This study aimed to take asset-based approach and identify Latino male students who were persisting in college, and to identify what strategies made them successful. This qualitative study consulted Tinto's revised student departure model, Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital, as well as Yosso's theory of community cultural wealth. A phenomenological design was utilized to identify the shared experience of first-generation Latino male college students who had persisted in college and maintained a 3.0 grade point average. Findings revealed that Latino students entered college with goals to provide better opportunities for the next generation. They encountered unfamiliarity, culture shock, and marginalization, all obstacles centered not on academic preparedness, but on unfamiliarity with the environment. They used their linguistic, navigational, and aspirational capital to navigate their two worlds. Their cultural upbringing stressed a strong commitment to family and community, i.e. familismo. They found community among in-group peers and college staff. This support network provided what Laura Rendon refers to as validating experiences. Once familismo was obtained they gained a sense of belonging and grew their cultural capital to become familiar with the college going culture. The learned the rules of the game which enabled students to focus on their goal of earning a college degree.

Thesis advisor: Ana M. Martínez-Alemán / Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) programs need to increase the retention and graduation rates of students of color to create a diverse nursing workforce that meets the needs of the United States. Living and learning communities (LLCs) are an emerging method for residential colleges to improve the experiences and retention of undergraduate students. This dissertation used a critical race theory lens to investigate the impact of a nursing-focused living and learning community on the first-year experiences of women of color. A qualitative comparative case study methodology was appropriate to explore the differences of sense of belonging of women of color in the LLC compared to women of color not enrolled in the LLC. The research questions that guided this study were, How does a nursing living and learning community impact the sense of belonging for first-year women of color who attend a BSN program within a predominantly White institution? and How different is the sense of belonging of the women of color who participated in the nursing-focused LLC compared to the first-year BSN women of color who did not participate in the nursing-focused LLC? Thirteen women of color from a predominantly White BSN program, River Stone University, participated in a survey, journal entries, individual interviews, and focus groups. The findings suggest that the nursing-focused LLC positively impacted the sense of belonging of women of color in the BSN program. The nursing-focused LLC was an institutional counterspace for women of color, which mitigated the adverse effects of the BSN program’s hostile racial climate and competitive culture. The women of color who did not participate in the nursing-focused LLC had a lower sense of belonging and perceived the BSN program to be more racially hostile and unwelcoming. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

abstract: The oppressive legislative policies and polarizing media narratives of undocu/DACAmented Latinx im/migrants in the United States have created unfavorable campus climates, which have further marginalized those students in higher education who fit into this category. As a result of Donald Trump’s presidency and rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that soon followed, undocu/DACAmented Latinx students are experiencing an increase in stress, anxiety, and fear to the point that they become silent, depressed, and feel the need to advocate more for their existence and worth on campus. My critical ethnographic case study investigates the everyday experiences of Mexican undocu/DACAmented students enrolled at a public university in Arizona – a state that borders Mexico – as they pursue their undergraduate degrees in the Trump era. This study is guided by critical race theory and LatCrit, sense of belonging, and resistance capital theoretical frameworks, and seeks to answer the following: (a) how race and racism shape their collegiate experiences, (b) where these collegians find belongingness to persist towards graduation while navigating an anti-im/migrant sociopolitical climate, and (c) how these students exercise agency via their activism efforts. The broader case study includes individual collaborative interviews, twelve months of participatory field observations, and a collection of documents. This study aims to expand the field of higher education’s understanding of how federal, state, and institutional policies and policymakers affect undocu/DACAmented students’ experiences in and persistence through college, highlight the agency exercised and assets these collegians bring with them to college, and offer research, policy, and practical recommendations for higher education and student affairs institutional agents. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Policy and Evaluation 2020

The present phenomenological study explores the experiences of ethnic minority students at John Brown University. The study includes 25 interviews with undergraduate ethnic minority students. The findings from this study show minority students have an overall positive response to their experience at a private, Christian institution. Additionally, participants experienced a variety of challenges which included feeling less than, lacking connection, and feeling isolated. Lastly, the researchers noted what was necessary for minority students to succeed at this university, which included support from faculty, staff, and organizations. The most important finding from the study was that minority students need a sense of belonging to succeed at John Brown University.

The economic capital, cultural capital especially social capital have significant effect on forming the small-sized Chinese city. This article argues for understandings of the spatial form of capital based on the special context in China and mainly focuses on social network in the scale of neighborhood. Reviews of documentation in the city discussed are exemplified as firsthand data for case study. Furthermore, the qualitative narration concerning five elements of social capital- “social network, trust, security, sense of belonging and participation”-is adopted as useful lens for evaluating the existing situation and better involvement of social capital in space is prompted as an effective solution. An overall assessment of the performance of social capital in the case is concluded and recommendations are presented for future improvement of enhancing social capital onsite.

