This dissertation explores academic persistence among Latinx students at City College of San Francisco (CCSF), using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to emphasize the culturally-mediated nature of goal directed human activity. The study investigates factors related to persistence within the context of CCSF's Metro Transfer Program…

First-generation, low-income students currently complete higher education degrees at lower rates than their peers. It is well established that focusing on a students' academic and social integration during their first four semesters can aide in their degree persistence. This study aims to provide ways in which higher education professionals can…

More than half of the students who start this year at a community college will not return to the same institution the following year. This persistent problem negatively impacts students, institutions, and society at-large. However, institutions that experience greater success in retaining students place academic advising initiatives at the core of…

Low-income, first-generation (LIFG) students complete college at disproportionately low rates. This qualitative study examines this gap from the perspective of university actors who directly support LIFG students in two student support programs at one public university. Drawing on in-depth interviews and observations, this study investigates how…

This study was an examination of the experiences that positively influenced Black male college students' persistence and retention at a minority-serving institution. Semistructured interviews were conducted with Black male college students in their senior year of full-time undergraduate study or recent graduates who had obtained their degree…

This critical, multisite case study explored Students' of Color in STEM disciplines perspectives on the positive mentoring practices of practitioner-educators. Grounded in a critical approach to Bourdieu's social reproduction theory, the findings emphasize the importance of practitioner-educators in supporting students and offer recommendations…

How can universities ensure that the first-year learning experiences are purposeful, personal, and transformative? This study explores challenges post-secondary institutions face in the ever-changing landscape of first-year teaching and learning. It spanned 18 months and included surveys, reflections, and an environmental scan of 92 first-year…

Objective: To increase campus-wide wellness for student service members/veterans (SSM/Vs), student services professionals, healthcare providers, and faculty collaborated to implement the Social Ecological Framework (SEF) over a three-year project. Participants: One thousand six hundred and seventy eight SSM/Vs enrolled at a medium-sized doctoral…

Student retention in higher education has focused on institutional holding power and exit prevention, leaving drop-out recovery efforts to high schools. Students in 2-year colleges exhibit noncontinuous enrollment patterns, demonstrating the need to examine both stop-out (those who return after a time-out) and stay-out (those who have not returned…

This dissertation presents a qualitative case study of students enrolled in online courses and how they perceived the orientation program they completed before starting these courses. The study was based on the perspectives of students enrolled in a fully online program at a small community college in western Maine. They were interviewed…

Ensuring gender equality in higher education system is high on the agenda worldwide particularly in science disciplines. This study explores the problems and prospects of gender equality in public higher education institutions of Ethiopia, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Descriptive survey and analytical research…

Community college students, more often than not, face challenges not typical to those of traditional-aged students. They are more likely to attend part-time, tend to be the least academically prepared, more financially challenged, often working, and have a greater likelihood of being single parents. What drives these students to not only graduate…

Community colleges play a critical role in the pathway to a baccalaureate degree for millions of students, especially among women and ethnic minorities. This study investigates the complexity of the transfer experience among students who began their postsecondary education at a 2-year college and transferred to a large 4-year university.…

To improve student retention in distance education, Simpson suggested in 2003 that institutions analyse their own retention characteristics and "spot the leaks." In 2008 the Centre for Distance Learning at Laidlaw College, New Zealand, employed two part-time academic support coordinators in an effort to improve student retention and…