This research study explored the level of student engagement that transfer students experience and how these levels can predict their persistence. This quantitative study utilized secondary data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). George Kuh's Theory of Student Engagement guided this study and influenced the development of the…

The idea of student engagement as a predictor of student success was first introduced by Alexander Astin (1974; 1984) who studied student involvement. The connection of student involvement and student success has led to the focus on student and how we measure it to ensure that institutions are doing all they can to improve outcomes. Nothing has…

This study sought to understand factors influencing student satisfaction with online learning technologies in U.S. higher education institutions after the spring semester of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced all higher education to an online format. Understanding these factors can help universities acknowledge student preferences and improve…

The purpose of this quantitative study is to assess if perceptions of academic and institutional support as well as demographic factors, predict intention to return to school amongst online first-generation college students enrolled at traditional higher educational institutions. To complete the causal-comparative study, the researcher analyzes…

Recent alumni participated in this qualitative study to determine factors that influence alumni engagement. Each participant completed a pre-interview survey to determine their student involvement scores, which were grouped into three groups -- high, medium, and low engagement. I created interview questions and a protocol. Following the completion…

This study examined the factors that predict the likelihood of a first-time freshman (FTF) student retaining and graduating in a timely manner at the University of Kansas (KU) based on their perceptions of the frequency and quality of student-faculty engagement, with an emphasis on exploring differences between underrepresented minority students…

The U.S. college persistence rate for African American students, remains lowest in comparison to other race/ethnicities. Academic advising and other forms of academic integration are emphasized in prior research as associated with positively influencing persistence outcomes. However, a gap exists in the literature regarding their impact for…

This study addressed a critical gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between organizational culture and mission drift within Christian higher education. While mission drift has been widely discussed in popular press, limited academic research has explored the factors influencing it, particularly organizational culture. Utilizing…

The purpose of this study was to use existing data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to examine the relationship between student engagement indicators and NCAA Division I student-athletes' participation in high-impact practices, specifically internships and study abroad. Student engagement indicators were the independent…

The nation is at a critical juncture in history as it seeks to increase the number of students who enter the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. The national push to have a properly trained STEM workforce was at the forefront of the past administration's top priority list. The higher education community has a unique…

This dissertation consists of three papers on education policy. In each paper, I use applied econometric methods and descriptive quantitative analysis to examine topics related to teacher labor markets and postsecondary attainment. The first paper leverages a rich student-teacher-day data set to study the relationship between daily teacher…

As the U.S. and student populations continue to diversify, examining the relationships between college coursework and the students' perceptions of institutional support of diversity in conjunction with learning outcomes is crucial. Higher education's goal is to prepare students for life post-graduation, including being active participants in our…

Undergraduate students are a vulnerable population faced with college costs and a lack of financial management knowledge, issues that have led to high student debt, failure to repay this debt, and sometimes dropping out of college. Facing these financial matters often serves as a leading source of stress, which, according to Selye's stress theory,…

This study examined how the intersection of burnout and resilience impacts academic medical centers' faculty since the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used convenience sampling to recruit faculty who self-identified as primarily clinician educators, clinicians, or undergraduate medical educators at academic medical centers or those affiliated with…

This three-article format dissertation presents a comprehensive examination of the 2017 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), focusing on its measurement properties across diverse community college student populations. Study 1 centered on the validity of the internal structure of CCSSE. Exploratory and confirmatory factor…