Handicapped, special, or diverse? Segregated, mainstreamed, or included? The field of disability and difference within education, is vast and wide-ranging. This review of the literature highlights how, although we have come far in the last 40 years, there is still much to learn about effective inclusion of disabled children in early childhood…

The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, correlational research study was to investigate the extent that Hispanics in grade 11 in a rural high school in Tennessee experienced a sense of belonging and the correlation, if any, between sense of belonging and academic achievement on the state English I and English II standardized tests. I…

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine the experiences of international graduate students as they participated in a peer mentor circle (PMC) program that aimed to ease their transitions and foster sense of belonging. International graduate students provide many financial, educational, and social benefits to American…

This article presents the findings of a qualitative case study on voluntary participation in morning "karakia" (incantation, prayer) and "waiata" (song) sessions, led by a group of teacher educators. This study is informed by a selective review of literature from three relevant sources: the impact of music therapy practices,…

Dominant systems of White masculinity--or attitudes, behaviors, and ideologies rooted in White masculine dominance alongside homophobia, misogyny, and racism--within higher education impact how students frame and understand their identities and experiences during their undergraduate careers. For sexual-minority men and transmasculine individuals,…

For the last several decades, researchers and theorists have attempted to understand and predict college student retention. The importance of retaining college students cannot be understated. The impacts of dropout for individuals, colleges, and states can be costly. Prominent theories and research literature point to the complexity of this issue.…

Belonging and shame find themselves on a spectrum. Shame is on one end belonging the other. In the university setting belonging is widely researched. However, it is not known how shame resilience effects a college's students sense of belonging. This study tapped into shame resilience theory and self-authorship to start the conversation about shame…

This qualitative case study explored if and how a first-generation focused student success program fostered sense of belonging amongst first-generation college students. Utilizing the theoretical framework of sense of belonging (Strayhorn, 2012), the following research questions guided this study: (1) How do first-generation students experience a…

College students who identify on the queer- and trans-spectrum (LGBTQ+) perceive and experience their campuses differently from their cisgender and straight peers. The differing experiences have resulted in LGBTQ+ students reporting a lower sense of belonging to their campuses. Researchers have found positive correlations between sense of…

First-generation college students are associated with lower educational outcomes leading to decreased career aspirations. Student engagement has been linked to positive college retention outcomes. The present study surveyed 6,421 technical and two-year college students, who were in their first term of college, to determine if there are differences…

This narrative research explored place attachment as an aspect of identity through the perceptions of Native American undergraduate students. Six Native American undergraduate students aged 18-25 who are members or descendants of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, took photographs of places that had meaning for them and to which they felt attachment and…

Graduate enrollment patterns of students of color suggest that a gap in graduate enrollment persists between Black and Latinx students and White students despite an overall increase in enrollment. Graduate enrollment depends, in part, on student aspirations for graduate study, which is influenced by undergraduate student success and sense of…

This mixed-methods phenomenological action research study was conducted to mine meaning from the lived experiences of student-participants and a teacher-researcher engaged in Teaching as Producing™ (TAP). TAP is a novel pedagogical approach rooted in John Dewey's Theory of Experience. It aligns with experience-based learning models like…

Colleges across the country are looking to increase institutional enrollment with graduate-level offerings. Institutions of higher learning have a mission to educate, serve, and prepare all students personally and professionally. The documented need for well-trained student affairs professionals, student orientations, and appropriate services…

The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive phenomenological analysis study was to examine and better understand the impact of that one high school's design and specific elements therein had on the higher education outcomes for his low socioeconomic status Latinx students. This study focused on the impact of the small school model, school…