Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Agricultural and Extension Education

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the phenomenon of strategies college instructors enact that support the academic success of historically underrepresented students [HUS] (i.e., first-generation, low-income, and/or Students of Color) experiencing academic struggle. A critical-constructivist epistemology was employed (Jaekel, 2021; Levitt, 2021). The theoretical framework combined elements of critical pedagogy (e.g. Darder et al., 2017; Kincheloe, 2008), pedagogy of care (Noddings, 2003, 2005), radical love (e.g. Freire, 1970; hooks, 2018; Lane, 2018), critical care pedagogy (e.g. Chinn & Falk‐Rafael, 2018; Delpit, 2006; Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1997), and a student-ready institutional framework (McNair et al., 2016). The research was guided by four questions: (1) How do HUS understand academic success and struggle? (2) How do HUS identify instructors who they believe support their academic success? (3) How do instructors understand academic success and struggle for HUS? (4) How do instructors enact academic support for HUS? Data were collected in three phases. In phase one, a qualitative questionnaire was sent to 143 undergraduate students who identified as first-generation, low-income, and/or Students of Color and who had experienced academic struggle while enrolled at The Ohio State University. The questionnaire asked students to nominate instructors who they believed supported their academic success. This study was unique in that students could nominate any instructor regardless of teaching role (i.e., tenure-track faculty, lecturers, graduate teaching assistants, or staff). In phase two, 14 students who completed the questionnaire accepted an invitation to participate in semi-structured interviews. In phase three, six instructors who were nominated by students agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews and to permit observation of their teaching. Several rounds of qualitative coding strategies were used to a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jera Niewoehner-Green (Advisor); Kristen J. Mills (Committee Member); Scott Scheer (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Educational Sociology; Higher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Foundations of Education

African American college enrollment rates continue to increase, while graduation rates do not. This state of affairs lends itself to a wealth disparity between African Americans and other racial groups. As such, this research investigated if university demographics and classification of institutional type can predict African American student success, operationally defined by graduation rates and ROI (20 years). Multiple statistical models, analyzing government and proprietary normative data found one key variable emerged. An African American student increases their odds of both graduating and receiving the highest ROI, by attending a university with the highest overall university graduation rate, regardless of the percentage of African American Students in attendance, cost, public or private, or enrollment size. A SUCCESS Model ties together all statistical findings, anecdotal discoveries and larger implications of this research. Findings generalize beyond the African American student.

Committee: Dale Snauwaert (Advisor); Lynne Hamer (Committee Member); Mary Ellen Edwards (Committee Member); Oscar McKnight (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; African American Studies; African Americans; African History; African Studies; Black History; Black Studies; Business Education; Continuing Education; Counseling Education; Cultural Resources Management; Education; Education Finance; Education History; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Educational Tests and Measurements; Educational Theory; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Multicultural Education; School Administration; School Counseling

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

This study focuses on better understanding students and their internal worlds through conceptual metaphor theory and sensory language. Using a phenomenological and arts-based approach, I examined students' metaphorical constructions of their college experiences and the sensory language and information informing those constructions. By engaging participants in a multimodal process to re-see their experience through connoisseurship and criticism, I explored the following research questions: How do students metaphorically structure their college experience? What sensory language do college students use to describe the metaphorical dimensions of their college experience? How does sensory information shape the metaphorical structuring of their college experience? Through conversations centered on participant-generated images and chosen sensory language, I identified five complex metaphors that represented participants' constructions of their college experience: college is an unwieldy package; college is up, forward, and out; college is current and future nostalgia; college is a prism; and college is a movie and peers are the soundtrack. By considering these themes, it may be possible for educators to better partner with diverse learners to design personally meaningful experiences that support student development and success. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Donna Ladkin PhD (Committee Chair); Jon Wergin PhD (Committee Member); Steven Taylor PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Developmental Psychology; Education; Education Philosophy; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The transition from high school to college is both scary and unfamiliar to each year's new participants. For high school students attending school in underserved communities, this transition can be lonely and often inaccessible. To combat this, nonprofits and other community organizations provide additional support services to students during this process. Music Through the Streets' goal is to determine the barriers these students may experience when accessing post-secondary education opportunities. This study employed a qualitative narrative analysis to better understand the lived experiences of recentered professionals. Purposive sampling was conducted to gather participants for semi-structured small-group interviews. Participants discussed their life experiences and recall their post-high school transition experiences through a guided conversation. An inductive method of data analysis was employed to detect themes and consistencies throughout each participant's isolated experience. The four group interviews provided context for three main themes that were present in each interview: parental education as a barrier, interest in college, and community influence. The results of this study are vitally important to future Music Through the Streets program participants, as this will assist in guiding resource allocation, organization collaboration, and program design.

