This study examined the relationships between first generation college students’ grade point averages and social and academic integration in community colleges. The Institutional Integration Scale was used to measure relationships between grade point averages and social integration and academic integration among first generation college students. A demographic informational questionnaire was used to collect data related to students’ gender, age, ethnicity, degree program, enrollment status and martial status. This study was conducted at Coahoma Community College located in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The study was a quantitative study that consisted of 139 students enrolled during the fall semester at Coahoma Community College. The data were analyzed statistically focusing on the social and academic integration among first generation students and their grade point averages. The analysis revealed no relationship existed between grade point averages and social and academic integration scores. However, the study revealed significant correlations were found to exist between grade point averages and credit hour enrollment, total credits, family income and study time.

Little is known about the college adjustment of first-generation students, particularly those from various racial/ethnic groups. This study sought to describe the college adjustment of first-generation students from three different racial/ethnic backgrounds (White/non-Hispanic, Black and Hispanic) and to determine whether generational status and race/ethnicity jointly or separately affect college adjustment as measured by responses to the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). A sample of 418 students (208 first-generation, 210 non-first-generation; 140 White, 138 Black, and 140 Hispanic) was drawn from a population of 4,718 degree-seeking, self-identified undergraduates at a research university in the Southeast. A 2 X 3 factorial ANOVA was used to assess the effects of generational status and race/ethnicity on college adjustment. There was no significant interaction between the independent variables on adjustment to college, nor were there significant main effects. Despite follow-up data collection efforts, a low response rate (34%) to the online administration of the instrument and consequent low number of respondents in each cell may have obscured existing differences. Other implications are discussed, including the question of SACQ sensitivity to racial/ethnic differences and difficulties of web-based survey administration in an institutional setting.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Student persistence is a thorn area which did not receive much publication in Namibia and South Africa. Many research focused on why students fail to persist in higher education opposed to why they succeed. This research paper mainly investigated the relationships between external communities, social and academic integration and student persistence among distance students. I used Tinto's theory of student persistence at institutions of higher learning as my theoretical approach. The study employed a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design. I collected data by interviewing senior distance students at a certain public university in Southern Africa. The findings of this research revealed that the majority of students are self-driven which gave an impression that self -motivation and intentions of participants contribute significantly to student persistence. Indications are that informal peer group support contributes considerably to student persistence. The overall outcomes suggest that support from family members and employers positively influence students' academic progress and success. This study generally suggests that there is a positive relationship between external communities and student persistence opposed to what many scholars suggested.

SHAPING FUZZY GOALS THROUGH TEACHER-STUDENT INTERACTION: A DETAILED LOOK AT THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY AND TRANSFER STUDENTS by Diana K. Leonard Faculty-student interactions have been largely neglected in the research regarding community colleges and community college transfer students. Yet faculty serve as points of institutional contact, and might also serve a central role in student experiences and decision-making. The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of the dynamics and interactions that impact student experiences and decisions regarding transfer at the community college and to understand how those interactions contributed to goal formation. Symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1969) provided a framework to guide the mixed-methods approach, which was primarily qualitative, utilizing online surveys and personal interviews to investigate students' interpretations of the student-teacher interactions. Quantitative data analysis measured teacher influence. 429 students who successfully transferred to a Research I university in the southwest, from in-state community colleges completed the survey. Ten students from this pool, subsequently interviewed, reflected various levels of uncertainty in their goals to transfer. These uncertain goals were termed "fuzzy" goals.In addition to symbolic interactionism as a framework, Stanton-Salazar's (1997) concept of institutional agents, supported with Bourdieu's (1977) cultural and social capital and Tinto's (1975) theory of social and academic integration were used to guide this study. Findings illustrated that students did utilize their teachers as institutional agents, who provided them with cultural knowledge and facilitated their understanding of procedures and processes through active as well as passive teacher-agency. Five themes emerged in students' interpretation of the student-teacher interactions: support, motivation, guidance, inspiration, and modeling. All had varying effects on students' uncertainty and contributed to shaping their fuzzy goals and to their social and academic integration into academe.This study can inform our understanding of the well-known gap in BA attainment between students who begin at a community college intending to transfer and students who begin at a four-year institution. Further, this study can inform strategic planning geared toward supporting teachers more fully in their role as institutional agents conveying social and cultural capital to students to increase their leverage for success once they transfer to the university.

