Search

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent of current e-learning uptake in Tanzanian universities. The quantitative approach involving survey design was adopted in the collection of data. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 400 respondents, with a rate of return 85.5%. The average reliability of variables 0.949 was determined using Cronbach's Alpha. Fuzzy Logic model and t-test were adopted for data analysis. The findings revealed that the average extent of current e-learning uptake among students and academicians were less than half of threshold amounting to 50% (i.e. level of awareness was 16%, availability was 20.6%, accessibility was 17%, attitude was 15% as variables used). There was no statistically significant difference in e-learning uptake among students and academicians as the value of p > 0.05. The findings of this study established a base ground and guidelines to inform the e-learning stakeholders and policymakers to find and establish suitable policy as well as mechanism to adopt and encourage sustainable use of e-learning systems for life-long teaching and learning. The originality of this study is based on the addition of new variables and methodologies employed as empirical evidence based on the extent of e-learning uptake in Tanzanian universities.

The majority of states in the U.S. have adopted a performance-based funding (PBF) policy, but we know very little about how PBF adoption affects completion outcomes among underserved subgroups of students or whether specific design elements of PBF policies exacerbate inequities facing traditionally disadvantaged students. In this study, we show that high-dosage PBF policies had a negative impact on bachelor's degree production among [End Page 415] racially minoritized students but a positive impact on bachelor's degree production among white students. We also report a positive impact on bachelor's degree production among adult students when the PBF policy included a targeted incentive for graduating adult students, suggesting that PBF policy design represents a critical but understudied area of study with implications for underserved students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through outside-the-classroom activities (OCA), college students accumulate currencies for graduate school or the workforce. Because parents' education level may foster both the ability and predisposition to participate in OCA, insight into its connection to this type of participation may help practitioners and policymakers tailor students' campus involvement better. Although the authors found few parental-education differences in student participation among academically focused OCA in the Wabash National Study, there were differences surrounding leadership, social activities, and work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that Early College high schools have a significant impact on high school and college outcomes for students from low income and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds, but how similar opportunities extend to English learners (ELs) remains unknown. We examine a program that offers Early College opportunities in high schools serving large EL populations in California. Leveraging an exogenous policy change and rich administrative records, we look at the outcomes of pre- and postprogram cohorts of ELs (N = 15,090) in treated and untreated high schools. We find large, significant estimated effects on college credits earned in 12th grade but no effect on immediate college attendance after high school. The probability of attending a 4-year college decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of higher education in Taiwan has significantly increased the number of college students, including substantial growth of those studying at the master's degree level. While prior research indicates that the quality of institutions affects students' achievements, there have been no empirical investigations of how college experiences shape students' educational aspirations for pursuing graduate education. In this study, we applied hierarchical generalized linear model analytics to national student survey data to examine the factors that contribute to students' aspirations for pursuing graduate and professional education. The results revealed that gender, admission types, minority status, financial support, SES, academic preparation, college choice, education expectations, college experience domain, and social integration were significantly related with institutional quality, which further affected progression to the next level of education. The findings highlighted the importance of collegiate experiences and suggested that institutions should provide supporting services for students in the profession of student affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly accepted that college students from poverty have disadvantages contributing to expected likelihood of failure. This four-year longitudinal study of a group of college students from poverty reveals a different picture. Given adequate financial support removing financial worries, these students have done better than their college peers. Academic success is associated with authenticity, a personality characteristic that cuts across all college students. We suggest that bias in education and research has led us to overlook the power of genuine financial support of students from poverty, as well as the strengths they bring with them that "money can't buy." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, going to college has become increasingly financially difficult in the United States. Tuition prices continued to rise, state funding for higher education declined, and the mean family income declined or stagnated for all but the top 20 percent of families (Goldrick-Rab 2016). In a period where college has risen to be the preeminent way Americans can make a better life for themselves, it is becoming more difficult for Americans to pay for college. Financial aid does not cover as much of the price of college as it once did (Goldrick-Rab 2016), and college students are relying on financing methods like student loans more than ever before. Student loans, however, are not the only credit-based financial strategy college students use to pay for college (Manning 2000, 2005). With the explosion of consumer credit access from the 1980s to the 2000s, college students are using credit cards, many times to bridge gaps in their budgets as they try to pay for college. This paper utilizes data from the Education Longitudinal Study (2002–12) to examine the link between college student credit card use and bachelor's degree attainment and demonstrates that college students who carry a balance on their credit card from month to month have a lower likelihood of completing a bachelor's degree, net of other important factors. Research in the fields of financial counseling and planning, consumer studies, public policy, sociology, and health has explored college student credit card spending behaviors, associated health and educational outcomes, and the influence of family backgrounds on credit card use. This paper extends this existing body of research by considering how college student credit card use influences educational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how a specific form of parental support—parental validation—is related to students' college experiences and institutional commitment. Results based on a survey of first-generation and low-income students indicated that parental validation is related to students' social and academic engagement, sense of belonging, and institutional commitment. Students' sense of belonging also contributes to explaining the relationship between parental validation and students' institutional commitment. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The college enrollment landscape has changed vastly in the last couple of decades. As such, regional public universities (RPUs) have had to become increasingly strategic in how they recruit new students to attend their institutions. For example, total college enrollment has declined from 2010 to 2017, and this population continues to become more diverse in race/ethnicity and socioeconomic background. This chapter highlights the strategic enrollment‐related changes that these institutions have undergone across key variables. We close with two case studies, examining these changes across two state systems of higher education to better understand how these variations occur in contexts of broader state demographics and public policies. The findings from this chapter suggest that RPUs have largely experienced similar changes together over the last 10 years of this analysis, showing modest increases in tuition rates and institutional aid amid declining state appropriations and decreases in average first‐year standardized test scores and graduate student enrollment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of contextual and motivational factors as well as, crucially, their interaction in predicting university students' dropout intentions. We focus on context-related problems in students' degree program as contextual factors and students' personal best goals (PB goals) as motivational factors. The sample of this study comprised 432 university students (74.3% female) enrolled in master's degree programs at Austrian universities. Data was analyzed by means of structural equation modeling and latent moderated structural equation modeling. The results indicated that PB goals were negatively associated with dropout intentions, while context-related problems were positively associated with dropout intentions. In addition, the context-related problems × PB goals interaction effect proved significant and negatively predicted dropout intentions. By showing that the positive relation between context-related problems and dropout intentions can be reversed by increasing PB goals, we provide empirical evidence of the buffering effect of PB goals in the face of context-related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International evidence shows that students from more disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to attend university. We examine the potential link between university aspiration and secondary schools' attainment grouping practices (tracking/setting). Modelling of longitudinal student questionnaires (N = 6680) completed in England suggests that there is a slight cumulative association between students' university aspirations and their set placement. Interestingly, we find that students' self-confidence predicts university aspirations over and above both prior aspirations and attainment. Our findings suggest that to improve our understanding of students' university aspirations it is crucial to take account of factors other than just prior attainment. The concept of capacity to aspire emphasises the multiplicity of factors involved in enabling or hindering aspirations for university, and their interaction over time. We argue that universities have an important role in realising more socially just patterns in higher education participation through outreach work that can enhance students' capacity to aspire to university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, this study examined the relationship between student and institutional characteristics and college student voting in the 2012 U.S. general election, and how this relationship varied by socioeconomic status (SES). After controlling for several student- and institution-level characteristics, we found that student major and in- or out-of-state enrollment status as well as institutional structural diversity and institutional Carnegie Classification predict voting, but not necessarily for both low-and high-SES students. These findings have implications for civic education and higher education's fulfillment of its civic mission. [End Page 1665] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores sense of community (SOC) among low‐income college students. The development of a SOC among college students, especially low‐income students, may be particularly vital because of its implications for student success. Six low‐income Arizona State University students were selected based on receipt of a prestigious last‐dollar scholarship. Using narrative inquiry, participants were interviewed about their understanding and experiences with communities. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Participant narratives were created to provide context and in‐depth understanding of experiences. We identified the following themes: (a) mutual support and caring; (b) shared values and goals; (c) interaction and intentionality; and (d) community as self‐constructed, intersecting, and nonlinear. These findings expand existing literature on SOC, with an emphasis on low‐income students in university settings. This research offers an opportunity to examine ways in which universities and student services can provide students an opportunity to better understand their own SOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roma university students' personal networks become unstable in the process of college transition. We describe the personal networks of these students using the model set up by Brandes et al. (in: Proceedings of the IEEE pacific visualization symposium (Pacific Vis'08), IEEE Computer Society Press, 2008) and analyse the identified groups utilizing the social capital approach. We mapped seventy-six students' networks applying contact diary. Origin, host and fellow groups significantly differ in their composition; they provide different ('bonding' or 'bridging') type of resources, and their availability to the Roma students is also different. We found significant differences between the students in their tendency to rely on certain groups in the process of academic adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article examines factors associated with college outcomes in a migrant Latina/o college student sample enrolled in the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). We also examine the relationship between CAMP services and students' academic perceptions (i.e. college academic self-efficacy, academic resilience, and school connectedness). High school achievement and academic resilience were significant positive predictors of college GPA, while living on-campus was a negative predictor. Financial aid in the form of loans, having family responsibilities, and working full-time off campus were negative predictors of persistence, while involvement in CAMP's personal and academic counseling services was a positive predictor. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation was conducted on a university peer mentoring program for Latina/o college students (mostly freshmen and first generation) at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Data were collected across 3 years from 458 Latina/o students with mentors and 86 Latina/o students without mentors (Year 3). Quantitative and qualitative data indicated mentees viewed peer mentors as social capital (e.g., emotional and academic support). Mentees reported increased university integration and connection at posttest, significantly greater than nonmentored students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on a cohort of high school students from a Midwest metropolitan region, this study combines multiple sources of data and uses a multinomial logistic regression to model student postsecondary choices with respect to whether and where to attend college. Specifically, we examined the enrollment patterns by proximity to the home region and factors associated with these college decisions. The results suggest that these students’ college choices were a process influenced by both precollege individual characteristics and social contexts. The findings also supported our hypothesis that acquisition of various types of capital and academic success of the school district (as one of several indicators of a college-going culture) were negatively related to student preferences for college proximity. These findings highlight the interplay between individual, family, community, and school at different levels as it influences college decisions of students from the deindustrialized Midwest region and regions alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families have been getting more and more involved in their children’s education. This paper presents findings of a study investigating family involvement in their members’ undergraduate studies attending a state (non-fee-paying) and a private (fee-paying) university in Cyprus. The data presented in the paper were collected via online logs completed by administrative personnel in the two universities documenting incidents of family involvement. The data analysis demonstrates how similarly the phenomenon manifests in both universities and suggests that where the two universities differ is more in the intensity of the various modes of family involvement. It also projects students’ desires and encouragement of their family’s involvement and their families’ intervention to protect or guide them. The findings of the study are discussed in view of cultural and societal norms and changes about parenthood and the relationship between families and their university age members in a marketized higher education context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter addresses the impact of free community college and state merit scholarships on college-going patterns of high school graduates, community college revenue contexts, and student access and completion at community colleges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of students’ experiences of the House system, an innovative scheme introduced for business students, aiming to enhance student experience. The findings are based on a survey of 350 students and 4 group interviews. Analysis of the findings, both statistical and qualitative, indicated perceived clear benefits for the House system, including making friendships, being mentored by supportive staff and skills development. However, they also perceived disadvantages, particularly with regard to unawareness of the system, and limited extra-curriculum and employability activities. The paper concludes that active participation in the House system has a potentially useful role in creating a meaningful and collaborative environment amongst students and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines individual and institutional characteristics which may influence the outcomes of university students’ careers. Withdrawals, course changes, delays and graduations of students enrolled in first-cycle degree courses in a large public university in Italy are examined. Individual longitudinal data from administrative archives were used, taking into account both the temporal dimension and the organisational and structural characteristics of the degree courses. Results indicate that the profile of a successful student is defined by both socio-demographic factors and pre-university educational experience. At course level, restricted access to courses, study fields and course size were important for students’ university careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper discusses changes in the higher education sector, growing competition as a result of new private education providers and the adoption of the student-as-customer perspective in recruitment and marketing of higher education institutions. The paper reviews numerous models of student choice and identifies inconsistencies in the role of social factors in the student choice. These inconsistencies are of special importance in the current higher education landscape and growing prominence of peer-to-peer communication via social media. Consequently a thorough understanding of influences that effect student choice of higher education institutions is imperative. This conceptual paper puts forward a conceptual framework that integrates Herbert Kelman's processes of social influence and Robert B. Cialdini's and Noah J. Goldstein's goals that underpin the acceptance of that influence to examine the effects social context has on student choice of higher education institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A collaborative project of several Quebec universities, this study investigates nontraditional student withdrawal from undergraduate accounting programmes. A nontraditional student is older than 24, or is a commuter or a part-time student, or combines some of these characteristics. Univariate and multivariate analyses of student dropout factors were performed. A logistic regression for full-time students indicates several significant determinants of student withdrawal: returning to school after working for some time, enrolment in a non-first choice programme, dissatisfaction with programme choice and courses, and low grade point average (GPA). For part-time students, low GPA is the main explanatory factor for student withdrawal. Other factors appear to be instrumental in withdrawal decisions, such as management of external resources (time and family responsibilities) for women. The results suggest that students would benefit from university support services to acquire learning strategies that improve perseverance. Lastly, in-class learning activities that help bolster grades could decrease student withdrawal rates. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Participation in study abroad programs (SAPs) is widely viewed as offering important professional and personal benefits for college students. This study applies the Theory of Reasoned Action [Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980).Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.] as a theoretical framework to better understand how undergraduate students’ individual attitudes and subjective norms from three social groups (family, friends and professors) impact their intent to participate in SAPs. Surveys were conducted at three public and private universities in the USA and Taiwan. The results suggest that both individual attitudes and subjective norms are influential factors for college students, and the effects are dependent on the type of SAPs. The current research offers several additions to the SAPs literature. Also, the results offer new insights for higher education and other institutional managers for increasing student participation in SAPs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper aims to analyse the effects of students’ social relationships at university on students’ success. Specifically, whether a student with heterogeneous relationships obtains better academic results than a student whose relationships are mostly with classmates. Further, the research examines whether students’ social relationships make up for their parents’ lack of human capital. A survey was answered by a sample of 867 students from universities in the metropolitan region of Barcelona. The findings suggest that the effects of social relationships are not always positive. The benefits of social networks at university interact with the type of degree studied, the student’s dedication to studies, and the student’s social class. Perceptions of progress for each category of students is different: It is more positive for those with frequent heterogeneous relations, who do not work or do so for a few hours, and for those who are enrolled in “hard” science courses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the role of parents in students' college experiences and the relationship between college students and their families. Topics discussed include influence of media and stereotypes on parents in higher education; rise in communication of millennial generation with their parents; and rise in higher education diversity with college enrollments.

This qualitative study explores how low-income, first-generation, White students experienced their social class during college. Particular attention was given to how students’ spent their time, energy, and resources during college. Overall, participants’ stories reflected students who felt overextended and overwhelmed during college mostly due to the necessity of work combined with the rigors of collegiate academics. Implications for higher education research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Students take into account different factors in their choice of university studies and college. Some are global, as the quality of the degree (ratio available places/firstchoice places in, cut-off grade, etc.), and others are subjective factors (e.g.: my friends are also taking this degree). In this work we present a partial multivariate model that takes into account the weight of the different variables shown by different works linked to this decision. We have studied three samples ( $$n = 372$$ from the Universidad Pablo de Olavide; $$n =$$ 2,244 from the Universitat Politécnica de Valencia, and $$n = 543$$ from the Universitat de Barcelona) from several degrees in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 academic years, all of them new students, coming from high school, and who had choosen these universities as first choice. The global effect shows that the structural model fits reasonably well in the three universities studied. Similarly, university and specialty models show different intensity effects, and we found that, in the case of Universitat Politécnica de Valencia (UPV) and Universitat de Barcelona (UB), they show higher intensity than in Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO). This makes us think that in most urban universities with a clear and regular offer of degrees (engineering in the case of UPV, and Health and Social Sciences in the case of UB), personal and social factors are more important than in the case of universities, as is the case of UPO, with an offer and dimension not yet completely defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that Southeast Asian American (SEAA) students are severely underrepresented in higher education and less likely to persistence to graduation compared to other ethnic groups in the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, this study explored critical factors to their college success. Indeed, several themes emerged from this national sample of 34 participants from five public, four year colleges and universities. In this present article, we discuss one of the salient themes--the role of social capital as facilitators of college access and success. This article concludes with implications for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College student debt and loan default are growing concerns in the United States. For each U.S. institution, the federal government is now reporting a cohort default rate, which is the percent of students who defaulted on their loan, averaged over a three-year period. Previous studies have amply shown that student characteristics are strongly associated with educational debt and one's ability to repay student loans; however, few studies have deeply examined the relationship between institutional characteristics and student loan default. This study examined characteristics of 1,399 four-year not-for-profit U.S. institutions and found significant differences in the 2010 federal student loan default rate by some important institutional variables, including admissions yield, geographic region, percent of minority students, institution control (private versus public), endowment, and expenditures for student services. Findings related to institutional characteristics can illuminate our understanding of the student loan default puzzle, and have implications for student success, academic policy, and resource allocation decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students from rural areas are less likely than their urban or suburban counterparts to attend college (Adelman, 2002; Hu, 2003). Although theorists have postulated that institutional urbanicity directly affects college student outcomes (Berger & Milem, 2000), few, if any empirical studies have examined the relationship between an institution's urbanicity and the outcome of individual student persistence. This study employs multilevel modeling to examine the effect of attending a rural institution on individual student persistence. We find persistence does not differ by residential location; however, student level characteristics vary greatly by the location of the four-year institution attended. Additionally, several of the institutional level characteristics, including other structural, peer, and financial organizational factors, as well as local economic conditions, have an independent effect on individual student persistence. These characteristics vary significantly depending on if the institution is located in a rural, suburban, or urban location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roughly half of all undergraduate students in the United States fail to persist to degree completion (American College Testing [ACT], 2010; Tinto, 1993; U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). Adult students often have higher levels of attrition than traditional-age students (Justice & Dornan, 2001; Noel-Levitz, 2011). This study uses theoretical underpinnings from Bean and Metzner (1985) and Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon (2004) to develop and apply a conceptual model of adult student persistence. We explore the effects of (1) student entry characteristics, (2) external (i.e., extra-institutional) environments, and (3) campus environments on adult students’ persistence. The context is a research-intensive, public, urban institution in the United States. We find that educational aspirations, institutional responsiveness, and familial encouragement play significant and positive roles in helping adult students remain enrolled and graduate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using multilevel models, this study examined whether the strength of the association between student engagement and development of generic student competencies (GSCs) varies across Korean colleges. Data from the Korean Educational Development Institute's 2007 national sample and from 5,445 students representing 60 four-year colleges and universities were utilized. The results indicate that a specific type of engagement is linked to a particular learning outcome, which means that not every engagement type has an equal impact thereon. The findings also suggest that in Korea, the impact on GSC of one of the student engagement types, that is, active learning, significantly varies by college mission and the peer climate of cooperative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the impact of assets on low- to -moderate-income (LMI) young adults’ college progress. In this study college progress refers to young adults who were currently enrolled in, or who have a degree from, a 2-year college or a 4-year college. Findings from this study suggest LMI young adults with school savings were more than three times as likely to be on course than LMI young adults without any savings or who had savings but had not designated any of it for school. In regard to net worth, we found no evidence to suggest that higher amounts of negative net worth were statistically significant; however, high positive net worth was associated with LMI young adults college progress. Findings suggest policy instruments designed to assist adolescents to save such as universal Child Development Accounts may be a simple and effective strategy for helping to keep LMI young adults on course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses college readiness as an umbrella term that refers to the multidimensional set of skills, traits and habits needed by students to enter college with the capacity to succeed after enrollment. It points out that college-ready students are adequately prepared with the psychosocial, academic and practical skills to enroll and succeed in a credit-bearing course at a postsecondary institution offering a baccalaureate program. It indicates that college readiness programs are a major focus of research, policy and practice that attempt to reduce social inequality by providing the connections between K-12 and higher education necessary for economically and educationally challenged students.

