VeruskaAVG_DISSERT.pdf: 674818 bytes, checksum: f8444f7fc6d8282f4b7541fba52319a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-27 / Enter the University and remain in it is a challenge for all students who leave high school and enter this level. The aspiration for a graduation occur by several factors, which have decisive impact on the personal lives of individuals who acquire training in higher education, both as regards the professional capacities as economic opportunity. There are several possible trajectories to get into a college. Students can be classified by their success or failure in performance due to multiple intervening factors that interact among themselves. The purpose of this work is to identify and characterize the factors that reveal trends of success and failure in academic performance of UFRN students. From this general goal, broke out the following specific objectives: to analyze the problems of expanding access to and restructuring of higher education in Brazil and UFRN; explicit definitions of success and failure in higher education; identify national trends and international help to determine the success and failure of students in UFRN. Therefore, we conducted an extensive literature review on the subject and analyzed secondary data from official national, regional and local statistical sources on the subject. In the delimitation of the data, the research population refers to students who entered the UFRN through the vestibular, in the years 2000 to 2010, and who attended at least one (1) semester. In the light of the analysis, the theoretical framework interpretation and the investigative data, it was possible to identify the major factors that affect the categories of success and failure in this university, which highlight the following: the policies adopted by UFRN have provided access mechanisms and student assistance policies, trying to supply the needs of students for them to have a good academic performance, or success in their courses; in addition, the chosen focus of analysis showed that, within the same area, there is not significant difference in the performance of students coming from less favored social and educational contexts, which does not occur when analyzing the success rates between students from different areas of knowledge. The trajectory of interpretative analysis of the results presented in this paper enables to raise points of discussion in various forums and higher councils in order to increase the academic indices of its students. It also enables to promote strategies of guidance and student support for that he persists in his choice / Ingressar na Universidade e permanecer nela ? um desafio para todos os estudantes que deixam o ensino m?dio e entram nesse n?vel de ensino. Os anseios por uma gradua??o se d?o por v?rios fatores, que apresentam repercuss?es decisivas na vida pessoal dos indiv?duos que adquirem a forma??o em n?vel superior, tanto no que concerne ?s capacidades profissionais quanto ?s oportunidades econ?micas. V?rias s?o as trajet?rias poss?veis ao entrar em um curso superior. Os estudantes podem ser classificados pelo seu desempenho de sucesso ou insucesso devido a v?rios fatores intervenientes que interagem entre si. O prop?sito deste trabalho ? identificar e caracterizar os fatores que revelam tend?ncias de sucesso no desempenho acad?mico dos estudantes da UFRN. A partir desse objetivo geral, desencadearam-se os seguintes objetivos espec?ficos: analisar as problem?ticas da expans?o, do acesso e da reestrutura??o da educa??o superior no Brasil e na UFRN; explicitar as defini??es de sucesso e insucesso no ?mbito do ensino superior; identificar tend?ncias nacionais e internacionais que contribuem para determinar o sucesso dos alunos na UFRN. Para tanto, foi realizada uma vasta revis?o bibliogr?fica sobre o tema e foram analisados dados secund?rios de fontes estat?sticas oficiais nacionais, regionais e locais sobre o assunto. Na delimita??o dos dados, a popula??o pesquisada ? referente aos alunos que ingressaram na UFRN por meio do vestibular, nos anos de 2000 a 2010, e que cursaram no m?nimo 1 (um) semestre letivo. ? luz das an?lises, da interpreta??o do referencial te?rico e dos dados resultantes da investiga??o, foi poss?vel identificar as principais tend?ncias de sucesso que influenciam a universidade estudada, as quais se destacam a seguir: as pol?ticas adotadas pela UFRN t?m proporcionado mecanismos de acesso e pol?ticas de assist?ncia estudantil, tentando suprir as necessidades dos alunos para que eles tenham um bom desempenho acad?mico, ou seja, de sucesso em seus cursos; al?m disso, o foco de an?lise escolhido evidenciou que, dentro de uma mesma ?rea, n?o h? significativa diferen?a quanto ao desempenho dos alunos advindos de contextos sociais e escolares menos favorecidos, o que n?o ocorre quando se analisam os ?ndices de sucesso entre alunos de diferentes ?reas do conhecimento. A trajet?ria de an?lise interpretativa dos resultados apresentada neste documento possibilita levantar pontos de discuss?o em diversas inst?ncias e conselhos superiores com fins de melhorar os ?ndices acad?micos de seu alunado. Possibilita tamb?m promover estrat?gias de orienta??o e de apoio ao aluno para que ele persista na sua escolha

