The primary purpose of this study is to investigate and modify an instrument by which the prediction of high risk withdrawal students can be accomplished at an emerging state university. The study utilized 334 members of the freshman class at the state university. Study participants received no special programming or treatment prior to completion of the questionnaire. The subjects were required to complete Alexander Astin's Prediction Scale. Measures taken were: pre-college background, family background, educational aspirations, expectations about college, student characteristics, source of financial aid, work status and place of residence during student‘s freshman year. The statistical treatment of the data collected within this investigation required several techniques in determining its significance. An analysis of variance was employed to ascertain the differences existing between the independent and dependent variable established within the investigation. A multivariate regression analysis was used to designate the exact location of the differences revealed by the ANOVA program. An analysis of these computations revealed differences existing between males and females. Multiple regression revealed a difference in each of the four steps of each group when compared to the other group. The findings of this investigation warrant the following general conclusions: 1. That the freshman year is very crucial in the persistence of students at the university by the highest percentage of withdrawals coming from the freshman class. 2. That entering freshmen with grades higher than A had a better than 50% chance for retention; other research supports this position. 3. That dissatisfaction with the program or lack of money contributes significantly to reasons for student withdrawal. 4. That financial stability of parents of students who attended the university is important in the persistence of all students. 5. That cooperative efforts from the local, state, federal and institution's financial communities is a must in keeping the availability of work opportunities for students who desire and have the need to work. 6. That commitment to the educational goals of the university was a major concern of enrollees. 7. Finally, that being able to "fit" both academically and socially was very important to incoming enrollees. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a Systematic Career Planning Program on short-term retention and the academic major selection rate of entering college freshmen. The sample consisted of lll randomly selected freshmen who were enrolled in freshman orientation classes during the fall semester at a historically Black university. Three groups (experimental, control, and comparison) were identified and compared. There were 37 subjects in each group. The experimental and control groups were comprised of students who were undecided about a college major, with the experimental group participating in a Systematic Career Planning Program, the treatment variable. The comparison group had declared college majors and did not participate in the Systematic Career Planning Program. The Major-Minor-Finder was employed to assist students in career decision-making (Cutler, Ferry, Kauk, and Robinett, 1983). Based on the findings in the study, short-term retention and college major selection rate differed significantly among the groups. More of the experimental group participants chose college majors and remained in e college during the spring semester than did the control group participants. The retention rate was greater for males than for females. Noted differences among the groups implied that the treatment had a positive impact on experimental group participants. Similar career planning programs were recommended for entering college freshmen as well as other undecided students on a larger scale. it was also recommended that a systemic study be conducted to determine whether the salutary impact of the Systematic Career Planning Program resulted from the administration of the career decision-making instrument and other instruments or from the efforts of a trained professional adult, or both. / Ed. D. / incomplete_metadata

The study examines the use of hypnotic audiotapes designed to affect study habits and attitudes. It is assumed that exposure to the hypnotic audiotapes will improve study habits and attitudes. It is further expected that exposure to the audiotapes will improve students' self-concepts and adjustment to college work, as well as reduce anxiety. Previous studies are cited which indicate that hypnosis has had a positive effect on learning. Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective means of changing specific behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a peer-taught freshman seminar course on the grade point averages and retention rates of freshman students. Freshman students who entered the University of Texas at Arlington in the fall 1989 and fall 1990 semesters and enrolled in the voluntary 1 credit hour course "College Adjustment" were matched with freshman students who did not enroll in the course. Matched pairs were formed based on orientation attendance, college major, gender, and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores. For both years, the Freshman Seminar Group was similar to the group of All Other Freshman Students regarding the following characteristics: college major, age, gender, ethnicity, SAT scores, and number of first semester hours completed. Analysis of variance was used to determine if statistically significant (p < .05) differences existed between the first semester and first year grade point averages for the Freshman Seminar Group and Freshman Seminar Matches. Chi-square analysis was employed to determine if statistically significant (p < .05) differences existed between the second semester and sophomore year retention rates for the Freshman Seminar Group and Freshman Seminar Matches. The freshman seminar course was more beneficial to African American students, as evidenced by statistically significant first year grade point averages and sophomore year retention rates. Males who enrolled in the freshman seminar course appeared to benefit more than males who did not enroll in the course, as shown by statistically significant sophomore year retention rates. Students with low SAT scores appeared to benefit from the freshman seminar course, as evidenced by statistically significant second semester and sophomore year retention rates.

D.Phil. (Education) / The purpose of this study was to apply the "Learning and study strategies Inventory" (LASSI) on first year students in South Africa and Taiwan, Republic of China, in order to identify possible differences in their respective learning strategies. It was attempted to identify effective learning strategies for both groups. The sample consisted of 1489 first year students at the Rand Afrikaans University and 2053 first year students at the chengchi University in Taiwan, the Republic of China. The following statistical package programmes were used in the study: ** The BMDP3D and BMDP4M programmes for factor analysis to determine cross culture comparability. The Kuder-Richardson 20 formula in the NPSO programme for item analysis and the concomitant determination of involvement. T-square and Student's t-tests for independent groups of programmes with the view of identifying possible differences between the two experimental groups. The statistical results showed that: The two experimental culturally; v) groups are comparable cross significant differences exist in respect of the learning strategies of the two student groups. Distinction was made between the merits and problems regarding the learning strategies in the respective countries. The most common problems in the two groups are: 1. The learning content dealt with in class is regarded as worthless. 2. Students spend too much time with friends. 3. Students experience problems with identifying the central idea when reading. 4. When writing a test they often realize that in their studies they have placed the emphasis on the less important study content

