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The Relationship Between Tutoring and student Success and Retention Among Men of Color Enrolled in Community College STEM Gateway Courses in Upstate New York
Get PDFRetention and success rates among men of color in STEM programs remain a critical concern in higher education. Although tutoring is widely recognized as an academic support strategy, limited research has examined its relationship with students from this demographic group outside states with large Black and Hispanic student populations, such as Texas and California. The current study expands existing research by analyzing the relationship between tutoring participation, student success, and retention among male students of color enrolled in STEM courses at community colleges in Upstate New York. A quantitative research design was employed, using logistic regression modeling to analyze data from 1,004 students. Key predictor variables included tutoring attendance, Pell Grant eligibility, developmental education course completion, and type of high school attended. STEM course completion rates measured student success, while retention was defined as continued enrollment in the subsequent semester.
Findings revealed a strong positive relationship between tutoring and retention, with students who attended tutoring sessions significantly more likely to persist. Although tutoring was associated with higher STEM course success rates, its statistical significance varied, suggesting additional influencing factors. Developmental education course completion and Pell Grant eligibility were significant predictors of retention, but high school funding allocation—a factor which related to the type of high school attended—was not significant. These results underscore the importance of structured tutoring programs, financial aid initiatives, and developmental education reforms in improving student success and retention among students from this historically marginalized group. Future research could explore the qualitative aspects of tutoring engagement and the effectiveness of tailored support interventions for male students of color in STEM fields
The Importance of Solution Studies for the Structural Characterization of the Enterovirus 5\u27 Cloverleaf
No full textEnteroviruses initiate genomic replication via a highly conserved mechanism that is controlled by an RNA platform, also known as the 5\u27 cloverleaf (5\u27CL). Here, we present a biophysical analysis of the 5\u27CL conformation of three enterovirus serotypes under various ionic conditions, utilizing CD spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, and small-angle X-ray scattering. In general, a tendency toward a smaller monomeric hydrodynamic radius in the presence of salts was observed, but the exact structural signature of each 5\u27CL varied depending upon the serotype. Rhinovirus B14 (RVB14) exhibited at least two monomeric conformations and a low propensity for dimerization, while poliovirus 1 (PV1) showed a high propensity for dimerization, which was enhanced by the presence of salts. Enterovirus D70 was observed to be somewhat intermediate, with primarily a monomeric structure, but possessing some potential for dimerization. The equilibrium between the two monomeric and the dimeric conformations is also discussed. These results indicate that the 5\u27CL conformation may be more complex than the current literature suggests, thus underscoring the need for a combined crystal and solution approach for the accurate representation of the 5\u27CL conformation, and the conformation of other RNA structural elements, under native conditions
Amorphous Quininium Aspirinate From Neat Mechanochemistry: Diffracting Nanocrystalline Domains and Quick Recrystallization Upon Exposure to Solvent Vapours
No full textQuininium aspirinate is mechanochemically prepared as a crystalline solid by liquid-assisted grinding, or as an amorphous phase (as determined by X-ray powder diffraction), by neat grinding or neat ball milling. Our previous work demonstrated using FT-IR spectroscopy that a mechanochemical reaction had occurred in the mechanically treated neat mixtures. Herein is reported that microcrystal electron diffraction (microED) afforded the discovery of two diffracting micron-size particles in the amorphous powder synthesized by manual grinding, among a majority of non-diffracting particles. Remarkably, microED data of one of them led to the known lattice parameters of quininium aspirinate. Furthermore, this so-called \u27X-ray amorphous\u27 phase quickly recrystallizes upon exposure to vapors of N,N-dimethylformamide, or hexane vapours (at a lower rate); but it remains amorphous for longer than 20 months when stored at ambient conditions in a closed container. The lattice parameters and the degrees of crystallinity of both recrystallized materials are identical within the experimental error. However, slightly more intense and better-resolved X-ray powder diffraction peaks are observed in the material recrystallized from N,N-dimethylformamide vapours than in the analogous phase recovered from hexane. As expected, Williamson-Hall graphs lead to a larger average crystalline domain size for the former solid. These results illustrate the use of microED for the investigation of structural features in amorphous phases, and the generic role of the solvent vapours in promoting their recrystallization
A Deep Dive in Preservice Teacher Self-Efficacy Development for Teaching Robotics (RTP)
No full textNationwide K–6 engineering and coding standards have made it increasingly important to prepare elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach these subjects confidently and effectively. Robotics, which combines coding and engineering, provides a rich context for developing PSTs’ expertise and self-efficacy. This study builds on prior work in which PSTs in an instructional technology course collaborated with undergraduate engineering students to co-teach robotics lessons to fifth graders. Using a multiple-embedded case study approach, we examine how the interactions and teaching roles within these partnerships influenced PSTs’ teaching self-efficacy. Drawing on reflections, lesson recordings, surveys, and interviews, we present the cases of three PSTs—Lisa, Madison, and Kayla—who experienced varying levels of partner support and student engagement. Lisa and Madison were both compelled to lead robotics instruction due to perceived lack of support from their engineering partners, yet they experienced contrasting outcomes: Lisa struggled with disengaged students and malfunctioning robots, which diminished her self-efficacy, while Madison\u27s success with highly engaged students bolstered hers. Kayla, in contrast, developed self-efficacy over time through a productive partnership with a supportive engineering student. These cases highlight the complex relationship between partner dynamics, teaching roles, perceived success, and self-efficacy development. Implications for supporting PSTs in engineering-integrated experiences are discussed
