This study examines social structural effects on student mathematics preparation and identification with a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field, as well as the social psychological factors that may mediate those effects. Using demographic, academic, attitudinal, and school policy data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002) for over 14,000 students from a nationally representative sample, this research tests a model of mathematics course taking and selection of a STEM field linking social identity and self processes with academic decision making. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the relationships between the latent and observed variables, specifically examining mathematics self-efficacy and social support variables and how they mediate the effects of background variables and prior mathematics achievement on mathematics course taking and subsequent choice of a STEM major, the initial model tests the use of advanced mathematics course taking as a proxy to a college major in a STEM field. This study further develops a second model linking social identity and mathematics course taking using the nested structure of the data to consider the role of school grouping policies on mathematics course taking. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) is employed to measure the effects of individual socio-economic level, race, gender, and coping resources within schools with different course selection and ability grouping policies on high school mathematics course taking. The results of structural equation modeling supported most formulations of the conceptual model and showed significant effect of coping resources on mathematics course taking and subsequent STEM matriculation. Furthermore, females showed lower mathematics self-efficacy and were less likely to enter a STEM field of study than males although they experienced higher levels of social support and math course taking. Findings from the hierarchical linear models suggested that students’ mathematics course taking was related to coping variables, but it varied by course enrollment policy at the school level. The effects of school policy were not consistent across racial groups. The study had both theoretical and practical significance, providing insights for increased diversity in STEM majors as well as policy implications at the high school level. / Ph. D.

The research was designed to test the hypothesis that significant differences exist between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students respecting background characteristics and reasons for enrollment in selected two-year colleges. The findings led to firm conclusions regarding the need for educational institutions to provide remedial and tutorial services, liberal financial aid, culturally sensitive institutional ambience, diversity in faculty, counselors, and staff, and instructional and student development programs responsive to the cultural diversity of all students.

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Also available in print.

It has been common practice in the economics literature to utilize data on observed outcomes and negate what individuals believe or expect will happen in the future. Using responses to a unique set of questions in the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) I show that the literature could benefit in several ways by incorporating such data. The leading essay documents a positive association between a student's subjective probabilistic belief that they will complete a four-year college degree and whether or not they attend and complete college. The results indicate the following. First, although overconfident, individuals as young as fifteen are willing and able to answer subjective probabilistic questions concerning education in a cohesive fashion. Second, these expectations are heterogeneous across race, gender, previous academic success, and parent education, and are influential in predicting whether or not they attend and ultimately complete a degree once these characteristics are controlled for. While the magnitude of the effect diminishes when including the standard economic controls, expectations remain significant and play a larger role as the student ages. Parent expectations are also positive and statistically associated with their child's future college success when the student is young but the significance diminishes as the student ages and gathers information related to the costs and benefits of a college degree. These findings indicate that students possess some form of private information that is not being completely captured by the standard variables used by econometricians to predict college attendance and completion. The second essay uses the NLSY97 to examine how students form and update their college completion expectations as they age out high school. I begin by estimating which factors are utilized by students when forming their expectations while in high school. I find that while these students are taking into account several of the relevant factors associated with college success, they also appear to be neglecting the impact that income and ability have on their likelihood of completing college or are over-relying on poor signals. I then test whether or not students update their expectations in a Bayesian fashion. A Bayesian model is developed. The three ways in which Bayesian students should respond to the acquisition of new information are discussed. Four sources of new information are identified and used in the testing. The testing reveals that students who report either a 0% or 100% chance of completing college do not appear to be Bayesian, but those who report within the 0% and 100% bounds do update in a Bayesian fashion. The third essay studies the accuracy and alignment of the individual's expectation that they will complete college. I utilize several unique aspects of the NLSY97 to create a measure of alignment based on the predicted probability that the respondent will eventually complete college and their expectation of doing so while either in high school or of college age. I use this measure to answer the following questions. First, are there any observable differences between those who are aligned and misaligned? Next, do respondents become more aligned as they age and progress out of high school? Last, are those who are more aligned at an early age more likely to reach their outcomes? I find that although the majority of students are overconfident in their belief there are considerable differences in alignment based on several observable characteristics and the availability of information. The alignment of student expectations differ based on parent education, ASVAB percentile, school enrollment, and race. Using two sub-samples of different aged respondents I show that as students age and acquire more information their expectation of completing college becomes more aligned with their estimated probability of completion. I confirm this by examining 700 students who are asked their expectations first in 1997 while in high school then again five years later when they either are in college or the workforce. I conclude by showing that those who are more aligned in either direction with what a model of college completion predicts the more likely they are to eventually reach that outcome. The final essay examines if the private information contained in the student's expectation that they will complete college is associated with future early career earnings. First I note that there are considerable differences in the frequency of reporting, yearly income, hours worked, and hourly wage for those who predict college success and are successful versus those who do not, as well as those who accurately predict that they will not complete college. I then include these expectations in a wage regression and the estimates suggest that when individuals report their college completion expectations between the ages of 15 and 17 they are not associated with future earnings. However, when asked between the ages of 17 and 22 the reported expectations are positively associated with future wages. There is considerable heterogeneity based on gender, whether they reported at one of the three primary heaping points, and the quantile of the wage distribution in which they were located.

