Matching Items (4)
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- All Subjects: Student Success
- All Subjects: Higher Education Administration
- Creators: Wylie, Ruth
Description
The quality of support provided to students in higher education can have a powerful impact on the student’s experience, their perceptions of challenges, and their overall academic success, particularly retaining in and completing their degree. Though many universities create robust services to support undergraduate students, existing literature and efforts by universities may be lacking when it comes to doctoral student support. The purpose of this action research, mixed methods study was to evaluate academic support to first year doctoral students in the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) at Arizona State University, specifically addressing the following concepts related to their doctoral study: development of self-efficacy, awareness of requirements and policies, and sense of belonging. With Communities of Practice and self-efficacy theory providing a framework for this study, first year doctoral students in SOLS were invited to participate in a twelve-week, two-condition study during their first semester. The two-condition study involved a Personal Support and a Social Support condition, wherein Personal Support participants (n=8) received 1:1 academic advising and biweekly newsletters, while Social Support participants (n=14) engaged in biweekly advising sessions within groups of 3-6 students and an academic advisor. Results suggest Social Support significantly impacted SOLS doctoral student self-efficacy scores (z = -1.96, p = .05), it created an avenue for students to cultivate community with doctoral student peers thus benefiting sense of belonging, and collaborating with peers influenced awareness to the point of Social Support participants becoming a resource for other students not participating in the study. In contrast, Personal Support appeared to have less of an impact on self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and awareness. For students with vulnerable needs to disclose, Personal Support has the potential to reinforce self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and awareness, but the impacts are nominal otherwise. Furthermore, by the end of their first academic year Social Support participants had retained their self-efficacy and sense of belonging scores. Ultimately, the findings suggest the need for reevaluating how doctoral students are supported in and outside SOLS, with a specific discussion about incorporating Social Support as a permanent model for academic support.
ContributorsFranse, Kylie Rae (Author) / Wylie, Ruth (Thesis advisor) / Vogel, Joanne (Thesis advisor) / Farmer-Thompson, Antoinette (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The National Center for Educational Statistics (2018) reported that only 59% of first time college students will retain from their first to second year. The institutional effects of retention are wide ranging and nationwide colleges and universities are seeking effective methods of improving the retention of first year students. Isaak, Graves, & Mayers (2007) identified both emotional intelligence and resilience as important factors contributing to student retention. According to Daniel Goleman (1995), emotional intelligence is integral to success in life, and a significant relationship has been found with grades and successful acclimation to the college environment (Ciarrochi, Deane, & Anderson, 2002; Liff, 2003; and Pekrun, 2006). This study explored the impact of an emotional intelligence (EI) intervention within a First Year Experience course on students’ emotional intelligence, resilience, and academic success. Forty four students at a small, private, liberal arts institution in the southeastern United States participated in the EI intervention and were measured for EI and resilience utilizing the EQ-i 2.0 and the 5x5RS measures as pre and posttests. Based on the results of this study, the EI intervention may have positive implications on EI, resilience and academic success. Institutions and researchers should continue to explore EI as a mechanism to improve resilience and academic success among first year students.
ContributorsDavis, Alexander M (Author) / Wylie, Ruth (Thesis advisor) / Correa, Kevin (Committee member) / Duncan, Tisha (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
ABSTRACT
Faculty and staff can create barriers by not understanding their role in student success. This study began with an artifact analysis of 20 documents to better understand how faculty and staff at Concordia University Texas were operationalizing student success. The results of the artifact analysis showed a lack of recorded dialogue around student success at regular business meetings, as well as pattern of deficit language approach to policy and procedure in the student handbooks Next, this study evaluated the impacts of using a Community of Practice as a change agent to help faculty and staff better understand their roles in student success and specifically to establish a definition of student success. Using a mixed method, action research approach, results showed that the Community of Practice was successful in terms of transfer or knowledge and creating a sense of purpose for participants regarding their role in student success. Results showed that participating in a Community of Practice was successful in helping faculty and staff not only understand their own role in student success, but understand their place among others in the unified goal to help students succeed. The Community of Practice participants completed the research with a better understanding of how and why collaborating with different departments enables faculty and staff to better help students. Additionally, the participants concluded that a visual reminder of student success (figurines, students stories, student pictures) ensured that student success was the first thing they thought about when completing their daily work.
