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Author: W. A. Locke (III.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Adult education dropouts
Languages : en
Pages : 306
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Book Description
This study explored how college experiences, as perceived by adult students, influenced their decisions on persistence. Specifically, the role students' perceptions of their college experiences played in their decisions to persist in college or voluntarily depart without completing a degree was examined. A grounded theory approach was used involving 26 current, completed, and non-completed students between 40 and 65 years of age. Of these 26 students, 23 had returned to college to obtain masters or doctoral degrees, two had recently obtained their bachelors degree and were now seeking graduate certificates, and one was completing her bachelors degree after a 39 year absence from college. These students were interviewed regarding their college experiences within five main areas: Business Processes, Support Services, Student/Advisor Interactions, Classroom Environment, and Feelings of Fit. Within these areas, four categories of phenomena regarding students' college experiences were identified as most influential in their decisions regarding persistence: Importance of Relationships, Assessment of Value, Feelings of Fit, and Challenges Encountered. Student's Expectations was the central category that brought the others together and served as the building blocks for theory, as an explanation regarding the phenomenon. The resulting theory, Adult students' expectations of their college experiences influence their perceptions and assessment of the actual experiences, thereby influencing their decisions to persist in or depart college, responds to this study's research questions. Regarding the five main areas of college experiences, analysis showed that interaction with advisors and instructors was critically important to students, and that classes students considered intellectually challenging were also considered the most valuable. While analysis also showed that business processes and support services mattered to students, their significance was minor in comparison to the other areas. Students' overall feelings of fit were related across the spectrum of college experiences to the level of harmony or discord between their expectations and their perceptions of the experiences. Based on the findings, it appears that college experiences, as perceived by adult students, can influence their decisions on persistence. It is recommended that colleges promote open discussion of students' expectations to reduce discord between expectations and perceptions of experiences.
Author: W. A. Locke (III.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Adult education dropouts
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Get Book Here
Book Description
This study explored how college experiences, as perceived by adult students, influenced their decisions on persistence. Specifically, the role students' perceptions of their college experiences played in their decisions to persist in college or voluntarily depart without completing a degree was examined. A grounded theory approach was used involving 26 current, completed, and non-completed students between 40 and 65 years of age. Of these 26 students, 23 had returned to college to obtain masters or doctoral degrees, two had recently obtained their bachelors degree and were now seeking graduate certificates, and one was completing her bachelors degree after a 39 year absence from college. These students were interviewed regarding their college experiences within five main areas: Business Processes, Support Services, Student/Advisor Interactions, Classroom Environment, and Feelings of Fit. Within these areas, four categories of phenomena regarding students' college experiences were identified as most influential in their decisions regarding persistence: Importance of Relationships, Assessment of Value, Feelings of Fit, and Challenges Encountered. Student's Expectations was the central category that brought the others together and served as the building blocks for theory, as an explanation regarding the phenomenon. The resulting theory, Adult students' expectations of their college experiences influence their perceptions and assessment of the actual experiences, thereby influencing their decisions to persist in or depart college, responds to this study's research questions. Regarding the five main areas of college experiences, analysis showed that interaction with advisors and instructors was critically important to students, and that classes students considered intellectually challenging were also considered the most valuable. While analysis also showed that business processes and support services mattered to students, their significance was minor in comparison to the other areas. Students' overall feelings of fit were related across the spectrum of college experiences to the level of harmony or discord between their expectations and their perceptions of the experiences. Based on the findings, it appears that college experiences, as perceived by adult students, can influence their decisions on persistence. It is recommended that colleges promote open discussion of students' expectations to reduce discord between expectations and perceptions of experiences.
Author: W. A. Locke (III.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Author: Matt Bergman
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1641138564
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 235
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Book Description
For at least the last 100 years, more than 40% of all students who enrolled in American colleges and universities have not persisted to graduation at four-year institutions. Their stories are varied, but in every case, something got in the way of that pursuit. Life happened. They became one of the nearly 36 million Americans who have some college but no degree. For many, the stigma of not finishing college is a closely held secret that weighs heavily as they discuss, engage, and compete to meet the challenges of the workforce in the 21st century. Some weren’t ready at age 18 for the focus and commitment that academic studies require. Others found opportunities to create income and meet immediate familial needs or requirements. Many have excelled despite their lack of a college credential. Contrary to the deficit mindset that often permeates the retention and persistence discourse, this book highlights the stories of those who successfully returned to what was left unfinished. The stories here may challenge your assumptions. These are high-quality students who demonstrated a compelling and inspiring commitment to their education, begun long ago and now completed—in some cases decades later. As you read, don’t miss the role that engaged advisors, supportive family members, and well-designed programs such as prior learning assessment played in helping students to the finish line. These narratives also demonstrate that it is time for institutions of higher education to imagine and embrace new ways of serving these students well.
