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- Creator:
- Hoffman, Simon B.
- Description:
- This quantitative study examined the student records of a California community college recognized as a dual enrollment leader in the state. the purpose of the study was to evaluate the influence of demographic and academic variables on college persistence for underserved students that participated in dual enrollment programs. Chi-Square analyses were conducted using data collected from the research site to determine if there was a difference in college persistence between students that participated in dual enrollment and those that did not. the results of the analyses reflected that a greater than expected number of dually enrolled students persisted in college and a lesser than expected number of non-dually enrolled students persisted in college. Put differently, there was a significant positive difference in college persistence between students that participated in dual enrollment and those that did not. in addition, logistic regression analysis was performed to determine if a dual enrollment math, English, or career and technical education course taken by underserved students predicted college persistence. Dual enrollment math and CTE courses were found to be significant predictors of college persistence. This study also discovered that, in general, a disproportionately lower percentage of African American and male students persisted in college.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Hernandez, Angel C.
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of first year community college students on academic probation. a mixed methods, two-phase sequential explanatory research design was implemented to carry out this study. the quantitative first phase utilized a multiple logistical regression to examine if age, gender, race and ethnicity, Board of Governors Fee Waiver (BOG) status, hours worked weekly, and units attempted predicted a higher likelihood of academic probation status for first year community college students. the quantitative first phase analyzed student data across five academic years. the first phase’s results informed the purposeful sampling that identified the participants for the qualitative second phase. the first phase’s results also informed a portion of the semi-structured interview protocol, which also included other questions specifically designed for this study and questions adapted from Duffy (2010). the ethnic identification of Latina/o and Race other, 20–29 hours worked weekly, male, BOG recipient, and units attempted predicted a higher likelihood of academic probation status during the first year of community college. Age was not found to predict a higher likelihood of academic probation status. the following eight emergent themes were produced when participants were asked about their perceptions of being first year students on academic probation: wake up call, underestimated college, life outside of school, time management, isolation, seeking community, wanting intrusiveness, and potential to succeed. Varying perceptions of the relationship between academic probation status and being Latina/o, 20–29 hours worked weekly, male, BOG recipients, and units were described. Implications for practice are also presented.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Marquez, Lorena
- Description:
- Much of the literature related to the role of parents supports the importance of parental involvement during a student’s elementary and secondary educational placement. However, very little research follows through with this parent involvement support factor at the college and university level. Often, Chicanx/Latinx students enter an unfamiliar territory, left alone to navigate the system of higher education. This study looked into Chicanx/Latinx college students’ perceptions of their parents’ involvement and engagement during their college experience in order to understand ways that they contribute to Chicanx/Latinx college student’s retention, persistence and progress towards graduation. through my research, students shared what I developed as core concepts in cultivating Chicanx/Latinx student success. My core concept includes naming the untapped cultural and familial assets Chicanx/Latinx parents provide, which are not being utilized by both student and the institution. Value must be placed on the shared stories of these student participants. They revealed the following core concepts: 1. Consejos are untapped by institution and student, as the students describe the importance of consejos 2. Unrecognized value of what familias offer to students: parental support by any means necessary 3. Unexpressed gratitude and appreciation 4. Untapped potential of parents as partners, with the students expressing desire for their parents to belong. This study sought to develop an understanding of students’ perceptions of their parent’s engagement in higher education and found that they indeed have an integral role to play in Chicanx/Latinx student success. Recommendations are made to support Chicanx/Latinx parent programming rooted in culturally relevant efforts. Parents must be seen as partners, and institutions of higher education must begin to incorporate parent engagement early and develop pathways to engage the entire familia in the higher education experience. Institutional agents must begin to explicitly ask about Chicanx/Latinx student’s parents and their impact, through programming, policies, and long-term engagement using familial capital, assets, and a strengths-based approach.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Cortez, Nasser A.
