Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item The Relationship of Self-Determination Skills, Use of Accommodations, and Use of Services to Academic Success in Undergraduate Juniors and Seniors with Learning Disabilities(2010) Humphrey, Marja J. B.; MacDonald-Wilson, Kim; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Students with disabilities are entering colleges and universities across the nation in ever-increasing numbers, with the greatest percentage being students with learning disabilities (LD). Yet, students with disabilities often do not graduate from college at the same rate as students without disabilities. Self-determination is an important skill for students to possess as they navigate a more complex academic environment in which they are required to make decisions independently. Having effective services for students with LD is crucial to their academic success. Students with LD were recruited through College and University contacts maintained by the student disability offices. Seventy students from eight institutions (all 4-year institutions, which included four independent colleges and four state universities), responded to an online survey, completing measures about their grade point average (GPA), use of accommodations, use of related services, and their skills as measured by the Self-Determination Student Scale. Results indicated that there was a significant, positive relationship between self-determination and GPA, such that self-determination reliably predicted GPA in this sample. However, no relationship was found between use of accommodations and GPA or between use of services and GPA, as many students reported selectively utilizing accommodations and services, which was interpreted to indicate developing self-determination. Recommendations for how campus disability offices might assist students in the development of self-determination skills are discussed and implications for future research academic success are presented.Item A Comparative Study of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Factors Relationship to Academic Success For Foreign Master's Students(2004-04-30) Stephenson, Lisa Ann; Schmidtlein, Frank; Education Policy, and LeadershipThis study examined ways to improve the predictability of academic success in the selection and admission procedures for foreign students, compared to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The population consisted of students who enrolled in master's degree programs in the fall semesters of 1995, 1996 and 1997 at the University of Maryland, College Park. Of the 3,275 students, 595 were considered to be foreign students, 118 were permanent residents and 2,544 were U.S. citizens. The study examined literature dealing with academic success to determine the degree to which selected cognitive and noncognitive variables were related to academic success for foreign students. Ten predictor variables were selected to determine their relationship to four measures of academic success. The measures of academic success were graduate grade point average, total number of semesters taken to complete the degree, total number of credits completed by graduation, and the likelihood of completing the master's degree. Data were obtained from the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. This study did not find a relationship between the GMAT and GRE scores and foreign student academic success. There also appeared to be no significant relationship between TOEFL total mean scores and academic success. There was a significant relationship between gender and academic success. Age did not appear to have a significant effect on academic success of foreign students, but there was a relationship between age and academic success for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. A number of differences were found in academic success related to field of study. There appeared to be relationships between students' country of origin and their academic achievement. In addition, a significantly positive effect was found between financial support from the University and academic success. Full-time enrollment also had a positive effect on academic success for permanent residents and U.S. citizens, but no effect on academic success for foreign students. No significant relationship was found between changing majors and academic success. Additional studies are suggested to confirm the findings, and the research methodology should be expanded to include a qualitative approach to further understand factors contributing to foreign student academic success.