First-generation college students (FGCS) experience a myriad of unique challenges when starting their university education, including perceiving themselves as being socially isolated on campus (Markowitz, 2016; Nazione et al., 2011; Wilkins, 2014), experiencing guilt as they leave behind academically family and friends (Banks-Santilli, 2015; Orbe,…

This literature review discusses the importance of proper transition support for students in special education and the correlation between their postsecondary success. The transition from K-12 to postsecondary education is essential to student success after graduating from high school and completing higher education programs. Students who need a…

The purpose of this study is to explore student perceptions regarding the transition from elementary school to middle school and to provide an opportunity for student voice to be included in the develop of an improved, data-informed, comprehensive transition program designed to assist all students as they move through this transition. Secondary…

The transition between high school and college is inconsistent and uncertain. Many marginalized students do not understand how to seek out assistance without guidance and mentorship. Although the number of marginalized college students enrolled in 4-year colleges in the United States is growing, many marginalized college students struggle to find…

This dissertation consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the self-determination literature documenting the importance of promoting the self-determination of transition and secondary age students with disabilities, as well as a summary of research examining the self-determination of students with disabilities across…

The dissertation explores as ethnography the transformative process of ten student in a program for students with Asperger Syndrome transitioning from high school to college located in an urban high school to include the extracurricular extension referred to as Ethos. The dissertation considers the experience in the context of specialized…

This applied dissertation described the evaluation of a program designed to provide students with the necessary academic and social skills needed to matriculate and graduate from the university. The problem was that there was no evidence of a formalized program evaluation to determine if the Academic Empowerment Center (AEC) was effective in…