Diversity of student populations within higher education has considerably increased, particularly for women and minority populations, which is indicative of greater access to education toward a college degree. However, increased diversity of student populations has introduced a new set of challenges for higher education administrators in that it is becoming increasingly difficult for administrators to maintain current educational methods when considering the changing needs of matriculating students. As a result, higher education institutions are compelled to strategize beyond the "one-size-fits all" approach in the way teaching and support services are delivered in order to provide a more holistic approach to learning. Researchers have sought to establish a universal definition of student success and they continue to work toward understanding the factors of that inhibit or promote success for college students. Numerous studies have indicated that student success factors are numerous and a number of individual and institutional factors work collectively in a student's decision to leave or persist in college. Yet, there has not been much emphasis on the factors of success for African American undergraduate women in college. As such, this study explored the extent to which two specific factors--social integration and student involvement--predict the level of perceived success based on self-reported gains for African American undergraduate women. In this quantitative study, the researcher utilized a purposeful, national sample of secondary data from the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) Assessment Program to analyze levels of social integration and student involvement of African American undergraduate college women. Included in the sample were results from 736 African American undergraduate women who were enrolled at the 26 participating large, public predominately white institutions in the United States and completed the survey the between 2005-2010 data collection periods. The majority of the sample (n = 566) was freshmen/ first-year students. Several statistical analyses were conducted to examine relationships between variables (social integration, student involvement, and self-reported gains) including multiple regression tests, analysis of variances (ANOVAs), and Pearson Product Moment Correlations. Results of the analyses indicated that the relationships between social integration, student involvement, and each of the self-reported gains were statistically significant. Additionally, findings indicated that there is no statistically significant relationship between levels of social integration and classification in college, but there is a statistically significant relationship between levels of student involvement and classification in college. There were several implications of the study. First, student affairs and higher education professionals must work to ensure that the out-of-classroom experiences work in concert with experiences inside-of-the-classroom to promote a holistic approach to learning. This includes understanding the inhibitors and promoters of success for African American undergraduate women. Additionally, professionals must also recognize that the combined factors of being both Black and female comprise a unique identity component for African American undergraduate women as research has shown that identity development occurs in light of racism and sexism. Therefore, higher education professionals must be cognizant of perceived barriers and work to eliminate them to promote optimal success for this group of students. Furthermore, institutions should understand that self-reported gains, or what students perceive or report about their own learning experiences, could possibly provide more insight into the college experience rather than the sole consideration of grades to assess learning. The conclusion of this research study is that results both support and contradict current literature related to social integration and student involvement.

No description available.

Student governance has been in existence as an integral part of higher education almost since the founding of the first college in colonial America. However, little is understood about the lived experience of students involved in student governance, and specifically those who participate in leadership positions within student government organizations such as the student government president. Therefore, the primary purposes of this study are to highlight experiences of students who served as presidents of a liberal arts college’s student government association and to examine the meanings these individuals construct out of their leadership experiences. This study employed qualitative methods, which included in-depth, open-ended, semi-structured interviews and journaling. The sample was made up of six students who served as student government association presidents at a small, private, liberal-arts college. From the data derived through the interview and journaling processes, an overall picture of the experiences of the participants and the meanings that the participants construct of their experiences was drawn. Based on the results, several themes regarding the participants’ experiences as student government presidents emerged from the data, which include: positive and negative facets of their presidencies, stress as a substantial element during their time in office, dissimilar experiences of women and minority students, varied experiences regarding relationships and conflicts with members of the campus community, the multiple roles required of a student government president, and personal approaches to leadership that a student government president must possess and hone. Conclusions based on the data were included and implications for student affairs practitioners were discussed as well as recommendations for further study were made.

The concept of campus environment and its implication to student development is important to any institution of higher learning and student affairs in particular. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Curriculum and Instruction. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 26, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Archbald Douglas, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

This research is concerned with the cognitive development of students in higher education. Specifically, it is recognised that the demands facing students are different to those previously encountered in secondary education. These demands include being able to master what Strohm Kitchener (1983) calls ill-structured problems and learning the groundrules of their academic disciplines. This is termed academic literacy. Current thought in academic development proposes that students need to be shown how to mobilise their cognitive processes to meet these demands. It is argued that this is best accomplished when such activities are integrated into the discipline itself as opposed to being an add-on process. Taking into account the social and dialectical nature of learning (Vygotsky, 1978), academic development and academic literacy are seen to best occur within the tutorial system. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the 1997 first-year Psychology tutorial programme at Rhodes University, Grahamstown to assess how academic literacy was being developed. A qualitative research approach was followed, guided by the ten stage evaluation model of education programmes (Jacobs, 1996) and an adapted version of the Context, Input, Process and Product approach to evaluation (Parlett and Hamilton cited in Calder, 1995, p.25). Using indepth interviews, data was gathered from eight first year students, seven staff members and one programme co-ordinator. Focus groups were used to gather data from nine tutors. Further data collection techniques included observation of tutor briefing sessions and tutorials as well as documentary research. Data was analysed using qualitative data analysis techniques (Coffey & Atkinson, 1996). The Psychology Department at Rhodes University aims to integrate the development of academic literacy into mainstream teaching at the first year level through its tutorial programme. The Department has conceptualised its understanding of academic development as the development of academic, vocational and professional literacy which is rather unique. Academic literacy is defined and conceptualised further in a list of pre-determined skills (reading, writing and general skills) to be developed incrementally. This conceptualisation of academic literacy tends to neglect to include the mobilisation of relevant cognitive processes explicitly and the implementation tends to remain implicit. A lack of tactical strategies to implement academic development is evidence of the difficulty in moving from the philosophical level of academic development to the practical level. The programme is perceived as disorganised and lacking in a co-ordinated or incremental development of the predetermined skills.

The problem with which this study is concerned is to determine whether or not differences exist in the achievement of student development tasks by college student athletes and non-athletes. The investigation also tested for differences in the achievement of developmental tasks between athletes and non-athletes based on the variables of race (black or white), classification, and interpersonal behavior orientation. The sample was composed of 276 male students (201 non-athletes and 75 athletes) who attend a large private university in Texas. Each participant completed both a student developmental task inventory questionnaire, which measures individual achievement of the tasks of developing autonomy, purpose, and mature interpersonal relationships, and an interpersonal relationship orientation-behavior instrument, which measures an individual's orientation to others on the scales of inclusion, control, and affection.

Approximately 80% of undergraduate students work during the course of their undergraduate studies. Ideally, student's on-campus employment would contribute to his or her learning and development. However, because student employment is typically approached as the fulfillment of job tasks rather than student development, higher education institutions miss critical opportunities for supporting student academic and social integration. This study reframes on-campus student employment as a developmental effort. Data in this qualitative study indicate that on-campus employment can offer opportunities for student development and academic and social integration, and that it can positively influence students' sense of mattering and overall satisfaction with their college experience. It highlights the importance of supervision in student employment and informs our understanding of the ways different types of jobs can influence students' experiences. Given that students with fewer economic resources often come from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds and are potentially more at-risk for not completing their studies, colleges and universities should reconfigure on-campus jobs as opportunities for both employment and academic success.