Author: Matt J. Bergman
Publisher: Information Age Publishing
ISBN: 9781641138550
Category : Adult college students
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
"For at least the last 100 years, more than 40% of all students who enrolled in American colleges and universities have not persisted to graduation at four-year institutions. Their stories are varied, but in every case, something got in the way of that pursuit. Life happened. They became one of the nearly 36 million Americans who have some college but no degree. For many, the stigma of not finishing college is a closely held secret that weighs heavily as they discuss, engage, and compete to meet the challenges of the workforce in the 21st century. Some weren't ready at age 18 for the focus and commitment that academic studies require. Others found opportunities to create income and meet immediate familial needs or requirements. Many have excelled despite their lack of a college credential. Contrary to the deficit mindset that often permeates the retention and persistence discourse, this book highlights the stories of those who successfully returned to what was left unfinished. The stories here may challenge your assumptions. These are high-quality students who demonstrated a compelling and inspiring commitment to their education, begun long ago and now completed-in some cases decades later. As you read, don't miss the role that engaged advisors, supportive family members, and well-designed programs such as prior learning assessment played in helping students to the finish line. These narratives also demonstrate that it is time for institutions of higher education to imagine and embrace new ways of serving these students well"--
Author: Elizabeth Lambert
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages :
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Author: José E. Vélez Otero
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 171
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Book Description
The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to investigate the experience of persistence on the part of work-study students at a Northeastern community college. The construct of resilience provided the conceptual framework through which the collected data were analyzed. The broad question informing this investigation was how do work-study students understand the experiences that influence their decision to persist at a community college. Data from one-on-one interviews served as the main source of information, followed by observations made by the researcher and information from the college's Banner Data System. Each participant's account was analyzed individually. From the preliminary tables, a main chart was created that contained four superordinate themes with 10 nested themes. Data were validated against the participants' transcripts and participant's feedback. The research findings over all revealed that their persistence was influenced by the way they strengthened their resiliency as they developed the mechanisms required to cope with stress, engage in what they sensed as welcoming environments, develop personal and professional identities, and acquire time-management skills. These findings suggest that to improve campus persistence among adult populations at this particular community college, similar work opportunities should be made available to more students. Higher-education institutions, by finding alternative ways to fund on-campus work, should ensure that student jobs are paired with individuals' areas of study and take place at culturally inclusive work locations where they can feel connected with both supervisors and peers and can experience professional growth. Future research might include a multi-community-college study with a larger sample size, other extra-curricular groups, and additional factors influencing students to drop out despite participation in work-study.
Author: Clifford Adelman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 232
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Book Description
The Toolbox Revisited is a data essay that follows a nationally representative cohort of students from high school into postsecondary education, and asks what aspects of their formal schooling contribute to completing a bachelor's degree by their mid-20s. The universe of students is confined to those who attended a four-year college at any time, thus including students who started out in other types of institutions, particularly community colleges.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 760
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Book Description
Author: Yolanda Reyes Guevara
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 418
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Book Description
Student persistence has been a topic of discussion in higher education for decades. Researchers have examined factors that affect persistence for traditional-aged students with research focusing on quantitative studies that fail to acknowledge the individual experiences of persistence. Likewise, there is minimal research on Latino/a adult students and their experiences with persistence at community colleges. This dissertation study examined the Latino/a adult student at the community college to gain a better understanding of their lived experiences of persistence. This study took place at an urban, two-year institution in south Texas that has a high number of Hispanic or Latino/a students and a low number of adult students. For this study, I examined the following overarching research question: Looking through the lens of Latino/a adult students, what explains the phenomenon of their persistence at the community college? This study utilized a phenomenological, qualitative approach to explore the overarching question. The study followed a phenomenological methodology in order to focus on the lived experiences of the participants and to further explore the phenomenon of persistence. Two semi-structured interviews and a critical incident reflection were used to gather data from the participants. The themes that emerged from the data analysis were the following: the past will not define my future, moving into higher education, finding my place in higher education, aiming for a better life, what matters to me, making connections, and looking into a mirror. Sub-themes were identified for each of these themes as well, and study findings were interpreted in light of existing research literature and the study's conceptual framework encompassing Schlossberg's Transition Theory (1981) and Yosso's theory of Community Cultural Wealth (2005). The study adds to the body of literature on Latino/a adult students and their persistence and also provides implications for practice for practitioners in the field of higher education.
Author: Debra Jean Fenty
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 132
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Book Description
Persistence to graduation for adult undergraduate students has been challenging for decades. Many adult learners enroll into the university with numerous sociodemographic characteristics that can hinder their success. Adult students must manage multiple roles and balance their personal, professional and student roles in order to succeed. Twenty-eight percent of first year undergraduate students will not return to college in their second year (American College Testing, 2012). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between self-efficacy, academic success and persistence for undergraduate students through the lens of Donaldson & Graham's (1999) model of college outcomes for adult learners.The sample for this study represented 310 undergraduate students from two large urban public universities in the United States. This study measured the students' level of self-efficacy and academic persistence in college. The following surveys were employed for this study: the New General Self-Efficacy Scale (Chen, Gully and Eden, 2001) and the Social Integration and Persistence Scale (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980). Because this survey is nearly 40-years old, the researcher employed an exploratory factor analysis on the data which now suggest that there are six factors that measure academic persistence for adult learners in urban universities. These six factors include: (1) intellectual development, (2) peer group interaction, (3) non-classroom faculty interaction, (4) negative faculty interaction, (5) academic aspirations, and (6) university interconnectedness. This study suggests a significant positive correlation between five of the six factors, with exception to the factor: interconnectedness to the university. The findings suggest that there is a significant correlation between self-efficacy and undergraduate credit hours earned, but no significant correlation between self-efficacy and cumulative grade point average. The findings suggest that there is a positive correlation for student persistence factors: intellectual development and student academic aspirations and between the credit hours earned. There is a significant positive correlation for student persistence factors: intellectual development, student academic aspirations, and university interconnectedness and between the GPA. The findings suggest a negative correlation exists between the students' persistence factor: negative faculty interactions and GPA. This study found a significant influence between numerous student sociodemographic characteristics and factors measuring student persistence.