No description available.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology & Special Needs Education at the University of Zululand, 2017 / High rate of poor performance in matric level is a serious problem not only in uMkhanyakude district but in the whole world. One would say effective teaching and efficient management of schools is the answer to the problem and schools need more information about these two factors which form the summary of the findings. This study succeeded in getting the views from both learners and educators which means it is also important to understand what learners perceive as the factors of poor academic performance in the schools where they are as well. In this study Grade 12 learners perceptions were analysed. Learners in matric and educators teaching them from eight high schools participated in this study. The major factors contributing to poor matriculation performance according to learners are lack of resources, lack of support by parents in their learning, poverty, not being sure about group studying, not having a good command of a teaching and learning language and not prac-tising it. They seemed afraid to talk about their teachers .The educators perceptions tallied with those of educators, that is , lack of resources , focusing on Grade 12 instead of becoming serious from the lowest grades indicating poor management of schools, learners’ lack of mo-tivation and willingness to learn, lack of parental involvement, poor study skills in association with school readiness , lack of support by the district and circuit officials , CAPS concepts as not clear to simplify their teaching , qualifications seeming to be not at the level where the teacher would be in apposition to understand clearly the subject content he or she teaches. A culture of high expectancy on the part of educators, parents and managers at all levels may be the key to influencing the rates of success.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of high school principals and their Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) senior Army instructors about the cost effectiveness and value of JROTC in impacting dropout and transition-to-college rates at their schools. The purposeful sample for this study included principals and senior Army instructors at three high schools, two in northwest North Carolina and one in northeast Tennessee. The research investigated the per-student costs for the operation of the JROTC programs; the dropout rates for JROTC and non-JROTC students; the transition-to-college rates for JROTC and non-JROTC students; and the perceptions of the administrators as to the value and cost effectiveness of JROTC in impacting dropout and transition rates. The study found that the average annual JROTC program cost was $731 per student; JROTC students had a dropout rate of 22.2% and the non-JROTC students had a dropout rate of 21.2%; and, 52.4% of JROTC students indicated that they would transition-to-college, and 84.6% of non-JROTC students indicated that they would transition-to-college. The administrators’ perceptions were evaluated in pretest posttest scenarios utilizing first a 30 question survey employing a Likert-type scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” The administrators were then interviewed using a semi-structured format. Principals and senior Army instructors stated that their JROTC programs were cost-effective in reducing the dropout rates and increasing the college attendance transitioning rates at their schools. In general, principals perceived a higher value for their JROTC programs than did the JROTC senior Army instructors.

