The purpose of this study was to investigate the probability that race was a factor in the admissions process at Virginia Tech. The study was conducted in three parts. In the first part, logistic regression was used to develop a probability of admission model for eight demographically distinct groups for the years 1994-1998 using information that was presented to the university by all first-time freshman applicants considering grade point average (GPA), scholastic aptitude tests (SAT), high school rank (HSR), requested major (RM), gender and race. The eight demographic groups were: African American men (BM), African American women (BF), Asian American men (AM), Asian American women (AF), Hispanic American men (HM), Hispanic American women (HF), white American men (WM), and white American women (WF). The Bonferroni correction and the Wald tests were carried out to determine significance in the observed differences. Significant differences were found. The two African American groups and the white female group were found to have significantly higher probabilities of getting accepted than other groups while the two Asian groups were found to have the least probability of getting accepted. The null hypothesis that there was no difference between the groups with regard to probability of getting accepted was thus rejected. GPA was found to be the most important admission criteria followed by SAT scores. The admissions criteria were found to be important for all applicants regardless of group membership. Between group differences detected in the study was mainly the result of differences in cut-off points. The second part of the study involved evaluating the reasons that were given for rejection of admission in 1998. A stratified sample of 400 was randomly selected. The chi-square test was used to determine if there were differences between the eight groups with regard to reasons given for rejection. The frequency with which the reasons were given was also examined. It was found that there were no differences between the groups and, therefore, the null hypothesis was confirmed. GPA related reasons were the most cited for rejection followed by SAT scores. This was consistent with the finding in the first part of this study that GPA and SAT were the most important admission criteria In the third part of the study, the director of admissions and the deputy director of admissions for freshman admissions were interviewed. It was determined from them that affirmative action did not influence the university's admissions decisions but that race was "one of the many factors considered during the admissions process." Based upon the finding in the first part of this study that the two African American groups consistently had the highest probabilities of acceptance in the five years under study, it was concluded that the use of race was intended to benefit applicants from the two groups. This conclusion was further based on the information collected from the interview with the admissions officers which suggested that Affirmative action in the state of Virginia applied only to African Americans and also that there were targeted goals in the state intended to increase the number of African Americans in the state's public higher education institutions. The admissions officers could, however, not provide any references to support this information. Consultations with a professor at the university and the university's vice president for multicultural affairs suggested that there was no state mandate or requirement that public institutions in the state adopt targeted goals as a means of increasing the number of African Americans in the state's public higher education institutions. They also doubted that affirmative action could be applied to one ethnic group only. It was concluded, however, that since the admissions officers made these assertions during the interview, these perceived state requirements may have led them to deliberately seek to increase the number of African American students accepted by the university and that these deliberate efforts may have been behind the high probabilities of the acceptance of students from the two African American groups. The fact that the admissions officers may have deliberately sought to increase the number of African Americans on the campus to satisfy perceived state mandates or requirements and the finding in the first part of this study that the two African American groups consistently had the highest probabilities of getting accepted by the university in the five years under study suggested that admission to the university was not race blind. It was also concluded that since external pressure may have been the cause of the high probabilities for the African American groups, admission to the university was not entirely the prerogative of the university. / Master of Arts

<p>The purpose of this research is to reveal and compare the language proficiency profiles of Purdue’s Chinese and Indian graduate applicants in various disciplines to take a step towards the development of Language Proficiency Literacy (LPL) of graduate admissions decision makers. The study argues that before being able to offer LPL development opportunities to admissions decision-makers, language testers need to gain admissions literacy in their specific academic context. One way this can be achieved is by analyzing graduate admissions data to see patterns of test score use in each discipline and to reveal language proficiency profiles of graduate applicants. Providing admissions decision makers with information about the linguistic characteristics of their applicants can be a very helpful step towards enhancing LPL in the context of graduate admissions. </p> <p>One of the analyses conducted towards the goal LPL development in the context of graduate admissions was a Cluster Analysis procedure followed by a Chi-square analysis to compare the language proficiency profiles of graduate applicants from various L1 backgrounds based on scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The study found three language proficiency profiles in graduate applicants’ TOEFL data: 1) the ‘unbalanced’ profile, which consists of applicants who have higher scores in the subskills of reading and listening, and comparatively lower scores on speaking and writing, 2) the ‘balanced medium’ profile, which represents students who have moderate scores across all four subskills, and 3) the ‘balanced high’ profile, which consists of applicants who have high scores across all four subskills. The study found evidence for the interaction between graduate applicant test-takers’ L1 background and belonging to a balanced or an unbalanced language proficiency profile, which highlights the importance of considering subskill scores in addition the total score when using language proficiency test scores to select graduate students from specific L1 backgrounds.</p>

