Academic entitlement is a concern in higher education because of the potential societal and market driven influences on credible scholarship. Most of the research has focused on negative attitudes and behaviors attributed to students. The considerations of tenured professors who interact with academically entitled students and strategies for effective classroom management has not been fully explored. Constructivism provided the theoretical framework for the qualitative case study. Data were collected from open-ended, semistructured interviews with a purposeful sample of 10 tenured professors from a state college in the Southeastern United States to explore (a) the meanings participants attributed to academic entitlement, (b) how those meanings affected their decision-making, and (c) the ramifications of those decisions for classroom management. Data were analyzed through descriptive, InVivo, and patterns coding. Findings indicated that although academic entitlement is a consequence of cultural practices, professors can alter the perception of academically entitled students with an adherence to robust classroom policies and self-reflection to mitigate enablement of the behavior. Findings were used to create a professional development mentorship program for new full-time professors designed to promote self-reflective practices and individualized management considerations to cultivate classroom management skills and improve student learning and retention. New faculty without exposure to academic entitlement might face unanticipated challenges when managing classrooms. An awareness from the experiences of colleagues who instructed academically entitled students will benefit new educators by providing insights to promote stronger classroom management and result in culturally positive social changes.

The persistence rates of Native American students in higher education are lower than other underrepresented groups. Research suggests that the discrepancy could result from factors outside of students' academic knowledge. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how Cherokee students perceive their tribal culture affects their ability to persist at institutions of higher education with a primarily Whitestreamed campus culture. Tharp's cultural compatibility theory and Astin's student involvement theory guided the development of the research questions. The research questions explored potential differences between Cherokee students' tribal culture and the culture these students percieve exists on their college campus, how those differences could influence their ability to persist, and the educational changes Cherokee students suggest are made to increase persistence rates. Interviews with 8 Cherokee students from 2 institutions in the Midwest region of the United States were analyzed using open coding. The resulting themes suggested that participants perceived cultural incongruence with the campus culture, which often led to feelings of isolation and a lower sense of belonging. Involvement in campus activities and groups and encouragement from family and community helped participants persist. Suggested changes to the learning environment included incorporating indigenous instructional methods, creating dedicated spaces for Cherokee students, and increasing mentor relationships. A positive social change implication of this study is the increased knowledge and understanding of the factors that may contribute to low persistence rates of Native American students.

This study was an examination of the minority student retention rate in a year-long bridge program. The retention rate of these students is 25%. University administration was concerned about the retention rate and its impact on future enrollment. Using Jack Mezirow's transformative learning as a framework of understanding, the purpose of this study was to identify successes and challenges that minority students experienced in the bridge program and how those experiences affected future decisions on retention. A qualitative case-study design was implemented and 9 of the 140 bridge students were purposefully selected for individual interviews. Data analysis was conducted using open coding procedures with iterative recategorization to identify the themes. Key findings indicated that students found peer mentoring, flexibility in lab schedules, and speakers to be successes. Challenges that students faced included efforts associated with self-regulation and self-efficacy. Based on these findings, a policy recommendation was developed for the local site that suggested developing a mentoring program and continued use of Student Support Services beyond the first year. The results of this study will help university administration make informed and strategic decisions to revise and enhance the bridge program towards a focus upon the improvement of minority student retention. Further, this study promotes social change by serving as a model for other institutions in similar situations and continues the conversation in the literature regarding minority student retention rate.

Decreasing retention rates have become a serious issue at several universities in the United States. At a university in middle Georgia, retention rates have been steadily declining for the last several years. The purpose of this study was to explore how the faculty at this university might implement more educational services on campus to increase retention. Bandura's theoretical framework of self-efficacy was used in this qualitative case study. Key questions for the study asked faculty about what programs or instructional strategies they believe currently offer support to retaining students at this university, how faculty at the university perceive that they contribute to retention and graduation, and what factors faculty observe that affect student retention and graduation. Ten faculty members at the university were randomly sampled and participated in face-to-face interviews. The data was analyzed by hand using themes. The data analysis revealed that faculty believed student retention might be increased through improved student engagement, building better faculty and student rapport, developing concrete retention goals, and implementing a mentoring program. A 3-day professional development training program was designed for faculty members to increase their knowledge of student retention, student engagement, goal attainment, and services that could be beneficial in student retention. The project resulting from this research may encourage the faculty and the university to implement more resources and services for students so as to increase the retention rates. This study promotes social change by providing faculty members the results of the study and illuminating the ways to strengthen and increase the services on their campus.

Male college students' attrition has been a concern for higher education for 3 decades. This study focused on why young male college students leave postsecondary education before graduating. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences former male college students that led to their decision to leave a community college in the Southcentral United States. Research questions in this generic qualitative study were: How do men describe their experiences leading to the decision to discontinue their community college education and what supports do men perceive colleges could offer to support their decision to continue postsecondary education. Astin's theory of student involvement, Bean's industrial model of student learning, and Tinto's theory of integration served as the conceptual framework for the study. Open coding of interviews with 8 college-age men revealed 5 themes: a sense of not belonging, financial concerns, challenging timeframes in college life, personal demands and challenges, and desired campus supports. Findings and recommendations may result in positive social change by informing educators and school leaders about reasons men leave college, thereby potentially leading to targeted retention efforts. Positive social change may result from offering more support to male students, particularly focused on time management for those with off-campus jobs, creating more means to instill a sense of belonging, offering early and substantive academic advising and additional financial aid advice and resources, supporting faculty to design more engaging teaching methods, and offering exit interviews.

