Browsing by Subject "College Students"
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Item An Empirical Analysis of Factors That Influence the First Year to Second Year Retention of Students at One Large, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)(2009-05-15) Wilkerson, Steven LamarThe purpose of this study was to identify how input and environmental factors impact first-to-second year retention of undergraduate students at a large Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). An additional purpose of the study was to determine the usefulness of the Astin Typology as a predictive factor for student retention. The sample for the study was 1,296 first-year students enrolled at the University of Texas at San Antonio during the 2002, 2003, and 2004 academic years. Data used for the study included student responses to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP): Freshman Survey (to identify each participant?s Astin type), gender, ethnicity, SAT scores, rank in high school class, first-generation status, financial need, first-semester residence, entry-college, semester credit hours attempted, academic course difficulty, participation in Supplemental Instruction, and enrollment in a first-year seminar course. Both descriptive and univariate statistics were used to describe the sample population, as well as the similarities and differences found to exist among the seven Astin types. Three separate logistic regression analyses organized by Astin?s I-E-O framework were conducted to develop a predictive model for retention from the first-to-second year of college. Subsequent analyses were conducted to identify the specific factors that were useful for predicting retention for each of the seven Astin types. The major findings of this study were: ? The most frequent Astin type identified within the sample population was Status Striver ? The model that included both Input and Environmental factors was the most accurate model for predicting retention ? Students who were classified as Hedonist, Status Striver, and Uncommitted were less likely to be retained at this institution when all other input and environmental factors were controlled. ? Environmental factors were most useful for predicting retention, in particular, semester credit hours attempted that had an inverse relationship with retention for all Astin types ? First-generation status, financial need, SAT score were not useful for the prediction of retention ? First-year seminar course enrollment and participation in Supplemental Instruction had a positive impact on retention This study provided evidence that the Astin typology is viable as a means of retention among college student populations.Item Grief and resilience: implications for bereaved college students(2009-05) Willeford, Lindsay Catherine; Sherry, Alissa Rene; Drum, David J.The current paper reviews the recent literature on grief and resilience. Specific limitations are noted, namely the lack of attention in the grief literature given to traditional-age college students. The personality characteristics and coping strategies associated with resilient grievers are discussed, followed by a review of the issues and barriers specific to grieving college students. Finally, this paper provides suggestions for how universities and college counselors can promote resilience in grieving students in order to allow for better adjustment during bereavement.Item The Effects of Rhetorical Reading Interventions on the Reading and Writing Performances of Students Enrolled in College Composition Classes(2011-02-22) Sanchez, Bernice Y.The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of rhetorical reading interventions on ELL and dominant English speaking college students' perceptions of reading-writing connections, reading performances as measured by the Accuplacer Reading Test, and writing performances as measured by a holistic rubric. ELL, as defined here, refers to a student who is in the process of acquiring English and has knowledge of a first language other than English. The researcher applied a quasi-experimental comparison and treatment group post test design that included four composition classes. The independent variable was the rhetorical reading intervention. The dependent variables included: student reading- writing connection surveys, the Accuplacer Reading Test, and student generated essays. The rhetorical reading intervention applied focused on constructing awareness of an author?s purpose, context, and effect on audience (reader. Reading performance scores for the comparison group indicated an observed change in the mean score from pre-test to post-test of 0 .17. The observed change in the mean score from pre to post test performance for treatment group participants was 9.16. Repeated measures ANOVA test yielded a main effect for pre-post reading performance scores across groups, F (1,70)=16.153, p<.05. Results indicated that comparison group participants displayed minimal change between the pre and post Accuplacer Reading scores; while, treatment group participants reading scores increased significantly. Writing performance scores for the comparison group indicated an observed change from pre-post scores of .74. An observed change was indicated from pre-post scores of 1.02 for treatment group subjects. A repeated measures (ANOVA) test within groups yielded a main effect for pre-post writing performance scores across all groups, F(1,70)= 60.327, p<.05. The greater increase for the treatment group suggests that rhetorical reading interventions had an enhanced positive influence on writing performance scores. The analyses reported suggest varying degrees of the effects, on both reading and writing, the integration of reading with specific rhetorical guidelines appeared to maximize not only the connections between reading and writing, but also provide students opportunities to apply critical thinking skills when reading like a writer. The study provides noteworthy insights for educators in the areas of ELL instruction at the college level and provides information that facilitates bridging the achievement gap between dominant English speakers and ELL students.