Committee: Dr. Elizabeth Essex (Committee Chair) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Music Education; Urban Planning; Vocational Education; Welfare

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

There are systematic barriers to educational equity in the U.S. higher education system, and the system overwhelmingly fails Latinx undergraduates more often than other students. It is crucial that evidence-based methods be used to reduce the existing postsecondary student success inequities. Scholars have linked specific educational practices to positive learning effects. A growing body of evidence has suggested these educational practices, coined high-impact practices (HIPs), provide amplified benefits to historically underserved students (HUS) and may be an effective tool for advancing equity and closing achievement gaps. The extant literature has neither adequately explained the reason(s) that HIPs provide an academic boost to HUS nor described their lived experience. Such qualitative research is important for understanding how HIPs contribute to HUS' learning and engagement, better support student success, and address inequities. Through narrative inquiry and inductive/emergent analysis, this study explored the lived experience of Latinx in HIPs at a 4-year public university. Deductive/a priori analysis drew from two theoretical frameworks: validation theory and cultural capital. This study investigated several guiding questions: In which curricular experiences do Latinx undergraduates experience the deepest learning and engagement? To what elements or aspects of the experiences do Latinx undergraduates attribute the learning and engagement? What are the key validating experiences or experiences that recognize/reward cultural capital? Findings revealed five major course elements as associated with deep learning and engagement: professor behaviors or traits, real-world and relevant content, preparation for future or career, relationships with peers, and diverse perspectives. A key implication for practice is that faculty are central to student success and through the application of teaching and curricular elements, every academic course can ensure deep learning (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Laurien Alexandre PhD (Committee Chair); Jon Wergin PhD (Committee Member); Marisol Clark-Ibáñez PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Hispanic Americans; Teaching

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

A successful completion of first-year science courses is critical for an on-time entry into the undergraduate health care programs of nursing, radiology, respiratory care, and sonography at a small, private health care institution. The inability of undergraduate students to pass science courses leads to drop-out or a delay of entry into their health care profession further presenting a health care staffing shortage during a time of an increased demand for health care providers. Knight College's main goal is to determine why undergraduate students underperformed academically in science courses. The primary purpose of this narrative inquiry design study that used a qualitative data source was to understand the lived experiences and perspectives of the students. This study used a purposeful sampling due to the selection process for students wanting to participate in re-telling their stories through semi-structured interviews of their experience(s) in undergraduate science course(s). The type of data analysis that occurred in this study was a narrative thematic analysis used to find common themes, comparison of the themes to one another, and among the different interviews. The eight, narrative, inquiry interviews provided key insights into the innermost workings of Knight College and the student's experiences. In synthesizing the findings, the three main themes that emerged were science course(s) experiences, academic advising experience, and student support services along with several subthemes. Furthermore, all eight students interviewed shared their stories about their struggles in science course(s) and discussed the barriers to their success included those while enrolled in the course(s) and those outside the college. The results of the narrative inquiry interviews were important because they led to the areas of focus for the action plan to develop a gateway (student success) course and to implement training of academic advisors.

Committee: Meredith Wronowski (Committee Chair) Subjects: Health Care; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2021, Educational Leadership