Cette recherche qualitative de type exploratoire tente, à l'aide du discours de jeunes réfugiés, de comprendre de quelle manière leur parcours migratoire contribue à leur projet d'intégration et identitaire, notamment en saisissant leurs perceptions de leur situation actuelle, leurs rapports avec différents réseaux sociaux, l'impact de leur statut identitaire sur leur insertion scolaire, l'impact de leur statut d’immigrant sur les relations intrafamiliales comme sur leurs choix de relations avec les pairs et leur vision de leur futur. De plus, le but de ce mémoire est de poser un regard sur la mise en place de différentes formes de stratégies identitaires au sein de divers réseaux d'appartenance locaux ou transnationaux (école, religion, organismes communautaires, etc.). Afin de mieux comprendre cette réalité, encore peu traitée au Québec, de jeunes réfugiés âgés entre 15 et 21 ans ont été sollicités pour prendre la parole lors de deux entrevues semi-dirigées. Les données résultant des entrevues mettent en évidence une singularité des cas. Malgré tout, quelques tendances semblent ressortir dans le projet migratoire et d’intégration, tels que des trajectoires migratoires empreintes d’événements douloureux, des défis dans le parcours social et scolaire au Québec et une capacité à surmonter l’adversité dans des situations de contraintes répétitives. / The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to examine refugee youths’ immigration trajectories and their integration and identity work as newcomers to Quebec. Their perceptions were explored in terms of social integration, school integration, the development of peer networks, and their future outlook and aspirations. Employed identity strategies were explored in contexts such as schooling, religion, and community organizations. Five refugee youth, ranging in age from 15 to 21 years, were solicited for the study. They participated in two in-depth semi-structured interviews, facilitated by the use of personal artefacts and pictures. Results underline the uniqueness of each of the cases, both in terms of reasons for departure and subsequent trajectories and identity work. Despite this diversity, some commonalities could be noted. The immigration trajectories were emotionally charged and difficult for all youth interviewed. They all struggled with their social integration both within and outside of school, as well as in terms of ensuring continued academic success. Yet, they all exhibited the capacity to overcome adversity, despite repeated and on-going challenges, and showed much resilience. In terms of their identity strategies, some developed a hybrid identity, integrating past and current identity work into a coherent whole, while others were still in a stage of exploration or actively involved in working towards a coherent sense of self that could accommodate the complexity of their life experiences. Longitudinal studies are needed to document the development of identity strategies that facilitate refugee youths’ integration while ensuring on-going resilience, academic success and psychological well-being.

Cette recherche qualitative de type exploratoire tente, à l'aide du discours de jeunes réfugiés, de comprendre de quelle manière leur parcours migratoire contribue à leur projet d'intégration et identitaire, notamment en saisissant leurs perceptions de leur situation actuelle, leurs rapports avec différents réseaux sociaux, l'impact de leur statut identitaire sur leur insertion scolaire, l'impact de leur statut d’immigrant sur les relations intrafamiliales comme sur leurs choix de relations avec les pairs et leur vision de leur futur. De plus, le but de ce mémoire est de poser un regard sur la mise en place de différentes formes de stratégies identitaires au sein de divers réseaux d'appartenance locaux ou transnationaux (école, religion, organismes communautaires, etc.). Afin de mieux comprendre cette réalité, encore peu traitée au Québec, de jeunes réfugiés âgés entre 15 et 21 ans ont été sollicités pour prendre la parole lors de deux entrevues semi-dirigées. Les données résultant des entrevues mettent en évidence une singularité des cas. Malgré tout, quelques tendances semblent ressortir dans le projet migratoire et d’intégration, tels que des trajectoires migratoires empreintes d’événements douloureux, des défis dans le parcours social et scolaire au Québec et une capacité à surmonter l’adversité dans des situations de contraintes répétitives. / The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to examine refugee youths’ immigration trajectories and their integration and identity work as newcomers to Quebec. Their perceptions were explored in terms of social integration, school integration, the development of peer networks, and their future outlook and aspirations. Employed identity strategies were explored in contexts such as schooling, religion, and community organizations. Five refugee youth, ranging in age from 15 to 21 years, were solicited for the study. They participated in two in-depth semi-structured interviews, facilitated by the use of personal artefacts and pictures. Results underline the uniqueness of each of the cases, both in terms of reasons for departure and subsequent trajectories and identity work. Despite this diversity, some commonalities could be noted. The immigration trajectories were emotionally charged and difficult for all youth interviewed. They all struggled with their social integration both within and outside of school, as well as in terms of ensuring continued academic success. Yet, they all exhibited the capacity to overcome adversity, despite repeated and on-going challenges, and showed much resilience. In terms of their identity strategies, some developed a hybrid identity, integrating past and current identity work into a coherent whole, while others were still in a stage of exploration or actively involved in working towards a coherent sense of self that could accommodate the complexity of their life experiences. Longitudinal studies are needed to document the development of identity strategies that facilitate refugee youths’ integration while ensuring on-going resilience, academic success and psychological well-being.

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Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-79).