College students are failing to graduate at unacceptable rates (Camera, 2016; DeVore, 2016; Scherer & Anson, 2014; Schneider, 2008). If graduation is the goal, then retention is the means. The research study sought to understand a potential solution to the pervasive retention problem, by researching a new strategy, compassionate enrollment.…

Although studies such as Wadsworth, Robinson, Beckham, and Webster (2011) as well as Goh, Hannon, Webster, Podlog, and Pillow (2014) have focused on the impact of body breaks and cognitive abilities or tasks, this study investigates the connection between body breaks built into classroom routine and growth mindset education on students' perception…

Sophomore collegiate student persistence is an often-overlooked problem for universities and a relatively nascent area of educational research. In order to address this issue and contribute to the body of research on this topic, the present study was conducted to determine the impact of supplemental advisory services on sophomore student…

Sophomore collegiate student persistence is an often-overlooked problem for universities and a relatively nascent area of educational research. In order to address this issue and contribute to the body of research on this topic, the present study was conducted to determine the impact of supplemental advisory services on sophomore student…

Small businesses with emphasis in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are catalytic in launching the United States' global presence and competitiveness into the twenty-first century through innovation and technology. The projected growth compared to non-STEM occupations, is almost twice as high for STEM occupations which further…

Institutions of higher education place a high priority on retaining students. With orientation programming, tutoring, learning communities, peer mentoring, and other efforts, institutions dedicate the resources necessary to increase the academic success of their students because academic success has a positive relationship with retention. Through…

College persistence and completion rates for students from families earning low incomes are consistently lower than for students from wealthy families. Some of these inequitable gaps may be associated with students' perceptions of fit and belonging at higher education institutions dominated by upper-middle-class systems and norms. This…

Hispanics, and women in particular, continue to be underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The purpose of this study was to analyze cognitive and motivational factors that inspired Hispanic female college students to major in STEM programs and aspire to academic success. This mixed methods study…

In the United States, undergraduate underrepresented minority (URM) students tend to change out of declared majors in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines at a rate of nearly sixty percent prior to earning a post secondary degree. This phenomenon contributes to a general concern that the United States is not producing…

Continued research on the first-year experience of African American male students entering institutions of higher learning is necessary and can provide a deeper look at institutional and individual factors that African American male students may encounter, and impact their academic success. Understanding the issues that affect African American…

Many colleges and universities face record numbers of first year students leaving during or after their first semester of the first year. With increased access to higher education over the past decade the demographic makeup of universities in Illinois and the United States has certainly diversified. In the state of Illinois universities are…

Performance-based funding models are increasingly becoming the norm for many institutions of higher learning. Such models place greater emphasis on student retention and success metrics, for example, as requirements for receiving state appropriations. To stay competitive, universities have adopted academic analytics technologies capable of…

Traditional models of student success in higher education focus on access and retention of students, and fall short in their ability to explain the nuanced dynamics of identity formation that occurs for underrepresented STEM students. Drawing on Multicontextual Theory, I examine how academic environments offer non-traditional ways of developing an…

The focus of this research is to provide a framework for community colleges and community-based organizations to partner in a manner that improves student outcomes in persistence and graduation rates. The proposed framework encourages digital student engagement that assists students with their non-academic needs, such as hunger or homelessness.…

This study explores how participation in a first-generation college student sophomore seminar course, a high impact practice, influences students' perceptions of campus climate, access to forms of capital and involvement behaviors. Utilizing a mixed methods approach of quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to explore the experience of…