Browsing by Subject "Academic achievement--Texas--Austin"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Emic perspectives: the Freshman Interest Group program at the University of Texas at Austin(2004) Alvarado, Cassandre Giguere; Kameen, Marilyn C.This study explored the emic perspective of participating in the Freshman Interest Group (FIG) Program at The University of Texas at Austin. This study employed a qualitative methodology to capture the emic perspective of participating in a FIG. Initially, student responses to a previously administered course-instructor survey were analyzed using content analysis. Student responses to the question “The most valuable part of being in a FIG was” were coded for the first five years in which the program operated. The patterns, themes and categories that emerged from the content analysis were used to describe the student experience. To further triangulate the data, focus groups of currently enrolled former FIG participants were formed and students were asked to reflect on the theme that emerged from the content analysis. The themes were also reviewed by three comparison institutions with similarly structured FIG programs. The key findings that emerged from the data were incorporated into a model to represent the student experience. Participating in a FIG was found to be an individual experience for each participant. Students distinguished between the structure elements of the program and the individuals with whom they interacted while in the program. The model that emerged describes the emic perspective of participants of the FIG program. By studying the student perspective of participating in a successful learning community, this research sought to inform researchers and administrators about the value of learning communities. A deeper understanding of what particular elements were important to the student experience can also inform practice on creating other learning communities and student retention efforts.Item Latina academic success: the role of K-12 school experiences and personnel(2003) DuBois, Cynthia Anne Duda; Black, Mary S.This qualitative study investigated the role that K-12 teachers and other school personnel as well as school experiences such as classes, extracurricular activities and empowerment programs played in the academic success of six Latinas enrolled in a selective Texas university. The participant group attended the same foreign language magnet program from grades six through twelve, making it possible to study their collective school experiences over an extended period of time. The data was collected using individual interviews with the participants and the teachers and other school personnel that the participants identified as having made a significant contribution to their academic careers. Based on the data analysis, the students were identified as having either “low social capital” or “more social capital” resources to further their academic success. The key findings of the study were: (1) It was necessary for students to become enmeshed in the school community network of resources to build the social capital connections needed to pursue a higher education. (2) For students with low social capital resources the school was the primary source of social capital connections that enabled them to pursue a post-secondary education. (3) For students with greater social capital resources, the school worked as an important partner with the family to enhance the students’ academic success. This study is significant because it deconstructed the interactions between students and teachers to differentiate between those teachers who were emotionally supportive and those teachers who helped students build social capital connections that enabled them to be accepted into a selective university and to continue to be academically successful at the university level.