Although it has become increasing popular for first-time-in-college (FTIC) spring enrollment, there has been no empirical study on spring starters. Existing literature on delayed enrollment has not distinguished students by the semester in which they have matriculated. The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) does not collect…

In spring 2020, a worldwide pandemic caused many postsecondary institutions to pivot from face-to-face to online learning for the remainder of the semester. While some institutions reverted to face-to-face teaching in fall 2020, many institutions mainly remained online. As a result, the effect of students' disparate access to enabling technology…

Nation-building and giving back represent a cyclical relationship rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing. To give back in a postsecondary context means to acquire a college degree to help advance efforts of nation-building. Therefore, students' desire to give back is an Indigenous teaching that emphasizes relationality relationships, reciprocity,…

College is associated with positive outcomes in adulthood. However, many students with foster care backgrounds face challenges transitioning into college settings. Young adults with foster care backgrounds also experience mental health conditions and suicidal ideation at a higher rate than their same aged peers. This study examined the…

More than 1 in 3 undergraduate students transfers from one college or university to another, but many do not go on to graduate. Literature suggests that service-learning pedagogy supports both social and academic integration; therefore, we examined whether transfer students' participation in service-learning courses is related to sense of…

Educators, policymakers, and institutions have worked for decades to increase rates of college graduation, but about half of students who enter college drop out without completing a bachelor's degree. Although the rate of student attrition is higher in the United States than in any other industrialized nation, about 30% of U.S. students will drop…

Noncognitive factors, such as academic self-efficacy, motivation, and sense of belonging, predict college students' academic performance and retention. It is unclear if varying profiles of academic mindset are differentially associated with student success. We examined first-year college students' academic mindsets (perceived academic…

For this study we identified factors exerting significant influence on homesickness and explored the impact of the homesick experience on students' academic performance and retention in the first year in college. The findings reveal 2 constructs underlying the homesickness scale: homesick separation and homesick distress. Demographic variables…

Student attrition is a problem in universities. A systems perspective describing both departure and retention is helpful in explaining the circumstances in which student retention is increased, particularly for students traditionally excluded from university participation. Risk factors for departure include poor preparation for college and…

In the current postindustrial era, increasing the number of minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is critically important for the United States' economic growth and its position in the global marketplace. Given the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 projection that the population of minorities is expected to increase by…

We investigated the association between Frankl's (1985, 1988) construct of purpose in life with Bandura's (1977, 1997) theory of self-efficacy as a possible predictor of students who may be at risk for leaving school. For this study, 344 undergraduate college students (233 females, 111 males; 76% White/Caucasian, 10% Asian American/Asian, 7%…

Historically, education has played a central role in the lives of Blacks. Although Blacks continue their penchant for education, Black males have not fared as well in the educational pipeline. Data for this study emerged from a qualitative investigation of factors that promote success for academically underprepared Black males at a historically…

At most colleges and universities, African American and Latino students are less likely than students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds to stay enrolled in college and are, therefore, less likely to earn a college degree. "The Digest of Educational Statistics" reports the following trends: in 2006 30% of Whites age 25 and older…

Black student retention in institutions of higher education is an important 21st-century issue. Thompson, Gorin, Obeidat, and Chen (2006) asserted that Blacks are still underrepresented in institutions of higher education and graduate at lower rates than Whites and Asians over a 5-year period. According to the American Council on Education, at the…

Explores the retention rates of Latino college students, particularly how their experiences and environmental factors contribute to their persistence. Results reveal 11 major categories or themes, depicting a variety of interdependent relationships. The desire to succeed was expressed as the single most influential category. (Contains 35…