First year college students have the lowest retention rate of all students enrolled according to the National Survey of students. Social interaction is the key to improve retention rates. The amount of federal funding is linked to student enrollment. It is a major concern of all colleges. Educational institutions lose thousands of dollars a year…

Students are entering postsecondary institutions without the mathematical skills needed to be successful in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors (STEM), leading to a shortage of qualified graduates. Consequently, institutions must identify ways to increase satisfaction and performance in mathematics. Mindset theory, with…

Despite college rankings' popular yet controversial nature, there is little known about the relationship between college rankings and students. Prior literature suggests that students who make use of rankings are more privileged, yet there lacks a comprehensive analysis surrounding the types of students who place importance on rankings in more…

During the Spring 2021 semester, 19 freshmen students on academic probation were recruited for a MI mentoring intervention. The mentor completed 45 hours of MI training and reached MI proficiency prior to the start of the intervention. Participants provided survey feedback, qualitative responses regarding the meetings, self-reported goal…

This study examined how students perceive the impact of a mandatory first-year seminar course on their success and persistence at a 2-year institution. Specifically, the study focused on the influence of the course curriculum and objectives to promote success and perseverance and how the campus community supports student success and persistence.…

This study sought to understand factors influencing student satisfaction with online learning technologies in U.S. higher education institutions after the spring semester of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced all higher education to an online format. Understanding these factors can help universities acknowledge student preferences and improve…

The purpose of this quantitative study is to assess if perceptions of academic and institutional support as well as demographic factors, predict intention to return to school amongst online first-generation college students enrolled at traditional higher educational institutions. To complete the causal-comparative study, the researcher analyzes…

This study examines the relationship between retention and customer satisfaction at a historically black college and university (HBCU). Using a mix-methods approach, which includes surveys, interviews, and focus groups with first year college students, we analyze the factors that contribute to student satisfaction and the extent to which…

The Asian American population is expected to grow to 46 million by the year 2060. Historically seen as a monolithic group, there are more than twenty subsets that make up the Asian-American demographic. The five Chinese and five Indian participants in this study belong to the top two Asian-American origin groups. This exploratory mixed-methods…

Freshmen persistence rates continue to decline as transitioning college freshmen tend to be experiencing an increase in stress levels, crisis issues, and academic concerns. Educational institutions need to take the opportunity to by assisting high school students and transitioning students address their unrealistic expectations of what their…

This applied dissertation is a mixed-methods study designed to collect student perspectives of an online First-Year Experience (FE) course and to determine the overall value of the FE course. The researcher sought to identify what is the value of the FE course to the students enrolled in this online course. In the study's survey, students will be…

Research suggests that academic advising has great significance for students' personal, academic, and social lives in the U.S., and advisors impact first-year students' social integrations and retention. Although the ratio of advisor to student remains low, scholars assert that if advising programs succeed, they increase the number of graduates.…

Research was conducted with 10 low literate and 10 medium to high literate students at the University of Baltimore to understand how traditional literacy impacts search habits for new college freshman. Five low literate, non-student participants were included in the research as a control group for the two student populations. It was hypothesized…

Retention rates at many community colleges across America are low, because students withdraw prior to graduation, and financial aid rules known as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) may compound the issue for the least advantaged students who have no financial or social safety nets. Some students find themselves cut off financial aid within…

Social networking sites such as Facebook are becoming more commonplace for people to connect with people around the world ranging from family members, peers, and even strangers. These websites have often been criticized due to their seemingly isolated nature; are people becoming disconnected as they connect in online forums? While people across…