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Factors influencing academic achievement for Salt River students

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ABSTRACT Native American students from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community have attended Stapley Junior High, one of 13 junior high schools in the Mesa Unified School District, since its doors opened in the fall of 1994. Over the years a variety of instructional practices have been used in an effort to improve academic outcomes for these students, who have posed a challenge to traditional educational methods. Interviews were conducted with eight educational professionals, including teachers, administrators, and a tutor who worked with these students on a daily basis. They each responded to the same series of questions, providing their insights based on first-hand interactions and knowledge. The interviews revealed factors that influenced student academic success, including caring, trust, communication, tutoring, and administrative support. Factors posing challenges to student success were identified as attendance, parental support, and gangs and drugs. In-school influences were arts and sports, friendship, inclusion, and behavior. Out-of-school influences were home and family, the concept of time, and educational considerations. The conclusion is that this is a complex problem, fueled by the proximity of the reservation to a major metropolitan area, the gang culture that is prevalent in the Salt River community, poverty, attendance issues, and the impact of parental involvement and support. The things that made a difference at Stapley Jr. High included staff who demonstrated caring by establishing trust and getting to know students on a personal level, teachers who were consistent and held students to a high standard, and teachers who were flexible with regard to time.

ContributorsWilliams, Sidney (Author) / Appleton, Nicholas (Thesis advisor) / Duplissis, Mark (Committee member) / Spencer, Dee (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)

Created2012

Transfer Connections: welcoming new transfer students

Description

Focus has turned to the experiences of new transfer students in four-year institutions partially because of the mandate from President Obama for there to be more college graduates. Though transfer students are familiar with being college students, they still may not be accustomed to their new four-year institutions. At the time of this action research study, there were a very limited number of events to welcome new transfer students to the Arizona State University (ASU) Tempe campus. The purpose of this study was to create knowledge about the transition process of new transfer students to the Tempe campus. I worked with current transfer students to design a welcome event called Transfer Connections. By using a mixed methods design guided by retention and transition theories, a pre- and post-survey, individual interviews, and a focus group, I sought to answer questions about their transition process. In order to answer my research questions, this included exploring whether or not Transfer Connections had an influence on the success strategies they used, the type of support they gained, and their levels of feeling like they mattered. Since this was an action research study, I also explored my role as both a researcher and a practitioner. Results showed students did not learn specific success strategies, though they did learn about resources specific to ASU. The students also gained a level of support through the connections they made with other students. These connections influenced how the students felt they mattered to both ASU and other students. Future iterations of Transfer Connections will include more opportunities for new transfer students to develop connections.

ContributorsBennett, Sarah Louise (Author) / Marley, Scott C (Thesis advisor) / Hesse, Maria L (Committee member) / Cahill, Lisa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)

Created2016

Climate Change Across Cultures: An Exploration of Relationships Within, Around, and Between Nature and Sustainability in Different Areas of the World

Description

This research paper explores how different relationships between people and nature can be fostered by learning experiences to bridge harmful gaps in the field of sustainability. Current disconnectedness from nature and people both within and across geographical borders hinder the cultivation of sustainable solutions. After attending a sustainability-oriented educational experience abroad in Ecuador recently, I decided to investigate how cross-cultural exchanges in Ecuador influences participants’ views of nature, new points of intersectionality participants learn while amongst nature in Ecuador, and what about this experience made it uniquely meaningful. Research methods included individual interviews and a group hike and picnic focus group discussion to collect qualitative data. I found that during this experience, students were able to lean into being vulnerable with each other, connect with indigenous community members beyond language borders, and connect with nature in ways that fostered awareness of the human position within it. From this, I learned that there were unique aspects of this learning experience that allowed for these relationships to be built and therefore for sustainable knowledge from the trip to stick when participants got back to the United States. The amount and flexibility of learning and processing time and dynamics created by classroom structure were important variables to the effectiveness of the learning experience. Institutions can learn from these experiences and connect people back to nature to implement successful sustainability solutions in the future.

ContributorsGiles, Sadie (Author) / Goebel, Janna (Thesis director) / Manuel-Navarrete, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)

Created2023-05