The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis study was to examine the perspectives and lived experiences of six persisting first-generation, low-income Black students involved with Student Support Services while enrolled at a predominantly White community college. Three superordinate themes emerged, each with two to…

Recent literature and think tank organizations alike point to the notion that the master's degree is the new bachelor's degree. Additionally, universities are experiencing an increase in first-generation college student enrollment as well as graduate student enrollment. This growth in both student populations raises the question: What happens when…

The number of first-generation college students has steadily increased, with 56% of college students identifying as first-generation college students (Center for First-Generation Success, n.d.). First-generation college students are a unique subgroup of students who often face unique stressors, including being of underrepresented status and coming…

This research project explored how leaders and mentors can influence the development of a sense of belonging in first-generation students in the United States. My first-generation experience led me to explore the influence belonging has on the retention and completion of first-generation students. I also considered if education leaders and mentors…

The transition to a four-year university may be a particularly stressful time for first-year college students as students balance greater academic responsibilities while trying to navigate the unique social expectations of the collegiate environment. These challenges may be especially poignant for first-generation college students who are the…

The current dissertation is made up of four parts. Parts I and II are based on a single one year, three-wave longitudinal study, but data was separated into two data sets. Students who completed only one or two of the three-wave study (i.e. "non-completes) were analyzed in Part I, whereas students who completed all three waves of the study…

Appalachia has low rates of college attendance and graduation, but relevant data investigating student attrition from physiology majors in this region are lacking. This exploratory study examined freshman attrition from an undergraduate exercise physiology program in Appalachia with the goal of identifying potential strategies for improving…

Traditional approaches to teaching and learning in large undergraduate STEM lectures has not kept pace with the massification and diversification of higher education. Efforts to alleviate learning obstacles call for improved instruction, stipulating the utility of specific pedagogical techniques delineated as "promising practices";…

The study focuses on the phenomenon of "undermatching" in relation to the development of noncognitive attributes during the first year of college. Particular attention is paid to examining the role of first-generation college student status in moderating these relationships. The analyses utilize longitudinal data from the Netherlands (N…

This study examines the role of communication with on-campus friends on first-year students' college adjustment, measured by academic self-efficacy, among first- and non-first-generation students. It also tests whether school connectedness, students' perceived sense of being part of the institution, mediates the relation between communication and…

This study explores the narratives of first-generation, Latinx graduate students whose parents emigrated from Mexico. We aimed to understand the life trajectories of six participants, particularly the ways in which they made sense of graduate education (MA and EdD) as part of their personal journeys, identity and practice as educators. Focus…

One of the central goals of doctoral programs is to develop independent researchers and scholars who will lead the next generation of knowledge production. Despite extant evidence of inequalities in doctoral education, few studies have closely examined the experiences of first-generation college students who pursue a Ph.D. We examine how…

Surrounded by stories of underrepresented and first-generation students lagging behind or switching out of STEM majors, three women saw an opportunity to shift the narrative. They created a new online speaker series, "The Next 10 Years: Helping STEM Students Thrive"; where faculty, staff, and students could share ideas, learn from one…

Charter high schools largely serving low-income, first-generation, Black and Hispanic students have long boasted of the comparatively high proportions of their students who graduate and go to college. But as these schools and their alumni grow older, charters also are looking at their rates of degree attainment, which remain lower than they'd…

Do donor-driven scholarship funds meet the needs of students? Do they advance equity in college attainment? In numerous instances, the answer to both questions is "no." Scholarship funds housed at community foundations often have complex, merit-based selection criteria and use evaluation methods that are exclusionary or do not recognize…