The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore how do secondary and postsecondary educators perceive the variety of barriers and support that directly impact the successful completion of SWD (students with disabilities) undergraduate in the Midwest. The accessibility of higher education to students of various backgrounds has…

Trusting and supportive relationships with school counsellors can help first-generation college students access college despite barriers. In this narrative inquiry, 11 first-generation college students in the United States shared stories of their positive relationships with their former high school counsellors. After an iterative and…

First-generation community college students face barriers and challenges when they transfer to four-year institutions that can impact bachelor-degree completion. This action research study aimed to investigate ways to improve academic success and persistence of first-generation community college transfer students at a four-year college. Data…

This study provides a systematic review of the literature on what factors university students with disabilities recognise as necessary for their academic success. This systematic review was conducted in ERIC, Scopus and Web of Science. The opinions of 3854 students in a total of 31 qualitative and quantitative studies were analysed through a…

Marginalized minorities have encountered difficulty pursuing a college degree which has widened the gap in enrollment and retention rates in higher education. This qualitative study implemented a phenomenological methodology to understand perseverance and degree achievement through the essence of the lived experiences of first-generation Hispanic…

Latino attainment of bachelor's degrees is a crucial problem facing society today within the United States of America. If this issue continues, the future impact on society will influence the average annual household income in the United States. Researchers have proposed a series of possible solutions and honed in on contributing factors of this…

Early college high schools are powerful instruments for success for young men of color, and school leaders must take an intentional approach to remove systemic barriers to their engagement. This report outlines strategies to better recruit and retain young men of color in early college programs and provides examples of successful and emerging…

A significant body of research on student retention reflects that social and environmental factors influence continued enrollment in postsecondary education and academic success. Yet, for students with disabilities, more emphasis is placed on accommodations, access, and support services without sufficient attention to the social aspect of the…

Ontario's colleges accept learners with many backgrounds, experiences, and academic needs. Students with disabilities are a growing and diverse population. Is the Ontario College system providing efficacious and responsive support to these learners?

Students with disabilities contribute to the diversity of postsecondary campuses but face many unique challenges in completing their programs of study. The purpose of this systematic review was to develop an understanding of what is known about persistence in and graduation from higher education programs for students with disabilities, focusing…

The purpose of this study was to understand factors influencing the persistence and success of early-identified students with learning disabilities in higher education. Data was collected through a series of semi-structured interviews from a sample of eleven students presenting verified learning disabilities and attending a postsecondary…

Over 65,000 undocumented immigrant high school students graduate each year, and many have strong aspirations to continue into a post-secondary institution (Drachman, 2006; Perez, 2010). However, less than 13,000 are actually able to do so (Diaz-Strong, Gomez, Luna-Duarte, & Meiners, 2010). I posited that a major barrier between these students…

Self-advocacy is linked to the success and retention of students with disabilities in college. Self-advocacy is defined as communicating individual wants, needs, and rights to determine and pursue required accommodations. While self-advocacy is linked to academic success, little is known about how students with disabilities in science, technology,…

This qualitative study identified the factors that contributed to the success experienced by students with learning disabilities in their first year of college. The primary factors that emerged from student interviews were their attitudes about higher education, and their personal attributes including motivation, maturity, and persistence.…

Low-income, first-generation, urban students are typically underprepared academically for college-level course work and lack knowledge, which most non-first-generation students possess (Ward, Siegel, & Davenport, 2012). Success in higher education depends on students effectively navigating and transitioning into an institution (Pike & Kuh,…