scholarly journals Modeling an Effective Program for Latina/o College Student Success

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Kenneth P. Gonzalez ◽  
Vanessa S. Meling
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
College Student Success ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Hispanic Serving Institution ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Effective Program ◽  
Hispanic Serving

This article presents a case study of the design, implementation, and results of a program developed to increase Latina/o student success at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. A team of university faculty, staff, and administrator researchers drew from four sources of evidence to design and examine the effects of the program, including: (a) longitudinal cohort data, (b) the scholarly literature on Latina/o student success, (c) focus group data with students, and (d) syllabi analysis data. Participants in the program demonstrated increased mid-term grade point average (GPA), end of first-term GPA, and fall-to-fall persistence.

The Tomato Pip's Story: Creative Narratives as Bridging Cultural and Science Discourses for Indigenous Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-184
Author(s):  
Lorrin Ruihi Shortland ◽  
Terry Locke
Keyword(s):  
Digestive System ◽  
Indigenous Education ◽  
Disciplinary Literacy ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Science Discourse ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Human Digestive System

This article reports on what happened when a Rumaki pūtaiao kaiako (Science) teacher at a New Zealand high school trialled the use of creative narratives with her Year-10 students as a way of developing their understanding of the human digestive system. These students were members of the school's Māori immersion unit, and creative narratives were in part utilised as a bridge between science discourse and the cultural knowledges these students brought to their learning. In this case study, students developed ‘Tomato Pip’ narratives through four versions, which told the story of a tomato pip travelling through the human digestive system. Word-count data based on these versions and from a summative test were analysed and correlations found between test scores and three categories of word-count total (total words, total science words and total discrete science words). A discourse analysis of one student's narratives identified two distinct voices in these texts: the personal narrator and the emerging biologist. Questionnaire and focus-group data indicated that the use of creative narratives was both motivational to these students and effective as a bridge into science discourse mastery. It is argued that the findings have implications for disciplinary literacy theory, Indigenous education and science instruction.

scholarly journals Classroom Re-design to Facilitate Student Learning: A Case Study of Changes to a University Classroom

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Perks ◽  
Doug Orr ◽  
Elham Al-Omari
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Teaching Learning

This case study examines the physical aspects of a particular university classroom, and what affect specific changes to the classroom had on the perceptions of students, instructors and observers regarding the room as an effective learning space. We compare survey and focus group data collected from students taking courses in the classroom prior to changes to the physical environment with comparable data from students taking courses in the same classroom after specific changes had been made. Immediately following changes to the classroom, notable increases were observed in reported perceptions of student satisfaction with the physical environment, including perceptions of the classroom as a more effective and engaging learning space. Similar perceptions of improvement as a teaching-learning space were reported by instructors and observers. However, subsequent follow-up data collection and analyses suggested little if any sustained increase in perceptions of efficacy of the room as a learning space; indeed, most reported variables returned to baseline levels. The implications of these findings and their relevance to classroom design nevertheless may provide insight regarding the manner in which physical space might support or even enhance teaching and learning.

Is It What You Know or Who You Know?: An Information Typology of How First-Generation College Students Access Campus Resources

2021 ◽  
pp. 152102512110681
Author(s):  
Jeffrey K. Grim ◽  
Emma Bausch ◽  
Adan Hussain ◽  
Steven Lonn
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Student Success ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Group Data ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Information Finding

While there has been increased investigation of the enrollment patterns and access to college for first-generation college students (FGCS), less is understood about how FGCS learn and utilize vital information to persist with limited familial knowledge about college success. In this paper we utilize focus group data of 62 diverse FGCS to create a typology of how students utilize information to succeed in college. Using theory from sociology and information sciences we categorize the sources FGCS learn from and how information is utilized. Our findings indicate that FGCS develop complex ways of finding information even with minimal support and those information sources that are most helpful are often connected to pre-existing and informal relationships. We conclude by offering implications for future research on FGCS student success and opportunities for administrators to incorporate information-finding and relationship-building concepts into student success practice.

