What are the differences of freshman experience between local students and non-local students? In this study, Local Students (LS) are defined as students who lived within two hours’ drive from East Tennessee State University's Main Campus. Non-Local Students (NLS) are defined as students who lived further than two hours’ drive from ETSU Main Campus. My hypothesis is that LS have a better freshman experience than NLS. The data set from Dr. Richards and Dr. Hoff is used for the analysis to test if my hypothesis is going to be accepted or rejected. There are different aspects of the freshman experiences that are going to be compared.

abstract: Incoming freshman at East Los Angeles College were struggling with successfully completing their first semester, leading to low rates of course success and retention. Students reported struggles with adapting to the culture of college, particularly with behaving like a college student and managing time. The purpose of this action research study was to determine if embedding a College Success Curriculum (CSC) into a required class would help students more successfully navigate the first semester. The CSC was embedded into the action-researcher's freshman composition class and covered the following concepts: appropriate classroom behavior, communication, time management, and organization. Quantitative data included retrospective pre-intervention and post-intervention survey data. Qualitative data included the researcher's journal and student-written journal entries. Findings from this study indicated that students learned to communicate via email and to prioritize their time, however, the CSC did not have a measurable effect on students’ behavior, time management, or organization. Course success and retention after receiving the CSC remained at previous years’ rates. There continues to be a need to assist freshmen students in these critical college skills, and perhaps adapt some of the strategies used in this project for future iterations. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2019

The idea of a scholarship program is almost as old as the oldest institution of higher learning. The universality of such a program is almost completely comprehensive throughout the world. Although the purpose of scholarship programs has varied as much as each of the institutions varies, in most of the situations the programs have been well acclaimed. The success of these programs in terms of the student has often been tested or at least scrutinized. This type of study has been attempted several times. However, both Harris and Endler, in reviewing the literature from 1931 to 1959, report that there is little agreement as to the relative merit of any particular kind of test, scores, grades, or other subjective evaluations used to select successful scholastic achievers. Henceforth, throughout this paper, these selective factors and others to be cited will be referred to as factors or variables predictive of academic success or predictive factors. A more complex type of problem associated with the granting of scholarships has been that of predicting the successful scholarship recipient. That is, the scholarship recipient who will be successful in college. An extensive review of the literature to date reveals only a few scientific studies on the predictors of successful scholarship holders. Most of the studies were conducted in an attempt to predict college success, using the grades for the first year of college as the criterion of success. Therefore, with confusion in the area of predicting college success as indicated by the author cited above, the need for such a study is evident. The purpose of this investigation will be to identify some of the variables which appear to be predictive of or correlates of the successful scholarship recipient. In this study it will be necessary to define what the writer means by successful scholarship recipient. Hereafter the term successful scholarship recipient will refer to those students who have been able to maintain, during their freshman year of college, a grade point average of 3.0 or B average. Universities and colleges generally require that a student maintain at least a grade point ranging from C to B to retain his scholarship. He must also live in accordance with the rules and regulations of the institutions. Very few scholarship recipients, for example, lose their financial aids for reasons of incorrigibility. The criterion for success, therefore will be that of maintaining the grade point average required. In this investigation the writer will attempt to answer the following questions: (a) What type of test scores, grades, evaluations or non-intellectual or biographical factors can be used to identify scholarship recipients who will be successful in college; (b) will the use of several factors together be more predictive of the academic success of scholarship recipients; (c) are nonintellectual or biographical factors useful in selecting scholarship recipients; (d) can the factors predictive of academic success now in use be validated.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of physical exertion upon the heart rates and workload levels of five selected male freshman basketball players at Utah State University during actual game competition. One hour prior to each of the ten home basketball games, two E&M Surface Electrodes were mounted to the chest of the test subject with disposable double-sided adhesive washers. A biotelemetry transmitter, used for sending electrical signals from the player to a biotelemetry receive r and polygraph, was placed in a plastic sack and taped to the beltline of the subjects athletic supporter. The telemetry receiver and polygraph were located behind the Utah State University team bench. One subject was tested per game and each subject was tested twice throughout the study. The same subject was tested once every fifth home game. The data was collected with a polygraph, by means of radiotelemetry, and recorded according to mean heart (beats per minute), mean volume of oxygen (liters per minute), and mean workload (kilopondmeters per minute), which were the measurements used for the data in the statistical design. In each of these three categories, consideration and comparisons were made of: (A) offensive play, (B) ball handling, (C) defensive play, (D) defense on the ball, (E) fastbreak, (F) shooting, (G) scoring, and (H) rebounding. Data, concerning mean volume of oxygen and mean workload, were processed according to Astrand's Nomogram. A two way analysis of variance test was applied to the data to determine the significant difference between the variables. Another statistical analysis that was conducted on the data was a Newman Keuls Sequential Range Test for determining the significant difference between the eight different game situations studied throughout this study. The two way analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference at the .05 level of confidence in the mean heart rate, mean volume of oxygen, and mean workload levels of the five subjects during the game situations mentioned above. The Newman Keuls Sequential Range Test indicated that a significant difference occurred at the .05 level between the ball handling activities (fastbreak, ball handling, and shooting) and the non-ball handling activities (rebounding, scoring, defense on the ball, defensive play, and offensive play). Also, this test showed that no significant difference occurred at the .05 level within the two groups of activities mentioned above.

