Ketevan Mamiseishvili

First-to-Second-Year Persistence of Students With Disabilities in Postsecondary Institutions in the United States

The authors used the data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study survey (BPS:04/06) to (a) examine the characteristics of the national sample of college students with disabilities and (b) identify the factors that influenced their first-to-second-year persistence in U.S. postsecondary institutions. Students with disabilities in their study display many of the characteristics that are recognized as potential risk factors for attrition in higher education. The results from chisquare tests reveal that academic and social integration and disability-related accommodations are significantly associated with first-to-second-year persistence of students with disabilities; however, when controlling for other demographic, entry, and in-college characteristics, they do not hold significant in the final logistic regression model. Among in-college characteristics, on-campus living, full-time enrollment, degree expectations, first-year GPA, and net price of attendance emerge as significant predictors of persistence of students with disabilities. Recommendations for rehabilitation counselors and disability services staff in higher education are provided.

Characteristics, Job Satisfaction, and Workplace Perceptions of Foreign-Born Faculty at Public 2-Year Institutions

Foreign-born faculty members in community colleges can serve as a valuable resource to their institutions’ growing internationalization efforts. This study uses the data from the 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty to examine the characteristics, job satisfaction, and workplace perceptions of the foreign-born group of the professoriate at public 2-year institutions relative to their U.S.-born peers. Together with other minority faculty groups, foreign-born faculty members, with their diverse cultural and language backgrounds, can be instrumental in serving increasingly diverse student populations in community colleges nationwide. The findings of this study may help 2-year institutions more effectively attract and retain foreign-born faculty members and provide them with a rewarding and supportive workplace.

Students With Disabilities at 2-Year Institutions in the United States Factors Related to Success

This study used data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study to examine the demographic and in-college characteristics of students with disabilities at 2-year institutions, identify the types of educational services available to them, and determine how students’ disability conditions and their selected demographic and in-college characteristics related to their persistence. Nearly 25% of the students with disabilities in the sample did not persist beyond their first year, and almost 51% left without return by the end of their third year. The results from chi-square tests revealed that nonpersistence was associated with depression, physical or orthopedic conditions, and other conditions not specified in the survey. Delayed enrollment decreased the likelihood of both first-to-second and 3-year persistence. Conversely, full-time enrollment, high grade point averages (GPAs), high degree aspirations, and meetings with academic advisors were positively related to persistence. Recommendations for faculty members, administrators, and disability services staff members at 2-year institutions are provided.

Leaders in the Making: Profile and Perceptions of Students in Community College Doctoral Programs

This is a descriptive study of graduate students in doctoral programs focusing on the community college. It explores student demographics and educational background, influences on student perceptions of the community college, and student perceptions regarding leadership competencies. Students in the study are from 18 United States universities in 13 different states.

Examining the relationship between emotional intelligence and group cohesion.

Collaborative learning experiences increase student learning, but what happens when students fail to collaborate? The authors investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and group cohesion by studying 44 undergraduate teams who were completing semester-long projects in their business classes at a small private university in the South. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between overall emotional intelligence and total group cohesiveness. Of the quadrants of emotional intelligence, awareness of own emotions, and management of others’ emotions showed the strongest positive correlation with group cohesion. Implications of the results for future research and practice are discussed.

Persistence to degree completion: A profile of students with psychiatric disabilities in higher education

Accumulating evidence indicates that although the enrollment of students with psychiatric disabilities in U.S. postsec- ondary institutions is on the rise, these students are not persisting to degree completion at the same rate as their peers without psychiatric disabilities. However, a national investigation of the persistence rates and characteristics of students with disabilities has yet to be conducted. This research study summarizes descriptive data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitu- dinal Study (BPS: 04/09) data set on the characteristics and persistence rates of students with psychiatric disabilities (N = 350) enrolled in U.S. postsecondary institutions. The first-to-second year persistence rate of these students was 76.6% while the three year cumulative persistence and persistence to degree completion rates were 61% and 54.7%, respectively. The demographic and background characteristics of the participants resembled those of typical at-risk students in postsecondary education. Although their academic and social integration into their institutions was limited, chi-square analyses did reveal a significant association between first-to-second year persistence and how often students met with their academic advisors in their first year. These analy- ses also demonstrated a significant relationship between first-to-second year persistence and all three social integration variables examined in the study.

Factors Affecting Persistence and Transfer of Low-Income Students at Public Two-Year Institutions.

The study utilized the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06) data set to examine persistence outcomes over a 3-year period across the national sample of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds at public 2-year institutions in the United States. More specifically, the purpose of our study was to investigate how demographic characteristics, in-college attributes, environmental factors, and personal goals of low-income students who enrolled in public 2-year institutions with the intentions of degree attainment or transfer affected their decisions to persist to degree completion, transfer to another institution, or leave. The results from multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that different sets of factors predicted persistence and transfer for low-income students in our study. Early identification of who will be more likely to leave, transfer, or persist to degree completion will help community colleges better serve the needs of their students.

Reconnecting: A Phenomenological Study of Transition Within a Shared Model of Academic Advising

Abstract This study explored students’ experiences of transition from centralized, professional advising to decentralized, faculty-based advising within a shared advising model at a public research university. Data were collected via focus groups and interviews from 17 participants and examined using phenomenological analysis. Four fundamental themes were evident among participants: evaluation of advisor trustworthiness based on perceived professional responsibilities, preference for a personalized advising relationship, apprehension about the unknown, and reliance on previously developed advising expectations.

Postsecondary Integration and Persistence: A Comparison of Students with Psychiatric Disabilities to Students with Learning Disabilities/Attention Deficit Disorders.

Purpose: The enrollment of students with psychiatric disabilities in U.S. postsecondary institutions is on the rise. However, research is lacking in terms of how these students fare in comparison to other students with hidden disabilities (e.g., learning disabilities [LDs], attention deficit disorders [ADDs]) whose enrollment in postsecondary institutions is also on the rise. The objective of this study is to compare demographic characteristics, academic and social integration, and persistence of these two groups. Method: Using the Beginning Postsecondary Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09) data set, we develop and compare persistence profiles of students with psychiatric disabilities to those of students with LD/ADD. This comparison enabled us to identify characteristics and postsecondary support needs that are shared by both groups as well as those that are unique to students with psychiatric disabilities. Results: Although the demographic characteristics, academic and social integration, and persistence of both groups reveal similar patterns, chi-square analyses reveal that students with psychiatric disabilities are significantly more likely to be male and significantly less likely to use disability-related services. Conclusions: The implications of these findings for vocational rehabilitation counselors, transition service specialists, accommodation service specialists in offices of students with disabilities, and campus mental health service providers are discussed, and future research directions for supporting students with psychiatric disabilities to persist in postsecondary settings are recommended.

The Arkansas Lottery Scholarship Act An Examination of the Policy Design Process

State lottery policies have been created to generate additional funds to support public initiatives, such as higher education scholarships. Through 18 participant interviews and document analysis, this study examined how decision makers in Arkansas socially constructed citizens while forming lottery policy. The social construction of target populations theory provides a framework for better understanding how social constructions became embedded into the policy design process. Participants noted that beneficiaries included higher education students and the retail and vendor community. In addition, discussion centered on burdens being placed on people who derive from low income and people who have gambling addiction.