In a Midwest school district, individuals with disabilities (IWD) graduating from high school are not successful in obtaining employment in the local community. District leaders were unable to make evidence-based decisions regarding the transition program due to a lack of data regarding employers' perceptions related to employment of IWD. The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study was to explore employers' perceptions regarding the employment of IWD. Using Tinto and Pusser's model of institutional action for student success, 12 employers were purposefully sampled in the target community, and data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed using comparative, inductive analyses and analytical coding. Four themes emerged from the findings: (a) employers are willing to hire IWD and make accommodations, (b) employers need the support of job coaches and professional development, (c) the positive attitudes and social skills of IWD contribute to hiring more IWD, and (d) some employers will hire IWD under certain conditions. A white paper was developed to improve stakeholders' understanding of the needs of these individuals and employers in the community. Implications for positive social change are that adoption of the recommended actions by the stakeholders will improve transition, employment, and understanding of these individuals' needs as they transition to the target community, allowing individuals with disabilities to be independent contributing members of society.

Attending college is often so stressful that as many as 40% of students leave without earning a degree. Many students desert during their first and second years of study. Emotional intelligence has been associated with effective coping skills, student achievement, and psychological well-being. The act of expressing emotions through writing has been shown to engage many capabilities associated with emotional intelligence. Few studies have examined the effects of expressive writing on emotional intelligence. The theory of emotion regulation provided theoretical framework. The purpose of this quantitative experimental study was to examine the effects of expressive writing on emotional intelligence and perceived stress. A sample of 58 first and second year of college students participated in the study. Data were analyzed using paired t-test. Differences in emotional intelligence and perceived stress scores were not significant after 4 weeks of expressive writing sessions. However, at one-month follow-up, emotional intelligence scores were significantly higher for those who engaged in expressive writing. Given that emotional intelligence increased after an extended period of time, expressive writing could be easily implemented by students to improve coping skills and achieve academic goals.

Many U.S. colleges and universities have created programs to improve retention and graduation rates of Black male students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the lived experiences of Black male learning community participants and discover what faculty and staff perceive to be major influences on the retention of this population. The conceptual framework was rooted in Tinto's student integration model and Swail's geometric model of student persistence and achievement. The research questions within this study examined what faculty/staff perceive to be a major influence on the retention of minority male learning community participants. The questions also examined the perceptions of black male learning community participants regarding the major influence on their decision to remain at the selected institution after their first year. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 2 faculty, 2 staff, and 6 student learning community participants, and examination of national and local records. Data coding and analysis revealed 5 themes: college selection, college perception, learning community experience, Black male retention, and Black male mentorship. Findings indicated that most learning community participants returned to the institution based on faculty/staff support and a brotherhood bond with their peers. Faculty and staff reported that the institution could retain more minority male students if faculty/staff engagement with students and male mentorship beyond the learning community were increased. The project included a professional development program on effective minority male mentoring strategies for faculty/staff at the selected institution. This project may bring a new perspective on the idea of minority male retention while providing university officials with qualitative data to increase retention.

From 2012 to 2015, students' academic performance at a community college in North Carolina fell below North Carolina Community College System baseline benchmarks despite the institution's adoption of several student success initiatives. Building from the established correlation between student academic achievement and academic engagement and the importance of noncognitive competencies in moderating student academic engagement, this qualitative case study investigated the academic experiences of 7 students who were members of the Paying It Forward mentoring program to determine the types of support and resources that students needed to develop and hone intrinsic motivation, sense of belonging, and self-efficacy-the noncognitivenoncognitive competencies proven to most directly moderate academic engagement. The guiding frameworks included a student-engagement framework developed by the Chicago Consortium on School Research, the learner-centered curriculum framework, and the generalized internal/external model. The research questions focused on specific factors that facilitated students' development of intrinsic motivation, sense of belonging, and academic confidence. The findings identified relationships between student academic performance and academic engagement as moderated by these noncognitivenoncognitive competencies and supported previous research concerning the invaluable role of faculty in developing students' sense of belonging. A resulting professional development project may enable faculty to systematically bolster students' academic engagement and performance by directly supporting mastery of these noncognitivenoncognitive competencies. This project may contribute to social change through increased graduation and transfer rates, which would create opportunities for enhanced social capital.

Religion and spirituality have been found to contribute to the well-being of American university students. Although practiced by a small minority, Islam is the fastest growing faith in the United States, indicating a growing campus presence. The purpose of this study was to identify campus experiences that influenced the identity perception of traditional age Muslim American women. The conceptual framework included theories of identity negotiation, intergroup contact, and religious identity as well as campus climate structures developed to improve diversity. This phenomenological study took place at 2 public 4-year universities in California and included interviews with 6 participants. Interview protocol was framed by 4 research questions and focused on classroom and campus experiences that affected the choice to wear or refrain from wearing the hijab, campus satisfaction, and how student services might support a positive religious climate. Data were analyzed through continuous comparison of codes developed from organization of significant student statements into units of meaning, context, and synthesis of significance of events experienced. Themes that emerged were harassment, stereotyping based on media portrayals, and student and faculty ignorance of Islam. The participants expressed a deep personal and spiritual identification with their faith and requested campus spaces for this expression. This study may contribute to positive social change through the initiation of education and training programs for campus policymakers, student affairs personnel, faculty, and staff regarding the unique needs of religious minority groups, including Muslim American women.