scholarly journals Up-scaling sanitation provision using mixed design methodologies and failure risk assessment: a case study of Marikuppam, India

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
M. Gormley ◽  
L. A. Williams ◽  
B. Ongole
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Risk Model ◽  
Mixed Design ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Failure Risk ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Single User ◽  
Areas Of Concern

Abstract Simplified sewerage provides an improved alternative to single user on-site options in peri-urban areas in India, and contributes to the aim of reducing the need for human handling of waste (manual scavenging), and the Government's goal of making India open defecation free by 2019. This research develops a mixed methodologies approach to design, optimise and assess failure risk for a proposed installation in a village in India. A steady state simplified sewerage model was used to do the initial design which was further modelled in DRAINET, a numerical model traditionally used for building drainage systems. The input data for DRAINET were obtained from a detailed survey carried out on site, which included usage pattern and focus group data. A total of 106 properties were included in the design and the survey. Test runs were carried out for the whole site over a 12-hour period. All main pipe runs were 100 mm diameter and set to a gradient of 1:100. A risk model was developed and applied to the DRAINET results which confirmed that the design operated effectively; however, there were areas of concern at the extremities of the site, which required additional flow boosting devices or gradient changed.

scholarly journals QEP is HIP: A Case Study Implementing an Institution-wide Undergraduate Research Community of Practice for a Small, Private College Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Tingle ◽  
Julia Schmitz ◽  
Perry Rettig
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Professional Socialization ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Quality Enhancement Plan ◽  
Faculty Mentorship ◽  
College Setting

Piedmont College’s quality enhancement plan (QEP) emphasizes a developmental and progressive integration of high-impact practices (HIPs) into the academic and social fabric of the institution. The QEP is HIP initiative provides students with multiple opportunities to deepen learning and leadership skills, which leads to improvements in student success, persistence, and retention. However, the institution grappled with how to effectively engage students in effective, meaningful research-based experiences. During the 2nd year of its QEP implementation, a campus-wide undergraduate research symposium was launched to showcase students’ research and creative inquiry in an effort to (a) gain full institutional participation in this crucial HIP and (b) offer the underserved student population (defined as ethnic minority, Pell-eligible, and first-generation students) an opportunity to participate in professional socialization and experience faculty mentorship. This case study shows the initial influences of this HIP on student success (in terms of grade point average [GPA]), students’ perceptions of their own learning, students’ persistence (measured with the Grit Scale), and retention from the 2018–2019 to the 2019–2020 academic year. Specifically, this study compared students who presented their research at the undergraduate research symposium to students who did not. While the immediate influence of this HIP on student persistence/perseverance (grit scores) remains undetermined, the retention rates and GPA appear to have been higher for students who presented, in both the dominant and underserved populations. Furthermore, students reported an increase in perceptions of their own learning. These findings are significant and affirm that undergraduate research communities can be considered a HIP for students, including those of underserved populations.

Education for Citizenship as a Permanent Laboratory

2019 ◽  
pp. 517-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Balconi ◽  
Elisabetta Nigris ◽  
Luisa Zecca
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Teacher Professional

In this chapter, the authors discuss the results of three focus group discussions conducted in the context of the teacher professional development project STEP (school territory environment pedagogy) undertaken by researchers and teachers from three EU Countries—France, Spain, Italy—and one non-EU country, Switzerland. Specifically, they present findings regarding changes in how the teachers in the Milano Bicocca case study represented citizenship education practices. The focus group data was subjected to content analysis, using a set of categories drawn from the national reference documents on curriculum design and the transnational curriculum defined in the STEP project. The changes in the teachers' representations concerned three main aspects: dialogue with the local community and territorial context, the gap between teachers declared intentions and actual educational actions, and the adoption of a complex perspective in the choice of knowledge to be mobilized.

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