First, the authors investigated the direct associations of vertical collectivism, ethnic identity exploration, and ethnic identity commitment with psychological well-being among first-generation Asian Canadian university students in Canada (n = 78). Second, to gain a more nuanced understanding of the association between vertical collectivism and…

This introspective critical essay elucidates some of the challenges I encountered in my efforts to persist at various levels of education as a first-generation White student from a low-income background and through multiple intersectionalities, primarily class and gender. My lived experiences and transformation from a near high school dropout to a…

This dissertation utilizes autoethnography to explore myriad cultural and institutional changes that impacted the author's work as a writing tutor at a Midwestern university over the span of a decade. Utilizing both writing center theories and composition theories, data in this text--presented in the form of narrative nonfiction--chronicles…

What happens when former first-generation college (FGC) students successfully graduate from college and then aim for post-undergraduate education? The purpose of this dissertation is to compare differences between FGC students and non-FGC admissions profiles regarding end-of-first-year performance at UC Berkeley's School of Optometry. The aims of…

Undergraduate research is often regarded as the most powerful high impact practice because it encompasses several high impact practice strategies (e.g. faculty-student mentorship, collaborative learning, common intellectual experiences) within one experience. First-generation college Students of Color are often excluded from undergraduate research…

The landscape of higher education is changing. More diverse students are attending universities at higher numbers, yet these students are not graduating. This quantitative study uses linear regression, stepwise regression, and then exploratory factor analysis to examine three constructs--hope, academic self-efficacy, and sense of belonging--in…

The multifaceted challenges experienced by first-generation and low-income students in higher education were accentuated by the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This report underscores the importance of fostering a comprehensive understanding of these students' diverse needs, promoting heightened collaboration among practitioners, and…

This study explored the impact of Advanced Placement and honors course enrollment and high school grade point average (GPA) on first-semester college GPA. Data were collected from 131 college freshmen enrolled at a minority-serving institution who graduated from a public school during the previous academic year. A four-step hierarchical multiple…

This article draws on a qualitative study of 31 Millennial and Generation Z students to examine the meaning of teacher "caring" in a higher education context. Prior research clearly documents the importance of caring to student engagement, although much of that scholarship focuses on secondary schooling. Research also examines the…

The alarming low completion rates in postsecondary education for Latinx students should be a national concern. Teachers can have a strong and direct impact on the academic success of students. College students spend a large portion of their time interacting with faculty in class or during office hours. To assist Latinx students in getting to the…

Assessment is critical to effectively implementing interdisciplinary pedagogy in higher education. We developed an interdisciplinary project for an Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Criminal Justice learning community at an urban community college. The semester-long project involved completing a series of lessons and assignments in…

STEM training of college-bound and college students has reliably employed hands-on experiential learning by placing students in on-campus research settings. Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center's Young Empowered Scientists for ContinUed Research Engagement (DF/HCC's YES for CURE) program introduces Massachusetts high school and college students from…

Youth who were in foster care as adolescents make up a small but highly vulnerable subpopulation of the college student body. This article analyzes secondary data collected from one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies of foster youth. The analytic sample includes 329 foster youth from three Midwestern states who attended college in the…

This article provides a portrait of the challenges and promise of Latino schooling in California's agricultural Central Valley, site of one of the largest and socioeconomically vulnerable Latino populations in the nation's most populous state. Through surveys, interviews, and participant observation, we document a multi-year "Placed-Based…

First-generation (FG) students are generally less likely than their continuing-generation (CG) peers to persist and complete a degree. Using student data available at initial enrollment, this multi-institutional study examines retention and transfer at the second year in relation to academic readiness, financial resources, college intentions,…