Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-2016

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

School Psychology

Major Professor

Robert L. Williams

Committee Members

Dennis J. Ciancio, R. Steve McCallum, David F. Cihak

Abstract

The current study examined the extent to which socioeconomic variables (SES), pre-college academic variables, pre-course collegiate variables, and in-course achievement variables predicted students' probability of receiving and/or retaining the Helping Outstanding Students Educationally (HOPE) scholarship. The study was conducted in the Ed Psych 210 course (N = 181). Much of the data came from the University’s Registrar’s Office. Bivariate Logistic Regression was used in all phases of the analysis. The predictive potential of each subset of variables was first done for variables in combination and then for variables separately.

Socioeconomic status (SES) measures and pre-college academic variable were used in predicting HOPE receipt. The strongest SES predictors of HOPE receipt were parental education level and the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch in a student’s school district. For the pre-college academic variables, HS GPA was a significantly stronger predictor of HOPE receipt than was ACT. When the SES variables were considered, both free and reduced lunch and poverty level were significantly related to scholarship loss. Although HS GPA remained a stronger predictor of HOPE retention than ACT scores, that difference was not significant.

The only pre-course collegiate predictor significantly related to HOPE loss was total credit hours completed. None of the collegiate in-course variables, when considered together, proved to be a significantly stronger predictor of HOPE retention than the other in-course variables. This finding was a function of high inter-correlations between most in-course variables. When the predictive potential of the in-course variables was considered separately, the final course grade was the strongest predictor of HOPE retention. Nonetheless, all but one of the course factors on which the final grade is based also significantly contributed to HOPE retention.

When the top predictors from each subset model were examined together, final course grade was the strongest predictor of HOPE retention. In fact, final grade was a significantly stronger predictor of HOPE retention than overall collegiate GPA. This pattern suggests that the academic requirements in the Ed Psych 210 course closely matched the cognitive and study skills required to perform generally well in the course and retain the HOPE scholarship.

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