Children of teachers follow their parents into the profession at lower rates than those whose parents come from professions that are perceived to be more prestigious such as physicians, lawyers, and engineers. Teaching often suffers from a lack of prestige, low pay, potential danger, lack of autonomy, and other factors that contribute to negative…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how nontraditional college students describe the influence of academic integration and commitment for persistence to degree completion at universities in the United States. Tinto's theory of student retention served as the theoretical framework. Two research questions guided data…

Federal legislation requires every student, upon completion of their secondary education, be considered college and career ready. Many states have developed and implemented career and technical education (CTE) programs of study (POS) to answer these mandates. Some stakeholders, familiar with historical vocational education programs, see current…

Although the gap in enrollment rates of Latinas in higher education has narrowed in recent years, there is still a staggering gap in the degree attainment rates for Latinas in higher education that only gets more and more discrepant as the level of higher education increases (PNPI, 2021). Studying the systemic inflexibilities that lead to…

The national need for workers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is continuously growing. The National Science Foundation has called "for a focus on STEM education" in response to the deficit in the workforce (Hagedorn & Purnamasari, 2016, p. 146). Attrition rates of STEM majors are a concern with…

Many studies highlight positive outcomes from curriculum co-creation including its transformational potential for students. In this paper, we explore how curriculum co-creation transforms students, drawing on Johansson and Felten's (2014. "Transforming Students: Fulfilling the Promise of Higher Education." Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine factors that influenced the enrollment decisions of high-achieving and low-performing students to be admitted, enrolled, and complete their degree at Langston University. The research study included a pilot study, semi-structured interviews, and a qualitative…

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study was designed to determine, from the perspective of beginning teachers, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affected their intentions to remain in teaching. There were two additional goals in conducting the study: (a) to determine the key practices, supports, or events that played a role in…

Institutional merit-based financial aid awards are widely utilized by enrollment management practitioners to attract and retain students desired by the institution and to increase net tuition revenue. While much research has been conducted on federal need-based aid and statewide merit aid, relatively few studies have been conducted on merit aid…

The number of jobs across the United States requiring postsecondary education continues to grow. Concerns expressed by business leaders, policymakers, and the public include too few students enrolling in higher education, the affordability of college, and decreasing levels of college completion. One solution to address these issues has been to…

A considerable body of research demonstrates that first-generation college students face greater obstacles to college retention, persistence and completion compared to their non-first-generation counterparts. However, the extant literature rarely explores rurality as a salient factor to understand these challenges. Even less visible in the…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology study was to understand the experiences of non-traditional undergraduate students taking online courses at a public or a private university in Virginia. The self-determination theory, which guided this study, explained the motivated behaviors of intrinsic and extrinsic needs that affect the…

The purpose of this qualitative evaluation was to understand how the Ascent program, a bridge initiative at Plymouth State University, programmatically addressed institutional concerns regarding student retention and persistence during its three-year pilot phase, according to the perceptions of past participants, faculty, and administrators. The…

Background: Previous research has revealed that teaching self-efficacy could play a critical role in engaging students in integrated STEM education; however, teachers' multiple identities in STEM education (i.e. implementers, disseminators, and designers) and their commitment with respect to the different identities have not been considered and…

The current longitudinal case study investigated emotional and motivational states in a self-directed and mobile-assisted language learning environment. The participant of the study was a highly motivated language learner who used the Busuu application for a period of one year to learn German. Tracing the participant's emotional and motivational…