There is a recent call for and emergence of leadership research that purposefully centers students' social identities and lived experiences in order to gain more nuanced understandings of college student leadership development and elevate marginalized voices in the leadership narrative. In this qualitative study, the researchers focused on the…

Large numbers of young people from underserved populations, including first-generation, low-income, and rural, are clearly capable of high levels of achievement but are failing to do so owing to lack of access and opportunities. The purpose of this study was to determine what characteristics of the Health Science Technology Academy (HSTA), a…

Inherent challenges affect first-generation students' persistence from as early as the first college year. Using cultural capital as a guide, this study is unique in that it investigates the contribution of first-year policies and programs to the success of first-generation students in 57 bachelor's degree-granting institutions across five states…

In the U.S., it is well documented that many students enter universities unprepared, lacking the basic academic skills necessary for optimal, or even positive, outcomes. However, less evidence has been reported on this problem in Canada, and there appears to be a public impression that Canada's universities have higher standards, on average, than…

Recognizing the changing demographics of students applying to college coupled with Trinity University's responsibility to help our students succeed, we have created a Summer Bridge program that focuses on first-generation, underrepresented students (FGUS). Trinity's Summer Bridge program has been a success--both in terms of student performance and…

Significant expansions in higher education over the last few decades have raised concerns about an over-supply of graduates in the labour market, such that a degree no longer seamlessly translates into a graduate career or occupation, with the increased life chances this could bring. In this paper, we report a study of undergraduates' perceptions…

This article reports on issues of diversity in the context of "widening participation" in "global higher education" (HE). Mature students represent a third of the HE student population in Australia, Canada, UK and the USA. More research is needed to understand factors that can facilitate or hinder access to HE for this group.…

Although college access has increased, first-generation college students are still less likely to enroll in postsecondary education, and when they do enroll, are more likely to attend less selective schools compared to their peers whose parents are college-educated. In order to understand how first-generation students end up where they do, we must…

Students are increasingly likely to use student loans to finance their postsecondary education. This article examines how students' use of federal loans changed from 2000 to 2016 by students' family income group and parental education level. We use logistic regression analysis and nationally representative data from the National Postsecondary…

College-going culture represents the development of college aspiration within individuals, and also the provision of guidance and support to prepare students for college application, enrollment, and success (Achinstein, Curry, & Ogawa, 2015; Corwin & Tierney, 2007). First- generation students are of particular research interest because…

This article provides a unique insider perspective developing leadership at the undergraduate level. A case study approach was used to examine the efficacy of a peer mentoring program for remedial students.

The current research investigated the extent to which "social identity threat"--the fear of confirming negative group stereotypes--could be contributing to the underachievement of first-generation-college (FGC) students, and whether brief social-psychological interventions could protect FGC students' academic achievement. Results from…

A wide range of occupations require science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills, yet almost half of students who intend to pursue a postsecondary STEM education abandon these plans before graduating from college. This attrition is especially pronounced among underrepresented groups (i.e., racial/ethnic minorities and…

The instructional practices used in introductory college courses often differ dramatically from those used in high school courses, and dissatisfaction with these practices is cited by students as a prominent reason for leaving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. To better characterize the transition to college course…

Building a general education program from scratch for a population of first generation and underserved students provided both a challenge and opportunity. Faculty who had limited previous experience teaching and assessing first year students engaged in study of the best practices and research. Faculty designed a four-year general education…