In this qualitative study, undergraduate and graduate students (n = 21) who identified as foster care alumni (FCA) were interviewed about the factors that influenced their academic persistence and retention as they pursued a degree at a 4-year public university in California. Several themes emerged from the study: (a) systemic barriers, (b) a…

Previous research on student learning outcomes has begun to advocate for the inclusion of student researchers. To fully grasp undergraduate student perspectives of learning objectives, this study was co-created and conducted by undergraduate student researchers, allowing for an inclusive, equity-centered research model to guide our findings. We…

The following study employed a student-centered methodology to understand undergraduate student confusion with student learning outcomes (SLOs), or the statements that specify what students should know or be able to do by the end of a course. Through understanding and investigating student confusion with undergraduate student researchers, we have…

Latinxs are the second largest racial-ethnic group in the United States, yet they make up only 7% of all doctoral degree recipients. Latinx undergraduates are predominantly first-generation college students, who often have limited professional networks to guide their pathways into graduate school. Drawing on interviews with 25 first-generation…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of students formally enrolled in a California community college promise program at Mountain View Community College, Lakeview Community College, Hillcrest Community College, and Ocean Valley Community College, each located in Southern California. The…

This teaching note presents a required proseminar for sociology and criminology and justice studies majors. The American Sociological Association reported that about half of U.S. sociology program curriculum integrate career resources and about one-third offer a course. On a spring 2021 proseminar pilot self-assessment pretest, 18 students…

Many international students are looking to improve their career opportunities pursuing a specific career when they study in the U.S.; however, they confront struggles because they are less prepared in career readiness. Their voices are easily ignored because they are less vocal and have been told to obey the rules; at the same time, their needs…

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Computer Science and STEM-related fields were among the most resistant to online courses. This is because of a perception of the need for more hands-on instruction with labs, clinicals, field studies, etc. Additionally, many STEM students had perceptions based on limited experience of an online STEM course.…

Despite the documented rise in stress and mental health concerns in college students, few educational studies explore how different types of stress (e.g., life events, chronic stress) affect psychological and academic outcomes (Cox et al., 2016; Smyth et al., 2008; Towbes & Cohen, 1996). This mixed-methods study tested the stress process model…

In July 2022, the University of California (UC) permanently eliminated the standardized tests requirement for its freshman admissions in order to alleviate the severed socioeconomic gap and college access barriers that were heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. This critical policy analysis research explored the immediate effects of UC's policy…

This qualitative research study explored current graduate students with disabilities personal and academic experiences. The three theoretical frameworks utilized were Disability Studies in Education (DSE), intersectionality and Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) to connect how race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability identities…

In the United States, there is a disproportionately low number of Black physicians in comparison to the demographic composition of Black people in the nation. This underrepresentation gap is result of historic systemic racism that led to Black people being abused and left out of healthcare and medical education. Despite improvement in healthcare…

Although spirituality has gained more attention from postsecondary higher education leaders as a conceptual channel for meaning making, little is understood about student perspectives and definitions of spirituality. These studies explored student narratives on spirituality and leadership at a nonfaith based public institution in Southern…

Latinos are the fastest growing college population in California, but less than one-quarter of all Latino adults in the state earn a college degree. To reverse this trend, both the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and the California State University (CSU) Office of the Chancellor launched new initiatives in 2017 to raise Latino…

This study explored what African American college students perceives as contributing to their Academic success. This study moved to determine what factors significantly influence or impact how African American college students advance in their academic journey, which was hypothesized as an important component related to academic success and degree…