Critics of developmental studies suggest that remedial courses may negatively influence a student's program selection, persistence, and completion because remedial classes do not count toward graduation requirements (Long & Boatman, 2013). They have also found that over half of the students referred to remediation do not complete the courses…

This quantitative survey study investigated factors that influence off-campus student housing selection and residential satisfaction. Data from 733 full-time students living in the University City area of Philadelphia was used for analysis. Multiple imputation and reliability tests were conducted to ensure validity and reliability of the study.…

There is a national push for college completion. For some students, graduation may be stymied by financial status, in addition to other factors. The current study was conducted through secondary analysis of matching archival datasets from select East Texas institutions on full-time, first-time-in-college students with no previous college…

This dissertation consists of three independent chapters in applied microeconomics. In the first chapter, I study the causal effect impact of early life circumstances on adult psychological well-being using the property reform in China as a positive and policy driven change in economic resources in early life. Exploiting the staggered adoption of…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were differences in satisfaction levels for students, based on enrollment status groups within a hybrid course and to examine the relationship between student satisfaction and student-instructor interaction within a hybrid course and. This was addressed through a quantitative correlational…

This study examined factors that may affect the retention of first-time, full-time college freshmen to sophomore year. Institutions in the Appalachian College Association (ACA) were invited to participate, and nine of the 35 member schools provided data. The research questions were (1) Is there a relationship between retention for students'…

Over 40% of undergraduates in the United States attend a community college; however, fewer than 50% complete a degree or certificate within 6 years. As a result, national and state leaders have endorsed completion agenda initiatives, including performance-based funding (PBF). Texas implemented a form of PBF for the 2014-2015 Academic Year (AY)…

The number of students with disabilities accessing higher education continues to increase, yet persistence and graduation rates for this population of students are considerably lower than those of students without disabilities. Previous research suggests that a key factor in improving post-secondary outcomes is increasing the level with which…

The purpose of this research was to identify the impact of students' choice of time of day for class activity and their sleep quality on academic performance in multidisciplinary distance education courses at a southeastern U.S. state college. The research addressed the relationship of other individual student characteristics (i.e., age, gender,…

The purpose of this study was to understand why graduation rates of African American male students from four-year historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) within a six-year period were not on par with those of other races and ethnicities and, in particular, whether the reasons African American male students drop out rather than persist…

The mission types of 105 current doctoral programs in higher education and the extent to which their missions have changed since a similar study was conducted by Dressel and Mayhew in 1974 was studied. The curricula offerings of these programs by degree type (e.g., Ed.D. & Ph.D.) were compared with Fife's 1991 findings. Finally, the study…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether results on the English Early Assessment Program (EAP) examination predict college-level English success. Previous research indicates a relationship between EAP college-prepared status and academic achievement. The present study is unique, in that student-level community college English grades were…

This study was the first attempt to evaluate the college's career/technical current advising practices. The purpose of this study was to investigate career/technical students' satisfaction with academic advising at a rural community college and to investigate whether there were any relationships between students' satisfaction and various…

While questions exist about the effectiveness of online education, it is a growing part of the pantheon of educational choices available to students in America today. Though online education first gained popularity for advanced learners, increasingly at-risk populations are enrolling in online learning environments. Research in K-12 full-time,…

Although U.S. rates of college enrollment among 18-24 year olds have reached historic highs, rates of degree completion have not kept pace. This is especially evident at community colleges, where a disproportionate number of students from groups who, historically, have had low college-completion rates enroll. One way community colleges are…