Chronic absenteeism negatively affects millions of U.S. students each year, and there has been little improvement in the past 2 decades despite the efforts of educational organizations nationwide. The purpose of this qualitative project study was to examine the perceptions of different stakeholders regarding how the factors that contribute to…

Belonging has been studied for decades with many researchers concluding that humans have an inherent need to belong. Although each person's level of need to belong differs, it is a deeply rooted human motivation that impacts a person's feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Individuals develop a sense of belonging when they feel connected to others.…

The quest for tertiary education by citizens has led to an unabated increase in undergraduate students' enrollment in Nigerian universities. It is disheartening that this increase has not been matched with the expected provision of residential housing or hostels and other infrastructural facilities necessary for students' career growth, success,…

This dissertation analyzes how rhetorics of graduate labor clash with and condition rhetorical activity concerning university decision-making. I examine the rhetorical tactics by which graduate worker-organizers promote an explicit worker identity that invests graduate workers with agency in decision-making over their working conditions; I also…

Low degree completion rates are a critical problem at rural community colleges. In 2023, only 36% of students who enrolled at a community college in 2017 had earned a credential in the past six years (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023a). Academic advising is critical to help students navigate the confusing pathways of higher…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the perceptions of the role of the campus pub through the lens of campus ecology theory. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with student affairs professionals at three institutions with campus pubs. Documents were also collected and analyzed from campus newspapers and social…

The impact of employment on academic achievement and college-going is readily evaluated within the literature, primarily through a quantitative lens. In such studies, youth employment is commonly found to negatively affect high school grades, persistence, and the likelihood of attending college. This qualitative study responds to the dominant…

Preparing graduates for full-time employment following graduation has become an increasing concern for universities. Student services departments who employ students have been tasked with providing intentional development opportunities for them. At Arizona State University those opportunities have been taken on by professional staff members (PSM)…

Black students represent about 13% of the students who enroll in higher education and only 27% graduate within four years (NCES, 2021). Given national enrollment rates are declining, (NCES, 2022) higher education leaders face rising pressures to ensure the students who do enroll continue to matriculate toward graduation. Guided by a proposed…

Although student persistence is an important metric for higher education administrators and working is pervasive among those who attend college, the extent to which work supervisors may impact students who work while attending college through interactions is underexplored. Thus, this study examines the relationship between supervisor interactions…

Community college students frequently decide to withdraw from college without achieving their educational goals. In decades of research into student attrition and retention, very few studies have asked the students themselves why they chose to leave. This concurrent triangulation mixed methods study sought to add to the literature by analyzing…

Institutions of higher education currently face serious challenges, including high costs for learners, demand for return on investment from students, and expectations from employers to produce work-ready graduates. Skills desired by employers are shifting as technology advances, putting further pressure on colleges and universities to adapt and…

On-campus student employment helps students gain transferable skills for their future careers, but how students develop through employment has been inconsistent because differences in knowledge, training, and resources available to supervisors has led to varying developmental opportunities. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to…

Despite there being numerous studies on leadership, persistence, and sense of belonging, there are few studies that examine these constructs for student employees who work in student unions. The number of students employed, on or off campus, while working on a degree is increasing (Watanabe, 2005). One of the places on campus where students can…

This research study, which was conducted at a large, urban research institution in the Midwestern region of the United States, explored the influence of faculty support on first-time master's student satisfaction in graduate school. Alexander Astin's (1993) Inputs, Environment, Outputs (I-E-O) Model was used to guide the study. Data were collected…