College Student Success Research Articles

Complete Opportunists: First-Generation College Students’ Lived Experiences With High-Impact Educational Practices

ABSTRACT High-impact practices (HIPs) are well-documented experiences that deepen engagement and go beyond traditional markers of success for college students. First-generation college students may even see greater gains in participation than their continuing-generation counterparts. However, there is a gap in the literature on the lived experiences of first-generation college students and HIPs. This qualitative phenomenological study interviewed 10 first-generation college students who have lived experiences with HIPs to address this gap. Five themes emerged, as well as several barriers and successes first-generation college students had with HIPs. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

PERCEPTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS ON THE UTILITY OF THE ACTIVITIES, PROGRAMS, OR POLICIES TOOL TO PROMOTE SELF-DETERMINATION FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Self-determination has been associated with academic success for college students with and without disabilities. The APP Tool was designed to allow higher education professionals to examine which campus Activities, Programs, or Policies (APPs) promote, and which might hinder, the development of student self-determination. This study used the qualitative basic interpretive approach (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) to analyze data from semi-structured interviews of three focus groups of higher education professionals (practitioners) that were conducted to ascertain their impressions of the utility of the tool. Use of the APP Tool led practitioners to reflect on what self-determination included and what campus efforts were currently fostering these skills. Implications of the APP Tool included use as (1) a progress monitoring tool for student self-determination skills and (2) an evaluation tool for current campus programming.

Are algorithms biased in education? Exploring racial bias in predicting community college student success

AbstractPredictive analytics are increasingly pervasive in higher education. However, algorithmic bias has the potential to reinforce racial inequities in postsecondary success. We provide a comprehensive and translational investigation of algorithmic bias in two separate prediction models—one predicting course completion, the second predicting degree completion. We show that if either model were used to target additional supports for “at‐risk” students, then the algorithmic bias would lead to fewer marginal Black students receiving these resources. We also find the magnitude of algorithmic bias varies within the distribution of predicted success. With the degree completion model, the amount of bias is over 5 times higher when we define at‐risk using the bottom decile than when we focus on students in the bottom half of predicted scores; in the course completion model, the reverse is true. These divergent patterns emphasize the contextual nature of algorithmic bias and attempts to mitigate it. Our results moreover suggest that algorithmic bias is due in part to currently‐available administrative data being relatively less useful at predicting Black student success, particularly for new students; this suggests that additional data collection efforts have the potential to mitigate bias.

A Comparative Study of Machine Learning Techniques for College Student Success Prediction

A Comparative Study of Machine Learning Techniques for College Student Success Prediction

Assessing Disparities in Predictive Modeling Outcomes for College Student Success: The Impact of Imputation Techniques on Model Performance and Fairness

The education sector has been quick to recognize the power of predictive analytics to enhance student success rates. However, there are challenges to widespread adoption, including the lack of accessibility and the potential perpetuation of inequalities. These challenges present in different stages of modeling, including data preparation, model development, and evaluation. These steps can introduce additional bias to the system if not appropriately performed. Substantial incompleteness in responses is a common problem in nationally representative education data at a large scale. This can lead to missing data and can potentially impact the representativeness and accuracy of the results. While many education-related studies address the challenges of missing data, little is known about the impact of handling missing values on the fairness of predictive outcomes in practice. In this paper, we aim to assess the disparities in predictive modeling outcomes for college student success and investigate the impact of imputation techniques on model performance and fairness using various notions. We conduct a prospective evaluation to provide a less biased estimation of future performance and fairness than an evaluation of historical data. Our comprehensive analysis of a real large-scale education dataset reveals key insights on modeling disparities and the impact of imputation techniques on the fairness of the predictive outcome under different testing scenarios. Our results indicate that imputation introduces bias if the testing set follows the historical distribution. However, if the injustice in society is addressed and, consequently, the upcoming batch of observations is equalized, the model would be less biased.

Insights from an Intervention to Support First Generation College Student Success in General Chemistry Online Course

Insights from an Intervention to Support First Generation College Student Success in General Chemistry Online Course

College Success for Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Neurodiversity Perspective by S. Jay Kuder, Amy Accardo, and John Woodruff (review)

College Success for Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Neurodiversity Perspective by S. Jay Kuder, Amy Accardo, and John Woodruff (review)

Broadening participation in STEM through equity-minded high-impact practices: a multimodal systematic review

AbstractHigh-impact practices (HIPs), such as undergraduate research, first-year seminars, and learning communities, have been shown to generally advance college student success. However, there are often disparities in access, participation, and outcomes between white and racially/ethnically minoritized students. While scholars have critiqued HIPs and provided alternative approaches to better serve minoritized students, we know little about how federally funded programs aiming to broaden participation can serve as a mechanism advance equity. Drawing on the literature, we developed an equity-minded HIP framework to critically examine the prominence and characteristics of 38 programs aiming to broaden participation in undergraduate US STEM education funded by the National Science Foundation. We conducted a systematic examination of multimodal data from the STEM for All Multiplex repository. Findings reveal most programs included only one to two HIPs, with undergraduate research being most prominent followed by internships. Most programs included only a few elements of equity-minded design, such as providing students additional resources and faculty training, and implemented HIPs to include peer and faculty interactions. Last, most programs utilized cognitive, psychosocial, or sociocultural measures to assess the benefits to students. Only a few measured equity-mined outcomes pertaining to institutional change such as policies, resources, and practices. We highlight two exemplar programs and offer recommendations for researchers and funders to more effectively implement equity-minded HIPs to broaden participation in undergraduate STEM education.

