Data indicate that minority students, economically disadvantaged students, and first-generation students are underrepresented in four-year colleges. Contemporary models encourage school counselors to act as advocates in their schools while addressing inequities and promoting the college access of underrepresented groups of students. This…

Research on persistence in higher education identifies the importance of social and academic integration, involvement, and engagement and highlights the importance of the student's beginning years at a college or university in developing institutional commitment. This commitment increases student integration and therefore persistence.…

The lobby of the college building echoes with the noise of teenagers milling around a table filled with books. Hands flutter over the bright covers, picking them up, flipping them over, thumbing through pages. Welcome to an Elon Academy Saturday at break time, the mid-point pause in this monthly gathering of the more than 70 student participants…

The purpose of this study was (a) to explore descriptions of students who attended selected religious four-year colleges; (b) to explore relationships between background characteristics and overall college satisfaction and relationships between college experiences and overall college satisfaction; (c) to explore changes over time with respect to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the complexities of successful attainment and achievement of 10 Mexican American males in a rural Southwest community college. This study strives to offer insights concerning the questions: (a) what behavioral patterns of current family, peers, and conditions in school have influenced the educational…

Purpose: This directory identifies, describes, and contains evaluative data evidence-based practices that improve academic performance, close the achievement gap, and improve persistence towards graduation for low-income, first-generation, and historically-underrepresented 6th grade through college students. Methodology: The directory was a…

Parental involvement in higher education has greatly increased, specifically in the last 30 years. Some parents are hyper-involved in their children's lives, and educational leaders often spend almost as much time working with parents as they do students. The body of literature on parental involvement in higher education is limited. Therefore, the…

The purpose of this study was to explore the informal mentoring relationships of 15 male, Hispanic (Dominican American), first-generation college students, to determine how their mentoring experiences influenced their academic progress, standing, and retention. In-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 undergraduates…

The purpose of this study was to examine college pathways or college access and success of rural, first-generation students. Most research on college pathways for low- and moderate-income students focuses on those students as a whole or on urban low-socioeconomic status (SES) students. (Caution is in order when generalizing the experiences of…

Is being "first generation" significant for undergraduates only? The narratives of 25 first-generation master's students in this phenomenological study suggest not. Participants experienced challenges pursuing their master's degrees, yet these were counterbalanced by other factors. The authors identified five areas that educators may…

This study explored how first-generation Latino sophomores in a public research university describe the influence of Chicano Studies classes on their college transition experiences. Students reported that taking Chicano Studies offered them opportunities to handle feelings of isolation, build awareness of community heritage, develop more…

Immigrant college student populations continue to grow, but the complexity of their unique needs and issues remain relatively unknown. To gain a better understanding of the multiple contextual factors impacting immigrant students from a systems-based approach, I applied Bronfenbrenner's (1977) human ecology framework to the study. Students…

This report, which was commissioned as part of the Institute for Higher Education Policy's Walmart Minority Student Success Initiative, seeks to highlight how specific institutional policies and faculty-driven, classroom-based practices at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) can change in an effort to better support the academic and social…

This study examined how first-year undergraduates' family background characteristics (i.e., first-generation status and low family income) and individual attributes (i.e., sex, motivation, and best friend attachment) are related to institutional integration (faculty and student integration). Low and non-low family income students (N = 961)…

Approximately half of students at the community college level leave the institution before degree completion. Community college students are more likely than four-year students to be first-generation students, attend school part-time, be less prepared academically, work full-time, have family responsibilities, and have entered college later in…