abstract: This dissertation is an action research study that had as its primary goal to increase retention of honors college students at Arizona State University by implementing an additional advising session during the fifth semester of their academic career. Introducing additional, strategically-timed support for the honors thesis and demystifying the thesis project was intended to help honors college students make more successful transitions to the final stage of their undergraduate honors careers. This advising session is not only used to demystify the thesis/creative project, but to introduce the student to the logistical elements of the thesis process. Most importantly, this session was designed to encourage students to find a focal interest for the project and to engage them in the process of identifying an appropriate director for this project. To assess the success of the early upper division thesis group advising session, students were asked to identify steps taken to begin the process early. Pre and post-intervention surveys and follow-up interviews were used to determine if the participants had taken steps necessary to complete the thesis. Questions regarding the identification of potential thesis foci, committee member selection, and research question formation were used to measure forward momentum. The early group advising session was successful in assisting 7 of the 9 participants to move one step closer to the completion of their honors thesis completion. However, the degree of movement was less than I expected or predicted. The early group advising session gave voice to our students by soliciting suggestions that might improve the session. Suggested changes included: - Maintain an optimal size group of six to eight students selected by discipline and projected date of graduation - Breakouts for students to discuss thesis topic and committee member selection strategies facilitated by faculty and honors advisors - Upper division students currently completing or who have successfully completed their thesis/creative projects made available to answer questions and provide success strategies - Specialty research librarians invited to demonstrate web based resources - Faculty approved discipline specific thesis/creative projects (models of best practice) available for review during the group intervention / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Higher and Postsecondary Education 2012

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Much research supports that student mindset influences how well students do in school and that teacher actions influence student mindset. Research has also shown that just because a teacher has a growth mindset, it does not imply that their students will also have a growth mindset. This research looks closer as to why a teacher's mindset does not correlate with their students' mindset by further examining teacher mindset and the connection between teacher mindset and teacher actions. In summary, teachers' mindsets do not directly influence student mindset for a few reasons: secondary mathematics teachers have different mindsets towards honors and regular students, while they have heard about mindset, they do not understand mindset deeply, and mathematics teachers do not know how to help their students develop a growth mindset.

This study was conducted to examine the experiences of first-year, traditional aged Honors College students who were placed on academic probation at the conclusion of the first semester and how they perceive their current circumstances, reasons for their inability to meet the honors requirements, and future academic pursuits. A comprehensive literature review was performed, specifically in the areas of first-year college students, retention, Honors Colleges and Honors Programs, high achievers, honors students in trouble, help-seeking behaviors, and academic probation at the collegiate level. A phenomenological research design was employed where participants met with the investigator one-on-one for a semi-structured interview. Ten students participated in the study; six were first-year students on honors probation, and four were in academic good standing following the end of the first semester. Participants described several common experiences, including: difficulty with the high school to college transition, planning and organizational challenges, overconfidence in academic abilities, and poor attendance and class participation. Based on these findings, several recommendations are made.