The development of an honors program at Rogers State University a decade ago brought about significant positive changes to the campus, where more than three-quarters of the students are the first in their families to attend college. Throughout the years, these young scholars have elevated academic discourse across campus and delivered an impact…

This paper investigates the effectiveness of a National Science Foundation Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NSF S-STEM) program named "Scholarship for Engineering Technology (SET)" at the State University of New York in Canton (SUNY Canton). The authors seek to answer the following question: To what…

This article presents the results of a research project which examined the factors enabling educational upward mobility. The findings are based on 58 qualitative interviews with successful first-generation students who are scholarship holders from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. From an in-depth analysis of the individual resources,…

Students' perceptions of competence and relatedness are known to influence learning processes and achievement, and may have particular import for underrepresented science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learners. Sources of social support that contribute to undergraduate life science learners' perceived competence and relatedness…

The purpose of this study was to explore the college choice and transfer decision-making processes of six high-achieving first-generation Latina/o transfer students who began their postsecondary studies at a community college and later transferred to a four-year Hispanic Serving Institution. Utilizing interpretative phenomenological analysis, four…

School district--university research collaborations represent one strategy to increase educators' ability to use current, research-based information in program decision making and efforts to improve student achievement. However, differences in organizational structures, goals, values, and prior collaborative experiences have made successful…

The purpose of this research is to propose how we can encourage non-computing major first-generation-college-bound students to be actively involved in learning data analytics. Non-computing major students have limited opportunities to take a data analytics related course. The computing major programs have the resource limit for offering none-major…

This study examined the lived college-to-career experiences of 23 Black and Hispanic first-generation bachelor's degree recipients who completed an 18-month career preparation program conducted by Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a non-profit organization dedicated to the career preparation and professional advancement of high-performing…

Often considered the gateway to the middle class in the United States, community colleges are struggling to find ways to support all students in career planning and preparation. Unfortunately, increasing numbers of first generation students who enter community colleges through the door of open access, place into developmental education (remedial)…

In 2015, the Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) was contracted by the Joyce/Cabrillo Foundation to assess the long-term impact of the Academy for College Excellence (ACE) on students who had participated in the program between fall 2003 and spring 2014 at three California Community Colleges: Berkeley City,…

This narrative inquiry explored how low-income first-generation college students who have participated in Upward Bound (UB) experienced their educational identity development (EID). Specifically, this thesis project uncovered how they described the role of UB in shaping their self-perceptions around educational achievement. The population studied…

The underrepresentation of males from particular equity groups in Australian universities continues despite recent gains in achievement. This article presents a case study of the transition of one Aboriginal student, Robbie, from a school located in the Western suburbs of Sydney to an urban Australian university. Drawing on recent theorisations of…

Objective: Increasing rural community college degree attainment is very important to foster rural areas' economic and social well-being. Rural community colleges differ greatly from their suburban and urban counterparts in financial aid patterns and student bodies. However, existing literature is vacant with respect to student financial aid and…

In the 21st century, classrooms within institutions of higher education are increasingly comprised of first-generation and non-traditional age adult students. These students are presented with additional demands that can impact their focus and dedication to academic responsibility. This article describes specific psychosocial techniques that aided…

Study abroad is a high impact practice, touted as a tool for developing global and intercultural awareness. In 2017/18, of the nearly 350,000 U.S. students who studied abroad, sixty-five percent participated in "short-term" programs (IIE, 2018). Short-term programs are often administered as group opportunities, in which students…