Research opportunities--in addition to culturally relevant programming, mentorship, professional development, and college funding--have been found to contribute to Latinx students' understanding, confidence, and awareness of research in college (Russell et al., 2007). While programs such as the Migrant Education Program and the College Assistance…

Postsecondary students face a myriad of complex financial decisions and tasks, such as financing their education, choosing a major with a return on investment, budgeting, and crafting repayment strategies for credit card and student loan debt(s). With respect to student loans, many borrowers feel "burdened by the repayment process" and…

We study the long-term effects of a psychological intervention on longitudinal academic outcomes and degree completion of college students. All freshmen at a large public university were randomized to an online growth mindset, belonging, or control group. We tracked students' academic outcomes including GPA, number of credits attempted and earned,…

The College of New Jersey's Chemistry Department and School of Science have been strategically transforming our teaching, learning, and mentoring environments for over a decade through programs that are targeted toward "new majority" students: low-income, first generation, and historically marginalized races and ethnicities. Recently, we…

Benefits of metacognition and active learning on student performance are well understood; however, little is known about the effect of the "explicit teaching of metacognition" combined with active learning on student performance in chemistry courses. Using a quasi-experimental study design, we investigated: (1) differences in performance…

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…

This study investigated how an embedded peer support model that integrates non-cognitive principles, academic support, and peer mentoring affected students' success in completing gateway first-year courses as well as key measures such as retention at a Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institution. The results show that the program had a…

This paper examines the idea of the university from the first-in-family enabling students' perspective. It provides an overview of the current crisis of meaning in scholarly commentary that points to a spectrum of meanings about the university. This spectrum ranges from the ancient imaginary of the monastic university as "ivory tower" to…

Student athletes and first-generation college students have a unique collegiate experience. A case study approach was used to identify the social and academic experiences of first-generation college student-athletes at a Division III postsecondary institution in Pennsylvania. Interviews, participant observations, and documents were employed in…

The Arnold Mitchem Fellows Program (AMF) is a co-curricular, undergraduate research program where first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students learn about basic research skills in preparation for future undergraduate research opportunities and graduate school outside of their traditional for credit classes. This academic year-long…

This article examines how institutional programs and services intended to support students of color are discursively framed and how undergraduate students draw on these discourses to construct narratives of their college experiences. Our qualitative data highlight assimilative and subversive institutional spaces, which support students in…

Professionals in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are often stereotyped as geniuses and nerds (e.g., socially awkward). These stereotypes may demotivate some individuals from pursuing or remaining in STEM. However, these beliefs may enhance motivation among individuals who feel that they fit in with the stereotype. Guided by…

While college education is a key to upward mobility, low-income students are substantially less likely to earn bachelor's degrees than their more economically advantaged peers. Prior higher education literature illuminates various factors contributing to student success, but few studies consider the role of family support after students enter…

Community college students aspiring to transfer into STEM majors at a four-year institution face a complicated and nuanced admissions process. In some cases, students may be admitted to the four-year transfer institution but face additional requirements to enter a STEM major. This study of community college underserved students of color, women,…

First-generation college students face unique challenges in higher education compared to students whose parents are college graduates. These students tend to come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and face difficulty enrolling and persisting in higher education (Horn, 1998; Ishitani, 2003; Latino et al., 2018; Nunez & Cuccaro-Alamin, 1998;…