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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Subject: search.filters.subject.Education, Community College

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Secondary Transition Experiences: Analyzing Perceptions, Academic Self-Efficacy, Academic Adjustment, and Overall Impact on College Students' with LD Success in Postsecondary Education
    (2011) Butler, Allison Lynette; Fabian, Ellen; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The National Center for Special Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences under the United States Department of Education funded the National Longitudinal Transition Study - 2 to provide the first national overview of the characteristics and experiences of youth with disabilities which includes self-representations of themselves, their schooling, their personal relationships, and their future aspirations. The study was initiated in 2001 and data collection ended in 2010. The NLTS2 provided insight to youth's perceptions of secondary experiences and expectations for the future which was an area with limited research. The current study draws from college students with learning disabilities in an attempt to analyze their perceptions through experience. Exploratory and descriptive, this investigation examines the relationship between students' perceptions of their secondary transition experiences, academic self-efficacy, academic adjustment, and cumulative semester grade point average (GPA). The purpose of this study was to analyze participants' experiences to generate information regarding how students perceive the effectiveness of their secondary transition programs in pursuit of postsecondary success. In addition, this study examined self-efficacy issues and academic adjustment. Through online survey administration the following instruments were used: a demographic questionnaire, National Longitudinal Transition Study - 2 (NLTS2) Youth Continuation Interview (YCI) containing questions asking participants to rate their perceptions, the Academic Self-Efficacy scale (CASES; Owen and Froman, 1988), and the academic adjustment subscale of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ; Baker & Siryk, 1989). Data was analyzed using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Pearson's product moment correlations. In addition a step-wise multiple regression was performed in order to identify the most influential factors associated with postsecondary academic success (GPA). Academic self-efficacy was the primary determinant of student success. Variables found to have significant relationships with academic self-efficacy were perceptions of secondary transition experiences, academic adjustment, self-reported cumulative grade point average, and number of semesters completed. An inverse relationship was discovered to exist between academic self-efficacy and type of institution as well as being African American and Latino students.
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    A LEARNING COMMUNITY PROJECT: COMPARATIVE INTERVENTIONS ON WRITING APPREHENSION AND LOCUS OF CONTROL OF DEVELOPMENTAL STUDENTS AT A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE
    (2010) Massie-Burrell, Terri; Komives, Susan R.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The education of under-prepared college students is a topic that interested and motivated this researcher to conduct a study on learning communities and measuring change in writing apprehension and locus of control of developmental students at a community college. Higher education is generally viewed as a place for the intellectually elite. However, more institutions are finding that students are enrolling at post-secondary institutions lacking proficiency in basic skills such as mathematics, reading, and writing. This study focused on the developmental studies area of writing. A limited, but growing, number of institutions are pursuing differing ways of addressing the educational needs of students at risk of possible failure. Astin's (1984, 1999) foundational research states that locus of control is a factor of consideration to facilitate academic success for college students who are coming to some resolve about whether they have influence over, or if their effort in college is directly correlated with, successful outcomes; that is, students' beliefs about control being external or by chance opposed to internal based on effort or involvement. Pajares' (2003) research which is grounded in Bandura's work (1986) found that students' beliefs about their writing have an influence on academic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the sparse body of knowledge in developmental education and the success of developmental writing students. The goal was to increase the knowledge base about developmental writing students at a two-year college and their engagement in a learning community.
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    The Case for Degree Completion: African American Transfer Students at a Traditionally White Institution
    (2009) Younger, Toyia Kiana; Fries-Britt, Sharon L; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this dissertation was to identify and understand the factors that contribute to the degree completion of African American transfer students at a traditionally White institution. Through qualitative methods and a case study design, the current study provides an examination of the educational journey of thirteen, African American recent college graduates. Using semi-structured individual interviews, data from the participants were collected, transcribed, and analyzed drawing from several major theoretical perspectives on college student persistence. Variables examined included interactions with faculty and with peers, racial experiences on campus, and support services offered to transfer students by the institution. Findings indicated that African American transfer students identified strong support networks, confidence in their ability to learn, intrinsic motivation and having clear educational goals as factors which contributed to their degree completion at a traditionally White institution. Implications for campus policies and practices, as well as recommendations for future research are presented.