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / There is a growing concern for the high drop-out and failure rate of university students in their first year. Numerous studies have been undertaken to determine the reasons for the high student failure. It appears as if there are academic and social factors which affect learning. One factor that has only recently been investigated is the learning strategies of the student. Learning strategies entail the way in which a student plans and executes his studies, and the processes that are involved in this activity. This study was undertaken to determine whether a difference exists between the learning strategies of a first year student who has supportive family relations versus a first year student who has unsupportive family relations. This study consists of two parts. A literature study constitutes the first part. in which the concepts family relations and learning strategies' are correlated. This is followed by an empirical study on the relationships of students with supportive family relations and students with unsupportive fami7y re7ations and their use of learning strategies. To determine the degree to which the student experiences family support, the PHSF-Relations Questionnaire was used. The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) was used to determine the student's use of learning strategies. Two components of the PHSF-Relations Questionnaire namely Family Influences and Personal Freedom were studied to determine the degree of family support of the first year student. The empirical investigation made use of the first year students registered at the Rand Afrikaans University in 1990. These students were divided into groups according to sex, and language preference. The resultant groups were: Afrikaans speaking males and females and males and females speaking other languages. The- statistical analysis was done by the Statistics Computer Service. It was empirically shown that: There are significant differences between the use of learning strategies by first year students with supportive family relations versus first year students with unsupportive family relations in most of the cases. Concerning the component Family Influences, no significant difference was found between first year males speaking languages other than Afrikaans with supportive family influences and those with unsupportive family influences. Concerning the component Personal Freedom, no significant difference was found between first year Afrikaans speaking malestudents and first year female students with home languages other than Afrikaans. Motivation, Selection of main ideas and Test strategies are the components of the use of learning strategies that are most dependent on supportive family relations. Certain components of learning strategies are not significantly dependent on the degree of family support of the student, for example : Study Aids and Information Processing.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The successful adaptation to university by first year students is of prime importance to university authorities throughout the world. The high dropout rate of students is an indication that students do have a problem adapting to university. This has led to the introduction of orientation courses and the development of programmes to assist students in adjusting. This allows them a greater opportunity to experience success at university and to meet the main aim of university education - cognitive development (Behr, 1986:27) ...

"The problem of this study is to determine, by means of a statistical analysis of the results from the Mooney Problem Check List given to 1011 students at North Texas State College during the year 1949-50, what the problems of college freshmen are and if there is a significant change in the areas in which those problems are found from one semester to another."--1-2.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parental attitudes and student attitudes toward the consumption of alcoholic beverages, between parental attitudes toward the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the reasons students drink alcoholic beverages, and between parental attitudes toward the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the frequency and quantity of alcoholic beverages consumed by students. The Alcohol and Other Drug Survey and the Survey of Parental Attitudes were employed. The sample included 389 sets of matched pairs of parent and student from Radford University, Virginia. Analysis included descriptive statistical techniques, Multiple Linear Regression to predict outcomes, and Pearson r to describe correlations between variables. Based on the results of the study, the following conclusions were reached: 1. There is a significant relationship between parental attitudes and student attitudes toward alcohol consumption, but this is brought about by the difference of opinion in condoning or not tolerating the use of alcohol. 2. There is a significant relationship between the parental attitude "condone use" and students consuming alcohol because "it tastes good" and "to get drunk." 3. There is a significant relationship between the parental attitude "condone use" and students consuming five or more drinks in a row. 4. It was concluded that student peer attitudes, student religion, and parental attitudes about alcohol were significant predictors of student attitudes toward alcohol consumption. 5. There is a substantial difference in the percentage of students who condone drinking as compared to parents responding similarly. 6. Important findings revealed students to be much more tolerant of drinking behavior that parents overwhelmingly felt placed people at risk of harming themselves. 7. Interesting data revealed that students are much more accepting of drunken behavior and drinking games. 8. The primary reasons students gave for drinking alcoholic beverages included "to have a good time with friends," "to fit in with peers," and "to get wasted," with parents being most tolerant of their son/daughter consuming alcohol "to have a good time with friends. / Graduation date: 1994

Dissertation submitted in full compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree of Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / Marketing communication strategies are now imperative in the Higher Education arena. Understanding the prospective students’ choice and determining the subgroups into which they fall, provides the basis for a well-planned strategy for marketing communications practitioners at Durban University of Technology (DUT). The purpose of this study is to review the effectiveness of the current marketing communication strategies of DUT, and to establish how first time enrolees make choices when selecting a Higher Education institution at which to study. This study uses quantitative descriptive methods of convenience sampling of the January 2009 intake of students. Although specific to DUT, the findings of this study may also be of interest to other Universities of Technology that are assessing their marketing communication strategies. Research implications in this study identify the most appropriate means of marketing communications for the DUT brand in the context of prospective student choice. At the close of this cross-sectional research, the study provides proposals for future marketing initiatives for DUT. The results of the study may be used in determining more appropriate marketing campaign strategies and initiatives to establish DUT as a first choice brand in our competitive arena. The value of this study is that it supports the opinion that the focus of marketing communication strategies must continually be modified in response to a changing market.