Previous studies have found that overall first-generation college students have lower levels of student engagement than non-first-generation college students in higher education (Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, & Terenzini, 2004; Pike & Kuh, 2005). However, more recent research has brought into question the extent of these differences in engagement (Dong, 2019). Additionally, while a growing body of literature has focused on the engagement of first-generation college students, fewer studies have addressed this population’s participation with support services (Volet & Karabenick, 2006) and career services more specifically (Tate, Caperton, Kaiser, Pruitt, White & Hall, 2015). The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of first-generation status on students’ use of in-person services at a university career center in a large, public research institution. A conceptual framework infusing social capital theory and intersectionality was developed to assess the effect of first-generation status alongside several other at-risk demographic factors. While first-generation status was not found to be a significant factor in students’ use of the career center, gender and student work did have an effect. The results of this study have implications for researchers studying the career development experiences of first-generation college students as well as administrators seeking to improve data tracking methods within career services offices. / Educational Administration

Women mid-level career professionals continue to face obstacles as they move forward in their careers. Opportunities for advancement and balancing personal and professional commitment remained challenging. Supportive relationships were integral in career guidance, navigating decision-making and office politics, and networking. This qualitative study explored the shared lived experiences of women mid-level career professionals in higher education. The focus was to examine their professional experiences, focusing on the challenges faced, perception of leadership, supportive relationships in the workplace, and institutional support via professional development. In addition, leadership self-efficacy, social capital, and intersectionality between race and gender were highlighted to understand further the experiences of mid-level career professionals in higher education. The research questions were: (1) What are the shared experiences of mid-level women professionals in higher education? And (2) How do work relationships influence the experiences of mid-level women professionals in higher education? There were fifteen participants in this study who were recruited via email and self-identified as mid-level career professionals. They were required to complete an interest form, demographic survey, and two 60- 90-minute interviews. Seven themes emerged and were organized into three categories: (a) perceptions of leadership styles & professional identity, (b) challenges, support, & morale in the workplace, and (c) work relationships influence on career growth. There were several findings in this study. There was ambiguity around the definition of mid-level career professionals. Perceptions of effective leadership styles were contradictory. Advancement opportunities continued to be challenging, and often, women hit a wall. There was invisibility due to lack of support from supervisors, and title- consciousness played a factor in seeking guidance and learning opportunities. The balance of personal and professional lives was difficult and influenced decision-making in terms of career trajectory. An increase in women supporting women was imperative to creating connections between mid-level and senior-level. Lastly, the experiences of Black women mid-level professionals did not differ much from the experiences of participants who identified as white. However, all the women of color in this study spoke to sponsorship for validation. Overall, this research contributed to a deeper understanding of women mid-level career professionals’ experiences in higher education. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of faculty members who teach courses to high school dual enrollment students. Existing literature on dual enrollment focuses mainly on academic achievement and grade point averages; few studies explore the lived experiences of those who participate in dual enrollment. Although there is limited research on how students perceive their experiences with dual enrollment, a missing piece of the existing literature is in how faculty members perceive their experiences with dual enrollment students. The research questions sought to explore professors' experiences with dual enrollment students, to what extent they believe their students were prepared to perform in a college course, and to what extent they believed their students were prepared to access resources on a college campus. The method included interviewing professors who have taught dual enrollment students in the last 10 years and exploring their experience working with high school students. Interviews were transcribed, codes were applied to the data, and a thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. Five themes were discovered as a result of the thematic analysis. Data showed that faculty members perceive that dual enrollment students show regularly improvement, are responsive to feedback, are as prepared or more prepared than their peers who do not participate in dual enrollment, have academic related soft skills that help them succeed, and they are just as resourceful as their peers. Additionally, a common perception among faculty members is that they think dual enrollment students benefit from committed professors. The data suggested from this study has implications for the recruitment of dual enrollment students and the way programs are structured. Additionally, it recommends further research on students' lived experiences of their participation in dual enrollment. / Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether a student’s sense of financial security can increase the degree of predictability of retention over and above the more traditional predictors typically found in the literature, and to get a better sense for how student financial security impacts student persistence decision-making in college. To determine whether or not a student’s sense of financial security can increase the degree of predictability of retention over and above expected family contribution (EFC) and grade point average (GPA), data on these variables were collected from students at Mid-Atlantic University between the years of 2017 and 2019. Each variable was run separately at the univariate level through correlations (or chi square for race) to answer the question of whether the variables high school GPA, EFC and financial security (both as a percentile, and as a raw score) correlate with retention. What was found was that only high school GPA significantly predicts retention, with financial security having no effect. To obtain additional information on how students’ sense of financial security impacts student persistence decision-making in college, a series of interviews were conducted with students who made the decision to persist, despite identified financial insecurities. To better understand the decision-making of students from both a relatively high socioeconomic (SES) status, as well as the decision-making of students from a relatively low SES, students from both the 1st EFC quartile, as well as students from above the 3rd EFC quartile at Mid-Atlantic University were interviewed about whether financial security had impacted their persistence decision-making. A thematic analysis of the six student interviews revealed that students are: (1) Averse to risk and sometimes reluctant to take on debt; (2) Unmoored from traditional financial support systems; (3) Lacking general money management knowledge, (4) Employed on and off campus, and (5) Committed to reaching their educational goals. If institutions of higher education are going to help students better navigate persistence decision-making, they need to understand the nuances of how student financial concerns influence such decisions. This study provides valuable insights into the multi-dimensional nature of student persistence decision-making, especially as those decisions are impacted by student financial pressures and insecurities. Such insights can help institutions develop effective interventions and initiatives to promote greater financial confidence in students, encouraging student persistence and educational goal achievement. / Educational Leadership