The aim of this essay is to investigate the physical aspects in and around inner courtyards, as well as the use of them, in the city district of Ålidhem in Umeå. Ålidhem was built as part of “the million programme” in Sweden in the 1960’s and 70’s and present an example of how these large courtyard areas can function in this aspect. The essay will be centred around four themes, namely size, primary and secondary delimitation, belonging and activities. The form of the courtyards, their contents and their immediate surroundings will be investigated through eight example-courtyards in a field study from the district in question, as well as from the residents' point of view. The residents' answers were gathered through a questionnaire, that also examines how the residents view and use their closest courtyard in addition to the physical aspects. On top of this a shorter analysis of social activities in these types of areas will be examined, as a part of the concept of “life between buildings”. The results of this study find several connections to theories about how inner courtyards are framed by, among others, buildings, and how this affects residents view and use of them.

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<p>The discipline of data science has gained substantial attention recently. This is mainly attributed to the technological advancement that led to an exponential increase in computing power and has made the generation and recording of enormous amounts of data possible on an everyday basis. It has become crucial for industries to wrangle, curate, and analyze data using data science techniques to make informed decisions. Making informed decisions is complex. Therefore, a trained data science workforce is required to analyze data on a real-time basis. The increasing demand for data science professionals has caused higher education institutions to develop courses and train students starting from the undergraduate level about the data science concepts and tools.</p> <p>Despite the efforts from the institutions and national agency such as National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, it has been witnessed that there have been significant challenges in retaining and attracting students in the discipline of data science. The novice learners in data science are required to possess the skills of a programmer, a statistician, research skills, and non-technical skills such as communication and critical thinking. The undergraduate students do not possess all the required skills, which, in turn, creates a cognitive load for novice learners (Koby & Orit, 2020). Research suggests that improving the teaching and mentoring methodologies can improve retention for students from all demographic groups (Seymour, 2002). Previous studies (e.g., Hoffmann et al., 2002, Flynn, 2015; Lenning & Ebbers, 1999) have revealed that learning communities are effective in improving student retention, especially at the undergraduate level, as it helps students develop a sense of belonging, socialize, and form their own identities. Learning communities have been identified as <em>high impact practices</em> (Kuh, 2008) that helps to develop identities and sense of belonging, however to the best of our knowledge there are few studies that focus on the development of the psychosocial and cognitive skills of the students enrolled in a data science learning community.</p> <p>To meet the demand for the future workforce and help undergraduate students develop data science skills, The Data Mine (TDM) at Purdue University has undertaken an initiative in the discipline of data science. The Data Mine is an interdisciplinary living-learning community that allows students from various disciplines to enroll and learn data science skills under the guidance of competent faculty and corporate mentors. The residential nature of the learning community allows the undergraduate students to live, learn and socialize with peers of similar interests and develop a sense of belonging. The constant interaction with knowledgeable faculty and mentors in real-world projects allows novice learners to master data science skills and develop an identity. The study aims to characterize the effects of identity formation, socialization, and learning of the undergraduate students enrolled in The Data Mine and answer the following research question:</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Quantitative: RQ 1:</strong> What are the perceptions of students regarding their identity formation, socialization opportunities, self-belief, and academic/intellectual development in The Data Mine? </p> <p><strong>Qualitative: Guiding RQ 2:</strong> How do students’ participation in activities and interaction with peers, faculty, staff at The Data Mine contribute to becoming an experienced member of the learning community?</p> <ul> <li><strong>Sub-RQ 2(a):</strong> What are the perceived benefits and challenges of participating in The Data Mine?</li> <li><strong>Sub-RQ 2(b):</strong> How do students describe their levels of socialization and a sense of belonging within The Data Mine?</li> <li><strong>Sub-RQ 2(c):</strong> How do students’ participation and interaction in The Data Mine help them form their identity?</li> </ul> <p>To approach the above research questions, we conducted a sequential explanatory mixed method study to understand the growth journey of students in terms of socialization, sense of belonging and identity formation. The data were collected in two phases: a quantitative survey study followed by qualitative semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis, followed by narrative analysis. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis demonstrated that learning in The Data Mine happened through interaction and socialization of the students with faculty, staff, and peers at The Data Mine. Students found multiple opportunities to learn and develop data science skills, such as working on real-world projects or working in groups. This continuous interaction with peers, faculty and staff at The Data Mine helped them to learn and develop identities. This study revealed that students did develop a data science identity, but the corporate partner TAs developed a leader identity along with the data science identity. In summary all students grew and served as mentor, guide, and role models for new incoming students.</p>

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