Barrett

Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.

Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.

Displaying 1 - 2 of 2
Filtering by

Clear all filters

134325-Thumbnail Image.png

Assessing Attrition of Students within Barrett, the Honors College

Description
This thesis project examines the likely factors that cause students to drop out of Barrett, the Honors College. Honors literature regarding retention and attrition suggests four areas encompassing individual student attributes and honors program characteristics which may impact a student's decision to stay or leave an Honors College. The primary…

This thesis project examines the likely factors that cause students to drop out of Barrett, the Honors College. Honors literature regarding retention and attrition suggests four areas encompassing individual student attributes and honors program characteristics which may impact a student's decision to stay or leave an Honors College. The primary question in focus is, "Why do students leave the Honors College?" followed by the tertiary questions of, "what can be done to mitigate this occurrence?" and, "how does this affect the quality of an honors education?" Assessing attrition can be broken down into biographical, cognitive-behavioral, socio-environmental, and institutional-instrumental components. Students who graduated with honors and those who did not graduate with honors were assessed on these four components through survey methods and qualitative interviews to investigate specific reasons why students leave the honors program. The results indicated a wide array of reasons impacting student attrition, the most significant being negative perceptions towards (1) honors courses and contracts, (2) difficulty completing a thesis project, and (3) finding little to no value in "graduating with honors." Each of these reasons reflect the institutional-instrumental component of student attrition, making it the most salient group of reasons why students leave the Honors College. The socio-environmental component also influences student attrition through peer influence and academic advisor support, though this was found to be within the context of institutional-instrumental means. This project offers solutions to ameliorate each of the four components of attrition by offering standardized honors contracts and more mandatory honors classes, mandatory thesis preparatory courses instead of workshops, and emphasizing the benefit Barrett gives to students as a whole. These solutions aim at increasing graduation rates for future honors students at Barrett as well as improving the overall quality of an honors education.
ContributorsSanchez, Gilbert Xavier (Author) / Parker, John (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05

The Rhetoric of Righteousness: Social Justice, Inclusivity and The Gospel

Description
This paper analyzes different rhetorics as expressed through a six-month period of qualitative research. Using the methodology of Participatory Critical Rhetoric, I conducted fieldwork while participating in advocacy programs as a volunteer at a church. Conducting interviews, taking photographs and writing field notes, I collected data studying the rhetoric expressed…

This paper analyzes different rhetorics as expressed through a six-month period of qualitative research. Using the methodology of Participatory Critical Rhetoric, I conducted fieldwork while participating in advocacy programs as a volunteer at a church. Conducting interviews, taking photographs and writing field notes, I collected data studying the rhetoric expressed in situ. As a participant in the organization during the time of my fieldwork, I captured overt and covert rhetoric expressed from members, staff and outsiders of the organization. I noticed particular rhetoric expressed, specifically righteousness, inclusivity, social justice, and the Gospel. In my introduction, I discuss the broader context of our contentious American political state, which increases the relevancy of this project. I provide a small overview of the foundations for the methodology used to collect data and conduct research. Within the analysis portion, I dive into the rhetoric I analyzed in my time within the organization, providing specific examples of how these rhetoric play out in day-to-day discourses and activities of the organization. In my final thoughts section, I provide some reflexivity on the youth and future of the organization. I also explore what I learned from my participation and how inclusivity affected me as a participant in the organization.
ContributorsDiaz Martinez, Edder Erick (Author) / Hess, Aaron (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12