Overweight and obesity trends are on the rise, and young people are no exception. The popular phrase "Freshman 15" suggests that freshmen in college tend to gain weight faster than other populations. There is a growing body of literature that supports evidence of increased weight gain during the transition from high school to college. This study sought to examine not only weight changes among freshmen, but body composition, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC) changes as well. Body composition was measured using air displacement plethysmography (Bod Pod®). This study examined changes in both males (n = 45) and females (n = 43), as well as a subsample of Division I collegiate athletes (n = 19). The present study evaluated changes that occurred among a final group of 107 participants. Measurements were taken at the beginning of the semester in September, again in December, and at the end of the school year in April. Self-report questionnaires based on nutritional and physical activity were also evaluated. Significant increases in weight (2.1 ± 2.6 kg), BMI (0.69 ± 0.87 kg/m2), and WC (1.7 ± 2.7 cm) did occur during the freshman year. However, the change in body composition was not significant (p > 0.05). There was no relationship between the nutrition responses and the body composition changes that occurred with the exception of a weak relationship between change in "total caloric consumption during your freshman year" and change in body mass (r = 0.25, p < 0.05), change in BMI (r = 0.24, p < 0.05), and change in %BF (r = 0.20, p < 0.05). Regarding exercise, "total time spent doing physical activity during your freshman year" was inversely correlated to change in %BF (r = 0.27, p < 0.01). Finally, differences between non-athletes and athletes were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). These findings indicate that there are significant physical changes that occur during the freshman year of college. These changes may be a result of changes in environment, caloric consumption, and decreased physical activity. However, results did not indicate that these changes include a significant increase in percent body fat.

This purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference existed in the short-term knowledge retention of college freshmen reading informational stimulus materials presented through one of three different text display modes; 1) traditional printed text, 2) computer-displayed linear text, and 3) computer-displayed hypertext. The sample consisted of 267 college freshmen at a southern regional university. The 267 students were randomly selected from the entire population of entering freshmen during Fall 2002. These students were then randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups. After reading the stimulus materials for a specified amount of time, students completed a multiple-choice knowledge-based test that was designed by the researcher. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare scores on the knowledge test across the three different treatment groups. The analysis showed a significant difference in the scores of students in the computer-displayed hypertext and traditional printed text groups, with those reading traditional printed text scoring higher. There was also a main effect for gender, with females scoring higher on the knowledge test than males. There was no significant gender by text display method interaction These findings support the relative efficacy of presenting information to college students in a traditional printed text format under similar conditions.