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    The Relation of Self Variables to Transfer Student Success as measured by Academic, Psychological, and Career Functioning
    (2006-04-17) Ling, Thomson Joseph; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Research has suggested that transfer students experience difficulty in many domains however limited research has examined the variables associated with transfer student success. The present study examined transfer student success using a sample of first-year transfer students at a large mid-Atlantic university. Independent variables examined were academic self-efficacy, career self-efficacy, and sense of belonging/social integration. Transfer student success was assessed through academic performance, psychological functioning, and career functioning. Using canonical correlation, two patterns of associations were found to explain transfer student functioning in a new institution. Implications of these two patterns of associations are discussed.
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    PREDICTORS OF DELAYED COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AND THE IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
    (2005-04-25) Rowan, Heather T.; Perna, Laura W.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study contributes to our understanding of the decision of students to delay enrollment in college by building on the work of Hearn (1992). This study uses constructs from models of traditional college student enrollment (Cabrera & LaNasa, 2001; Perna, 2000; St. John, 2003), and data from the NELS:88/2000 longitudinal study of 1992 high school graduates. Descriptive analyses are used to determine the appropriate break point between immediate and delayed enrollment, as well as compare differences in student characteristics based on timing of enrollment. Multinomial logit regression is used to determine the predictors of delaying college enrollment rather than enrolling in college immediately after high school or not enrolling, and to explore if socioeconomic status is related to timing of college enrollment after controlling for other variables. At least six conclusions may be drawn from this study. First, the appropriate break point between immediate and delayed enrollment is the end of the calendar year that a student graduated from high school. This study also reveals the value of looking at a delayed group in comparison to immediate enrollment and no enrollment, since there are differences among all three groups for measures such as background characteristics, academic preparation and achievement, and social and cultural capital. Third, a combined model of college access based on traditional students (Cabrera & La Nasa, 2001; Perna, 2000; St. John, 2003) is appropriate for examining the predictors of both immediate and delayed enrollment in college relative to no enrollment. Fourth, measures of social and cultural capital are related to the timing of college enrollment but seem to be relatively more important in the decision to enroll immediately than in the decision to delay enrollment. Fifth, graduates who delay enrollment average fewer resources and weaker preparation than graduates who enroll immediately, but average more resources and better preparation than graduates who do not enroll. Finally, even after controlling for other variables, socioeconomic status is related to timing of college enrollment. Students who enroll immediately as well as those who delay enrollment have higher socioeconomic status than those who do not enroll, with those who enroll immediately having higher socioeconomic status than those who delay enrollment.
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    Effects of Interactive Computer-Based Instruction in Elementary Algebra on Community College Achievement in Intermediate Algebra
    (2003-11-10) Sandruck, Bernadette; Campbell, Patricia F; Curriculum and Instruction
    ABSTRACT Title of dissertation: EFFECTS OF INTERACTIVE COMPUTER-BASED INSTRUCTION IN ELEMENTARY ALGEBRA ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENT IN INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA Bernadette Anne Beyer Sandruck, Doctor of Education, 2003 Dissertation directed by: Patricia F. Campbell, Associate Professor Department of Curriculum and Instruction This study assessed an existing developmental mathematics program from a mid-sized suburban community college to compare the achievement levels, success rates and retention in intermediate algebra of 50 students who were taught elementary algebra in a traditional classroom setting with 62 students who completed elementary algebra in an interactive computer-based environment. Differences in performance were assessed in five ways: (a) final grade in intermediate algebra, (b) number correct on Part 1 of the Maryland Bridge Goals Assessment (BGA), (c) percent scores on with-in course unit examinations, (d) pass rates for intermediate algebra, and (e) retention rates and completion rates in intermediate algebra. Students were categorized as passing intermediate algebra if they earned a grade of C or better, all other students including withdraws were categorized as did-not-pass. Retention rates were based on the number of students who officially withdrew from the course whereas completion rates were based on the number of students who completed the first three unit examinations. The mathematics program for both elementary algebra and intermediate algebra was highly structured with department-specified lesson plans and examinations. The results of the study supported the null hypotheses that there were no statistical differences in performance in intermediate algebra between the two instructional groups from elementary algebra. In preparation for the regression analysis, the two groups were evaluated for similarities in age, gender, ethnicity, high school mathematics background, credits attempted, study hours per credit, work hours, absentee level, time-of-day of instruction, and achievement in elementary algebra. The two instructional groups were demographically similar across all of these variables except time-of-day with evening classes populated predominantly by students who had computer-based instruction in elementary algebra. Interviews with 24 students from three focus groups indicated that students appreciated the flexibility of computer-based instruction and that returning to the traditional format of teacher-led instruction required no adjustments.