The high concentration of underprepared students in community colleges presents a challenge to educators, policy-makers, and researchers. All have pointed to low completion rates and caution that institutional practices and policy ought to focus on improving retention and graduation rates. However, a multitude of inhibiting factors limits the educational opportunities of underprepared community college students. Using Tinto's (1993) and Astin's (1999) models of student departure as the primary theoretical framework, as well as faculty mentoring as a strategy to impact student performance and retention, the purpose of this study was to determine whether a mentoring program designed to promote greater student-faculty interactions with underprepared community college students is predictive of higher retention for such students. While many studies have documented the positive effects of faculty mentoring with 4-year university students, very few have examined faculty mentoring with underprepared community college students (Campbell and Campbell, 1997; Nora & Crisp, 2007). In this study, the content of student-faculty interactions captured during the mentoring experience was operationalized into eight domains. Faculty members used a log to record their interactions with students. During interactions they tried to help students develop study skills, set goals, and manage their time. They also provided counseling, gave encouragement, nurtured confidence, secured financial aid/grants/scholarships, and helped students navigate their first semester at college. Logistic regression results showed that both frequency and content of faculty interactions were important predictors of retention. Students with high levels of faculty interactions in the area of educational planning and personal/family concerns were more likely to persist. Those with high levels of interactions in time-management and academic concerns were less likely to persist. Interactions that focused on students' poor grades, unpreparedness for class, or excessive absences were predictive of dropping out. Those that focused on developing a program of study, creating a road map to completion, or students' self-perceptions, feelings of self-efficacy, and personal control were predictive of persistence.

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the effect of academic integration, defined in terms of instructor/student contact, on the persistence of under-prepared college students and the achievement of those who persist. The overall design of this study compared instructor-initiated contact with conventional contact. The dependent variables were persistence, achievement, motivation and anxiety. Information was collected by administering the College-Level Mathematics Test (CLM), the Perceived Affective Contact Questionnaire (PAC), the expectancy and anxiety components of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), a departmental final examination, and by accessing university records. The sample consisted of 130 college algebra students at a large, public university with a Hispanic majority. The main analyses consisted of a 2x2x2 ANOVA (treatment by ethnicity by gender) to test for differences in achievement, t-tests to compare motivation, anxiety and perceived affective contact scores for the two groups, Chi-square tests to assess differences in persistence, and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation to determine the relationship between pretest scores and achievement variables. Results indicated that neither instructor-initiated contact, gender nor ethnicity is related to persistence, motivation or anxiety. A significant disordinal interaction of treatment and ethnicity was observed, with Hispanic experimental students scoring significantly higher on a test of algebra achievement than Hispanic control students. Academic integration, defined in terms of instructor/student contact, has a positive influence on the achievement of Hispanic students. This may imply their positive responsiveness to the relational aspect of contact due to traditional cultural values of interdependence, acquiescence to authority and physical closeness. Such interactive feedback is a means by which students with these values are recognized as members of the university academic community, prompting increased academic effort. Training in contact initiation to promote academic integration is implied, by the results of this study, for instructors dealing with first year students, especially instructors at institutions accommodating instructional methods to the needs of diverse groups.

This research was undertaken to explore dimensions of the risk construct, identify factors related to risk-taking in education, and study risk propensity among employees at a community college. Risk-taking propensity (RTP) was measured by the 12-item BCDQ, which consisted of personal and professional risk-related situations balanced for the money, reputation, and satisfaction dimensions of the risk construct. Scoring ranged from 1.00 (most cautious) to 6.00 (most risky). Surveys including the BCDQ and seven demographic questions relating to age, gender, professional status, length of service, academic discipline, highest degree, and campus location were sent to faculty, administrators, and academic department heads. A total of 325 surveys were returned, resulting in a 66.7% response rate. Subjects were relatively homogeneous for age, length of service, and highest degree. Subjects were also homogeneous for risk-taking propensity: no substantive differences in RTP scores were noted within and among demographic groups, with the possible exception of academic discipline. The mean RTP score for all subjects was 3.77, for faculty was 3.76, for administrators was 3.83, and for department heads was 3.64. The relationship between propensity to take personal risks and propensity to take professional risks was tested by computing Pearson r correlation coefficients. The relationships for the total sample, faculty, and administrator groups were statistically significant, but of limited practical significance. Subjects were placed into risk categories by dividing the response scale into thirds. A 3 X 3 factorial ANOVA revealed no interaction effects between professional status and risk category with regard to RTP score. A discriminant analysis showed that a seven-factor model was not effective in predicting risk category. The homogeneity of the study sample and the effect of a risk encouraging environment were discussed in the context of the community college. Since very little data on risk-taking in education is available, risk propensity data from this study could serve as a basis for comparison to future research. Results could be used by institutions to plan professional development activities, designed to increase risk-taking and encourage active acceptance of change.

