Many occupational therapy students, particularly first-generation students, face significant academic and social challenges in higher education that affect their self-regulated learning (SRL). SRL involves goal setting, self-monitoring, strategy implementation, and reflection. The rigorous academic demands, combined with the unique challenges…

The over-saturation of labour markets in some countries has led to a devaluation of university degrees and reshaped the factors determining employability for higher-quality jobs. As a result, the social capital of graduates has emerged as an essential resource in addressing these challenges. This study examines the influence of social capital on…

This book examines how higher education institutions positively enhance the learning experiences of first-generation college students. What systems in our communities and world are intentionally or unintentionally producing the realities of first-generation identities, and how can these be upended through a deliberate pedagogical turn? With these…

Research has increasingly addressed first-generation (FG) students both in and outside the center (Baelemian & Feng, 2013; Bond, 2019; Denny et al., 2018; Ward et al., 2012), but there remains a need to address this unique student population from the perspective of critical theory. In a replication study of Bond's 2019 "'I Need Help on…

This qualitative dissertation explored the barriers and self-efficacy of Black first-generation college (FGC) students from low socioeconomic areas of South Los Angeles, California. The information presented explored their hurdles and how their self-efficacy affects their capacity to acquire a college degree. An FGC student is someone whose…

First-in-family (FiF) students experience significant barriers to university participation and are less likely to seek mental health help. This can contribute to increased dropouts when compared to non-FiF students. Using a mixed methods approach, we aimed to ascertain sources of mental health support and underlying factors for the preferences…

As of 2022, one third of college students in the United States are first-generation students (FGCS), with a significant number pursuing engineering degrees. This research focused on understanding and addressing the unique challenges and needs of FGCS in engineering, emphasizing the importance of career and professional development. FGCS often face…

The "First-Generation CORE Project: Cultivating Opportunities, Resources, & Equity" was designed to better understand and support first-generation college students. First-generation college students are defined as individuals whose parents have not yet attained a four-year college degree and are considered an underrepresented student…

Social capital, including engagement with mentors, facilitates educational attainment. However, engagement with mentors differs significantly across groups of adolescents with different backgrounds, including an immigrant background. We investigate how immigrant generation predicts adolescents' engagement with mentors and different types of…

We examine the impact of encouragement emails sent to high-performing students in a principles of microeconomics course at a large state university, aimed at motivating them to take additional economics courses and consider an economics major or minor. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find some evidence of an increase in the likelihood…

A better understanding of how to improve student retention in engineering is required to support students in completing engineering degrees and entering the workforce. Application processes to engineering majors are one barrier to retention in some engineering programs. This study evaluates demographic, grades, application process, and engineering…

Black first-generation college students (FGCS) often encounter challenges in the collegiate classroom due to implicit racism, academic unpreparedness, and cultural shifts. My study explores how strengths philosophy, a social work framework that leverages inherent strengths to encourage agency and change, can enhance the self-efficacy of Black…

This book showcases the experiences of first-generation college students on study abroad programs. Research shows that study abroad programs develop crucial life skills, provide valuable experiences, and enhance academic achievement. However, only a small percentage of first-generation students access these opportunities. By centering the voices…

Developing an engineering identity is crucial for students pursuing an engineering degree. Community college students may experience greater difficulty building and maintaining engineering identities than their peers at 4-year universities. The purpose of the present study is to examine how socioeconomic status (SES) and the S-STEM scholarship, a…

First-generation students, a population that makes up one-third of all college and university students nationwide, and expected to grow, have lower retention and graduation rates than continuing-generation students. They also have been identified as the population of marginalized students that have the least developed sense of belonging.…