Some researchers estimate that as many as three out of five new professionals will leave the field of student affairs within the first five years. Furthermore low job satisfaction has been cited heavily among new professionals in student affairs. The alarming recognition that so many young professionals are unhappy and that more than half of the…

Many novice teachers are leaving the teaching profession at alarming numbers creating teacher turnover rates that may be difficult for educational administrators to combat. Novice teachers have a variety of needs and if those needs are not met, these teachers may not return for another year in the classroom. Teacher induction programs are designed…

The purpose of this study was to advance understanding of perceived intellectual and social attainment gains of first-generation, first-year college students participating in First Generation Access Programs at the University of South Florida (USF), a large, public research university in Florida. Understanding the self-reported intellectual and…

Studies continue to reveal major concerns with discipline issues, such as referrals, detentions, and suspensions, involving Latino/Hispanic students. This problem particularly affects immigrant students in urban neighborhoods that may be characterized by high poverty and crime rates. The purpose of this study was to explore the intersection of…

The college sophomore has long been characterized as the "middle child" of the college experience. The limited focus by researchers on the college sophomore has become of increasing concern for the academic community given sophomore retention rates which are often not as high as desired. The study examined the degree to which social alienation,…

Disparities in student achievement, engagement and retention have historically existed between technology-rich schools with more affluent students and schools with less access to technology and less-privileged students. This study explores how a community-based change initiative was used to enhance the access and use of technology in a high…

This mixed methods historical study explores the first 15 years of the Master of Divinity with International Church Planting degree (2+2/3 Program) at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The current leadership of the 2+2/3 Program requested this study be conducted, with the desire to gain historical information they may use to assess their…

Affordable education and retraining are essential to maintain a skilled workforce. Community and technical colleges are positioned to meet these needs. Open access and late enrollment may be linked to student retention and attrition. This study examined the enrollment records of 7317 first time credit-seeking students between 2005 and 2007.…

This applied dissertation described the evaluation of a program designed to provide students with the necessary academic and social skills needed to matriculate and graduate from the university. The problem was that there was no evidence of a formalized program evaluation to determine if the Academic Empowerment Center (AEC) was effective in…

First-year retention rates have seen minimal gains as high numbers of first-year students are leaving college due to insufficient academic skills and inability to adjust to the academic and social life of college. Programs that provide strategies to improve the transition from high school to college and that help develop skills to facilitate…

Little is known about the college adjustment of first generation African American male students. The purpose of this study was to examine the college adjustment of this subgroup of students and create a profile of African American male college students as it relates to adjustment. In addition, research has found that students who do not integrate…

The purpose of this present study was to investigate the effect of instructor humor on college students' levels of engagement and retention of material. A convenience sample of junior- and senior-level students enrolled in four separate courses within the College of Education were exposed to two different lectures--one humorous, one non-humorous.…

This multi-method study explored English Language Learner (ELL) enrollment and engagement in a community college to address a dearth of research on ELL retention in this context. Quantitative analyses were performed on four fall semester transcripts of ELLs (N = 161) and on samples of ELLs and non-ELLs (n = 139) matching in age, enrollment status,…

Significant number of children in the United States have difficulty learning basic reading skills. The majority of children referred to school psychologists are referred for reading concerns. Unfortunately, the gap between good and poor readers widens over time as more advanced reading skills are built upon basic reading skills. Children with…

In this dissertation I examine the design, construction and implementation of an online blog ratings and user recommender system for the Claremont Conversation Online (CCO). In line with constructivist learning models and practical information systems (IS) design, I implemented a blog ratings system (a system that can be extended to allow for…