Military experience alone is no longer enough to replace a college degree for many civilian jobs, leaving nearly 15% of transitioning veterans at a disadvantage without higher education credentials. This study explored how active-duty Marines decide whether to pursue postsecondary education and assessed the role of the voluntary education (VolED)…

Learning takes motivation; therefore, educators need to pay attention to what motivates the student to improve one's learning. It was not known how community college psychology students describe the use of gamification as a motivator for improved learning. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how psychology students at…

As student enrollment in colleges across the United States continues to diversify, teaching and learning practices must keep pace with demographic shifts. The growing majority of today's college student body, dubbed post-traditional learners, is older, racially and ethnically diverse, more experienced in work and life, and stretched by competing…

The objective of this dissertation was to explore the impact of gender, maternal parenting style, and social class on the level of motivation in first-year college students. Existing research has shown that, individually, these three variables can influence motivation in students. However, we do not know how a mothers' parenting style paired with…

This dissertation examines the Saudi undergraduate educational environment, exploring relationships among teacher support, basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration, academic motivation, and GPA. The study investigates whether basic psychological needs mediate the relationship between teacher support and academic motivation, utilizing…

This research delves into the attitudes, perceptions, and motivations of student-athletes enrolled in Intermediate Algebra courses. It focuses on the distinct challenges they encounter in juggling academic and athletic responsibilities at a southeastern university in the United States. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study gathered…

The current study examined hindering factors of 2-year community college students' vertical transfer to 4-year colleges. Rational choice theory guided the study and provided the scope of the problem, which is community college students' apprehension about vertically transferring to 4-year colleges. A quantitative Likert-scale survey, which…

The purpose of this study was to design, develop, and test the effects of digital game-based learning on undergraduate students' learning motivation, mathematics achievement, and learning retention in a college algebra course. Digital games utilize interactive digital media that offer rules-based challenges and react to the individual's choices.…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect extrinsic motivation had on student academic achievement in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math. The study was a quantitative, ex-post facto quasi-experimental design that compared student achievement on a benchmark assessment from one year to another. In this study, the instrument used…

This study compared the effects of academic motivation on traditional and online community college students. Online enrollment continues to increase, especially in public colleges and universities. Academic success in online courses, however, continues to lag behind academic success in face-to-face courses, especially for community college…

The study topic of this dissertation manuscript is the effect a professor's leadership style has on the motivation of a student to attend class and learn new course material. The purpose of this study is to understand how college students are motivated by their professor's type of leadership style, and compare the relationship of each leadership…

The purpose of this qualitative meta-synthesis is to investigate the demotivation and remotivation of Asian university students in the EFL context and the interplay with sociocultural factors. This meta-synthesis was designed to address three research questions:1. What are the demotivating factors of Asian university students who are learning…

Many researchers have observed that gamified mixed reality learning environments (gMRLEs) can increase learner engagement, motivation, knowledge acquisition, and critical thinking. However, there is no consensus on strategies and methods for designing gMRLEs. The purpose of this qualitative Delphi study was to identify best practices in designing…

This three-paper dissertation addresses the manner in which students' intrinsic motivation to engage in academic tasks changes during the four years of college. The first paper examines the variance of students' academic motivation during college. The second paper analyzes whether good practices in undergraduate education promote academic…

The numbers of African American males and females entering higher education continue to soar. Research shows that African American women are the most educated group within the United States; however, compared to their European and Hispanic male counterparts, African American males report the lowest outcomes in higher education. Educational…