Abstract Predicting Student Success in an Introductory Programming Course at an Urban Midwestern Community College with Computer Programming Experience, Self-Efficacy, and Hope Name: Newman, Reece Elton University of Dayton Advisor: Dr. Charles J. Russo This study of a convenience sample of 66 Introductory Computer Programming students at an urban Midwestern community college used age, computer programming experience, self-efficacy, and hope to predict overall course score. The age, computer programming experience, self-efficacy, and hope frequency distributions were not statistically normal or Gaussian in the sample. Computer programming experience statistically significantly correlated with both computer programming self-efficacy and computer programing hope. Age and computer programming experience, age and computer programming self-efficacy, and age and computer programming hope did not statistically significantly correlate. Computer programming self-efficacy and computer programming hope did not statistically significantly correlate. Relations between age and overall course score, computer programming experience and overall course score, computer programming self-efficacy and overall course score, and computer programming hope and overall course score were nonlinear, so the assumptions for correlation, simple linear regression, and hierarchical multiple linear regression did not hold for the sample data. Correlational, simple regression, and multiple hierarchical regression results were not statistically significant, nor were Student's independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVAs, and twoway 2 X 2 and 3 X 2 ANOVAs. Despite the overall lack of statistical significance in the findings, there were novel contributions to human knowledge discovered through the observational study of the sample data. Instrument response patterns were internally consistent, providing evidence that the instruments are reliable in the introductory computer p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Charles Russo (Committee Chair); Jared Cutler (Committee Member); David Dolph (Committee Member); Mary Ziskin (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Science; Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education Administration

PHD, Kent State University, 2021, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

This study has three primary objectives. First to provide insight into possibilities for moderation/mediation analysis in education research by discussing analytical methods based on the counterfactual and developed in other disciplines. Second is to highlight specific issues related to mediation and the estimation of effects when the outcome is dichotomous. The final objective is to apply counterfactual-based analytical methods to two questions pertaining to student success in community college mathematics, using a dataset spanning twenty years of student transcript information. This study will estimate moderated and mediated effects, use a generalized linear model approach to calculate odds and risk ratios, and incorporate a measure of possible confounding known as the E-value in the investigation of two research questions pertaining to student success in community college mathematics. Prior grades were the most important predictor of success, both in a second sequential mathematics course and for credential completion. While a small association was found between timing of first math class and credential completion, there is no evidence that timing has a causal effect. Policies hoping to enhance student success should focus on effective advising rather than specifying either the timing between sequential math courses or on the timing of the first math class. Researchers using logistic regression should estimate risk ratios instead when an outcome is not rare. Research using regression models should include sensitivity analyses as a standard practice.

Committee: Aryn Karpinski (Advisor); Stephen Brown (Committee Member); Anthony Vander Horst (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2021, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

While Pell-grants and other financial aid offers the payment of college, students of low-income have little to no assistance for cost-of-living expenses. Frequently, students go without supplies, technology, and internet connections; they even live without the security of food and shelter. Students of low-income face barriers that leave them struggling through their educational development and completion of the educational program which directly impacts their future. Understanding the hurdles low-income students must overcome creates an opportunity to expand the Federal Work Study (FWS) program that support students' financial stability and develops their academic and social integration, while providing community colleges with the much-needed community connections, growing funding opportunities, and increasing graduation rates. Using correlational research design, the relationship between FWS spending and graduation rates of community colleges in Illinois are evaluated. The findings showed a statistically significant positive correlation between FWS spending and graduation rate. The study provides implications for community colleges implementing the FWS program and makes recommended changes to the program.

Committee: Niccole Hyatt (Committee Chair); Valerie A. Storey (Committee Member); Lewis Chongwony (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Community College Education; Community Colleges; Continuing Education; Education; Education Finance; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Tests and Measurements; Educational Theory; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Educational Studies

In recent years, higher education researchers and practitioners have increasingly recognized that socioeconomic gaps in degree attainment are of utmost concern. Yet, despite the rise in attention relating to these socioeconomic gaps, the field of higher education continues to face challenges in assessing college access and success for students from less-privileged socioeconomic backgrounds, often relying on narrow socioeconomic metrics such as the Pell grant status, first- generation status, and school lunch status. Additionally, scholars must contend with the challenge of generating more accurate socioeconomic metrics while using data which is already available. In other disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, and public health, numerous studies have examined the use of neighborhood-based variables as proxies for socioeconomic status, demonstrating that they may serve as reliable indicators for individuals' backgrounds. However, in the field of higher education, neighborhood-based variables are rarely utilized, and considerations of place and space are only recently being given their due acknowledgement. This study attempts to fill this gap by examining the use of neighborhood-based socioeconomic variables as predictors of individuals' retention, success, and status changes in higher education. This study draws on theories that seek to explain factors that impact college student retention/attrition for understanding any possible differences between individuals from different type of neighborhoods. Additionally, sociological theories pertaining to segregation and capital accumulation underlie key assumptions of this study. The site for this study included a large, public, four-year state flagship institution, referred to as Midwest University. This study utilizes the incoming Autumn 2012, in-state undergraduate cohort -- a sample of nearly 6,000 individuals -- and a series of analyses -- including binomial regression and survival analyses -- in order to exam (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anne-Marie Núñez (Committee Chair); Matthew Mayhew (Committee Member); Vincent Roscigno (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2019, Educational Leadership