Although many colleges and universities use a wide range of criteria to evaluate and select admissions applicants, much of the variance in college student success remains unexplained. Thus, success in college, as defined by academic performance and student retention, may be related to other variables or combinations of variables beyond those traditionally used in college admissions (high school grade point average and standardized test scores). The current study investigated the predictive validity of a measure of motivational-developmental dimensions as a predictor of the academic achievement and persistence of college students as measured by cumulative undergraduate grade point average and retention. These dimensions are based on social-cognitive (self-concept, self-set goals, causal attributions, and coping strategies) and developmental-constructivist (self-awareness and self-authorship) perspectives. Motivational-developmental constructs are under-explored in terms of the predictive potential derived from their use in evaluating admission applicants’ ability to succeed and persevere despite the academic and social challenges presented by postsecondary participation. Therefore, the current study aimed to generate new understandings to benefit the participating institution and other institutions of higher education that seek new methodologies for evaluating and selecting college admission applicants. This dissertation describes two studies conducted at a large, urban public university located in the Northeastern United States. Participants included 10,149 undergraduate students who enrolled as first-time freshmen for the Fall 2015 (Study 1) and Fall 2016 (Study 2) semesters. Prior to matriculation, participants applied for admission using one of two methods: standard admissions or test-optional admissions. Standard admission applicants submitted standardized test scores (e.g., SAT) whereas test-optional applicants responded to four short-answer essay questions, each of which measured a subset of the motivational-developmental dimensions examined in the current study. Trained readers evaluated the essays to produce a “test-optional essay rating score,” which served as the primary predictor variable in the current study. Quantitative analyses were conducted to investigate the predictive validity of the “test-optional essay rating score” and its relationship to cumulative undergraduate grade point average and retention, which served as the outcome variables in the current study. The results revealed statistically significant group differences between test-optional applicants and standard applicants. Test-optional admission applicants are more likely to be female, of lower socioeconomic status, and ethnic minorities as compared to standard admission applicants. Given these group differences, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were computed to determine whether the test-optional essay rating score differentially predicted success across racial and gender subgroups. There was inconclusive evidence regarding whether the test-optional essay rating score differentially predicts cumulative undergraduate grade point average and retention across student subgroups. The results revealed a weak correlation between the test-optional essay rating score and cumulative undergraduate grade point average (Study 1: r = .11, p &lt; .01; Study 2: r = .07, p &lt; .05) and retention (Study 1: r = .08, p &lt; .05; Study 2: r = .10, p &lt; .01), particularly in comparison to the relationship between these outcome variables and the criteria most commonly considered in college admissions (high school grade point average, SAT Verbal, SAT Quantitative, and SAT Writing). Despite these findings, the test-optional essay rating score contributed nominal value (R2 = .07) in predicting academic achievement and persistence beyond the explanation provided by traditional admissions criteria. Additionally, a ROC analysis determined that the test-optional essay rating score does not predict student retention in a way that is meaningfully different than chance and therefore is not an accurate binary classifier of retention. Further research should investigate the validity of other motivational-developmental dimensions and the fidelity of other methods for measuring them in an attempt to account for a greater proportion of variance in college student success. / Educational Leadership

No / Reducing hospital admissions of older adults with ambulatory care sensitive conditions is a government priority. Yet relatively little is known about current health care practice in UK nursing homes. We studied approaches to developing understanding of current health care practices in UK nursing homes using a methodology of data-extraction from retrospective care home records combined with key informant interviews. Older adults with an exacerbation of one of 4 ambulatory sensitive conditions that warranted decision making around admission to hospital or continued primary-care led nursing home care were 178 identified and recruited for participation. Care home records were examined using a proforma for data-extraction. These data were combined with care-plans to construct a brief care narrative. The relevant progress notes/daily record of care-given at the time of the decision making were used to construct a visual time-line of events. For those participants who consented, the key multiple stake holders in care were identified: non-professional carers, care-home workers, caring professionals and care-managers. These data were used to generate supplementary trigger questions and topics for semi-structured interviews. This enabled questions raised by the care record to be identified and explored. Implications of the findings for practice and research will be discussed. / NIHR

