This study examined undergraduate college students' sense of belonging during the COVID-19 pandemic and how student services staff addressed belonging during this time. The social cognitive theory served as the theoretical model. Three research questions guided this inquiry: What is undergraduate college students' current sense of belonging right…

Institutions of higher education are under pressure to enroll, retain, and graduate competent students today more than ever. Although the number of single mothers attending college continues to increase each year, the graduation rates of single mothers do not. These low graduation rates indicate that special attention should be given to the needs…

Many in higher education are calling for a re-think of teaching and learning principles. The global pandemic de-stabilized foundational assumptions that guided pedagogy for many higher education practitioners. One such assumption is the value of the physical classroom for student engagement. Advances in educational technology and online learning…

This phenomenological study aimed to explore the experiences of women with psychological disabilities to ascertain factors contributing to their persistence and success toward obtaining a 4- year college degree. The research questions examined were: (a) What do women with psychological disabilities identify as contributing to their success in…

Sexual violence (SV) is a global public health crisis of pandemic proportions. Sexual harassment (SH) and violence are pervasive on college campuses, negatively impacting students, faculty, and staff. To address this, U.S. universities are required by federal law to implement EBP programs to foster awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and…

Nearly a quarter of Hispanic college students experience race-based bias and discrimination on college campuses (McLennan & Jacobo, 2018). These experiences often take the form of microaggressions or subtle everyday interactions conveying negative messages toward marginalized groups (Ogunyemi et al., 2020). Among Hispanic college students at…

Groupwork is a useful classroom tool, but may not fully benefit students who are ostracized by peers due to nonacademic factors, like weight. Here, undergraduate students estimated GPAs of hypothetical student peers who were described as "overweight" or "normal-weight" and judged how much they wanted to work with them. We found…

The challenges of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) students in higher education are present in all aspects of the student experience including academic, residential, and social structures. For LGBTQIA students to have a successful and fulfilled educational journey, they often must endure restrictive…

STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) are a key source of economic progress in many countries. As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia works toward an innovative and knowledgeable economy, more qualified national professionals in STEM are needed. Nevertheless, the problem of STEM attrition is still insufficiently explored in Saudi…

The learning environment comprises the psychological, social, cultural and physical setting in which learning occurs and has an influence on student motivation and success. The purpose of the present study was to explore qualitatively, from the perspectives of both students and faculty, the key elements of the learning environment that supported…

Male students are in the minority in nursing, social work and primary education university programmes leading to professional recognition. This article explores the experiences of men studying on these professional programmes in Higher Education (HE) in the United Kingdom. A phenomenographic methodology was used to explore male students'…

Black women undergraduates are represented in low numbers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Research studies have lacked data outlining the compounding effects of the intersectional, gendered, and racialized experiences they often face in their programs of study. Participation in kinship networks may be a critical…

Sexual assault is a persistent problem on college campuses that disproportionately impacts sexual and gender minority identified students. Objective: This study explores how circumstances of the crime, disclosure to informal sources, training and campus climate are associated with reporting sexual assault to college officials by these students.…

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand how Black undergraduate music education students make meaning of their lived experiences in predominantly White schools of music (PWSOM). The study was guided by the overall research questions: (1) What makes the lived experience of Black undergraduate music education…

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the implementation of a belongingness strategy positively influences student performance in an online higher education environment. Belonging is defined as a student's sense of being accepted, respected, encouraged and supported in their college environment by both peers and faculty. This study's…