Students are increasingly likely to use student loans to finance their postsecondary education. This article examines how students' use of federal loans changed from 2000 to 2016 by students' family income group and parental education level. We use logistic regression analysis and nationally representative data from the National Postsecondary…

College-going culture represents the development of college aspiration within individuals, and also the provision of guidance and support to prepare students for college application, enrollment, and success (Achinstein, Curry, & Ogawa, 2015; Corwin & Tierney, 2007). First- generation students are of particular research interest because…

This article provides a unique insider perspective developing leadership at the undergraduate level. A case study approach was used to examine the efficacy of a peer mentoring program for remedial students.

The current research investigated the extent to which "social identity threat"--the fear of confirming negative group stereotypes--could be contributing to the underachievement of first-generation-college (FGC) students, and whether brief social-psychological interventions could protect FGC students' academic achievement. Results from…

A wide range of occupations require science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills, yet almost half of students who intend to pursue a postsecondary STEM education abandon these plans before graduating from college. This attrition is especially pronounced among underrepresented groups (i.e., racial/ethnic minorities and…

The instructional practices used in introductory college courses often differ dramatically from those used in high school courses, and dissatisfaction with these practices is cited by students as a prominent reason for leaving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. To better characterize the transition to college course…

Building a general education program from scratch for a population of first generation and underserved students provided both a challenge and opportunity. Faculty who had limited previous experience teaching and assessing first year students engaged in study of the best practices and research. Faculty designed a four-year general education…

The current project uses our university's new student survey to compare previously reported trends in first-generation college student (FGCS) retention with those found on our campus and discusses potential directions for future research and intervention programs. Consistent with previous research, our data showed that financial concerns were a…

The American Association of Community Colleges has determined over 40% of the population attending a post-secondary institution is enrolled in a two-year community college. The majority of this student population could be described as nontraditional, including first-generation students, underrepresented populations, and single parents working full…

Using community cultural wealth as an overarching theoretical lens and validation theory interconnected with language and identity frameworks, this paper describes the educational trajectories of Latinx bilingual pre- and in-service teachers in the borderlands. This study explores how its participants experienced struggles and resilience while…

A wide range of occupations require science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills, yet almost half of students who intend to pursue a postsecondary STEM education abandon these plans before graduating from college. This attrition is especially pronounced among underrepresented groups (i.e., racial/ethnic minorities and…

Given the challenges first-generation students face in college including lower likelihood to persist from their first to second year of college and the positive effect LLPs have been found to have on student outcomes, this study seeks to examine if and in what ways LLPs influence the first-year experiences of first-generation college students…

First-generation college students are students whose parents do not have a college degree, and they face numerous barriers in college. Yet, several first-generation college students (FGCS) are successful and are on-track to graduate with a bachelor's degree in four years. Their success is important because education is associated with increased…

A plethora of educational research suggests that first-generation college students (FGCS) are at a distinct disadvantage when attempting to access college. Much of the research on this population examines the struggles these students face. Using a phenomenological approach, this qualitative study investigated lived experiences of ten…

Expanding and enhancing transfer pathways may help broaden participation in engineering. However, colleges of engineering have primarily focused their recruitment and retention efforts on students who matriculate directly from high school. Our research increases understanding of the transition experiences for engineering transfer students at…