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women student-athletes are high-level athletes who experience the traditional demands of job-hunting, interviewing, and the range of emotions experienced by college students transitioning from postsecondary education into the workforce. In addition, they have unique experiences related to their collegiate playing careers ending and being women in the workplace. Guided by Nancy Schlossberg's (1981) Model for Analyzing Human Adaptation to Transition, this qualitative study explored eight former NCAA Division I women soccer players' perceptions about the transition to the workforce. The focus was on the student-athletes' psychosocial and institutional influences related to the career transition process. Five themes emerged from the interviews: 1) institutional career support, 2) transferable skills, 3) career connections, 4) moving on, and 5) advice from former student-athletes. All the participants had a positive experience being a collegiate student-athlete, but still, they felt a lack of support and resources provided to them to aid with the career transition from their coaches, athletic department, and university. The participants acknowledged that internship experiences contributed to a positive transition into the workforce but expressed challenges completing an internship opportunity due to the time demands associated with being a student-athlete. The respondents also expressed other challenges with transitioning from being a student-athlete to a young professional, but all collectively used their families, friends, and teammates for support during the transition. The former student-athletes also unanimously believed they acquired several skills such as time management, conflict management, and discipline from being student-athletes that helped them have a more successful transition. Each participant provided advice to current student-athletes and recommendations to athletic programs, coaches, and administrators about the career transition process for student-athletes. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

This qualitative research study explores the challenges encountered by five African American women who serve as high-ranking higher education administrators at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) in Pennsylvania as well as how they contend with these challenges. This study also uses an Intersectionality lens to explore the intersectionality of race and gender and how participants feel this intersectionality, as well as gender and racial stereotypes, has impacted their professional lives and how they are perceived/received by colleagues. As we strive to ascend to a level of increased diversity in higher education professionals that is reflective of our increasingly diverse society and student population, it is essential that we explore what is often uncomfortable territory to create more enlightened, supportive, and inclusive work environments. Purposive sampling and phenomenological research methods including semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions were utilized to delve into the experiences of the participants. Participants were asked about professional challenges, work-life balance, and how they experience working at PWIs among other topics. The emerging themes were professional challenges, coping mechanisms/support, mentorship, navigating higher education as Black women, and respect or lack thereof from colleagues and subordinates. The ladies were also asked about their views on the future of Black women in higher education and for any advice for Black women currently working as administrators and those who aspire to do so. Though they encounter many challenges, some unique to them as Black women, all the participants recognize the value of their work and plan to continue that work for their students as well as future Black female administrators following in their footsteps. / Educational Administration

The experiences of undocumented students have gained much attention over the last decade and researchers have shed light on the barriers these students face in regard to postsecondary educational access and success. However, the conversations about undocumented students in higher education are often focused on Latinx experiences thereby excluding non-Latinx undocumented students, such as Black undocumented (undocuBlack) students. Although undocuBlack students face similar challenges to other undocumented students, their experiences are different as a result of intersecting domains of oppression and deserve a place in the ongoing discourse. Therefore, this qualitative research study focuses on undocuBlack students and their experiences in higher education, exploring the issue through the intersectionality lens. I employed qualitative strategies to study this topic and utilized an interpretative phenomenology approach to gain perspective, insights, and make meaning of the experiences of undocuBlack students on college campuses. The results of my analysis suggests that the collegiate experiences of undocuBlack students are unique because of the intersection of their race and immigration status. Participants experienced invisibility within the undocumented and Black communities. They also faced challenges experiencing a sense of belonging because some participants did not feel comfortable in Black spaces, while others completely disengaged out of fear of not belonging. Furthermore, participants with DACAmented status had more resources available to them allowing them to more fully engage on campus. Ultimately, each participant's own lived and personal experiences related to their race and undocumented status demonstrate the diverse, conflicting, and invisible nature of the undocuBlack experiences. My findings contribute to the literature on undocuBlack on the diversity of the undocumented student experience and offers invaluable information to higher education professionals, the undocumented community, and activists on how to properly support undocuBlack students. Keywords: Undocumented, UndocuBlack, DACA, Intersectionality / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

Placement into preparatory courses presents a significant challenge related to access and equity in higher education; it connects to conversations around college readiness, particularly in geographical areas that have been underserved, or which have larger minority populations and underprepared students. At the same time, the research points to relationships between enrollment in preparatory coursework in higher education and lower rates of retention and college persistence; students who take these courses are more likely to drop out from the institution. These courses often carry no academic or transferable credit to be applied towards a college degree, yet the student has still accrued the same amount of debt as any other student who has taken credit-bearing courses. Therefore, these issues peripherally relate to matters surrounding college affordability and student debt. As a secondary analysis of Mid-Atlantic University data, this project investigated how preparatory coursework impacts college persistence and retention. It used the existing literature on placement into preparatory courses and any relationship to retention, with a focus on any noted disparities or inequities by student characteristics. Specifically, this study explored whether taking preparatory courses impacts some student groups differently than others in relation to retention and persistence. The data set was analyzed using quantitative, statistical methods. Findings include that students who take preparatory courses are more likely to be from minority backgrounds, are first-generation, are from homes where English is not the native language spoken and are from lower socio-economic status. There are also differential outcomes amongst those who take preparatory courses dependent upon student characteristics. Finally, preparatory students’ responses on a New Student Questionnaire trend towards lower levels of academic and social integration. The implications of the results were focused on offering practitioners a unique look at the student data about the impact of pre-college course placement, which can be used to better support students placed into preparatory courses to increase the retention rates and improve academic outcomes of this vulnerable population. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

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