This research study explored the level of student engagement that transfer students experience and how these levels can predict their persistence. This quantitative study utilized secondary data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). George Kuh's Theory of Student Engagement guided this study and influenced the development of the…

The purpose of this study was to decentralize the deficit-based approach in academia of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students in higher education by centralizing the voices of BIPOC students in their third or final years of higher education. The study used the CCW framework to understand further and expand the knowledge of the…

The transition from college to post-college opportunities presented significant challenges for at-promise Black students, hindered by unique obstacles impacting their readiness for graduate school and careers (Thomas, 2017; Purnell & Wade, 2019). National Center for Education Statistics (2019) data underscored low graduation rates among Black…

The idea of student engagement as a predictor of student success was first introduced by Alexander Astin (1974; 1984) who studied student involvement. The connection of student involvement and student success has led to the focus on student and how we measure it to ensure that institutions are doing all they can to improve outcomes. Nothing has…

Newly graduated nurses (NGNs) are not prepared to transition to practice, often leaving practice within the first year. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study, guided by Meleis' transition theory, was to explore the NGN's perceptions of their senior practicum experience and how the experience prepared them for transition to practice.…

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge (Hetherington, 2012; Moreland & Craig, 2017; Pritchard, 2014). Epistemology is central to the practice of research and education (Spears, 2003). The epistemological position that holds science as the best or only way of acquiring knowledge is known as scientism…

Research evidence supports the presence of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among nursing professionals, yet little is known about nursing students' experiences with STS. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore how baccalaureate nursing students experience STS, as well as the coping strategies they employ to navigate…

Background: Black students attending PWIs experience multiple forms of race-related stressors which can result in psychological distress and academic disengagement. Many Black collegians respond to these race-related stressors by participating in campus activism to bring attention to their experiences and demand justice and institutional change.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sense of belonging. The research questions were as follows: (1) What role do friendships have on students' sense of belonging? and (2) How has students' sense of belonging changed since COVID related restrictions have been lifted? A pilot study was conducted in Fall…

The problem is that Black males in higher education have declining retention and graduation rates compared to other ethnic groups. Over the past two decades, Black males have declined in enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Colleges and universities have struggled to attract, keep, and graduate Black male students, especially during the…

Despite college rankings' popular yet controversial nature, there is little known about the relationship between college rankings and students. Prior literature suggests that students who make use of rankings are more privileged, yet there lacks a comprehensive analysis surrounding the types of students who place importance on rankings in more…

This mixed-methods study sampled students in the transitional and intercultural orientation stages of the Intercultural Development Continuum, using the Intercultural Development Inventory, and then sought to understand each participant's self-analysis of what intercultural competence development meant to them and what contributed most to their…

Provided the need to improve and demonstrate student learning, administrators frequently look to strategies such as high-impact practices. These are educational activities (e.g., capstone experiences, internships, study abroad, etc.) beyond the core curriculum positively linked to student gains. While high-impact practices offer promising results,…

University commuter students are typically less engaged outside the classroom than their residential counterparts, being less likely to participate in extracurricular activities and university-sponsored events. This lack of engagement can lead to lower rates of persistence and retention. At the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, a small,…

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological analysis is to explore the lived experiences and stories of three undergraduate Black men in their junior and senior years at a predominantly White higher education institution in the northeast. This qualitative study was conducted with a purposeful sampling technique. The criteria used were as…