This qualitative research study used critical narrative inquiry methods to investigate the experiences of TRIO Upward Bound Program alumni during their program participation, and to explore how those experiences, according to participants' own accounts, influenced their creation of a college-college going culture in their households for their own children. TRIO Upward Bound is a federally funded college access program that serves first-generation, low-income high school students, providing support and motivation to pursue higher education. Study participants were alumni of TRIO Upward Bound Programs in the state of Ohio who have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher, and are now the parents of college-enrolled or college-graduated children. The theoretical frameworks utilized in these analyses were cultural and social capital, and funds of knowledge. Study participants described receiving assistance with their high school-to-college transition, academic support, and mentoring through their participation in Upward Bound. They also shared that Upward Bound exposed them to experiences that increased their cultural and social capital, building upon the funds of knowledge they had received from their parents and other family members. The participants further recounted how they used their Upward Bound Program experiences to shape college-going cultures in their homes, and create pathways into higher education for their children. Implications for practice involving student recruitment, alumni connections, and creating college-going cultures are detailed, as well as implications for policy that include increased funding for TRIO Programs, participant tracking beyond six years after high school graduation, and changes in federal reporting structures.

Committee: Mary Ziskin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Pamela Young Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michele Welkener Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ruth Thompson-Miller Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Secondary Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

MYERS, SELENA, Ph.D., December 2018 School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration TRADITIONAL OR ONLINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS COURSES: PROXIMAL AND DISTAL OUTCOMES (192 pp.) Director of Dissertation, Mark A. Kretovics, Ph.D. It is common to find a first-year student success or student experience course included in the requirements for graduation at most two and four year colleges and universities. While the delivery method of the course (i.e., face-to-face or online) may vary, the content is similar in that the overall goal is to acclimate first-year students to the collegiate environment and assist them in becoming proficient in study skills, time management, planning for their career, and setting them on a trajectory to completing a degree or academic credential. With the increased interest in distance education and online learning, some colleges and universities are offering student success courses that were traditionally face to-face, in an online format as well. As these courses become more commonplace at two-year institutions, little research exists on the effectiveness of the delivery method for these courses, as well as whether delivery method used can aid the progression of a community college student to degree completion. This quantitative study examines delivery methods of a student success course at a two-year institution and its impact on student academic performance and persistence towards a subsequent semester of coursework while controlling for various demographic variables. Subjects took the success course in either their first academic semester or first academic year at the selected institution during the fall 2014 and fall 2016 terms for both face-to-face and online delivery methods. Research focused on the impact of student success course modality on current semester outcomes (proximal) and subsequent semester outcome (distal). Proximal results indicated that female, non-traditional aged students who receiv (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mark Kretovics (Committee Co-Chair); Aryn Karpinski (Committee Co-Chair); Therese Revlock (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Higher Education

The majority of Hispanics select community colleges as their higher institution of choice, but studies on what contributes to their success, especially Hispanic males, has been limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence, if any, of environmental variables on the cumulative GPA of Hispanic males attending community college. Employing Astin's Theory of Student Involvement, data from the CCSSE's 2012 – 2014 survey were used to conduct a multiple regression analysis. The study's sample included 5,615 Hispanic males attending community college. The final model identified 15 variables that were significantly related to the cumulative GPA of Hispanic males attending community college, and explained 15.6% of the variance. Student effort and active and collaborative learning variables emerged as the strongest predictors of Hispanic male GPA. This study provides educators with additional resources to improve Hispanic male academic success in the community college, and informs future research, theory, policy, and practice.