The resiliency of urban community college students: Implications for practice

AbstractCommunity colleges are vital sources of educational and economic opportunities in urban areas. This chapter provides readers with a review of the research on students served by these institutions. While the experiences of this population are similar in many ways to those of community college students across the country, the influence of their urban environment makes their lived experiences quite distinct. This chapter highlights that although a great deal of emphasis in the literature has been placed on the economic, educational, personal, and social struggles faced by urban community college students, resiliency is also a prominent positive characteristic of this population. The chapter concludes with recommendations for evidence‐based strategies that affirm these students’ cultural capital and are proven to be effective approaches to enhancing the resiliency and success of urban community college students.

My Professor Cares: Experimental Evidence on the Role of Faculty Engagement

We provide experimental evidence on the impact of specific faculty behaviors aimed at increasing student success for college students from historically underrepresented groups. The intervention was developed after conducting in-person focus groups and a pilot experiment. We find significant positive treatment effects across a multitude of short- and longer-run outcomes. Specifically, underrep-resented students in the treatment report more positive perceptions of the professor and earned higher course grades. These positive effects persisted over the next several years, with students in the treatment more likely to persist in college, resulting in increased credit accumulation and degree completion. (JEL I22, I23, I28, J15, J44)

Analysis and Research on Influencing Factors of Entrepreneurial Team Competition among College Students

Innovation and entrepreneurship is a hot topic nowadays, and how to maintain and improve the competitive advantage of college students' entrepreneurial teams in the competitive environment and form a strong competitive edge is a topic that can be discussed and studied. This paper introduces Porter's "Diamond Model" theory to analyze the success of college students' entrepreneurial team, which is very meaningful, and examines four factors, such as resources related to the entrepreneurial team, support from on-campus and off-campus entrepreneurial platforms, product or service demand, strategic planning, and competitor analysis, and two factors, such as opportunities and government policies to support entrepreneurship. In this study, we examine how college students' entrepreneurial teams can form differentiated competitiveness and promote their long-term development under the conditions of the interaction of six elements.

“Success” in the borderlands: Measuring success for underrepresented and misrepresented college students.

“Success” in the borderlands: Measuring success for underrepresented and misrepresented college students.

“Determined to Prove Them All Wrong”: The College Aspirations of Hmong Males

<i>This qualitative study explored the college aspirations of Hmong males who are pursuing or have completed higher education in the U.S. Using qualitative data from The Hmong College Student Success Project, this study analyzed trajectory analysis statements from 59 Hmong males to understand their aspirations to attend college. This study highlights how Hmong males leverage their aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital to navigate their ways to college. Specifically, findings from this study reveal the cultural resources emerging from parents, siblings, educators, college and career preparation programs, and themselves that cultivated their college aspirations. Implications for research and practice focus on cultivating college aspirations and increasing college enrollment among Hmong males are provided.</i>

STRIVING TO SUCCEED: ETHNIC-RACIAL SOCIALIZATION AS AN ADAPTIVE MECHANISM FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS

ABSTRACT Attending predominantly White institutions have been associated with certain challenges of academic success for African American college students. Although there are challenges, studies indicate that ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) may be an adaptive mechanism for African Americans. The current study investigates how ERS mitigates the effects of racial discrimination on the academic outcomes of 282 African Americans. Memories of school-related discrimination were negatively associated with academic outcomes, however, ERS dimensions were related to better academic outcomes. Certain ERS dimensions mitigate the effects of peer-related discrimination on academic engagement. Implications for utilizing ERS in university settings to enhance academic achievement are discussed.

The Power of One More Course: How Different First Semester Credit Loads Affect Community College Student Persistence

ABSTRACT Establishing early academic momentum via credit accumulation is strongly associated with community college student success. Using data from one of the nation’s largest and most racially diverse community college systems, our quasi-experimental study examined how different first-semester credit loads influenced persistence. For part-time students (less than 12 semester credit hours), enrolling in one additional course (3 more credits) significantly improved their chances of persistence to the subsequent term and next academic year. For part-time students, an increased credit load was significantly and positively related to persistence. However, for full-time students, an increase from 12 to 15 credits was not related to persistence. These patterns were consistent across subgroups by students’ level of academic preparation (developmental education status) and degree objective (workforce credential or transfer associate degree). Moreover, the increased course load did not significantly hinder students’ early academic performance as measured by GPA for any group and in some cases was related to increased GPA. We discuss the implications of these findings for academic advising, course scheduling, and completion initiatives at community colleges.

