When students choose their university, this is determined by academic entry requirements, acceptance into a programme, sufficient funding and tips from their family and friends. They are also targeted by universities' marketing departments. In the context of higher education, the concept of "institutional culture" comprises a…

The process of pursuing a higher education degree can be particularly complicated for undocumented students as they navigate the K-16 pipeline. Ganas, or the desire to succeed, is a cultural value that can serve a motivation to overcome educational obstacles. Using portraiture, this article highlights the ways students demonstrated ganas in the…

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting immense strain on districts, schools, students, families, and all the stakeholders connected to them. During the Great Recession, many people enrolled in a postsecondary pathway based on the job market's weakness. Those without any postsecondary education fared particularly poorly after the Great Recession.…

The dissertation sought to provide insight to the unique experiences of foster care alumni in graduate education pursuits. For many, higher education serves to increase opportunities in the workforce and higher lifetime earnings; as the level of degree attainment is higher, the availability of benefits often increases. Frequently, these…

International evidence shows that students from more disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to attend university. We examine the potential link between university aspiration and secondary schools' attainment grouping practices (tracking/setting). Modelling of longitudinal student questionnaires (N = 6680) completed in England suggests that…

We examined key influences on STEM college seniors' postgraduate plans. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Freshmen we utilized multilevel modeling to identify variables associated with planning to pursue a STEM-related job or STEM graduate study after graduation. Key findings emphasize the importance of volunteering and…

On March 13, 2020, the government of South Sudan implemented emergency lockdown measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fears that the pandemic would reverse efforts by the government and civil society to keep girls in school were realized and reported incidences of teen pregnancy increased. Prior to the pandemic, early marriage and teen…

Mixtecos are Indigenous people that originate from the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Puebla, in Mexico. This community is unique in that it speaks an unwritten language with different variations based on locations north or south of Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Puebla. California and other agricultural states have been the major relocation areas for…

This participatory action research project involves working with refugee-background students to identify and enact practices that promote their capacity to navigate and negotiate the secondary-tertiary education border. The project will foreground students' voices in relation to educational transition, and lead to the development of…

Educational aspirations are an important predictor of academic outcomes. While there has been considerable research on educational aspirations in the West, there has been little research in East Asia, and the investigation of factors influencing adolescent aspirations has been neglected, particularly in rural areas. Drawing on ecological systems…

Undergraduate research experiences have been widely demonstrated as a beneficial and essential component of the college experience. However, many community colleges face barriers and lack of support in implementing such research programs, which means a significant number of community college students miss out on these impactful experiences.…

Background/Context: Taking even one Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), dual enrollment, or other college-preparatory course is positively associated with student outcomes including test scores; high school graduation; and college matriculation, major choice, and completion (Adelman, 2006; An & Taylor, 2019; Author,…

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the gender inequities of unpaid household and childcare labor, especially for Black and Latina mothers who are also breadwinners. Notwithstanding, higher educational attainment has been found to be an important predictor of earnings and reentry into the labor market although disparities of earnings for women of…

This strengths-based paper draws on the qualitative and quantitative survey results from whanau (family members) of "tamariki" (children) attending 12 schools in an urban area in New Zealand with a high proportion of Maori people. The paper describes the positive impact of effective family engagement on tamariki, from the perspectives of…

The low number of California Native American students, both rural and urban, graduating A through G ready prompted this study. Using a qualitative and Indigenous research approach, the research questions that guided this study were: (1) What are the perspectives and beliefs about postsecondary education among a group of Native American students at…