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and use of critical thinking teaching strategies by full-time and part-time faculty in Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs. Sander's CTI (1992) instrument was adapted for this study and pilottested prior to the general administration to ADN faculty in Southeast Florida. This modified instrument, now termed the Burroughs Teaching Strategy Inventory (BTSI), returned reliability estimates (Cronbach alphas of .71, .74, and .82 for the three constructs) comparable to the original instrument. The BTSI was administered to 113 full-time and part-time nursing faculty in three community college nursing programs. The response rate was 92% for full-time faculty (n = 58) and 61 % for part-time faculty (n = 55). The majority of participants supported a combined definition of critical thinking in nursing which represented a composite of thinking skills that included reflective thinking, assessing alternative viewpoints, and the use of problem-solving. Full-time and part-time faculty used different teaching strategies. Fulltime faculty most often used multiple-choice exams and lecture while part-time faculty most frequently used discussion within their classes. One possible explanation for specific strategy choices and differences might be that full-time faculty taught predominately in theory classes where certain strategies would be more appropriate and part-time faculty taught predominately clinical classes. Both faculty types selected written nursing care plans as the second most effective critical thinking strategy. Faculty identified several strategies as being effective in teaching critical thinking. These strategies included discussion, case studies, higher order questioning, and concept analysis. These however, were not always the strategies that were used in either the classroom or clinical setting. Based on this study, the author recommends that if the profession continues to stress critical thinking as a vital component of practice, nursing faculty should receive education in appropriate critical teaching strategies. Both in-service seminars and workshops could be used to further the knowledge and use of critical thinking strategies by faculty. Qualitative research should be done to determine why nursing faculty use self-selected teaching strategies.

This study describes the case of private higher education in Ohio between 1980 and 2006 using Zumeta's (1996) model of state policy and private higher education. More specifically, this study used case study methodology and multiple sources to demonstrate the usefulness of Zumeta's model and illustrate its limitations. Ohio served as the subject state and data for 67 private, 4-year, degree-granting, Higher Learning Commission-accredited institutions were collected. Data sources for this study included the National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Data System as well as database infonnation and documents from various state agencies in Ohio, including the Ohio Board of Regents. The findings of this study indicated that the general state context for higher education in Ohio during the study time period was shaped by deteriorating economic factors, stagnating population growth coupled with a rapidly aging society, fluctuating state income and increasing expenditures in areas such as corrections, transportation and social services. However, private higher education experienced consistent enrollment growth, an increase in the number of institutions, widening involvement in state-wide planning for higher education, and greater fiscal support from the state in a variety of fonns such as the Ohio Choice Grant. This study also demonstrated that private higher education in Ohio benefited because of its inclusion in state-wide planning and the state's decision to grant state aid directly to students. Taken together, this study supported Zumeta's (1996) classification of Ohio as having a hybrid market-competitive/central-planning policy posture toward private higher education. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that Zumeta' s model is a useful tool for both policy makers and researchers for understanding a state's relationship to its private higher education sector. However, this study also demonstrated that Zumeta's model is less useful when applied over an extended time period. Additionally, this study identifies a further limitation of Zumeta's model resulting from his failure to define "state mandate" and the "level of state mandates" that allows for inconsistent analysis of this component.

