Using Constructivist Grounded Theory to Understand How Black Males Graduate from Predominantly White Four-Year Institutions

Black males graduate from college at lower rates than their female counterparts. They also graduate at lower rates than Asian, Hispanic, and White males and females. This study used Constructivist Grounded Theory to understand the experiences of Black males who graduated from predominantly White four-year institutions. Responses from 10 Black male college graduates were solicited to answer the following questions: 1) what are the experiences of Black male college graduates in predominantly White institutions, 2) how do Black male college graduates navigate their academic journeys through college, and 3) how do Black male college graduates navigate their social journeys through college graduation. The researcher found that family and mentor support, precollege experiences that helped the graduates prepare for college, career aspirations that required graduate degrees, financial assistance, support from Black peers and faculty, intrinsic motivation, and organizational support from campus organizations were perceived to support graduation. Unfortunately, the graduates perceived alienation, isolation, and racism from White students and faculty. The researcher concluded that administrators at predominantly White universities looking to increase graduation rates for Black males should provide Black students and their families with opportunities for precollege experiences that will help prepare them for college, financial support to pay for college, and organizational and moral support to persist. Although motivational factors are additional factors perceived to support graduation for Black males at PWIs, they should not be considered as substitutes for university organizational support

Creating Individualized Self-Scoring Assessments for Agricultural Economics Undergraduates

What is an individualized self-scoring assessment for an agricultural economics major? It is a homework assignment that is unique for each student in the class and provides immediate feedback to the student on the correctness of the work. The principle is to generate unique problems, whether it is as simple as the basic intercept and slope of supply and demand equations for an introductory economics class, the parameters of a production function for a production economics, or the interest rate for agricultural finance. One must be aware in constructing the generator algorithms for problem parameters that any necessary conditions will be satisfied a priori such as downward sloping demand, concavity or convexity for maximization or minimization. These assignments are created in an Excel spreadsheet format. Once the basic template is created, the process for self-scoring immediate feedback is relatively easy. Create a copy of the original uncompleted problem sheet in the same workbook and provide the correct formulae to serve as a key. Create a second copy to serve as a check page and replace the formulae with an IF statement comparing the value or formula in the original to the second. It is best to provide some tolerance in the comparison such as checking that the absolute difference in the original and second sheet is less than some critical value. This is especially true for optimization problems. By hiding the key worksheet and protecting the workbook structure, students can not access the correct formulae. However, if the correct formulae or number is entered in the problem sheet, the student can view the check worksheet to see if the answer is correct. A simple GETFORMULA add-in allows the worksheet to check model setups in optimization problems. The key advantage of this technique to the students is the immediate feedback. Also by generating unique assignments, students can cooperate and learn among themselves without being able to directly copy from their peers. Additionally, graphical representations of their problems can often be provided simultaneously. Lastly, the students find that their spreadsheet skills are greatly enhanced. From the instructor perspective, the assessments are already scored when submitted. Students will seek help prior to turning in the assignment. And there is little need to sacrifice complexity to create problems that work out to neat answers. Empirical evidence of improvement in student evaluations indicates the technique is successful.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

The College Persistence Questionnaire: Development and Validation of an Instrument That Predicts Student Attrition

The investigators reviewed the retention literature and developed a 53-item questionnaire and tested its validity. Component analysis of the responses of 2,022 students at four schools yielded six reliable factors: Institutional Commitment, Degree Commitment, Academic Integration, Social Integration, Support Services Satisfaction, and Academic Conscientiousness. A second study on 283 first-semester freshmen examined whether factor scores predicted which students returned for their sophomore year. Logistic regression found that three factors were statistically significant predictors of enrollment status, after controlling for high school class rank and standardized test scores: Institutional Commitment, Academic Integration, and Academic Conscientiousness. Strategies are provided for making use of scores based on differences between institutions and between individual students

“I’m Running So You Can Be Happy and I Can Keep My Scholarship”: A Comparative Study of Black Male College Athletes’ Experiences With Role Conflict

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of two groups of Black male college athletes at a Division I historically White institution (HWI) to better understand the key contributors that influenced their academic performance levels, academic engagement, and the quality of their overall college experiences. Two focus groups were conducted with 10 Black male college athletes enrolled at a Division I HWI and a demographic questionnaire was administered to ascertain a better understanding of their personal backgrounds, college academic experiences, and college athletic experiences. Role theory was incorporated as a theoretical lens to investigate the participants’ identity salience, role commitments, and overall college experiences. Findings revealed participants from each group shared common experiences encountering role conflict. However, the coping strategies and academic performance outcomes varied between each group. Implications for policy and practice are discussed

Building student connections: A successful first-year experience course and community college retention