Committee: Ron Opp (Committee Chair); Snejana Slantcheva-Durst (Committee Member); Sunday Griffith (Committee Member); J. Michael Thomson (Committee Member) Subjects: Community College Education; Community Colleges; Hispanic Americans; Minority and Ethnic Groups

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Sociology

Since the turn of the 21st century, going to college has become increasingly financially difficult in the United States. Tuition prices continued to rise, state funding for higher education declined, and the mean family income declined or stagnated for all but the top 20 percent of families (Goldrick-Rab 2016). In a period where college has risen to be the preeminent way Americans can make a better life for themselves, it is becoming more difficult for Americans to pay for college. Financial aid does not cover as much of the price of college as it once did (Goldrick-Rab 2016), and college students are relying on financing methods like student loans more than ever before. Student loans, however, are not the only credit-based financial strategy college students use to pay for college (Manning 2000, 2005). With the explosion of consumer credit access from the 1980s to the 2000s, college students are using credit cards, many times to bridge gaps in their budgets as they try to pay for college. College students use credit cards to pay for both indirect expenses (e.g., food and housing) and direct educational expenses (e.g., tuition and books) as they pursue a college degree (Nellie Mae 2005; Sallie Mae 2009). While media, government, and scholarly attention has highlighted widespread college student credit card use (J. Manning 1991; R. Manning 2000; Norvilitis et al. 2006; Rubin 1998; United States General Accounting Office 2014), we know surprisingly little about differences in college student credit card ownership and use from a sociological perspective. This dissertation uses data from the Education Longitudinal Study (2002-12) and the Study on Collegiate Financial Wellness (2017) to understand how students respond to increased financial responsibility in college by taking on credit card debt, and how using credit cards influence their educational trajectories. The first two papers of this dissertation examine questions related to who uses credit cards, in what (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rachel Dwyer (Advisor); Claudia Buchmann (Committee Member); Vincent Roscigno (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Educational Studies

This mixed model study used student surveys (N = 153) and interviews (N = 16) from undergraduate students enrolled in 10 sections of a Student Success Course at a large Midwestern research institution to investigate relationships between students' perceptions of instructor messages about student success and their sense of belonging in college and a particular classroom. Using an equal status sequential mixed model design guided by the pragmatist research paradigm, this study provides a number of findings that add to the literature on how institutional experiences influence college students' sense of belonging. First, findings from the current study indicate that instructor expectancy messages about student success are positively related to students' sense of belonging at both the University- and classroom-level. Second, the meaning that each student makes of instructor messages deferentially contributes to their sense of belonging. Third, students' race/ethnicity does not play a substantial role in either of these relationships. In addition to findings, implications for practice, research, and theory are explored.

Committee: Christopher Wolters Ph.D. (Advisor); Susan Jones Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tatiana Suspitsyna Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

International student-athletes (ISAs) are one of the fastest growing subpopulations in intercollegiate athletics, increasing at a rate that is far outpacing the overall student-athlete growth in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics. This growth demonstrates the increased need to study this population in terms of the experienced issues during the transition and ways in which colleges and universities, as well as intercollegiate athletic departments, can better support this population for retention and success (NCAA, 2015). This study examines the between group differences of international student-athletes and domestic student-athletes In two separate studies, this work utilized a panel of experts that work with the international student (both non-athlete and athlete) population on the campus of a large, Midwestern University in a multitude of capacities in order to develop a survey instrument that could accurately assess the transitional issues experience and support needs of the ISA population on campus through the Delphi method of consensus. The latter study utilized the survey developed through a Delphi method of consensus to sample international and domestic student-athletes, as well as international non-athletes, on one campus in order to identify significant statistical differences between the groups on items related to the transition to college and sources of academic, personal, and athletic support. Independent samples t-tests were employed to analyze the data, and comparisons were made between the international and domestic respondents that were sampled for the study. Transitional issues and sources of support found to be statistically significant in the data were applied to the recommendations proposed in the conclusion of this dissertation. Through studying both the practitioners that work with the ISA population on campus and the ISAs themselves, data was uncovered that both confirmed previous research on ISAs, international student non-athle (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brian Turner PhD (Advisor); Donna Pastore PhD (Committee Member); Marc Johnston-Guerrero PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Sports Management

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2016, Higher Education (Education)

First-generation college students account for a significant portion of college students in the United States. While the growing attendance of this population attests to higher education's commitment to access and social mobility, first-generation college students are not as successful as their later- generation peers by many measures. The growing number of first-generation students and the social, economic, and civil ramifications of their inequitable struggles in higher education require research to move beyond measuring outcomes and to explore influences on student success in new ways. Bronfenbrenner's ecological model of development and Kuh's work on student engagement are combined to create a theoretical perspective through which relationships among academic and social support and academic performance of first-generation college students are explored. Quantitative methods were used to analyze survey data from sophomore students who are enrolled in the Spring 2015-2016 semester at Ohio University. The findings are presented in a manner that informs advocates, researchers, and policymakers who hope to support first-generation college students at universities in the United States.

