Student retention has not changed in almost 40 years despite the plethora of attention. Maybe it is time to look at it differently. The study examines the relationships of parental education level, educational aspirations, and engagement. The National Survey of Student Engagement data were used in the analyses, but it raised questions about the…

Objective: This study examines whether there are differences among first-generation and continuing-generation community college students in the importance they place on achieving college-related goals and difficulties they face from college- and other life-related challenges. Methods: Data were drawn from the "Community College Libraries and…

Understanding the educational aspirations of diverse groups among statistics majors provides insight into the discipline of statistics. This study utilizes multi-institution data from the 2019 and 2020 administrations of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to explore educational aspirations for statistics majors through comparisons to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student aspirations and other background characteristics with student engagement level in their first year. Despite the knowledge that engagement is influential in student success outcomes, completion rates have not changed in more than thirty years (Gonyea, 2006). Hsieh (2014)…

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting immense strain on districts, schools, students, families, and all the stakeholders connected to them. During the Great Recession, many people enrolled in a postsecondary pathway based on the job market's weakness. Those without any postsecondary education fared particularly poorly after the Great Recession.…

Undergraduate research experiences have been widely demonstrated as a beneficial and essential component of the college experience. However, many community colleges face barriers and lack of support in implementing such research programs, which means a significant number of community college students miss out on these impactful experiences.…

This Information Capsule utilized National Student Clearinghouse and Senior Exit Survey data to report on postsecondary plans and college enrollment of Miami-Dade Public Schools' graduates who were part of the 2016-2017 cohort. M-DCPS' four-year graduation rate for students enrolled for the first time in the fall of 2017 was 47%. This rate was in…

High aspirations can be an important factor for educational attainment, especially for youth in disadvantaged schools who are otherwise more likely to leave school early. In this article, I study the relationships between pre-migration status, social capital, and educational aspirations among youth in disadvantaged Swedish schools, using data on…

The purpose of this study was to explore 11th- and 12th-grade students' expectations in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP) at a high school in the Western United States. Study participants included 92 of 94 high school students currently enrolled in the IB DP. Each participant completed a researcher-created, paper survey with…

Background/Context: Prior research has stressed the importance of timing in the college choice process, especially as it relates to receiving early information and making plans and decisions. Little has been done, however, in terms of empirically demonstrating how soon students make their decisions about college and the ways in which the timing of…

This study draws from interviews of baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1965) enrolled in a traditional university programme. Interviews focussed on the mental, social and physical benefits of university education, exploring the aspirations of baby boomers as well as the social and academic barriers and costs they encountered. This qualitative…

Background: While literature is abundant on factors associated with community college student outcomes, limited attention has been paid to what shapes educational expectations after students enroll, and how these expectations are linked to educational progress. To address this gap, Weidman's (1989) undergraduate socialization theory is…

High-impact practices (HIPs) are important co-curricular educational experiences in post-secondary education, as they promote learning, development, and persistence among students. The goal of this study was to extend the research on HIPs to explore potential connections with HIP participation and career outcomes. Using data from the National…

Students studying at universities in England have been defined as customers by the government since the introduction of student tuition fees. Although this approach has been rejected by educators, there is a lack of empirical evidence about the extent to which students express a consumer orientation and its effects on academic performance. These…

Gender differences in wage expectations may affect investment in human capital and increase inequalities in the labour market. Our research based on a survey of first-year students at a French university aims to focus on expectations at the beginning of the career. Our results show that anticipated earnings differ significantly between men and…