A large clinical trial to improve well-being during the transition to college using wearables: The lived experiences measured using rings study

IntroductionThe transition to college is a period of elevated risk for a range of mental health conditions. Although colleges and universities strive to provide mental health support to their students, the high demand for these services makes it difficult to provide scalable, cost-effective solutions. ObjectiveTo address these issues, the present study aims to compare the efficacy of three different treatments using a large cohort of 600 students transitioning to college. Interventions were selected based on their potential for generalizability and cost-effectiveness on college campuses. MethodsThe study is a Phase II parallel-group, four-arm, randomized controlled trial with 1:1 allocation that will assign 600 participants to one (n = 150 per condition) of four arms: 1) group-based therapy, 2) physical activity program, 3) nature experiences, or 4) weekly assessment condition as a control group. Physiological data will be collected from all participants using a wearable device to develop algorithmic mental and physical health functioning predictions. Once recruitment is complete, modeling strategies will be used to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of each intervention. DiscussionThe findings of this study will provide evidence as to the benefits of implementing scalable and proactive interventions using technology with the goal of improving the well-being and success of new college students.

Cultivating a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) community for two-year college student success and persistence.

Undergraduate students studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) often fail to persist in critical "gateway" courses, resulting in students leaving the STEM pathway. Community college students leave STEM pathways at higher rates than students at universities. Implementation of a program designed to engage community college STEM students and faculty in a community of support was associated with increased persistence in STEM gateway courses and associate degree completion. Program elements included support staff, a STEM study room with peer tutors, faculty advisors, and transfer assistance. Over seven years, 415 students joined this opt-in support program. The majority of students in this program were economically disadvantaged and many were nontraditional college students. Using institutional data we tested the hypothesis that participation in this program was associated with increased student success and persistence in STEM courses and at the college. The mean GPA for students in the program in the ten courses with the highest STEM enrollments was higher (2.89) than that for other students (2.76). Quarter-to-quarter persistence was 87% for program students compared to 67% for non-program students in a matched student population. In STEM gateway courses, program students had between 1.2x to 3.5x greater likelihood than non-program students of progressing to precalculus-2 controlling for first-attempt GPA in precalculus-1. Similar persistence patterns were observed for other gateway STEM courses. Observed persistence for students in the program was higher than comparable groups of students, including persistence for those who experienced early failure in STEM courses. These data suggest students should be supported through early failure to enable persistence in critical STEM sequences, especially in gateway Math and Chemistry courses.

Students’ Perceptions on the Effectiveness of a Computer-Delivered Alcohol Intervention

Objective: Social adjustment, including alcohol use, directly affects the success of college students. Due to an increased reliance on computer-delivered alcohol interventions (CDIs) a need has emerged to further investigate alcohol use and web-based interventions. Methods: In-depth focus group interviews were conducted with 51 undergraduate students to elicit information from students on the shared experience of participating in a CDI. Results: Participants identified the influence of gender, culture, parents, and family on alcohol use behavior. A difference in personal factors, previous exposure, and experiences can affect the attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes of a CDI. Conclusion: Multiple approaches geared towards a wide variety of students from different backgrounds and environments are needed to be truly successful in preventing alcohol misuse.

Open Educational Resources and Educational Outcomes at a Community College

Open educational resources (OERs) are an alternative textbook to publisher materials used by colleges and universities. While OERs likely reduce the cost of college for students, research is mixed on the impact of these textbooks on student success in college. The present study utilizes preference score matching (PSM) methodology to compare OER and publisher textbook use to student pass and withdrawal rates from 9 high-enrollment courses taught at the Community College of Baltimore County from fall 2016 through spring 2021. We examined all enrollments in a subclass-match PSM model, and found a significant improvement of 0.153 on the final course grade received by the student, and a significant increase of about 4% for students that received an ABC in courses using the OER, along with a significant decrease of 2.6% in the rate that students withdrew from OER courses. We also examined Pell students in a subclass-match PSM model, and found a significant improvement of 0.331 on the final course grade received by the Pell student, and a significant increase of about 9% for students that received an ABC in courses using the OER, along with a significant decrease of 4.8% in the rate that Pell students withdrew from OER courses.

An empirical assessment of the effects of background, institutional support and peer effects on Black college student success

PurposeThis research explores the key factors that contribute to the success of Black students in a predominantly White institution (PWI). Two measures of success are examined: cumulative grade point average (GPA) and graduation status.Design/methodology/approachUsing student-level data from a southeastern university, this research estimates education production functions using ordinary least squares regression.FindingsWhile the negative effect of being Black is significant for both cumulative GPA and graduation status, the effect becomes overshadowed when peer effects are added. The authors also found the critical effect of institutional support on student success.Research limitations/implicationsThe student-level data are restricted to a single institution over a relatively short period of time, which limits the authors' ability to analyze institution-level factors.Practical implicationsThis research provides a broad view of many significant factors for student success with particular highlights on the importance of encouraging Black students to utilize institutional support.Originality/valueThis study is an extension of the education production function model in the field of student success. The study identified peer effects and institutional support as more powerful determinants of student success than race.