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…

First-generation, low-income, and disabled college students are an increasing population (Tinto, 2012). TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) is an academic support program funded by the U.S. Department of Education that seeks to support this demographic to overcome challenges and thrive while in college (Coffman, 2011). Utilizing a mixed methods…

Increased federal attention to student completion metrics and uncertain financial forecasts have heightened the tenor of student retention conversations. Improved institutional retention rates will lead to higher completion rates and relieve some funding concerns. To accomplish these improvements, institutions have invested in analytics to better…

Over the past twenty years, efforts to turn around low-performing schools have increasingly become a central component of federal and state education policy agendas. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Wraparound Zones Initiative (WAZ), a program supported by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education…

One half of all students who begin college fail to complete their degrees, resulting in wasted talents, time, and resources. Through use of mixed methods, but primarily qualitative, comparative case studies, this research reveals ways a 3-week course in study strategies improved the performance of students placed on academic probation. The…

United States community college students face numerous barriers both externally and internally that impede overall success. There are noted interventions that when employed by the college, have a greater chance of leading students to increased persistence (finishing the term) and completion (finishing their academic/professional program).…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine and explore the institutional policy levers that facilitate successful educational outcomes in a TRiO funded Student Success Program at a large, urban research university in the Mid-South. Three research questions guided the study: (1) how do the educational outcomes of the university's TRiO…

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a two-year senior school certificate available to secondary students in Victoria, Australia, and has been operational for almost a decade. It is delivered by secondary schools and further education providers. In 2010, two programmes from each of these providers were reviewed and considered in…

College student persistence has been a concern of researchers and practitioners since the early 1960s. Traditional models have addressed the need for students to be integrated into the academic and social domains of the college campus. Recently, critical theorists and researchers have been questioning the relevance of the traditional models for…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to conduct a participatory program evaluation of student engagement assessment in Colorado State University's (CSU) Warner College of Natural Resources (WCNR). The college requested the evaluation after completing two pilot studies of undergraduate engagement which led them to consider establishing the…

This research explored the efficacy of blended learning for developmental reading courses by studying the relationship between learners' experience, success, and persistence rates in a blended learning setting of a developmental reading course. Using the model of the blended learning studies done at the University of Central Florida in the 1990s,…

The Bradley Review in 2008 and the Australian government's response echoed policy concerns that young people from low socioeconomic status are underrepresented in tertiary education. In order to address this, responses to both recruitment and retention are necessary. While many studies have looked at reasons for student attrition, few investigated…

More than 25% of new college students begin their higher education careers outside of the traditional fall start date (National Student Clearinghouse, 2012). This study examines the social, personal, and academic experiences of spring admits at a large, private research institution in the western United States. In this study, a spring admit is…