While first-year engineering (FYE) programs have grown dramatically over the last 30 years, they take a variety of different structures. However, few if any, researchers and FYE program developers has considered how program structure, and specifically matriculation, impacts retention – an issue that continues to be of concern as we seek to grown the national engineering workforce. Low retention rates combined with lack of diversity becomes even more acute when considering the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) which ranks as one of the least diverse engineering disciplines. One factor that has been shown to support retention is self-efficacy or individuals' beliefs in their ability to succeed. Therefore, to help address the retention issues in ECE, this dissertation explores the programmatic influence of first-year engineering matriculation structures on self-efficacy development in electrical and computer engineering students. In particular, it compares declared engineering (DE) programs, which admit students to a specific engineering field, to general engineering (GE) programs, in which students are admitted to engineering but do not select a specific engineering field until after their first year. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, this dissertation presents three manuscripts: 1) a quantitative secondary analysis comparing competency beliefs in a GE program and a quasi- DE first-year engineering program for ECE students; 2) a qualitative secondary analysis of self-efficacy development in a DE first-year program; and 3) a qualitative analysis exploring similarities and differences in self-efficacy development in EE students at two universities, one with a DE program and one with a GE program. The exploratory studies resulted in findings that demonstrate strong similarities in self-efficacy development in students from the DE and GE programs. Those differences that did emerge are largely attributed to how self-efficacy is discussed by students: 1) self-efficacy is developed differently between the two programs because the tasks associated with each program are different; 2) GE students discuss self-efficacy more broadly regarding engineering in general, focusing on domains like professional skills; 3) DE students discuss self-efficacy development more narrowly, specifically related to being an electrical or computer engineer. Additionally, the findings from study 2 suggest that pedagogical structures may be more important regarding self-efficacy development than matriculation structures. These results broaden our understanding of how FYE programs impact self-efficacy development within the context of a specific major, but still lend themselves to further exploration regarding factors most related to persistence and the experiences of underrepresented minorities in engineering. / Doctor of Philosophy / While first-year engineering (FYE) programs have grown dramatically over the last 30 years, they take a variety of different structures. However, few if any, researchers and FYE program developers have considered how program structure impacts persistence – an issue that continues to be of concern as we seek to grown the national engineering workforce. Low retention rates combined with lack of diversity in the field becomes even more intense when considering the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) which ranks as one of the least diverse engineering disciplines. One factor that has been shown to support retention is self-efficacy or individuals' beliefs in their ability to succeed. Therefore, to help address the retention issues in ECE, this dissertation explores the programmatic influence of first-year engineering matriculation structures on self-efficacy development in electrical and computer engineering students. In particular, it compares declared engineering (DE) programs, which admit students to a specific engineering field, to general engineering (GE) programs, in which students are admitted to engineering but do not select a specific engineering field until after their first year. The dissertation includes three studies: 1) a quantitative comparison of expectancy (similar to self-efficacy) beliefs in a GE program and a quasi- DE first-year engineering program for ECE students; 2) a qualitative study of self-efficacy development in a DE first-year program using interviews with students; and 3) a qualitative study of similarities and differences in self-efficacy development in EE students at two universities, one with a DE program and one with a GE program. The studies demonstrated similarities in self-efficacy development in students from the DE and GE programs, with differences largely attributed to how students described self-efficacy, as follows: 1) self-efficacy is developed differently between the two programs because the tasks associated with each program are different; 2) GE students discuss self-efficacy more broadly regarding engineering in general, focusing on issues like professional development skills; 3) DE students discuss self-efficacy development more narrowly, specifically related to being an electrical or computer engineer. Additionally, the findings from study 2 suggest that approaches to teaching may be more important for self-efficacy development than matriculation structures. These results broaden our understanding of how FYE programs impact self-efficacy development within the context of a specific major, but also point to the need for more research on factors most related to persistence and the experiences of underrepresented minorities in engineering.