This qualitative study explored why there are so few senior women in the information security technology management field and whether gender played a part in the achievement of women in the field. Extensive interviews were performed to capture the lived experiences of successful women in the field regarding the obstacles and common denominators of…

The goal of the study is to develop an equity-minded theory of college writing readiness. An estimated third of incoming students are academically underprepared for college writing. The majority of these students will not earn a baccalaureate. Because rigorous pre-college preparation is a chief indicator of postsecondary achievement, improving…

The purpose of this quantitative descriptive correlational study was to determine if associations existed between middle- and early-college (MEC) principals' leadership styles, teacher motivation, and teacher satisfaction. MEC programs were programs designed to assist high school students who were not served well in a traditional setting (Middle…

Access to quality precollege counseling is a crucial component of students' post-secondary educational planning. High school counselors provide educational planning and guidance to students which make them a valuable commodity to obtain information for students contemplating their postsecondary options (Hoyt, 2001). School counselors are…

Higher education institutions in Ghana are challenged in providing access to affordable education to accommodate all qualified students for postsecondary education. Most Ghanaian students seek skills and knowledge to prepare them for a global workforce. The study's purpose was to investigate the adaptation of the U.S. community college's 2-year…

Students' perceptions of intelligence have been shown to have an effect on learning. Students who see intelligence as something that can be developed, those with a growth mindset, often experience academic success, while those who perceive intelligence to be a fixed entity are typically less likely to take on challenging learning experiences and…

This case study examined the efficacy of the individualized instruction teaching methodology as it was applied within high school science classes. Also examined was how individualized instruction at the high school level prepared students to do collegiate science level work. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the…

Despite the introduction of pre-college programs to offer support to under-represented students in the 1950's and 60's (Jager-Hyman, 2004), the achievement gap between white students and students who belong to under-represented student populations has not shrunk significantly. Today, there are more students belonging to under-represented…

This study examines the relationship between high school efforts at post-secondary preparation for college bound students and the expectations of college and university admissions personnel. The Advanced Placement (AP) teachers and administrators at a rural Northwest Florida high school were administered a quantitative survey in order to collect…

The purpose of this study was to examine the post-secondary special education transition planning experiences of currently enrolled college students with emotional disturbance (ED). In addition to exploring students' perceptions of their experiences, understanding, through the narrative analysis of semi-structured interviews, the role special…

This dissertation is a compilation of three separate works representing a wide range of issues related to pre-college engineering. Each work addresses multiple levels of concern for educators from national policy to specific classroom intervention. Although presenting different styles of writing--due to different journals requirements--and various…

Historically, minority and low-income populations have faced numerous challenges in achieving a higher education particularly students of Latino descent. Gandara and Contreras (2009) explain that Latinos are the fastest growing population in the United States and yet academically, they are further behind than any other ethnic group in the nation.…

Despite a decade of reform driven by the NCLB legislation, there continues to be a significant gap in mathematics achievement between race/ethnicity and socioeconomic groupings of students. This study examines the practice of tracking and an effort to improve mathematics achievement by eliminating the general level mathematics track. The suburban…

First-generation college students (FGCS) face challenges when switching from high school to college and during their 1st-year in college. Additionally, FGCS may have difficulty understanding the steps required to prepare for and enroll in postsecondary education. The social capital theory examines support of social, academic, and cultural networks…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify the predominant format, benefits and challenges of distance education at the target school as perceived by multiple groups of stakeholders. Important in identifying the above categories were gaining an understanding of the reasons behind participant perceptions as well as the reasons for…