Academic enrichment programs seek to address the challenges first-generation students face, but research tends to focus on academic outcomes. In this study we investigated first-generation students' perceptions of how a program addresses their mental well-being. A total of 25 undergraduate students who were enrolled in an academic enrichment…

Although an increasing number of first-generation students are beginning tertiary education, many are not completing their degrees. In an attempt to improve retention and graduation rates, learning communities responsive to the unique needs of first-generation students are becoming more common. This paper explores the implementation of ePortfolios…

This dissertation examines the role of the faculty-student interaction in the perceived sense of belonging first generation students experience while attending 2-year community college. While Strayhorn's (2012) definition of sense of belonging is referenced this researcher has developed a diagram that focuses on the sense of belonging that focuses…

For the institution and its regional campuses under review, the amount of outstanding student liabilities (i.e., monies owed by the student to the institution for educational-related expenditures not satisfied by the end of the term) grew at an alarming rate between 2000 and 2014, with some of the institution's regional campuses experiencing over…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the predictors of community college transfer student success. Through exploring student demographics and background characteristics (e.g. race/ethnicity, gender, first-generation student status, socioeconomic status, number of transfer credit hours, attempted/completed credits), significant predictors of…

This study explored the key factors that had the greatest impact on their decision to attend a particular HBCU. Forty to 60-minute semi-structured interviews were conducted with 4 focus groups. The results indicated that cost, campus environment, academic majors, and family were the 4 key factors that influenced their decisions to attend the…

This article presents implementation details and findings of a National Science Foundation Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM) consisting of many high-impact practices to recruit and retain students in the physical sciences and mathematics programs, particularly first-generation and underrepresented…

The achievement gap, disparities in the academic achievement of marginalized students (e.g., underrepresented minority, first generation in their family to attend college, and low socio-economic status undergraduate students) relative to their non-minority peers is a pervasive problem in higher education. It impacts student access to the major and…

Interview, survey, and academic transcript data with a diverse sample of first-generation college (FGC) and continuing generation college (CGC) premedical intended emerging adults are analyzed to study academic outcomes and any differences in the availability and use of social capital the first year of college. CGC students know many people with…

Career development studies show that First Generation College Students (FCGS) have unique career development needs, less college knowledge, and the increased likelihood that they will not complete college. There is evidence in the research that changing majors could impact a student's ability to complete college successfully, especially if they…

The purpose of the current study was to explore the academic resilience of Black, first generation, low-income college students at a particular Predominantly White Institution (PWI). Through an exploration of lived experiences of Black, first generation, low-income college students, the current study sought to understand, from student…

This study examines the extent to which selected demographic characteristics (nontraditional student, English as a second language [ESL], male student, and first generation student) predict early-program success, successful on-time completion, and NCLEX-RN success in baccalaureate nursing education for a sample of students at a Midwestern…

In fall 2013, California Community Colleges began to implement changes to the enrollment, or onboarding, process. These changes created a college enrollment process in which applicants to the state's community colleges complete several steps designed to create a foundation for student success, including orientation, assessment/placement, and…

Latinos, a growing population on U.S. college campuses, historically have had lower college enrollment and four-year degree-attainment rates than other racial/ethnic groups. The Latino Student Success Pilot (LSSP) is a novel program designed to support first-generation low-income students of Latino origins at Rhode Island College (RIC)--an…

Experiences of 10 high-achieving first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds were the focus of this qualitative research study. Family adversity and difficult personal experiences during adolescence were major themes; however, students benefitted from emotionally supportive K-12 educators and academic rigor in high school.…