Date of Award
Spring 5-2-2019
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Secondary Education and Educational Leadership
First Advisor
Karen Embry Jenlink, Ed.D.
Second Advisor
Ali Hachem, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Patrick M. Jenlink, Ed.D.
Fourth Advisor
Shelby Laird, Ph.D.
Abstract
Educational leaders in forestry have been challenged to increase and diversify the pipeline of ‘society ready’ foresters. To meet these challenges, leaders must shift their focus to student retention. By understanding the factors that influence student engagement and persistence, these leaders will be better positioned to support students in forestry programs, thus positively impacting retention. This qualitative case study investigated student persistence of second-year forestry students in an undergraduate forestry program. The study was guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Social Capital Theory and explored the malleable psychosocial mechanisms of self-efficacy, sense of belonging, emotion, and well-being proposed by Kahu & Nelson (2018). The qualitative case study utilized focus group interviews with purposefully selected groups of forestry students, including females, underrepresented minority students, and veterans. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed through open and selective hand coding. Three major themes of student persistence were discovered: (a) Understanding of student barriers; (b) Understanding the educational interface; and (c) Expectations of a career and future. The research findings demonstrate how forestry leaders can create an academic environment that positively impacts student persistence and success.
Repository Citation
Holmes, Maxwell, "A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY OF STUDENT PERSISTENCE IN A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN FORESTRY PROGRAM" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 262.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/262
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Educational Leadership Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons
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