Although much has been written about the challenges affecting transfer students, a mixed method study on transfer admission, particularly at the institutional level is an intriguing, albeit unexplored endeavor. In Texas, there is an added dimension of interest given the presence and popularity of the Top 10% Law. This study sought to provide a comprehensive portrait of transfer admission at The University of Texas at Austin from the 1990s to 2007. A sequential explanatory design was employed to identify changes in transfer admission policy and practice and to address if there were differences in admission rates among the major transfer pathways to the state’s largest flagship institution (Creswell, Plano Clark, Gutmann, & Hanson, 2003). Two main conclusions emerged from this study. First, transfer admission became more competitive and selective after the passage of the state’s Top 10% Law in 1997. Second, qualitative and quantitative findings suggested the implementation of a conditional transfer guarantee program for highly selective freshman applicants resulted in significantly less opportunity for transfer applicants from community colleges and other transfer routes to be admitted. Based on these findings, recommendations included reinvesting in a community college transfer student recruitment and scholarship program and significantly reducing the size of the university’s conditional transfer guarantee program for admissible freshmen applicants. A final suggestion was to identify and value the community college route in the holistic transfer admission process given the large proportion of first-generation college, low-income students who comprise this population. To avoid perceptions of sponsored mobility and to promote a social justice rationale, a pre-selection transfer program to prospective freshmen should be revisited given the adverse effects on the community college transfer population. With over 600,000 students enrolled in Texas 2-year colleges, a viable pathway to the state’s most prestigious flagship university provides increased opportunities for social mobility to the many competitively admissible first-generation and low-income students populating public 2-year colleges and seeking a baccalaureate degree from UT Austin. / text

Internationally, the practice of admissions entry testing in Higher Education (HE) has gained momentum over the past few decades, sparking ongoing research on its effectiveness. On a national level, three factors have signalled a timeous evaluation of admissions practices at HE institutions. Firstly, changes in the school curriculum and the new format of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) have impacted on the admissions criteria of HE institutions. Secondly, with the merging of HE institutions an alignment in admissions practices between the institutions involved were necessitated. Thirdly, South Africa has embarked on the development of National Benchmark Tests (NBTs). The primary aim of this research study was to develop a set of recommendations to guide admissions testing practices in the South African HE context. These recommendations had to place special emphasis on the multicultural and multilingual context of this country. To achieve this aim a systematic review was conducted on HE admissions testing in Israel, as it was identified as a multicultural and multilingual country that had successfully implemented national HE admissions testing. More specifically, a retrospective systematic review was performed on research regarding the national HE admissions test, the Psychometric Entrance Test (PET), used in Israel. The systematic review also contained a narrative overview on the educational landscape in Israel and the specifications of the PET, from which themes were also extracted. Eight broad themes emerged through the systematic review and narrative overview as being of critical importance to an effective national HE admissions test. These were the components of the test, the implementation of the testing programme, the method in which the test results are used to make HE admission decisions, the reliability xi of the test, the validity of the test, bias inherent in the test, other psychometric aspects related to the admissions test, and the effect of coaching or specialized preparation on test results. These themes, together with their sub-components, were used to develop eight recommendations that can guide the development and implementation of the National Benchmark Test (NBTs) in South Africa. Both the themes that emerged during the systematic review and narrative overview as well as the recommendations that were made to guide the development and implementation of a national admission test, represent an important contribution to the field of admission testing and decision-making in South Africa.

