This qualitative thematic analysis study examined the motivations of first-generation college graduate Hmong American students in their educational attainment. Currently, Hmong American students are facing cultural and institutional barriers which continue to impact access to and achievement in college. Although there is an educational disparity,…

In 2019, the California Future Health Workforce Commission released "Meeting the Demand for Health," a report that highlights recommendations for addressing California's workforce gaps: the state does not have enough of the right types of health workers in the right places to meet the needs of its growing, aging, and increasingly diverse…

In response to low completion rates in the California Community College system, the 2012 Seymour Campbell Student Success Act requires districts or colleges to provide all degree- or transfer-seeking students with an opportunity to develop individual Student Educational Plans (SEPs). SEPs are guiding documents prepared in consultation with…

The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) is quickly becoming the first choice for many Hmong students to gain an affordable, high-quality education. However, the Hmong population remains one of the few minority groups who are still first-generation and struggles to be college ready. This study used quantitative and qualitative…

To better understand underrepresented undergraduates' motivation for pursuing their major, we examined undergraduates' articulated explanations for their major choice and its association with their motivational beliefs within an introductory chemistry course. Students' (n=503, 68% female, 56% First-Generation College-Going, 34% Hispanic)…

This constructionist phenomenological dissertation study explored stories from nine working-class, first-generation college students, specifically how middle-class socialization on a four-year university campus located in the Mountain West region of the United States impacts the relationships with their parent(s)/guardian(s). My primary research…

Black and Latino men are attending college at rates that are greater than ever before. However, success for these students, as measured by graduation rates, has not increased with greater access. Black and Latino men face greater barriers to their success than do White and Asian men. The ethnic disparity seen in graduation rates extends to gender…

While all students encounter difficulties in transitioning to college, the experience is more pronounced for first-generation college students (Terenzini, Springer, Yaeger, Pascarella, & Nora, 1996). Definitions of "first-generation college student" differ across scholarly studies. Understanding this population's gains in critical…

First-generation college students have received little attention in the social work literature. National data on first-generation students in social work are not collected. However, it is possible that first-generation students are overrepresented in social work programs. This study seeks to fill a critical gap in our literature by investigating…

In the field of psychology, what motivates a person to achieve their goals has been vastly researched, particularly in looking at internal versus external factors. In education, using internal or intrinsic factors that can predict motivation is helpful as they facilitate goal attainment, such as earning a degree. Two factors (online self-efficacy…

The ability of societies to preserve social cohesion in the presence of large migration flows depends on their capacity to integrate immigrants. Education can help immigrants acquire skills and contribute to the host-country economy; it can also foster immigrants' social and emotional well-being and sustain their motivation to participate in the…

Structural barriers are systemic challenges embedded in culture, economy, and institutions that cause inequality. Produced by systems of power, they require large-scale investment and policy solutions to achieve meaningful change. In 2017, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) conducted focus groups with young women of color to learn what…

First-generation (FG) college students (students for whom neither parent has a 4-year degree) face a number of challenges as they attempt to obtain a post-secondary degree. They are more likely to come from working-class backgrounds or poverty (Reardon, 2011) and attend lower quality high schools (Warburton et al., 2001) while not benefiting from…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to re-story the experiences of a first-year music teacher with regard to race and class. Johny was a first-year high school guitar teacher in the southwestern United States who identified as Hispanic and was raised in a family with a lower income. He was also a first-generation college student whose path…

Robust strategic enrollment management plans include an integrated focus on student retention. While Piedmont University has seen steady new student growth over the past few years, retention rates had dropped from the mid-70s to an alltime low of 62 percent. Significant and immediate action was necessary. The Retention Vortex was created as a…