The purpose of the study is to investigate how beginning teachers in the state of Florida perceive their preparation to demonstrate the 27 Florida Essential Generic Competencies. The basic research question of this study was: How do beginning teachers perceive their level of preparation regarding their implementation of the Florida Essential Generic Competencies? This study identified and categorized the perceived degree of preparation for each of the competencies. Also, elementary, middle, and high school beginning teachers were compared to find significant differences and similarities in their perception of their preparation. A comparison was also done for graduates from in-state versus out-of-state and private versus public institutions. A survey developed in collaboration with the Department of Education, Florida State University, members of the Professional Orientation Program (POP) Coordinators, and the Project Director of Program Review in the College of Education at the University of South Florida, was sent to 5,076 beginning teachers. A total of 1,995 returned the survey in February of 1993. The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) procedure was used (Alpha = .05). Statistical analysis of the data involved a comparison of the different groups of beginning teachers by school level and kind of graduating institutions. The dependent variables analyzed were the responses to all items representing the generic competencies. The study identified and categorized the degree of preparation for each competency. The competencies receiving the lowest ratings for degree of preparation were: integrate computers in instruction; manage situations involving child abuse and/or neglect; severe emotional stress; alcohol and drug abuse. The Wilkes lambda and the Hotellings multivariate tests of significance were used to examine the differences among the groups. The competency items were further analyzed by a univariate F test. Results indicated that: (1) significant differences were found in nine competency items in which elementary teachers felt better prepared than middle and high school beginning teachers, (2) graduates from a Florida teacher education program felt they were better prepared in demonstrating the competencies than those from out-of-state schools, and (3) no significant difference was found in the perceptions of those who graduated from public versus private institutions. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made: (1) Florida's institutions responsible for teacher preparation programs need to focus on those competencies receiving the lowest ratings, (2) Districts should provide an orientation program for out-of-state beginning teachers, and (3) The survey instrument should be used annually to evaluate teacher education programs.

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of student participation in the Special Interest Residential Program (SIRP) living-learning communities at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This study involves a secondary data analysis of administrative data collected by SARIS, the Office for Academic Planning and Assessment, and the Department of Residence Life at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Data from the Fall Semester 2000 Residential Academic Programs survey and the Spring Semester 2002 Special Interest Residential Program survey are discussed. However, further analysis was conducted only on the latter data set. The Residential Academic Program survey included 809 students who were enrolled in either the RAP, TAP or Honors living-learning community program at that time. The response rate was 59% (n = 477). The Special Interest Residential Program survey included all 363 students who were involved in the SIRP living-learning programs, and 379 resident students. The response rate for sample students in a SIRP living-learning community was 84% (n = 305). Three broad research questions were posed in this study. The first found twenty-five positive outcomes associated with participation in all living-learning communities at the university. Three negative outcomes also were found. The second question found that participants in the more structured and academically oriented programs (RAP) derived different outcomes than students involved in the less structured programs (SIRP) that are not organized around an academic theme. The third question found that several subgroups within survey sample, including students of color, junior-year and first-year students in a SIRP derived different outcomes than their counterparts in a traditional residence hall setting. These findings support the literature on living-learning community outcomes, and also suggest that residential learning communities represent one method of bridging the gap between students' in- and out-of-class experiences and with providing students with a seamless learning environment described in the literature. Moreover, this study suggests that positive outcomes can be derived from low-end living-learning community programs of various types. These findings suggest that campuses should develop living-learning community programs to support undergraduate student learning even if these structures are modestly designed and low cost.

