This study examines the capital identity projection (CIP) phenomena and the extent to which the presentation of "economic success" in historically Black college and university (HBCU) students contributes to their academic performance (students' self-reported grade point average [GPA]). The present study adds to the literature by…

In striving to define the key ingredients that encompass students' sense of belonging and its impact on student success, a quantitative, correlational research study was conducted to help better understand the relationship between students' sense of belonging and student GPA, attendance rate, and discipline in four high schools in one district in…

Within most models of multi-tiered systems of support, Tier 3 supports are the most intensive supports public schools can provide to their students. These supports may be delivered to address academic, behavioral, or mental health concerns. Because many schools do not have the mental health personnel to effectively deliver Tier 3 mental health…

College tuition costs have risen 33% in the past ten years (NCES, 2016a), forcing college administrators to refocus their efforts on student retention in order to stay competitive (Alarcon & Edwards, 2012; Sanders, Daly, & Fitzgerald, 2016; Tinto, 2006). Although universities have implemented support programs to help students in these…

In an increasingly complex world, it is imperative that undergraduate science courses prepare students to make confident, informed decisions and predictions. The research presented in this thesis focuses on supporting students to engage in mechanistic reasoning (MR) about phenomena in chemistry and biology (that is, thinking about how and why…

Effectively predicting academic success is essential for providing students with the resources they need to succeed in their careers and for matching individuals to postsecondary institutions that suit their needs. Despite evidence for ACT scores as meaningful predictors of both first-year grade point average (FYGPA) and degree completion, little…

Advise TX programming, established in the 2011-12 school year, is a collaboration between the College Advising Corps and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) intended to increase students' college enrollment rates. This annual report, required by the General Appropriations Act, House Bill 1, Article III, Rider 44, 88th Texas…

For years Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program provided full tuition scholarships to high-achieving students. State budgetary shortfalls reduced its generosity in 2011. Under the new rules, only students meeting more rigorous merit-based criteria would retain the original scholarship covering full tuition, now called the Zell Miller Scholarship,…

In this study, the researcher investigated the impact of social, metacognitive, and cognitive strategies on developing learner autonomy in foreign language learning. 150 EFL students participated in this study. In the selection of the participants, a simple random sampling technique was used. The aim of this study was to find the relationship…

We examined how six gifted boys perceived the onset and development of their academic underachievement and what they identified as contributing aspects. Across the six boys' experiences, a similar pattern of onset and development of academic underachievement emerged. The boys discussed a lack of academic challenge, investment in hobbies, issues…

Although student-faculty interaction is linked to numerous benefits for students, a central puzzle is why not all groups appear to benefit equally from such interaction. Using a sample of 778 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) undergraduates from the National Longitudinal Study of Freshmen, we use structural equation modeling to…

This study built upon research examining the effects of diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and higher education by investigating the relationship between student perceptions of campus diversity and classroom engagement for first- and second-year Latinx and White students at two structurally diverse…

"A college degree can be a ticket out of poverty." Yet, only 22% of the country's Black population and 15% of the Hispanic population have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, compared with over one-half of Asians and about one-third of whites. Strong academic success in foundation courses and courses that fulfill general education…

We examined longitudinal changes in new college students' perceptions of belonging and task mastery socialization effectiveness and their relationships to re-enrollment intentions and subsequent GPAs as a function of race/ethnicity and first-generation status. Incoming students completed socialization effectiveness measures before orientation (N =…

The increase in online learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic will likely result in a greater availability of online and hybrid course offerings. In this study, students enrolled in parallel sections of a microbiology lab course with in-person labs and either face-to-face (F2F) or all-online lectures (hybrid, H). Course material and method…