Psychological Dynamics of Physical Activity
No full textPsychological Dynamics of Physical Activity, Fifth Edition, simplifies complex psychology topics and helps students explore practical theory as they prepare for their professional lives. With greater coverage devoted to current references and research, the updated fifth edition boasts a streamlined presentation of content that is relevant and useful in professional practice in kinesiology and physical activity settings.Formerly titled Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise, the fifth edition reflects a more encompassing approach to physical activity and draws from a wider variety of examples and scenarios. Students will be introduced to the latest developments and see firsthand how concepts apply to teaching, coaching, consulting, exercise instruction and leadership, sports medicine, rehabilitation, and athletic training environments.The fifth edition has been updated to meet the needs of students in the current cultural moment, with greater coverage of cultural sensitivity and mental health topics. Students will be prepared to enter their careers with more awareness of stressors affecting their athletes, clients, patients, or students. The latest edition also features new tools for instructors, including chapter quizzes that are automatically graded. [From the publisher]https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/pt_books/1002/thumbnail.jp
A Canvas Decolonized: An Exploration of Haiti’s Colonial History Through Haitian Artists Philemon Obin, Jean Appolon, Sheilby Mecena, Flex Morisseau–Leroy, and Claes Gabriel
No full textA Canvas Decolonized examines the complex realities faced by Haiti through the lens of its vibrant artistic heritage, highlighting the role of art in interpreting, preserving, and challenging narratives about the nation\u27s history and identity. By exploring the works of Haitian muralists, photographers, painters, and poets including Jean Appolon, Flex Morisseau Leroy, Claes Gabriel, and Edwidge Danticat this study illuminates how these artists engage with themes of colonization, immigration, generational trauma, and cultural displacement. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Frantz Fanon and Benedict Anderson, the paper argues that Haitian art provides a powerful medium to analyze and contextualize the enduring legacies of colonialism, offering nuanced insights into Haiti\u27s past, present, and future
The Post-Millennial French Colonial Empire
No full textThe French Colonial Empire of the Age of Imperialism was born in the apocalyptic fires of a millennial movement: the French Revolution of 1789. Millennial movements aspire to rapidly, often violently, achieve utopia by transforming their contexts. Revolutionary France went to war to liberate the world from tyranny and so began both French nationalism and the resurged French colonial empire. The crusade failed, but nationalism and imperial expansion remained. The French genuinely believed that, in their imperial and colonial expansion and domination, they were bringing the world closer to utopia. Assimilation, linguistic and cultural, was a key part of this. I argue that millennial practices and ideology became embedded into the French colonial empire. Contradictions of utopia and brutality are common in millennial movements, which exhibit an extreme form of ends justifying the means. I argue that embedded millennialism is key to understanding the contradictions of the French colonial empire
Cardiac Timing Effects on Response Speed are Modulated by Blood Pressure But Not Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Young Adults
No full textCardiac timing effects reflect the dynamic interplay between interoceptive and exteroceptive processes. Human information processing tends to be facilitated during cardiac diastole and inhibited during systole, reflecting autonomic regulation and the neuromodulation by baroreceptor afferents. Thus, blood pressure (BP) and vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) are potential modulators of those effects. Additionally, cognitive control appears to play a critical role in the processes. However, whether cardiac timing effects are influenced by those factors remains unclear. The present study aimed to clarify these relationships. Fifty-one healthy young adults completed three experimental sessions to assess BP, short-term HRV, and cardiac timing effects. The Multi-Source Interference Task served as the cognitive task, with stimuli presented during either systole (R + 300 ms) or diastole (R + 550 ms). Repeated-measures ANCOVA and regression analyses were conducted to examine the effects of cardiac timing on response time (RT) and their associations with BP and vmHRV. Results indicated that higher BP predicted less RT slowing by systole in interference trials, while vmHRV was not linked to cardiac timing effects in interference or control trials. These findings suggest that individual differences in physiological functioning influence cardiac timing effects and contribute to better understandings of how interoceptive processes shape human cognition
Impact of Geography on Institutions in Agricultural and Nomadic Societies
No full textHow geography affects the choice of institutions is studied in a theoretical model. In this model, nations are located around a circle. Rulers compete through choosing tax rates, the level of military spending, and the degree of formality of institutions. Geographic condition is captured by population density. It is shown that societies with higher population densities choose lower tax rates, establish more formal institutions, and give government officials lower levels of autonomies than those with lower population densities do. A higher level of external threats induces a ruler to choose a higher level of autonomy for officials. The model is illustrated by comparing institutions of agricultural and nomadic regimes in ancient China
The Edge of the World
No full text“The Edge of the World” tells a true story of a mapping expedition in the second longest cave in Texas. When her survey group becomes lost inside the cave, the author uses the experience to propel questions of the duplicity of maps and the ambiguities of human perception. Detailed are the gritty nuances of caving that the average tourist never experiences: the tightness of squeezes, digging for air flow, and pushing for passages. The author finally questions if the blank spaces on maps should really be filled in with new discoveries, for perhaps something is being lost in the process