Academic policies in higher education address institutional academic standards and student requirements including academic underachievement. Academic probation is one academic policy designed to alert students they are not meeting the minimum academic standards of the institution. Institutions offer a variety of student services to support institutional retention efforts and student persistence to graduation; however, there is little research that addresses academic policies and their role in the success of the college student (Brawner, Frillman, & Ohland, 2010). This qualitative case study was an exploration of the perceptions of undergraduate students and the administration by examining the policy of academic probation at one 4-year, private, small liberal arts college in southwest Virginia. The study explored what the institution intended the purpose of academic probation to serve and the perception of the policy by students who were placed on academic probation. Interviews were conducted with 1 undergraduate student who was currently on academic probation and 2 administrators of the institution who were familiar with the policy of academic probation. Survey questions were administered to 5 additional students on academic probation. A document review of the policy of academic probation was conducted. The findings of this study demonstrated that 3 students and both administrators viewed the policy as a way to alert students to refocusing their attention on academics in order to raise their GPA and meet the academic requirements needed for graduation. The study also revealed that students who were placed on academic probation did not feel they had sufficient knowledge of the policy before they were placed on probation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-3814 |
| Date | 01 December 2014 |
| Creators | Hoover, Charlotte |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright by the authors. |
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