Committee: Peter Mather (Committee Chair); Michael Williford (Committee Member); David Horton (Committee Member); Machtmes Krisanna (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Educational Tests and Measurements; Educational Theory; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2015, Higher Education

Many colleges and universities struggle with retention, completion, and graduation rates despite knowing to improving any of these three they need to have a clear understanding of the students they serve and a strong commitment to the success of these students. Unfortunately, without a clear understanding of the type of students an institution serves, it is difficult to determine which areas to strengthen in order to improve student success. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent self-efficacy and involvement variables influence student success thereby offering potential strategies that could be implemented to improve student success at The University of Toledo (UT). The theories driving this study were Alfred Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Alexander Astin's student involvement theory. A combination of data collected at UT through the MAP-Works survey and NSSE survey was used to conduct a blocked stepwise regression to determine which self-efficacy and student involvement variables influence student success. The significant predictors of student satisfaction were then used to suggest possible strategies for improving the academic success of students attending UT which in turn will help improve retention, completion and graduation rates at the institution.

Committee: Ron Opp Ph.D (Committee Chair); Dennis Lettman Ph.D (Committee Member); Sunday Griffith Ph.D (Committee Member); Sammy Spann Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2015, Educational Leadership

One in six students at American four-year universities is a first-generation student. First-generation students, defined in this study as those whose parents did not attend a four-year university, encounter unique tensions as they navigate the disparate worlds of home and school. This constructivist narrative study of first-generation student experiences explores the success stories of eight diverse first-generation seniors at Miami University – a selective, four-year, residential institution in Oxford, Ohio. The study resists a deficient perspective on first-generation students, instead telling the stories of participants who have successfully navigated tension between the worlds of home and school, and accomplished their goal of graduating from college. Though nearly all research in this area focuses on first-generation students' transitions to college, this study found that tension between home and school persisted throughout participants' college experiences. This persistent tension is identified and described in three non-linear realms: tension of transition, tension of identity, and tension of success. The study describes how participants experienced a temporal dimension of tension between their past and future worlds within these realms, and identifies participants' commitment to a college future as a powerful source of motivation for persistence amidst home/school tension. Implications for practice underscore the importance of validation for first-generation students from campus peers, faculty, and staff; the value of safe space for building authentic connections with others in their college world; and the responsibility of four-year institutions to transform institutional culture in order to provide such validation and support for first-generation students as they negotiate tension between the worlds of home and school. Particular implications for practice include targeted outreach for first-generation students in the areas of pre-semes (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Elisa Abes (Committee Chair); Kathleen Goodman (Committee Member); David Perez II (Committee Member); John Jeep (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Families and Family Life; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Higher Education Administration

The purpose of this case study was to understand the organizational, psychological, sociological, and financial experiences of high-achieving students who departed within their first year of study from Bowling Green State University. Although the literature suggests high-achieving students have special educational needs that must be recognized, supported, and nurtured in primary and secondary education, little is known about the experiences of high-achieving students in college. The goal of this qualitative research study was to gain a deeper understanding and explanation of student behavior within this student-institution context. Participants in this study were selected from the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 cohorts, based upon the following criterion: the student intended to graduate from BGSU, departed with the dean's list designation, was enrolled in at least 12 credits, lived on campus at least one semester, and was 18 years or older. Ten participants were interviewed at their new college or university or via Skype, and represented a variety of experiences personally and academically. Four broad themes emerged from the data: (1) High-achieving students did not establish a sense of belonging psychosocially in the residence halls, which negatively affected social integration; (2) participants, almost unanimously, felt "underchallenged" or "bored" by the curriculum in the general education courses; (3) participants needed more guidance to navigate course of study and career ambiguity; (4) participants demonstrated a deeper desire for intellectually stimulating conversations and meaningful engagement in the classroom and in campus life experiences. A number of implications for student and academic affairs are presented as a result of the findings. First, campus administrators must work with student and academic affairs to create a campus culture that nurtures a sense of belonging for high-achieving students. Second, an emphasis on faculty developm (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Maureen Wilson (Advisor); Earley Mark (Other); Coomes Michael (Committee Member); Lunceford Christina (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration