Student success courses are a common strategy for addressing student retention in higher education. Though the literature implies positive effect on student outcomes, few studies have explored factors contributing to their efficacy, especially within the community college context. The purpose of this modified Delphi study was to identify essential…

We conducted a quantitative analysis to determine how the prerequisite path of students taking calculus I impacts their grade performance. We began by investigating the performance of students that took college algebra and trigonometry versus those that took pre-calculus ahead of their credit-bearing calculus I attempt. We concluded that there was…

A quantitative nonexperimental ex post facto approach studied the relationship between student characteristics and online course retention over three different periods. The research reviewed online student characteristics like gender, ethnicity, Pell eligibility, previous online experience, GPA, total credit hours, and age to test for pre, intra,…

The transition from middle school to high school is known to be one of the most critical times in a student's educational career. Ninth-grade students walk into larger schools; for some physical, emotional, and social developmental stages initiate; many encounter new demands of more rigorous academics; opportunities for participation in various…

High school graduation rates gradually increased to 80% until 1968, at which point there was a steady decline until 2002 when the passage of No Child Left Behind required states to measure and increase graduation rates for all students (Kamenetz, 2015). With this greater accountability in place, educators readily identified ninth grade as a…

This study utilized ordinal logistic regression to investigate the factors influencing the completion of dual enrollment courses among male participants in a Virginia high school program. The research aimed to address the significant underrepresentation of Black males in dual enrollment participation and credit attainment compared to their White…

This study examines the relationship of expected family contribution (EFC) with student success for 427 freshmen students enrolled at Belhaven University in the Fall of 2016 and 2017. Success is measured by grade point average (GPA) and credit hours completed during the student's freshman year. These two critical factors are used to determine a…

Edgenuity is a one of a multitude of digital support tools for instruction and intervention. In 2019,a School District in the South began using Edgenuity -- a digital intervention platform focused on grade and credit recovery. This current study evaluated Edgenuity to determine its effects on students learning and the associated cost. For the…

Even with extensive retention research dating from the 1960s, community colleges still struggle to identify the reasons why students do not return to college. Data mining has allowed these retention models to evolve to identify new patterns among student populations and variables. The purpose of this study was to create a predictive model for…

Research indicates that students don't fully utilize instructor feedback. The "immediate feedback assessment technique" (IF AT, Epstein Educational Enterprise, Inc.) is a testing system that promotes student engagement with immediate feedback during an exam. With IF-AT, students use an answer sheet resembling a lottery scratch-off…

This study examined how traditionally least advantaged populations of urban American midwestern high school students were affected by the pandemic compared to non-least advantaged peers. Previous literature recognized achievement gaps between students in the following groups prior to the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) traditionally least advantaged…

Although high school graduation rates are improving, many students are still not successful. Research has documented that 9th grade is a pivotal year in determining whether a student will graduate or drop out. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to assess the effects of a Tier 1 intervention model (freshmen success) for 9th grade…

This study examines the relationship between mathematics dispositions and the mathematics achievement of Black students. The study aims to elucidate the acute effects of mathematics dispositions, such as identity, self-efficacy, interest, and utility, on the mathematics Grade Point Averages (GPAs) and credits earned by Black students. A canonical…

This paper investigates trends in the study of Modern languages or second foreign languages (SFLs) in Swedish lower secondary school between 2000 and 2018. Over the last decades, SFLs, i.e. French, German and Spanish, have been the target of several policy measures as a response to a declining interest. However, few reports on their impact have…

This dissertation includes three essays that examine the potential of policies, interventions, and curricula in improving transitions to four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. The first essay provides a novel investigation of New York City's adoption of SAT School Day (SSD), which provides universal access to college entrance exams for…