College departure involves multiple mobility patterns that include lateral transfer (from a four-year to another four-year institution), reverse transfer (from a four-year to a two-year institution), and stop out (taking time out of higher education altogether). This study addresses how financial aid influences the likelihood of such mobility patterns for minority and low-income students. Utilizing data from the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002, this study found that the effects of financial aid on multiple mobility patterns are similar across students of different income groups. By contrast, non-white students benefit significantly from financial aid, particularly from low-burden aid options (e.g., tuition waivers and grants) in lowering the probability of lateral transfer. No financial aid has a significant effect on changing the likelihood that students reverse transfer or stop out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that examined the impact of using biofeedback and brief counseling in the treatment of stress and anxiety in an ethnically diverse college student population. The study explored whether an alternative treatment model for treating stress and anxiety would lead to a better outcome compared to the traditional brief counseling for students. In the analysis, the study utilized computer-based and portable biofeedback devices.

Although many studies have examined college student attrition, no extant literature examines the phenomenon of undergraduates who discontinue their enrollment in college during a semester of their senior year. This study used both institutional and self-reported survey data to examine the rationale behind seniors' decision to leave college during a semester and before degree completion. Further, because there is a significant gap in graduation rates between first-generation and non-first-generation students, we examined statistically significant differences between first generation and non-first-generation college seniors on this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the 2007-2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, this study tested positively the hypothesis that college students are either likely to acquire debt above the national median or work more than 30 hours a week in order to graduate from a four year degree within six years. These results resonate with the theory of academic capitalism, in which higher education has become a private good that students have to purchase despite governmental programs to provide students with financial aid in the form of grants. This finding has important implications for college affordability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the 2007-2008 administration of the Student Conduct Adjudication Processes Questionnaire (SCAPQ), we examine the relationship between selected student attributes and characteristics and reported learning because of participating in a student conduct process. Results of the analyses indicate a relationship between the selected student characteristics and learning related to consequences of misbehavior and future behavior. Implications for practice relating to developing learning outcomes and suggestions for future research targeted towards the development of more comprehensive models of learning through the student conduct process are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the combined effect of self-efficacy and academic integration on higher education students studying IT (Information Technology) majors in Taiwan. We introduced self-efficacy, which is a psychological factor that affects students' academic outcomes, as a new factor in Tinto' theory, a well-known framework in student retention research. Academic integration is the main proposition of Tinto's theory affecting students' decision to dropout. Students from different populations have various reasons from dropping out of their studies. An examination of the relationship between self-efficacy and academic integration is useful to understand the effect of self-efficacy on academic outcomes on the IT student population in Taiwan. Data from a Taiwanese national survey database conducted in 2005 was used to achieve the research objective. A total of 2,895 records were extracted from 75,084 students in public and private institutions studying in two IT-related Majors, namely Information Management (IM) and Computer Science (CS). MANOVA was used to analyze the interaction effects between academic integration and self-efficacy. The independent variables were institution types and students' majors. The results showed that students from public institutions have higher levels of self-efficacy than students from private ones. Another finding is that IM students seem to have better study strategies and habits than CS students. However, CS students were found to have better collaboration and satisfaction with their institutions than IM students. Team projects, counselling services, and flexible teaching and learning strategy are suggested to enhance students' academic integration and self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to improve our understanding of the postsecondary impacts of high schools by investigating whether or not exposure to different high school contexts may explain academic performance once in college. Drawing on a sample of 3,750 participants