The evolution of the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) from knowledge generation to societal transformation has heightened the focus on how internship programs serve diverse student populations (Altbach et al., 2019). In Sub-Saharan Africa, there has been a notable trend toward incorporating structured and mandated internship programs…

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a virtual mentored research program, the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP), affects sense of belonging among underserved students in science fields. Examining the effects of virtual research programs can contribute to the body of research on ways to instill sense of belonging…

It is estimated that 15-22% of students have high levels of test anxiety (von der Embse, Jester, Roy, & Post, 2018), which can be associated with greater academic stress and poorer educational performance (e.g., Steinmayr, Crede, McElvany, & Withwein, 2016). First-generation students (where neither parent has completed post-secondary…

Background: Because of the social and systemic barriers encountered by first-generation college students, this population is at risk for poorer health outcomes. However, there is no identified research investigating whether this includes sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The aim of the study was to identify whether first-generation students…

There is an increasingly large disparity in college graduation rates among low-income and first-generation college students. Research suggests that the main reason for this discrepancy is the lack of access to information and knowledge about the college process. First-generation students have fewer people in their social network who went to…

Hispanic college students typically report a lower sense of belonging than their White peers, citing challenges related to first generation student status, low-income family backgrounds, and academic underpreparedness. The present study asked whether Hispanic students would have a lower sense of belonging than non-Hispanic White students and…

Objective/Research Question: This research explores how community college students, who are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and aspire to vertical transfer in STEM make choices about majors and transfer destinations. The question is important to advancing equity in STEM, which continues to…

This qualitative research study explores student perceptions of how they build relationships with faculty, including factors that facilitate or undermine these relationships. Building such relationships is an important part of mentoring. Interviews with students reveal the importance of both innovative institutional supports and faculty…

Student employment has become widespread across many European countries, eliciting the question of how working while studying affects student retention. Previous research mostly agrees that it does by arguing that firstly, students who work long hours (i.e. more than 10 h per week) are more likely to leave university early, and also shows that…

Existing research on first-generation college graduates' professional experiences is limited because previous research has focused on first-generation students' experiences from high school to higher education and the barriers and persistence factors that impact their experiences during their undergraduate studies. The research that does examine…

Universities nationwide have sought ways to support the retention of students on their campuses, particularly first-generation students. One such method is through summer bridge programs designed to offer academic and social support to new incoming students in the months before their first year begins. Christian institutions' faith-based mission…

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) can improve student skills, retention, and matriculation to postgraduate study. Traditionally, UREs are available mostly in the natural and biological sciences, which have fewer minority and women majors and thus have disproportionately excluded these groups from such experiences. One effective solution is…

Most undergraduate students enroll in college with the aim of securing a professional career after graduation; however, not all students achieve this goal. Prior research has explored whether career outcomes differ between students of varying academic and demographic backgrounds, but few studies have examined whether first-generation status is…

The problem is instructor engagement with first-generation medical assistant students is minimal, resulting in decreased graduation rates in medical assistant programs. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe perceptions of instructors regarding how student-instructor relationships influence program completion with…

This quantitative, correlational study investigated the predictive relationship between servant leadership characteristics of Servant TRIO SSS advisors and first-generation students' college adjustment and semester persistence. A total of 310 first-generation students in TRIO SSS programs within the United States participated in the study.…