This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of at-risk college students who become honors students. There is much quantitative research on the factors that influence or predict the path of at-risk students becoming honors students. What is less well established in literature is what personal transformation occurs in the lives of students…

Growth mindset has been shown to predict academic achievement in a variety of student populations, though the strength of the relationship can vary depending on the characteristics of the students examined. Using a large-scale sample of middle school students from a diverse district in the United States, we examine how multiple facets of students'…

The purpose of this study was to explore the writing experiences of at-risk college freshmen. The term at-risk applies to students who entered college deemed under prepared for success with college level writing demands. An examination of previous high school writing courses was explored in hopes of understanding the experiences that shaped their…

Because students who are considered to be at-risk of academic failure are more likely to experience a range of serious outcomes both at school and later in life, it is important for educators to provide a learning environment that supports these students. The aims of the study were two-fold. First, to better understand how educators might support…

The purpose of this narrative study was to understand the stories of low-income nontraditional students at a small Catholic college in Upstate New York, as they describe their persistence experiences in earning a college credential. The study employed a narrative research design and utilized Bandura's self-efficacy theory as the theoretical…

First-generation college students experience more negative emotional states and higher stress levels than their continuing generation peers, take approximately two years longer to complete undergraduate degree programs, and are less than one percent likely to re-enroll in college. Mindfulness skills have been reported to alleviate anxiety and…

The ongoing phenomenon of African American males' poor academic performance has been evidenced in research data, indicating this subgroup of students tends to have one of the largest academic deficits, behavioral issues, and high school dropout rates which often leads to the school-to-prison pipeline process (Craven et al., 2020). The researcher…

This qualitative study assesses the influence of a college-level intervention program on its student participants' self-efficacy. Self-efficacy theory provides an essential foundational lens for this study as it provides the necessary sources to broaden an intervention program's plans from students' individualized experiences. Study participants…

Schools across Texas are tasked with detailing action plans in support of students identified as at-risk of dropping out (TEA, 2020b). The intent of this study was to learn the perspective of students, identified as at-risk of dropping out, in terms of whether there is a relationship between campus retention/recovery intervention efforts and their…

The central objective of the study was to investigate a moderated mediation model addressing social cognitive mechanisms that account for the association between peer victimization and anxiety. A sample of 81 youth (M age = 12.78, SD = 0.88) completed questionnaires assessing peer victimization, anxiety, social self-efficacy, and peer perceptions.…

We examined the additive associations of two motivational beliefs (growth mindset and academic self-efficacy) and self-regulation with mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) scores, as well as the interplay of students' beliefs and self-regulation skills, controlling for previous test scores. We tested whether these pathways differed across…

Pre-algebra mathematical competencies were assessed for a large and diverse sample of sixth graders (n = 1,926), including whole number and fractions arithmetic, conceptual understanding of equality and fractions magnitudes, and the fractions number line. The goal was to determine if there were clusters of students with similar patterns of…

This dissertation examined the decision-making experience of students receiving an early alert notification at a community college and what influenced students' responses to the alert. Early alert programs are identified as a high impact persistence practice and may involve significant financial, technology, and personnel investments. Examining…

In New Zealand, limited research has been conducted in alternative-education learning environments and yet some of our most vulnerable students are referred to them by their secondary schools. Since 2000, alternative education has been available for students identified as being behaviourally challenging or are habitual truants. This paper reports…

The importance of a high school diploma continues to increase. Still, certain student at-risk factors have been identified across the research literature that negatively impact likelihood to finish school and may increase prevalence of school dropout. That is, for students identified as at-risk, more maladaptive profiles of risk factors often lead…