Higher education has been repeatedly challenged to renew American "social capital" (Putnam, 1995), and revitalize communities. Amidst the flurry of "civic engagement" initiatives in higher education, prestigious and well-resourced institutions have been comparatively less involved. Their incorporation of civic challenges into curricular and research priorities has been slow and limited. Community-based teaching and research are models of scholarship that respond to these challenges, but these models face slow uptake in the settings that can potentially put them to the most influential and transformative use. This study sought to understand how the "scholarship of engagement" (Boyer, 1996) is viewed and pursued within highly selective, prestige-oriented liberal arts colleges. Faculty and institutional culture, specifically local views about the value and role of community work in scholarly efforts, may shape obstacles and opportunities for higher education-community partnership. Case studies include interview data from "triads" centered upon 15 faculty members whose civic work makes them exceptional within their institutions, contextualized by interviews with at least one colleague and one community partner each. Interviews with 61 participants in 7 college campus communities supplemented documentary evidence of engaged scholarship including publications, papers, syllabi, institutional and program materials. Comparative and discourse analyses investigated prestige orientation and views about community-based practice in local discourse. This research found barriers to pursuing engaged scholarly work to include challenges to academic rigor, and challenges to activities appearing to compete with scholarly productivity. Engaged faculty scholars devised responses to these conditions and pursued personal strategies to implement engaged projects. These included: aligning "engaged" with "liberal" learning aims; intentionally integrating or compartmentalizing "engaged" and "traditional" scholarly activities; and positioning engaged projects as "having rigor" by emphasizing research. Participants' models of community-based work provide clues to possible, productive community engagement strategies in prestige-oriented settings. This study also found and described elements of an "economy of prestige" that work collectively to shape conditions for community-based scholarly work. This dissertation further interrogates a paradox that appears to exist, between a rhetorical embrace of civic engagement on campuses with significant resources, and initiatives that remain atomized, confined, and often having only marginal impact on local academic culture.

The on-going higher education reform movements in Central and Eastern Europe have been seriously challenged by the numerous difficulties in the period of political, economic, and social transition in these countries. The reform of higher education in Bulgaria involved a radical restructuring of the degree system. The 1995 Law on Higher Education mandated the implementation of a policy for the introduction of the bachelor-master-doctor structure. The new degrees were to replace the traditional mono-phased system of higher education. The policy's main objective was to facilitate the effective adaptation of the Bulgarian institutions of higher education to the changing demands of the post-communist society. This project analyzed the introduction of the bachelor-master-doctor structure in Bulgarian universities. The study focused on the relationship between the narrow legislative framework directing the implementation of the new policy and the outcomes of this policy at the institutional level. The institution chosen for the case study was “St. Kliment Ohridski” University of Sofia. The findings of the study revealed a direct connection between the prescriptive and regulatory normative base for higher education and the consequences of the implementation of the policy for the introduction of the new degrees. Through the 1995 Law on Higher Education, the State established restrictive control over the university functioning and governance. At the institutional level, the findings revealed little university initiative and creativity in preparing the new bachelor study plans and providing different arrangements to students and faculty. As a result, the introduction of the three-tier system of education brought little change in a number of important aspects of the university functioning. The way in which bachelor programs were created did not affect the qualitative nature of the process and the contents of study but merely the quantitative aspects of the degrees such as the number of years, the course hours, and the institutions which could offer them. In practice, old study plans and programs were reshuffled and then re-ordered within the new tiers. A mode of thinking and organization inherited from the past was framed in a new hierarchically ordered structure that led to little qualitative change of higher education.

The purpose of this single-case descriptive study was to explore student and instructor perceptions of Supplemental Instruction (SI) in an upper-level chemistry course (Physical Chemistry). The course has a reputation for being particularly challenging, an academic hurdle or barrier for students in the science, mathematics and engineering (SME) disciplines. This study provided an opportunity to better understand why students in an advanced "barrier" course participate in SI, and why SI is perceived as an effective resource in upper-level courses. Determining the perceived benefit of SI as a way to overcome these barriers may positively contribute to persistence. In designing this study, the researcher sought to answer two primary questions: (1) Why do students in Physical Chemistry participate in SI; and (2) is SI an effective strategy supporting persistence in SME majors? These questions were explored through a case study methodology that included a focus group, one-on-one interviews with instructors and six enrolled students, document review and class and SI statistics. Findings indicated four major factors that related to students' participation in these SI sessions: (1) anxiety about the course initiated by the reputation of this difficult required course; (2) the course content, complicated by the use of mathematics and composition of the subject matter; (3) characteristics of enrolled students; and (4) nature and benefit of academic resources. The combination of course anxiety and a required course with difficult content generates the cycle of an academic barrier. Results also suggested several interrelated conclusions about the value of SI as an academic resource. SI seemed to reduce anxiety, and supported students' learning. A comparison of course grades before and since the inclusion of SI in Physical Chemistry demonstrated a statistically significant increase in higher grades. This combination of academic success and positive social experiences suggests that SI is a valuable resource for overcoming academic barriers and positively contributing to student persistence.