Fostering Persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Creating an Equitable Environment That Addresses the Needs of Undergraduate Students

Student retention is a critical issue for universities, and nearly half of the students who start degree programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) do not complete them. The current study tracks the progress of STEM students taking part in an entry-to-graduation program designed to build community, provide academic and social support, and promote engagement in academically purposeful activities. Although it had no effect on the number of students who changed their major, the program more than doubled the number of students who graduated in their original major. Black or Hispanic students taking part in the program also graduated at twice the rate of comparator students, largely attributable to the success of women in these groups. The results provide needed real-world insights into how to create an equitable environment that promotes the persistence and graduation of students, including those from groups historically underrepresented in STEM.

Understanding Graduate Student Parents: Influence of Parental Status, Gender, and Major on Graduate Students’ Motivation, Stress, and Satisfaction

Graduate student parents are a unique subpopulation in higher education that accounts for a large proportion of graduate students. While student parents struggle to balance multiple roles, female students in STEM fields may face more significant barriers in balancing family and academic responsibilities compared to male graduate student parents or female students in non-STEM fields. Despite the urgent need to support this special population, little attention has been paid to how parental status, major, and gender affect graduate students. In this quantitative study of 545 graduate students, we examined the influence of parental status, major, and gender on motivation, stress, and satisfaction. A series of factorial ANOVAs found significant differences in motivation and mental health between graduate student parents and non-parents. Our findings highlight the importance of providing adequate resources to graduate students according to their status.

Perceptions of Discrimination Predict Retention of College Students of Color: Connections with School Belonging and Ethnic Identity

This longitudinal study examines (a) whether perceptions of ethnic discrimination during the first weeks of college predicted later school belonging among first-year college students of color ( N = 638) attending a predominantly White institution (PWI), (b) whether school belonging, in turn, predicted retention to the second year, and (c) whether ethnic identity centrality buffered the effects of discrimination on school belonging and academic retention. Participants completed measures of ethnic discrimination and identity near the beginning of the first semester and school belonging at the end of the semester. Academic data from the fall of the second year were obtained from school records. Tests of moderated mediation revealed that perceptions of discrimination at the beginning of college had an indirect effect on retention in the second year of college, as mediated by lowered school belonging, but only for students with low and moderate (but not high) ethnic identity centrality.

Students’ Non-Cognitive Profiles and their Relationships with Academic Stress and Persistence in Higher Education

To reduce their attrition rates, institutions need to ensure that their students can manage the stressors they confront in their academic work and persist to complete their study programs. Given the significance of non-cognitive attributes in education, this study aimed to identify the non-cognitive profiles exhibited by students which related significantly to academic stress and persistence levels in the middle of a given academic year. Undergraduate students from one of the largest private higher education institutions in Singapore participated in two online surveys. A total of 565 and 122 students participated in the first and second surveys, respectively. Results indicated that three distinct non-cognitive profiles could be identified, which were associated significantly with students’ academic stress levels and their intentions to persist with their studies. Possible implications for enhancing student outcomes by offering students with opportunities to enhance their affective ‘readiness’ profiles are discussed.

Is It What You Know or Who You Know?: An Information Typology of How First-Generation College Students Access Campus Resources

While there has been increased investigation of the enrollment patterns and access to college for first-generation college students (FGCS), less is understood about how FGCS learn and utilize vital information to persist with limited familial knowledge about college success. In this paper we utilize focus group data of 62 diverse FGCS to create a typology of how students utilize information to succeed in college. Using theory from sociology and information sciences we categorize the sources FGCS learn from and how information is utilized. Our findings indicate that FGCS develop complex ways of finding information even with minimal support and those information sources that are most helpful are often connected to pre-existing and informal relationships. We conclude by offering implications for future research on FGCS student success and opportunities for administrators to incorporate information-finding and relationship-building concepts into student success practice.

Learning Communities: A Sound Investment in Higher Education

University and college leaders are tasked with enhancing student outcomes with fewer resources. Student retention is one such key outcome of interest for many policy makers as well as for university administrators. Over the years, administrators have turned to High Impact Practices (HIPs) such as Learning Communities (LCs) to aid in retention. This quantitative study explores the impact LCs have on student retention at a large R1 university in the Midwest. Additionally, the financial return on investment in LCs at this institution is measured via tuition dollars generated from students who are retained as a result of their participation in a LC at the institution. Two key findings of this study are that LCs are positively associated with increased odds of student retention, and that investing in LCs makes good financial sense. Our research contributes to the scholarship on retention attributable to LCs and provides researchers and practitioners with a “template” to evaluate the efficacy of specific retention initiatives in relation to their financial return on investments.

“Listen to the Feedback of Students”: First-Generation College Students Voice Inequalities in Schooling Brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, the higher-education community faced one of its largest disruptions to date with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing campuses to close their doors to thousands of students. The university-wide closures prompted a collaboration between researchers and college administrators to assess the impact of COVID-19 on First-Generation College Students (FGCS). The team surveyed 659 FGCS across five U.S. universities to assess the ways in which the pandemic exacerbated already existing inequalities students faced in their persistence to graduate from college. The team used the social cognitive career theory as a conceptual framework for analysis. Our findings revealed that when respondents compared their life before COVID-19 with their present state, FGCS were less likely to perceive they had enough money to return to college, felt overwhelmed and lonely by added stress, and were more likely to see an increase in family responsibilities.

Effects of Research-Related Activities on Graduation at a Hispanic Serving Institution

This paper reports on the results of a study of 6,654 unique students on the type of research-related activities (e.g., undergraduate research and internships) they participated in while at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). Results indicate that the odds of graduating for students who participated in research-related activities were almost twice those of students who did not participate in research-related activities. These results differ from and complement studies on the impact of undergraduate research at liberal arts colleges and research-intensive universities. Study results indicate that non-first-generation students, non-low-income students, and non-underrepresented minority (non-URM) students were more likely to participate in research. Participation in internships with industry and with a professional were most predictive of graduation. Students who participated in multiple research-related activities were also more likely to graduate than those who participated in fewer activities; results indicate research participation is equally beneficial across groups with different demographic characteristics including major, sex, first generation and URM status.

“No Space for Humanizing Us:” Men of Color Identifying Institutional Needs at a Rural University

Men of color are not persisting or graduating from college at similar rates as their same-aged peers. This qualitative study seeks to understand how men of color understand and experience college at a rural comprehensive public four-year university on the west coast. This study draws on focus group and interview data from 23 Black, Latino, and Asian American men whose enrollment status at the rural university varied from first-year undergraduate to graduate students. Using the notion of sense of belonging as the theoretical lens, we find that students highlighted the importance of peer groups and the need for vulnerable spaces on campus to explore their gender identity. With the findings from this paper, we aim to help student affairs professionals better understand how to support men of color in rural universities.

Academic Engagement and Dropout Intention in Undergraduate University Students

The relationship between engagement and the intention to drop out was the focus of this research. Following an empirical–analytical approach, a sample of 1,122 university students responded to a questionnaire designed to measure the engagement and the intention to drop out of school. The results confirmed that undergraduates who considered dropping out had lower scores on the engagement scale. These data are relevant for the adoption of preventive measures against academic dropouts.