from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, descriptive and multivariate analyses examine relationships between students’ precollege characteristics, the high school context, and first year college grades. Results indicate that the quality of the high school infrastructure and exposure to violence at school—two operationalized dimensions of the high school context—affect first year college grades above and beyond precollege academic achievement and a variety of other background characteristics. Results also provide evidence of the conditional nature of these effects, where the high school context reinforces advantages of students with relatively greater economic resources prior to college. Implications for policy are discussed along with a call for a more holistic and interdependent perspective in examining the secondary-postsecondary nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use economic concepts to examine the choice that states make between giving appropriations to public colleges or need-based financial aid to students. We begin by reviewing the economic justification for state support for higher education. Next, we introduce a simple economic model for comparing and contrasting appropriations and need-based aid for supporting higher education. We then provide a graphical depiction of the model and simulate the effects of each policy on access to higher education. We show that it is in the best interest of states to provide need-based aid and not appropriations. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the factors that complicate the reallocation of state funding away from appropriations and towards need-based aid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given significant tuition increases since the 1990s, this study reviews the prior literature related to the price elasticity of college enrollment since Heller's extensive reviews of student price responses. The studies reviewed in this article indicate that the price of attending college (e.g., tuition and fees) and the financial aid that helps students to pay for college have a significant impact on predicting the enrollment behavior of undergraduate students from different socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hispanic Higher Education is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Burton Clark’s proposition concerning the cooling out of underprepared students in community colleges has a controversial history and remains a point of contention. Central to Clark’s description of the cooling out process is the academic counselor, whose job it is to dissuade underprepared students from goals perceived to be overambitious and ease these students into lesser, presumably better-fitting academic trajectories. In this study, I test a number of hypotheses concerning the effect of advising on students’ chances of attaining their goals. I seek to determine what effect advising has on students’ attainment, and whether this effect is dependent upon students’ academic preparation, students’ race/ethnicity, the racial/ethnic composition of the college, or the representation of underprepared students in the college. I use hierarchical discrete-time event history analysis to analyze data that address two subsets of the Fall 1995 cohort of first-time freshmen who enrolled in any of California’s 107 semester-based community colleges. I find that advising is actively beneficial to students’ chances of success, and all the more so for students who face academic deficiencies, which contradicts deductions drawn from Clark’s description of the active role of counselors in the cooling out process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter reports the results of a large study on the effects of part-time faculty on student persistence and suggests that administrators give careful consideration when trying to reduce expenses through the use of such faculty in large beginning courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used the NELS 88‑2000 data base to examine among Hispanic students precollege, college, and environmental predictors of (a) college first enrolled in (two‑year versus four‑year) and (b) undergraduate degree attainment for students who first enrolled in a two‑year or four‑year college. Hispanic students who attended a four-year college right after high school were much more likely to obtain a bachelor's degree than their peers who first attended a community college. Furthermore, precollege variables were more salient in predicting bachelor degree attainment for students who started in two‑year colleges, while college-related variables were more salient for students who started in four‑year colleges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on financial assistance points out the impact of aid on academic achievement, educational commitments, student engagement, and persistence to graduation. What is more, the availability of funds to meet tuition and other college-going expenses not only bears on a student's decision to attend college but also affects to a great extent the choice of college made by that student. This article looks at the influence that financial aid exerts on different aspects of a student's life, provides a financial aid profile of first-time-in-college students across 6 academic years, and reviews different financial resources used by low-income students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]