- Description:
- This qualitative study explored how teachers of upper elementary school students with mild to moderate disabilities navigate the potentially competing demands of CCSS expectations and best practices for supporting students with learning disabilities in the areas of reading and writing. In total, 6 teachers participated in the study, 3 SDC and 3 RSP teachers. The methods used included interviews and observations. Observation notes and interview transcriptions helped unearth important findings. Key findings include that teachers viewed instructional level teaching as a best practice, time constraints and lack of resources and PD were viewed as challenges, there are more similarities in teachers’ perceived best practices compared to their perceived CCSS practices, and some teachers identified areas where CCSS practices and best practices align.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Berg, John Sonje
- Description:
- The philosophy behind the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and its tenets of critical thought, creativity, and application of knowledge require a shift from a focus on content knowledge to how that knowledge is applied across the curriculum and why it forms the foundation of education. The problem now facing educators is that CCSS has changed expectations for students without providing adequate professional development (PD) to ensure the proper adjustment to instructional strategies to meet its requirements. The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine how teachers have adjusted their application of instructional strategies to target Common Core learning objectives in high school classrooms and to provide recommendations on how site and district administrators can better structure PD to facilitate teacher needs as they shift their instructional practices. Through quantitative survey data from high school teachers and administrators, the study was able to determine that, while education has seen a shift since the adoption of the CCSS, it has not necessarily translated into a shift of instruction throughout all classrooms. In addition, the majority of teachers indicate that the current structure of professional development they receive within their district, at their site, or from out-of-district training has had only limited impact on their instruction to meet the needs of the CCSS. This research indicates that teachers want to professionally learn from teacher-experts in a collaborative setting. To adjust instruction, teachers must first be knowledgeable about what they are being asked to teach, so they can design strategies for students to learn. Almost 97% of the teachers in this study claimed to have at least some knowledge of the CCSS; however, of the 97% almost 40% did not feel they had a good grasp of those standards, let alone expertise. There is a need, as indicated by the results of this study, to focus on both increasing the knowledge base of teachers and administrators on the CCSS and structuring PD in such a way that teachers can continue to grow as learners, meeting the needs of their students by adjusting instruction to meet the demands of the 21st century.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Moldoveanu, Minodora M.
- Description:
- This qualitative study explored the meaning of education for stopped-out students. There has been no exploration of the meaning of education for students who have stopped out of college. Stopping out of college is defined as leaving college for a period of time and then returning. the problem this study addressed is the lack of knowledge of the meaning of education for stopped-out students. the purpose of this study was to understand the differences in the meaning of education for students who stopped out of college starting from the moment they first enrolled in college, to when they stopped out, to when they returned to school, and at the time of the interview. the study relied on personal interviews with 20 participants. the study used Viktor Frankl’s (2006) logotherapy as the main lens to study stopped-out students’ meaning of education. the results indicated that when first enrolling in higher education, students viewed education as a societal expectation and an obstacle to other priorities but also as an opportunity to gain more freedom. When leaving higher education, students described education as an obstacle to other priorities, an additional source of stress, and as worthless. by the time students were returning to college, they viewed education as a means to gain freedom, as meaningful in helping others, and as a badge of honor. At the time of the interview, students described education as a source of freedom, as meaningful in helping others, and as a source of self-improvement. Based on the themes that emerged, students are more likely to persist in higher education when they give education positive meanings.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Maiorca-nunez, Jessica
- Description:
- Evidence suggests preschool age students with disabilities (SWD) benefit from inclusive settings. Inclusive education has positive impacts on students’ social–emotional, language, and cognitive skills. Yet, preschool age SWD continue to have limited access to inclusive education, and research suggests numerous reasons, including teacher practice. the setting of this study, a K-12 school district in Southern California, had not met expectations related to the percentage of children participating in inclusive settings and the percentage of children demonstrating improved developmental growth. Relevant literature suggests that teacher attitudes and beliefs are the most frequently reported barriers to inclusion of preschool age SWD. to this end, this study examined the differences between early childhood education and early childhood special education teachers’ attitudes and beliefs and student growth outcomes across the special education program continuum, and it investigated whether teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about inclusion impact the social–emotional, language, and cognitive outcomes of their students. for this study, 39 teachers completed a survey that investigated their attitudes and beliefs related to social–emotional benefits, academic benefits, outcomes of inclusive practices, and implementation of inclusion. in addition to teacher surveys, student assessment data (using the Desired Results Developmental Profile, 2015) of 182 students were analyzed to determine student growth in one year. Mean comparisons and multilevel modeling were used to determine if teacher attitudes and beliefs influenced student assessment outcomes. the analysis revealed that early childhood special education teachers had more positive attitudes toward the social–emotional benefits of inclusion of SWD than did early childhood education teachers. They also had more positive attitudes toward the implementation of inclusive practices. SWD participating in coteaching, inclusive models demonstrated higher social–emotional, literacy and language, and cognitive development growth outcomes than SWD participating in self-contained models. There was a correlation between teachers’ attitudes and beliefs related to the social–emotional benefits and academic benefits of inclusion. Student participation in inclusion was a marginally significant predictor of higher social–emotional growth, and inclusion of students with speech and language impairments was a marginally significant predictor of higher cognitive growth.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Reyes-osorio, Osmara
- Description:
- This qualitative dissertation looks at how first-generation college students (FGCS) experience the emotion of guilt as it relates to social capital within higher education. This study included 21 FGCS enrolled at two community colleges in Los Angeles County, California. the study found that guilt, along with other variables influence first-generation college students’ access to social capital. Themes included: positive experiences associated with being a FGCS, parental support, FGCS not working, guilt (associated with familial responsibilities), pride, resiliency through positive self-talk, and challenges accessing social capital. Implications for policy, practice, theory, and future research are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Bracamontes, Brent Ignacio
- Description:
- This dissertation used qualitative, interpretive methods to explore African American and Latino/a community college students’ use of autoethnographic writing to express experiences of marginalization and sense of belonging on their college campus. Using postmodernism and critical race theory as theoretical frameworks, I investigated how students had experienced marginalization and a sense of belonging on their community college campus, as well as the reported epistemological (meaning-making) functions of the autoethnographic writing process. Participants in the study were introduced to the major constructs (marginalization, sense of belonging, and autoethnography), wrote autoethnographic essays about their experiences, and completed phenomenological interviews about the writing process. Participants reported feelings of marginalization based on factors such as their age, perceptions of academic under-preparedness, lack of familiarity with college structures and processes, perceived social identity, linguistic insecurities, and out-of-school experiences. Participants reported a sense of belonging as stemming from personal networks, programs, and mentors, and identified the epistemological functions of the writing process, including elements such as creating new avenues for expression, developing ideas and strengthening recollection, grappling with cognitions and emotions, sharing experiences, creating solutions to problems, and personalizing the constructs of marginalization and belonging.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Williams, Sigrid
- Description:
- Economic conditions require a workforce of lifelong learners. Regional Occupational Programs (ROP) provide career technical education that engage every student in high-quality, rigorous and relevant education to help students become career and college ready. the purpose of this mixed methods study was to gather both quantitative and qualitative data to explore the extent to which students perceived that 21st century skills were being taught in their educational programs and their experiences in learning the necessary skills to become career and college ready after taking an ROP class. This study’s key findings included that, as a result of their ROP classes, students believed that they (a) are knowledgeable about their college and/or career plans, (b) understand the necessity of learning critical thinking skills to succeed in the workforce and post-secondary education, (c) have learned to independently study to seek answers about their career choices, (d) have learned the necessary skills to get a job, and (e) are prepared to be successful in the workforce and college. They also believe that ROP classes need to be offered in the high school in order for students to become career and college ready.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership