This study examines the impact that My Other Brother (MOB) has on college Black male students in the MOB community organization. In critically examining the narratives of 12 first generation college Black male students in MOB: This study utilizes Tupac Shakur's construct of Thug Life as a theoretical and analytical lens in assessing how Black…

Objective/Research Question: The purpose of this research is to explore the way use of student services can mediate engagement among first-generation and transfer students who use disability services at community colleges. The following research questions guided the current study: (1) At community colleges, how does frequency of use of student…

Guided by theories of socialization and possible selves, this study examines how STEM doctoral students perceive their academic and professional trajectories. More specifically, we rely on four years of interview data from 66 doctoral students in the biological sciences to explore students' perceived trajectories, focusing on the salient…

The time is now to examine the nation's capacity to help guide students in gaining access to, paying for, and graduating from college. College promise programs have served as an excellent model. But because a uniform, national college promise model would not adequately serve the estimated 20 million students in postsecondary education, ETS and…

First-generation college students (FGCS) face unique challenges compared to non-first-generation peers. Lack of personal, emotional, financial, or psychological support may create difficulties adapting to college. The focus on affordability in higher education and lowering the cost of a bachelor's degree has also made the transfer process an…

College preparation resources to support academic and college success have the potential to decrease challenges students often face when preparing for college. TRIO programs, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, were introduced in the 1960s as part of the fight on the war on poverty to make the college experience more accessible to low…

This study uses cultural capital theory as an analytical frame to investigate first-generation students' sense of belonging at university. The purpose of this study was to examine first-year students' perceptions of their sense of belonging by exploring the extent that they perceive a sense of belonging, whether they perceive barriers to their…

The purpose of this study is to identify common traits shared by first-generation college graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds who grew up in the inner-city. This research was inspired by Duckworth's grit research at Westpoint Academy which sought to predict which cadets would graduate (Duckworth, 2007). Sixty-three first-generation college…

The present study examines the presence of Basic Needs Insecurity (BNI) among Mexican origin first-generation college students. Specifically, this transformative mixed methods study explores BNI in access to healthcare, housing, employment, and transportation among study participants. Most importantly, this research illuminates students' Funds of…

Access to higher education has been critical in financial stability; however, not all individuals have equal access to higher education. More specifically, students who have been identified as underrepresented, including those who are low-income, first-generation, or a minority, face several challenges in gaining access to college. There are…

This qualitative case study examined the transfer experience of nontraditional Latina students transitioning from a community college to a 4-year institution. For this study, nontraditional students were defined as individuals who delayed enrollment, attend part-time, work full-time hours, are financially independent, have dependents, and do not…

Escalating college costs have far-reaching implications, especially for low-income and first-generation students. Lack of financial literacy can negatively affect the success of these learners and may have long-lasting consequences, yet there is a lack of literature about the borrowing and repayment obligations related to student loans of…

Differentials in graduate employment outcomes are pervasive across Australian higher education. Workforce participation is not evenly distributed across student cohorts, and learners disadvantaged by material resources or geographic location remain under-represented in overall employment rates. This inequity demands in-depth and systematic…

The present study examined the degree to which a large group of incoming college students (N = 2,290) had experienced economic constraints and marginalization across their lifetimes, before starting college. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify groups of students whose lifetime experiences differed based on economic constraints and…

The past 50 years have witnessed a growing presence of critical theory within different social science academic departments across the western world. The joint existence of a theory committed to exposing and criticizing various inequalities of the social order within academic institutions based on traditional hierarchies and prestigious…