The Repository @ St. Cloud State

Open Access Knowledge and Scholarship

Date of Award

12-2015

Culminating Project Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Higher Education Administration: Ed.D.

Department

Educational Administration and Higher Education

College

School of Education

First Advisor

Dr. Steven McCullar

Second Advisor

Dr. Christine Imbra

Third Advisor

Dr. Frances Kayona

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Daniel Macari

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Keywords and Subject Headings

Transition, Students of Color, Transition into higher education

Abstract

Abstract

This study looks at the impacts of the Advanced Preparation Program (APP) experiences on students of color at St. Cloud State University. Both Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Output (I-E-O) model and Schlossberg’s Theory (1981) were utilized to determine and understand what impact various environmental experiences had on student outcomes. Through the application of qualitative research methodologies, interviews were conducted to find recurring themes within the shared experiences. Six emerging themes were utilized to share the experiences of each student, pointing specifically to environmental experiences which impacted their ability to sustain academically. The themes reflected the importance of engagement during the transition process in order to gain a lasting and valuable impression from their experience. The findings from this study indicated that the majority of the participants were positively impacted by their experience in APP, which allowed them to experience continued academic success through their sophomore year. Astin’s (1993) I-E-O model highlights the connection between each area and points to the importance of the connections made in order to reach the final outcome.

Comments/Acknowledgements

Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Dr. Steven McCullar for the continuous support of my Ed.D study and research, for his patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this dissertation. I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor for my Ed.D study.

Besides my advisor, I would like to thank the rest of my dissertation committee: Dr. Dan Macari, Dr. Christine Imbra, and Dr. Francis Kayona, for their encouragement, insightful comments, and constructive feedback.

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