The purpose of this study was to compare 9th grade student achievement in Tennessee schools the year before and after the schools implemented a freshman academy, as well as compare such schools with traditional Tennessee high schools. The factors in this study that impact student achievement and serve as the dependent variables were attendance rates, number of credits earned, and suspensions for 9th graders. Data were obtained by various software programs used by the schools to enter, maintain, and retrieve student data. 2 x 2 ANOVAs were conducted to determine if there were differences in the mean attendance rates and mean number of credits earned among 9th graders based on the type of institution, the academic years prior to and following the implementation of the freshman academy approach, and the 2-way interaction between the type of institution and the academic year. Crosstabulated tables and chi-square tests were used to determine if there was a relationship between suspensions prior to the academic year the Freshman Academy was implemented and the academic year following its implementation. The 2 x 2 ANOVAs conducted using Freshman Academy A and Traditional High School C indicated there was a significant difference in mean attendance rates and mean number of credits earned. Mean attendance rates and mean number of credits earned were higher at Freshman Academy A once the academy approach was implemented. The 2 x 2 ANOVAs conducted using Freshman Academy B and Traditional High School D indicated there was no significant difference in mean attendance rates and mean number of credits earned once the academy approach was implemented. Two-by-two crosstabulated tables and chi-square tests were used to determine if there was a relationship between suspensions at the Freshman Academy high schools (A & B) for years prior to and following implementation of the academy approach. The analysis of the data indicated there was a significant difference in the number of students suspended following the implementation of the academy approach at Freshman Academy A but not at Freshman Academy B.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a significant relationship exists between the implementation of the Morristown-Hamblen High School East (MHHSE) Freshman Academy, student academic achievement, and the high school graduation rate at MHHSE. The testing variables included GPA, attendance, number of core course failures, number of discipline referrals, English I End-of-Course test scores, and graduation rate. Grouping variables included 8th grade (pretreatment) and 9th grade (posttreatment) groups, preacademy and postacademy groups, socioeconomic status, and gender. Ten faculty members of the MHHSE Freshman Academy were interviewed to ascertain their perceptions about the smaller learning community concept. The population of the study was limited to students enrolled in the MHHSE Freshman Academy (2004-2008) and students enrolled at MHHSE 2 years prior to the implementation of the academy (2002-2004). Paired-samples t-tests were used to make comparisons between the same students on 8th grade (pretreatment) and 9th grade (posttreatment) measures. Independentsamples t-tests were used to make additional comparisons between different groups of students categorized according to socioeconomic status and gender, as well as preacademy and postacademy groups. Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that the 9th grade transition year is a very difficult year for most students. Male students and those classified as economically disadvantaged develop additional risk factors during their freshmen year that might identify them as potential dropouts. The MHHSE Freshman Academy has had a positive effect on student academic performance and conduct as measured by the data analyses and teacher opinions.

The purpose of this study was to compare the student achievement prior to and after the implementation of a freshman academy at one school in East Tennessee. The researcher used student data from the end of course exam scores for Algebra I and English I. The failure rate of freshman prior to and after the implementation of the Freshman Academy was examined. The data were analyzed using a chi square statistical analysis. A significant difference was observed in the end of course exam scores for Algebra I and English I after the implementation of the Freshman Academy. Qualitative data examined for this study were interviews with administrators and teachers discussing the implementation process of the Freshman Academy. The quantitative findings revealed that students who attended the Freshman Academy had increased achievement on the end of course exam for Algebra I and English I. The failure rates for the freshman who attended the Freshman Academy revealed there was a decrease. The qualitative findings revealed that the administrators and teachers were concerned with the isolation of the freshman at the academy. Isolating the freshman to allow for maturity and to allow for the fostering of the sense of community was essential, but this decreases the positive interaction with the upper classmen.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a freshman orientation course on the academic performance and retention of new community college students. This study was designed to obtain quantitative as well as qualitative data. In part one, a survey was distributed to students, who attended Coral College from the fall of 1996 through the fall of 1999, completed Guidance 10 and scored no higher than a level one or a level two on 2 out of 3 of the assessment tests. Survey data was used to frame interview questions for the qualitative part of the study. In part two, 12 students, who completed Guidance 10 and returned a survey, were interviewed to investigate in greater depth how the course did or did not influence them to stay enrolled in college. Interviews were used to give students the opportunity to share their stories and how their experiences in Guidance 10 influenced them to stay enrolled in college. Data from the interviews suggested that a relationship between the course objectives and the respondents' grade point averages does not exist. However, the data from the interviews indicated that there is a relationship between the course objectives and retention. Respondents identified particular aspects of the orientation course that influenced them to stay enrolled in college. Meeting with a counselor, going on a campus tour, learning time management, learning to speak in front of others, and learning about the potential earnings of a college graduate were aspects of the course that influenced students to persist in college. Counselors and faculty are encouraged to continue to recommend this course to new students, and administrators are advised to ensure that there are a sufficient number of sections available for new students trying to enroll in the course. Finally, the institution must make a commitment to retention and investigate various methods to retain students through some type of orientation. Recommendations are made for educators, who can make a difference in their educational institutions and influence change, which will affect the retention of new community college students.