This study presents a mixed methods explanatory analysis of the influence of Stafford loan debtload on persistence among undergraduate students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution in the Southwest of the United States. Using data from cohort 2010, fall to fall persistence was examined to assess if debtload was related to persistence for all…

Low income students are more likely to leave college without a degree than high income students although there are low income students who persist to graduation. The most likely time for students to leave the University is after the first year. The purpose of this qualitative study of low income students, both retained and not retained, is to…

Transitioning from the military to civilian life can be challenging for student veterans, especially when adjusting to civilian life. Dealing with life stressors, and connecting with others becomes increasingly difficult when student veterans suffer from poor mental health. Research suggests that student veterans appear to be mature and…

This study investigated grit, a non-cognitive trait, and its relationship to the student success of college sophomores at a STEM institution. Researchers have suggested that what students do matters most (Astin 2003; Pascarella and Terenzini 2005). This research explores the importance of co-curricular involvement in developing and fostering grit,…

In 1995, Betty Hart and Todd Risley published findings that young children from low-income backgrounds will hear 32 million fewer words than their more affluent peers by the time they turn four years old. Historically, this "word gap" has solely been identified as a function of socioeconomic status--or more specifically, family income.…

The Hispanic population in the United States has been increasing, which is affecting the number of Hispanic student population in the higher education. In spite of the rapid increase of Hispanic student population, little empirical research has been conducted on the Hispanic student's college success. This study investigated the effect of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine which measures of technical skill attainment and program hours predict positive post-program placement of secondary Pennsylvania career and technical education (CTE) students who completed a Phase I or Phase II program of study. Predictor variables included performance on the end-of-program…

Effective school leadership directly and indirectly influences the school setting, and teacher and student outcomes. Communication has been identified as an important component of effective school leadership. This research study examined the relationship between teacher communication satisfaction, teacher job satisfaction, and teacher perception…

From a theoretical standpoint, pluralistic orientation incorporates higher levels of critical thinking that empower students to engage collaboratively, interact cross-culturally, and develop a higher regard for others' perspectives, beliefs, and identities. Though many of these attributes may develop naturally over time through life experiences,…

Due to low student academic achievement, state and federal governments continue to implement educational mandates in the hopes of improving American schools and education. This trend continued in the state of Maine in which Governor LePage and the 125th Maine State Legislature in 2012 passed Public Law, Chapter 635, legislative document, (LD)…

The purpose of this study is to explore the role that academic hope has in an appreciative advising setting and how it relates to GPA and student internal assets (commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies, and positive identity) in a population of undergraduate students who received appreciative advising services. Additionally,…

K-12 online and blended learning initiatives have experienced unprecedented growth in the past decade and are fast becoming a mainstream option for today's generation of learners. In 2016, over five million students were enrolled in K-12 full-time state virtual schools and all 50 states and the District of Columbia offered some form of online…

The purpose of this relational, nonexperimental, explanatory, cross-sectional study with quantitative methods was to explain the relationship, if any, between the administrative information technology budget as a proportion of the overall undistributed expenditure account on PK-12 and K-12 New Jersey public school districts' student achievement in…

First-generation students represent 36% of first-time, full-time enrolled students in public community colleges and are at increased risk of failing to complete a degree or credential. First-generation students also have higher drop-out rates than non-first-generation students. At both state and national levels, institutions of higher education…

The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of self-directed learning tendencies of prospective teachers on the self-efficacy beliefs of technology integration. In addition, prospective teachers' opinions of technology integration were researched. The research was designed using a mixed method. The study group of the research consisted…