The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the extent to which student entry variables and student experiences influence student outcomes related to social and academic integration and student retention. A unique focus in this study centers around the development of a first-year experience course and its impact on student retention. Astin\u27s input-environment-output model was utilized to determine the effects of various input and environmental variables. This study was designed to contribute to the literature on developing a first-year experience course and the impact student variables and interactions can have on retention of community college students. Much of the research on the first-year experience course has come from 4-year colleges and universities. The setting for this study was a small, Midwestern community college with a population sample of 890 first-time full-time students. Data were gathered from electronic student records providing demographic, financial aid, academic, and enrollment information. In addition, data were collected from the Fall 2012 administration of the Survey of Entering Student Engagement to provide information about students\u27 level of academic and social integration in the early weeks of the semester. Findings revealed that students who enrolled in the first-year experience course, the College Experience, and attended the precollege orientation session persisted to the subsequent term at a higher rate than did those who attended only one or neither. Results showed that only the student\u27s fall grade point average is a significant predictor of retention. Students coded as Hispanic of any race had the highest odds of all variables of persisting to the spring term. Involvement in the TRIO program and enrollment in the College Experience course had a positive impact on fall-to-spring retention. Those who were academically unprepared and enrolled in a developmental English class also demonstrated modest gains in retention. The findings from this study provide needed insight for community college administrators as they work to increase student retention and success

English Language Learners transitioning from high school to college: A case study on the Upward Bound program for ELLs at Rowan University

The purpose of this study was to examine and document the role the Upward Bound program played in Upward Bound alumni\u27s transition from high school to Rowan University applying Maeroff\u27s (1999) four-sense model of effective educational programs. This study gave ELL Upward Bound alumni students a voice using a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews. A total of 10 former Upward Bound alumni were interviewed, all of who were current Rowan students. Key findings of the study indicate that the Upward Bound program contributed to their academic, social development, and motivation to seek institutions of higher learning and played a significant role during their transition to Rowan University. Although the Upward Bound program served as a gateway to Rowan University, what fundamentally drove the participants to enroll and continue to persist at the university was self-efficacy. Finally this study offers a student\u27s perspective on this topic by using Upward Bound ELL alumni\u27s rich description of their challenges and experiences faced during their transition into college and as current college students within the theoretical framework of social capital

Assessing the Relationships Between Perceived Support From Close Others, Goal Commitment, and Persistence Decisions at the College Level

Research on supportive communication was examined in relation to students’ goals of earning a college degree and their intent to persist. Theories of student departure (Bean, 1985; Tinto, 1993) informed research questions assessing the impact of how social support from family members and friends affected commitment to the goal of graduation and how commitment to the goal of graduation influenced intent to persist. First-year college students completed a questionnaire at 2 time points during their first year of college. Results revealed that initial support from family and friends positively impacted initial commitment to the goal of graduation. Subsequent support from family impacted subsequent commitment to the goal of graduating, and subsequent commitment to graduating impacted intention to persist

Dr. Frankenstein was a designer: methods for educating Gen H--the hybrid design student

Business Week recently launched an innovation and design quarterly entitled In, as well as a Website section specifically dedicated to design and innovation. Fast Company, with its Third Annual Masters of Design issue, and Fortune have also added significant design content to their publications. The business world appears to have discovered design as a vital strategic tool and economic force. Globalization and the Internet knowledge explosion have changed our world in unprecedented ways. Design thinking, which was previously relegated to dealing with issues such as form and function, has become the twenty-first century methodology for the development of new business models. Unfortunately, the hierarchical nature of higher education has prevented design and business curriculums from keeping pace, though the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) has recently added a dual degree, the MDes/MBA. I have two main goals with this thesis. First, I intend to propose a new design curriculum that will educate design students as to the inner workings of the business world in order to position them as strategic partners with a seat at the board room table, rather than as vendors at the end of the line. It will teach them to be strategic content creators and authors rather than passive choosers of fonts and colors. I have accomplished this by immersing students in business research, professional practice, and the development of a precollege program. Students were also involved in the development of new materials (questionnaire, white papers, etc.) specifically created for the business audience. Secondly, many business types equate the creative process with drawing and art (a “soft” discipline), when we know it is problem solving at its most fundamental level. In order to “inject art into commerce and elevate it from a business service to a cultural force,” as designer Tibor Kalman suggested, it is necessary to demystify the process and put design in terms the scientist and business person can understand. Thus, the question, “Can one objectify the creative process in a left-brained, planned and organized way?” “Designers make maps for places that don’t yet exist,” said Rowena Reed Kostellow, educator. Since those in the business world see things in black and white —on a spread sheet, graph or chart the bottom line so to speak—I have developed new materials that recontextualize design principles, process and practice for those in the business world