To address social inequality, many western governments have sought to pursue principles of 'widening participation' as a key policy response in higher education. Though originally intended to complement social justice policy agendas, alignment of education policies with broader neoliberal policy frameworks has led policymakers, such as those in…

This study uses the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002 (ELS:2002) to examine how varying levels of intention (planning) and action (choice) in pursuing a science-based major affect American college students' degree attainment in Science and Engineering (S&E) fields by age 26. The study is guided by the Social Cognitive Career Theory's…

The purpose of my phenomenological qualitative study was to understand the impact of family involvement and engagement on the persistence of first-generation Latinx students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designated university. Grounded in Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth (CCW) model, I explored the ways CCW assets learned from…

With globalization and migration of people and ideas becoming an increasing reality around the world, the needs of immigrant families and students is vital for countries to consider, particularly within their educational systems. This is true especially in the Nordic countries, where the national discourse of equality and egalitarianism are…

We use regression discontinuity design to examine the impact of placing into developmental math on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participation in community colleges and whether these relationships differ for underrepresented racially minoritized (URM), women, STEM-oriented, and STEM-aspiring students. Results show that…

This paper reports the results of a study that investigated secondary school learners' perceptions of the influence of their science and mathematics teachers' nonverbal communication on their aspirations to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related courses in institutions of higher learning. The study further…

Background: High academic aspirations relate to higher achievement and better mental health, but less is known about how these aspirations are formed in relation to the educational context. Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between overall school climate, with particular concern for the dimensions of school level…

As collaborative transnational education models are increasing in number globally, this study provides a snapshot of motivations for newly enrolled students at microcampuses in China, Cambodia, Jordan, and Indonesia. This research centers on the influence of country choice for students. We apply Nye's (1990, 2004) concept of soft power on student…

College and Career Readiness (CCR) programming during early high school years assists students with planning for effective post-school transitions. Group interventions that address CCR for early high school students permit school counselors, career counselors, career specialists, or teachers to engage with a large number of students at one time…

ACT, the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP), and Alliance College-Ready Public Schools (Alliance) collaborated to examine the efficacy of NCCEP's Career & College Clubs (CCC) curriculum for increasing college readiness skills in high school students participating in Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for…

The purpose of this study is to identify factors that motivate English Learners to pursue a college education. Through connections with college graduates that came from abroad, I was able to understand the barriers that English Learners experience, and what motivated them to pursue a college career goal.?The study was conducted from an…

Many students who do not complete high school perceive their home and family lives as troublesome (Kearney & Levine, 2014). Academic, interpersonal and intrapersonal challenges threaten the future of these Non-completers (Bowers & Sprott, 2013; Hawkins et al., 2013), however available supports can aid students toward positive educational…

"Cooling out" is the theoretical process in which community college counselors and faculty seek to adjust the academic goals of low achieving students. Though the rationale behind the concept has changed since it was proposed almost 70 years ago, it is still relevant in the present political environment in which leaders are stressing…

The core theme of this article is the emerging tension between the egalitarian discourse that increases the general aspiration of people to become more educated and actual admission constraints. A desire to attend a university and not being allowed to (i.e. non-admittance) is a loss that can potentially result in an anomic condition. Anomie theory…

In this study, we use a narrative inquiry approach to present the stories of two Latino males attending community colleges in the Great Plains region of the United States that includes the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa, popularly referred to as "flyover states." The purpose of this inquiry, part of a larger study in an area of the…