The demand for STEM graduates has remained consistent over the past decade, and is anticipated to further increase as the next decade unfolds. Difficulties regarding mathematics within introductory courses has been cited by participants as a contributing reason for transferring out of STEM fields of study, or avoiding these fields entirely.…

Career services professionals and academic advisors support students as they pursue their goals. Yet, scholars know little about the lived experiences of students placed into alternative degree programs after they fail to secure admission or are rescinded from a selective or regulated professional program such as nursing, teaching, or social work.…

This qualitative study examined the intertwined processes of purpose development and meaning-making of 15 participants (12 females, 3 males; age range 18-21 years) students from three private universities on the East Coast of the United States. Consensual qualitative research analysis revealed that as participants considered their purpose in life,…

A doctoral degree is perceived as a milestone in one's expedition of educational advancement; however, studies show that 40% to 60% of doctoral candidates do not possess the persistence to complete their degree. The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry is to explore the factors that contribute towards increasing the persistence level among…

This project is a single ongoing case study that focuses on the teaching experiences of two early-career math teachers working in rural schools and the factors that influenced their decision to work in these environments (Yin, 2014). Both teachers are graduates of Clarkson University's STEM Up NY program, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded…

Projected qualified nursing deficits and high student attrition levels highlighted need to investigate cultivation of grit, a malleable trait involving perseverance and passion despite challenges and difficulties. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate how second-year nursing students with high levels of…

This article focuses on student persistence in Higher Education. It examines qualities that enable students to persist in their studies despite the challenges they face, and key factors interplaying with and affecting these qualities. This study utilised the explanatory mixed-methods approach. It comprised a faculty-wide survey which explained the…

The online doctoral population is growing steadily worldwide, yet its narratives have not been thoroughly reviewed so far. We conducted a systematic review summarizing online PhD students' experiences. ERIC, WoS, Scopus, and PsycInfo databases were searched following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and limiting the results to peer-reviewed articles of the…

Relationship dynamics between students and teachers are an essential element of one-on-one teaching and learning in music schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors leading to student-teacher dyad dissolution in post-secondary music performance studios. A total of 30 students and 30 teachers were interviewed. Interview…

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) suffer disproportionately from coronavirus-related illness, death, and financial loss. The aim of this retrospective, qualitative study was to better understand the experiences of BIPOC students at a Bronx-based public university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected from a reflective final…

When the pursuit of doctoral studies and motherhood intersect, the risk of attrition increases. Although other studies have explored the challenges of student mothers in academia, this study looked at how mentorship might mediate them. This phenomenological study examined the mentoring experiences of doctoral student mothers or recent graduates in…

This study identifies the factors that help doctoral students cope with difficulties in their studies, based on social reproduction theory and the anti-deficit approach. A thematic analysis of 23 semi-structured interviews of doctoral students at six universities revealed that first-generation and continuing generation doctoral students had to…

Mentoring can change the course of our lives and, in graduate education, is defined as "a personal relationship in which a more experienced faculty member or professional acts as a guide, role model, teacher, and sponsor of a less experienced graduate student or junior professional" (Johnson, 2002, p. 88). It has been posited that this…

The character strength grit, defined as a trait in which people have sustained interest and perseverance for long-term goals, has been identified as a predictor of success and positive outcomes in a number of domains including academic achievement. While grit has been described as a characteristic of those who accomplish extraordinary achievement,…

Factors which impact student retention in tertiary level teaching courses are complex. This study examined facilitating factors and barriers to student retention for students studying education. Due to a limited number of studies, the search was extended to factors impacting students undertaking tertiary education. A systematic review was…