Faculty and staff can create barriers by not understanding their role in student success. This study began with an artifact analysis of 20 documents to better understand how faculty and staff at Concordia University Texas were operationalizing student success. The results of the artifact analysis showed a lack of recorded dialogue around student success at regular business meetings, as well as pattern of deficit language approach to policy and procedure in the student handbooks Next, this study evaluated the impacts of using a Community of Practice as a change agent to help faculty and staff better understand their roles in student success and specifically to establish a definition of student success. Using a mixed method, action research approach, results showed that the Community of Practice was successful in terms of transfer or knowledge and creating a sense of purpose for participants regarding their role in student success. Results showed that participating in a Community of Practice was successful in helping faculty and staff not only understand their own role in student success, but understand their place among others in the unified goal to help students succeed. The Community of Practice participants completed the research with a better understanding of how and why collaborating with different departments enables faculty and staff to better help students. Additionally, the participants concluded that a visual reminder of student success (figurines, students stories, student pictures) ensured that student success was the first thing they thought about when completing their daily work.
ContributorsPospisil, KC (Author) / Wylie, Ruth (Thesis advisor) / Ott, Mollie (Committee member) / Burgess, Prairie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Abstract:
As Barrett Polytechnic moves into the final stages of planning for the new residential hall, currently under construction on the Polytechnic campus, it is important that they have the student voice in mind when making final decisions. Past research has shown that students who live on campus have a higher retention rate not only through their first year, but onto graduation. Research has also found that students who live on campus become more involved in the community and use more of the university’s resources. Seeing that Barrett prides itself on being a community of scholars, proper use of student feedback should be used to prepare the new building for its students. Data was collected via a survey and focus group, focused primarily on what the students would like to see in their new space. Once collected and analyzed it was apparent that students were really concerned with a few aspects of the new residential building and lounge space.
Using the analyzed data, the following recommendations were made:
1. Reevaluation of the student residential experience after the move to the new residential building.
2. Revaluation of accessibility to the mentorship opportunities after the move to the residential building, as well as an increased movement by Barrett to foster these relationships
3. Addition of quantity of computers as well as newer technology, addition of whiteboards and charging stations, and ensuring there is proper group and individual workstations.
4. Consideration of what students use the lounge for and how to best set up the space for those uses.
5. More advertisement of the Barrett Polytechnic library as well as an more research to determine whether or not improving the library would encourage more use.
6. Make steps to keep the lounge open later in the evenings as well as ensuring students, both on and off campus, have access to the lounge amenities when they need them most.
As Barrett Polytechnic moves into the final stages of planning for the new residential hall, currently under construction on the Polytechnic campus, it is important that they have the student voice in mind when making final decisions. Past research has shown that students who live on campus have a higher retention rate not only through their first year, but onto graduation. Research has also found that students who live on campus become more involved in the community and use more of the university’s resources. Seeing that Barrett prides itself on being a community of scholars, proper use of student feedback should be used to prepare the new building for its students. Data was collected via a survey and focus group, focused primarily on what the students would like to see in their new space. Once collected and analyzed it was apparent that students were really concerned with a few aspects of the new residential building and lounge space.
Using the analyzed data, the following recommendations were made:
1. Reevaluation of the student residential experience after the move to the new residential building.
2. Revaluation of accessibility to the mentorship opportunities after the move to the residential building, as well as an increased movement by Barrett to foster these relationships
3. Addition of quantity of computers as well as newer technology, addition of whiteboards and charging stations, and ensuring there is proper group and individual workstations.
4. Consideration of what students use the lounge for and how to best set up the space for those uses.
5. More advertisement of the Barrett Polytechnic library as well as an more research to determine whether or not improving the library would encourage more use.
6. Make steps to keep the lounge open later in the evenings as well as ensuring students, both on and off campus, have access to the lounge amenities when they need them most.
ContributorsHorn, Kyle Edward (Co-author, Co-author) / Martin, Thomas (Thesis director) / Brady, Jennifer (Committee member) / Sever, Amy (Committee member) / Aviation Programs (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05