The retention of high-achieving students in a university honors program is a significant challenge for academic institutions. This dissertation evaluates how well an honors college at a large, urban, public university retains students in the Honors College. The evaluation is a mixed-methods utilization-focused evaluation conducted by an internal…

Identifying approaches that make science and engineering education broader and more inclusive is core to discipline based education research. Both fundamental and applied research are important in advancing a STEM education that retains the necessary scientists of the U.S.'s future. Thus, the major goal of this work was to evaluate and describe…

The effects of the pandemic, COVID-19 reverberated throughout the higher education environment, ultimately creating a need for a greater understanding of how it impacted an already marginalized group such as African American women. This qualitative phenomenological case study examined the lived experiences of African American women who obtained…

This quantitative correlational study delves into the perceptions of Black students regarding the marketing and communications of four-year private universities and their impact on students' intent to persist to graduation. With a backdrop of declining college enrollment and graduation rates for Black students, this study examines the correlation…

Earning a bachelor's degree or work certificate can close social equity gaps and increase social mobility and economic stability in American society. Barriers exist to upward mobility for underrepresented groups (first-generation, low socioeconomic, African American, and Hispanic). Underrepresented students are falling below their peers in…

The higher education community continues to pursue solutions to the alarming number of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) undergraduates leaving their degree programs. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of 12 STEM scholarship recipients in a near-peer-mentored social support group at a large Midwestern university.…

Negative school climates may contribute to K-6 general education teachers' decisions to leave their jobs, thus perpetuating the current teacher shortage. Utilizing Hobfoll's conservation of resource (COR) theory as the theoretical framework, I implemented a generic qualitative methodology and purposively sampled 12 general education teachers in…

The industry of higher education has consistently grappled with the issue of student persistence and institutional retention efforts due to the failure to improve student completion rates. Nationwide, only four out of every ten students graduate. According to the Completions Report by the National Center for Education Statistics, between 2006 and…

This dissertation examines the impact of school counseling small group interventions on at-risk first-time high school freshmen, focusing on their attitudes toward academic challenges and perceptions of noncognitive mindsets and behaviors. Utilizing a qualitative comparative case study methodology, the research explores the dynamics of a Fresh…

Young fathers often view studying in HE positively, and perceive the benefits to include improving self-confidence, reconnecting with lost learning opportunities, building better career prospects, and becoming a better role model for their children. However, despite these perceived benefits, not all young fathers decide to study in HE. The…

Community colleges have historically faced significant challenges in retaining students, particularly from underserved populations. While extracurricular activities like athletics have been shown to enhance student engagement and persistence, the specific impact of athletic participation on retention and sense of belonging among diverse student…

School administrators contribute to the macro and micro environmental factors that challenge the sustainability of African American teachers. Retaining African American teachers is a particular challenge for schools that serve high proportions of students of color living in households with low-income. Although some research focuses on the…

This study examined the experiences of faculty of color in community colleges within the context of faculty diversification efforts. Community college students have become more racially and ethnically diverse, yet faculty remain overwhelmingly White. Ten faculty of color from diverse disciplinary fields were interviewed in this phenomenological…

School dropout is a topical theme in the educational field in the last decade. In the technical field especially, school dropouts currently have alarming rates. To reduce school dropout technical educational institutions, tried to apply some practical solutions like moving mathematics to the 2nd year of study, year tutors to assist/support…

This dissertation is a historical case study that focused on the founding and continuation of the GSSch to define the term, academic resilience and to determine how the GSSch had impacted "academic resilience." I examined qualitative data from interviews alongside research published during the founding (i.e. mid-1970s) and continuation…