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Marjorie R. Hancock / Linda P. Thurston / The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to examine the sociocultural and gender role expectation factors that contributed to the success of 10 Latina/Hispanic female high school graduates now attending a large university in the Midwest. Additionally, the study investigated the characteristics of resilience and persistence that helped these women continue their pursuit of higher education in spite of the challenges they faced. The participants in this study were identified as recent immigrants from Mexico or Mexican-Americans born in the United States of Mexican immigrant parents. All of these respondents graduated from a midwestern K-12 public school system and are now attending a large Midwestern university. This study used a qualitative paradigm and open-ended, in-depth interviews for data collection. The 17 question interview focused on the areas of sociocultural backgrounds, resilience/persistence factors, and gender role expectations. Demographic data about the participants’ life histories and educational experiences were collected during the 90-minute interviews. Findings in the study indicated that Latinas are faced with many conflicts. They have specific gender role expectations placed on them and are limited by cultural rules and norms. Along with these conflicts they learn to build resilience/persistence attributes to help them succeed in their academic careers. The seven factors that contributed to the lived experiences and factors of resilience/persistence of Latina/Hispanic female academic success included: 1) lived discrimination; 2) the need to obtain an education that would lead to a better life; 3) active involvement in extracurricular activities in school; 4) strict and protective parents; 5) positive role models from family and other Latinas; 6) traumatic life experiences; 7) and strong familial/parental support. Additionally, the study also revealed six more contributing factors to the sociocultural and gender role expectations and pressures that impact the success of Latina/Hispanic female students in a K-12 public school system. Those factors included traditional Hispanic households, living in two worlds, traditional gender role expectations, independence from family, transference of parental gender role expectations, and the behavioral expectations for Latinas. The study offers recommendations for future studies and implications for practice advising and encouraging Hispanic females to pursue their academic goals.

It is the purpose of this study to attempt to discover the nature of the relationship between manifest anxiety and the college learning situation, as indicated by the performance of the subject in the college classroom situation.

Social and emotional development has been considered an important factor in child development which has been placed at the end of the learning spectrum due to high stakes testing. Social and emotional development consists of the relationships an individual has with others, the level of self-control, and the motivation and perseverance a person has during an activity (Bandura, 1989). This study examined the relationship between Hispanic children’s prekindergarten social and emotional development and their academic success. Hispanic children from a large southeastern city whose parents were receiving subsidized child-care were followed from their prekindergarten year through third grade (N=1,978). Several hierarchical regressions were run to determine the relationship between children’s social and emotional development, during their prekindergarten year using the DECA (Devereaux Early Childhood Assessment), and the their academic success, as measured by kindergarten through third grade end of the year reading and mathematics academic grades, second grade SAT (Stanford Achievement Test) scores, and third grade FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) and NRT (Norm Referenced Test) scores. Hierarchical regressions were conducted for each grade and subject in order to control for demographics and prior achievement. The results of this study revealed that for Hispanic children from low-income families, the best predictor for academic success was the children’s prior academic achievement. Social and emotional development showed no significant predictive value for the third grade criterion variables as well as end of the year academic grades in second grade and kindergarten reading. Evidence did suggest that for first grade end of the year academic grades and kindergarten math, social and emotional development had a small predictive value. Further research must be conducted as to why social and emotional development, after controlling for demographics and previous academic achievement, bears such a small predictive value when it is clear that many professionals feel it is the most important factor for school readiness.

abstract: The National Center for Educational Statistics (2018) reported that only 59% of first time college students will retain from their first to second year. The institutional effects of retention are wide ranging and nationwide colleges and universities are seeking effective methods of improving the retention of first year students. Isaak, Graves, & Mayers (2007) identified both emotional intelligence and resilience as important factors contributing to student retention. According to Daniel Goleman (1995), emotional intelligence is integral to success in life, and a significant relationship has been found with grades and successful acclimation to the college environment (Ciarrochi, Deane, & Anderson, 2002; Liff, 2003; and Pekrun, 2006). This study explored the impact of an emotional intelligence (EI) intervention within a First Year Experience course on students’ emotional intelligence, resilience, and academic success. Forty four students at a small, private, liberal arts institution in the southeastern United States participated in the EI intervention and were measured for EI and resilience utilizing the EQ-i 2.0 and the 5x5RS measures as pre and posttests. Based on the results of this study, the EI intervention may have positive implications on EI, resilience and academic success. Institutions and researchers should continue to explore EI as a mechanism to improve resilience and academic success among first year students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2020

No description available.

This study investigated the strategies academically successful college student athletes use to do well in their class work, where academic success was defined as a 3.5 GPA for 12 or more credits for the two semesters preceding the study. Data were transcriptions of individual interviews with five male and five female athletes in seven sports at an NCAA Division I university in the western United States. Independent coders analyzed the data and agreed upon themes related to challenges to academic success and strategies to meet those challenges. Findings add to the literature by detailing self-regulatory habits that academically underprepared athletes can adopt from their successful peers. Academic advisors can use these findings as they help athletes increase academic success and learn valuable life skills.