In a stroke-certified 500-bed acute care hospital, the 30-day readmission rates for patients discharged to rehabilitation centers or skilled nursing facilities were higher than the rates for patients discharged to home. A review of data by the stroke team showed 44 patients readmitted within 30 days of initial stroke discharge between October 2016 and January 2017. The rate of re-admission for those discharged home was 41% (18 patients), whereas the rate for those discharged to acute inpatient rehabilitation, long-term acute care, or skilled nursing facilities was 59% (26 patients). The practice-focused question for this project assessed whether using a re-admission risk-assessment tool and implementing interventions during the initial acute-care admission, would help to identify and improve risk for 30-day re-admissions for patients diagnosed with stroke. The goal of this research project was to adopt, test, and recommend the implementation of a readmission risk assessment tool to enable discharge planners to identify stroke patients at risk for readmission and implement interventions to help reduce this risk. Lewin’s theory of change was used to inform the project. A stroke re-admission risk-assessment tool in use at a similar hospital was adopted and tested for 1 week on the hospital’s 28-bed stroke unit by nurse case managers. The test was conducted among 5 patients with confirmed diagnosis of stroke. A re-admission data review was performed 30 days after their discharge, which showed no readmissions for the 5 patients involved in the trial. The tool helped to improve case manager awareness of increased risk for readmissions, guide interventions, and improve patient transition and outcomes. The implications of this project for positive change include the potential to improve risk for patients with stroke in the acute-care facility.

No description available.

It is the aim of this paper to review some of the work done on stable matching, and on stable marriage problems in particular. Variants of the stable marriage problem will be considered, and the similarities and differences from a mathematical point of view will be highlighted. The correlation between preference and stability is a main theme, and the way in which diluted or incomplete preferences affect stability is explored. Since these problems have a wide range of practical applications, it is of interest to develop useful algorithms for the derivation of solutions. Time-complexity is a key factor in designing computable algorithms, making work load a strong consideration for practical purposes. Average and worst-case complexity are discussed. The number of different solutions that are possible for a given problem instance is surprising, and counter-intuitive. This leads naturally to a study of the solution sets and the lattice structure of solutions that emerges for any stable marriage problem. Many theorems derive from the lattice structure of stable solutions and it is shown that this can lead to the design of more efficient algorithms. The research on this topic is well established, and many theorems have been proved and published, although some published proofs have omitted the detail. In this paper, the author selects some key theorems, providing detailed proofs or alternate proofs, showing the mathematical richness of this field of study. Various applications are discussed, particularly with relevance to the social sciences, although mention is made of applications in computer science, game theory, and economics. The current research that is evident in this subject area, by reference to technical papers in periodicals and on the internet, suggests that it will remain a key topic for some time to come. / MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES / MSC (MATHEMATICS)

Text in Afrikaans / Artikel 217 is van toepassing op Jn bekentenis, synde Jn ondubbelsinnige erkenning van skuld, wat indien dit in Jn hof gemaak sou word, sou neerkom op Jn pleit van skuldig. Om toelaatbaar te wees, moes die verklaarder die bekentenis vrywillig en ongedwonge, by sy volle positiewe sender onbehoorlike beinvloeding afgele het aan Jn landdros of vrederegter. Waar die bekentenis in Jn dokument vervat is, is dit, mits daar aan die toelaatbaarheidsvereistes voldoen is, toelaatbaar teen die verklaarder daarvan. Artikel 209 vind toepassing mits die bekentenis Jn volle bekentenis is en die vereistes van artikel 217 nagekom is. Volgens die beslissing in S V SHEEHAMA 1991 2 SA 860(A) is Jn aanwysing Jn erkenning. As sulks moet dit voldoen aan die vereistes van artikel 219A en moes derhalwe vrywillig en ongedwonge gemaak wees. Jn Gedwonge aanwysing is dus ontoelaatbaar, tensy nuwe feite ontdek word as gevolg daarvan. / Section 217 is applicable to a confession, being an unequivocal acknowledgment of guilt, the equivalent of a plea of guilty before a court of law. To be admissible, the declarant must have made the confession to a magistrate or justice freely and voluntarily in his sound and sober senses without having been unduly influenced thereto. Section 209 is applicable provided that the confession is a full confession and the requirements of section 217 are complied with. According to the judgment in S V SHEEHAMA 1991 2 SA 860(A) a pointing out is an admission. As such it must comply with the requirements of section 219A and must therefore be made voluntarily and freely. An involuntary pointing out is thus inadmissible, except if new facts are discovered because of it. / Criminal and Procedural Law / LL.M.