Considerable scholarly attention has been devoted to how gender, race and various other demographic factors shape the odds of majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. Such work has identified sizable disparities in access to STEM fields across various dimensions. In turn, these empirical findings have informed…

We examine the impact of encouragement emails sent to high-performing students in a principles of microeconomics course at a large state university, aimed at motivating them to take additional economics courses and consider an economics major or minor. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find some evidence of an increase in the likelihood…

Higher education institutions are utilizing comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) to streamline support, promote retention and success, and address the structural barriers that at-promise students face. Yet, research about the role of CCTPs rarely explores the importance of major and career self-efficacy (MCSE) for these populations,…

This empirical paper proposed collaborative learning as a strategy to enhance performance in Accounting among university students. There has been a notable continuous trend of poor performance in Accounting from the first-year level to the fourth year. Again, there is also a noticeable decline in the number of students majoring in Accounting…

Recent interest in academic well-being has promoted universities to take proactive measures that support students in navigating the challenges of university life, in all its complexity. Drawing on systems theory, this study explored the sources of engineering students' academic well-being at one university in Qatar. Q methodology was applied to…

Over a dozen rigorous randomized-controlled trials show that recognizing worries about belonging in a new school as normal and as improving with time can help students stay engaged, build relationships, and succeed. Such "social-belonging" interventions can help students take advantage of opportunities available to them to develop their…

Vertical transfers, those who transferred from a 2-year institution to a 4-year institution, often face multifaceted challenges and lower success rates upon arriving at the receiving 4-year institutions. This quantitative study focused on three forms of social capital related to post-transfer adjustment, retention, and success for vertical…

The American Talent Initiative's Student Success Research Grant Program supported research studies aimed at deepening our understanding of the institutional practices and strategies that can improve student success at high-graduation-rate institutions. The findings will offer actionable recommendations for supporting lower-income students, while…

This novel study explores "AI-giarism," an emergent form of academic dishonesty involving AI and plagiarism, within the higher education context. The objective of this study is to investigate students' perception of adopting generative AI for research and study purposes, and their understanding of traditional plagiarism and their…

While extensive research has been conducted on social entrepreneurship education and its potential to enhance university students' social entrepreneurial intentions, questions persist in relation to whether social entrepreneurial competence plays a relevant role in this context. This paper presents the findings from a Chinese study that aims to…

This study aimed to explore the factors that contribute to the high level of competitiveness among students in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The expectancy value theory has suggested that the fear of failure (FOF) and a highly perceived value for achievement (expectancy value belief (EVB)) are the key drivers of competitiveness. To examine…

Alcohol consumption and related problems are common among college students. Prior research links behavioral economic (BE) constructs of alcohol demand and relative reinforcement (RR), and alcohol expectancies, with alcohol consumption/problems. However, research has yet to examine the associations between BE, expectancy theory, and alcohol use…

Motivation is critical to student success in learning environments. However, changes in situation-specific motivation over time are rarely explored among online learners. Drawing from the Situated Expectancy Theory (SEVT), in the current study, I examined changes in situational task-specific task value and cost over the short term and tested the…

Visible thinking and design thinking are two approaches that have drawn attention. This study integrated these approaches into the teaching of creativity, by which we developed and evaluated the effects of "Making Creative Thinking Visible" (MCTV) on the learning of creativity and creativity mindsets among college students. Five course…

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global lockdowns changed the way food was accessed and prepared. These changes at the consumer level impacted farms and fisheries of all types and sizes. To compensate for the loss of larger markets and restaurant revenue, small-scale food producers pivoted to direct marketing to remain viable during…