The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the educational trajectory of foster care alumni regarding the social capital held by their foster parents as it relates to college access by employing the framework advanced by Perna and Titus (2005) which was based on Bourdieu and Passeron (1990). This age group was chosen because despite…

Enrollment rates for Latinx students are projected to increase, yet there is still a disproportionate number of Latinx students completing higher education. This research conducted in-depth interviews with 10 Latinas to understand Latinx students' experiences who graduated from a lower socioeconomic urban high school in California's San Joaquin…

Quality high-school advising is essential to ensuring access to higher education. However, while efforts are being made in a number of areas to improve access to higher education, there has not yet been enough work done to assess the impact of DEI initiatives on post-secondary advising and, in turn, on college access for underserved students.…

The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the actual motivation for application to graduate school for first-generation and international students from historically marginalized communities (HMCS). The specific goal was to augment data on college advisory work, recruiting, and marketing, and look at the wants and needs of…

This study investigated how first-generation, loan-borrowing college graduates from a California public college or university viewed the continued increase in college tuition and its impact on their financial well-being. College tuition has continued to increase and outpace the United States rate of inflation, and the mindfulness of student loans…

The purpose of this study is to create a model of tertiary vocational education in Kenya. Despite considerable progress in Kenya over the last 20 years, current education models, low attendance, and low academic proficiency levels preclude many vulnerable learners from becoming employable. Utilizing semi structured interviews of eight Kenyan…

This study explored factors that influence the postsecondary career decisions of 427 11th and 12th grade students in a guaranteed tuition-based school district in a Midwestern state. Since 2005, this district has had a "Promise" program where eligible students can get up to 100% of their postsecondary tuition paid to attend a college,…

High school students from low-income backgrounds experience academic under-preparedness, financial distress, and socialization challenges when entering college. For these students, challenges may begin in the K-12 setting, where this population is more likely to face limitations in college counseling, lack highly qualified teachers, and have…

Black men within the United States with learning disabilities have difficulty navigating the collegiate environment (Jackson, 2016) because they are not academically prepared when taking developmental courses (Abreu et al., 2016; Bouck & Joshi, 2017). Researchers have studied Black men's lived experiences with Individualized Education Plans…

Texas has been declining compared to many other states and foreign nations in supplying an educated workforce needed to compete in a global economy. The 60x30TX plan, if successful, is expected to reverse Texas' decline and prevent a future of diminished incomes, opportunities, and resources. The present study evaluates steps a medium-sized…

This dissertation builds on literature centering first-generation college students (FGCS) with immigrant parentage in order to develop an understanding of how many of their unique and intersectional experiences may function as assets that could promote retention and degree completion. The sample is comprised of 30 FGCS who are also first- or…

This study used a qualitative design featuring narrative inquiry to explore the systemic challenges in child welfare and education systems that affect the K-12 and college educational outcomes of former foster youth. The study took on an asset-based perspective to elevate the voices of foster youth. The methods involved conducting semi-structured…

This study aimed to understand educational perceptions of persistence of female Latino students, ages 25-40, of assimilated parents. The need to explain the phenomenon is warranted further to uncover persistence barriers specifically for female Latino students. Although there is research related to Latinos in education, there is a gap between…

Understanding the factors that lead to academic resilience and success despite daily challenges that first-generation Latinx students face is imperative to finding solutions and increasing advocacy efforts for the Latinx population. To understand the factors that increase academic resilience and success, it is important to understand the barriers…

As the Latinx population in the United States continues to increase, so does the enrollment of Latinx students in higher education. However, the growth in enrollment is not matched with graduation and retention rates due to a general lack of support from the institutions and barriers including experiences of discrimination and struggling with…