Some first-generation and low-income students enrolled in an Upward Bound (UB) program in a university in the southeastern United States are not prepared to transition from high school to college; therefore, they may need additional guidance, support, resources, and tools to help them with the process. For this reason, precollege programs such as the UB program were designed to prepare first-generation, low-income students for transitioning from high school to college. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to describe first-generation, low-income students' perspectives of the UB program. The conceptual framework for this case study was Tinto's student integration model. Purposeful sampling was used to select 7 UB graduates who were enrolled in the program for at least 2 years. Opened-ended interview questions were used to gather data for open coding and axial coding data analysis process. The results of this study were used to develop an UB Report which described UB gradates' perspectives of the program. Included in the report are the findings, which revealed that UB graduates identified benefits (motivation, social exposure, and student experiences) and resources (services and guest speakers) as major components of the program that contributed to their transition from high school to college. Reporting the perspectives of UB graduates will help UB directors and secondary and postsecondary administrators better understand how the UB program positively affects first-generation, low-income students' successful transition from high school to college.

This mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of the Upward Bound TRIO program in preparing a low-income and first-generation population for the successful completion of high school and acceptance into postsecondary institutions of higher learning. Data collection methods for this study were comprised of teacher and student surveys and program director interviews. A comparison of two Upward Bound programs was conducted in the southern regions of Virginia and Georgia. The results were analyzed and queried as to whether the current program objectives were effective in meeting the needs of low-income, first-generation students and whether the program provided the necessary academic and technological skillsets and support needed to gain employment in knowledge capital economy. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in institutions of higher learning. The significance of this study is that it offers insight on the necessary support structures needed to assist low-income and first-generation students. The study was an in depth analysis of the Upward Bound TRIO program’s current objectives in meeting the needs of the 21st century learner. Information gathered from the literary sources as well as other sources provides additional insight for the researcher on program practice, evaluation, efficiency, and low-income first-generation students’ success.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2009. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." Directed by Barbara Mallory. ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-117) and appendices.

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Thesis advisor: Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon / Rural undergraduates lag behind urban and suburban undergraduates across many measures of college success, even though they graduate from high school at a higher rate. While a small but growing body of research literature addresses the challenges and barriers rural students face during the college process, few, if any, studies have focused specifically on the experience of rural undergraduates who withdraw from college before completing a degree.This qualitative phenomenological study examines the experiences of rural, low-income, first-in-family undergraduates who stop out of college. Study participants (n=13) attended high school in different rural communities and geographic regions across the United States. After participating in an Upward Bound program during high school, they each enrolled in a two- or four-year, undergraduate degree program at an accredited, non-profit college or university and then withdrew prior to completing a degree. Following in the tradition of Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) and using the framework provided by Clark Moustakas (1994), I engaged study participants in open ended, semi-structured interviews. After those conversations, participants submitted independently recorded voice memos about their experience stopping out of college. The rural backgrounds of study participants manifested in many aspects of how and what they experienced when they withdrew from college. The phenomenon was described as an intense and devastating period of time, characterized by feelings of failure, shame, confusion, and disappointment. The distinct influence of rural families, communities, and schools shaped participants’ decisions before, during, and after their time at college. While the reasons students withdrew varied widely and may be similar to those of non-rural students, all participants perceived their rural background as deeply implicated in the stop-out experience. This study offers a new orientation on the topic of college stop-out among rural undergraduates and presents a working persistence model for this underserved student group. The three theoretical perspectives presented in this study – transcendental phenomenology, ecological systems theory, and community cultural wealth – expose broader meaning about both the objective and subjective qualities of the stop-out experience, adding a depth to findings that has broad implications for scholars and practitioners. This study concludes with practical insights for educators, policymakers, and institutions that serve rural undergraduates. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Historically, urban high school students encounter socioeconomic, educational, and systematic barriers in pursuit of college acceptance and admissions (VanTassel-Baska and Willis, 1987; Freedle, 2003; Dixon-Roman, Everson, and McArdle, 2013). These same hurdles are ever present for these students in their enrollment in SAT test then the SAT scores. Furthermore, urban students with learning and/or language differences are further disadvantaged by compounding variables of socioeconomics, disability, and access to resources. Given the significance of SAT scores in college admission, it is imperative that disadvantaged students from urban communities are provided proper support, guidance and instruction thought non-profit community organization that serve as college access conduits. This research study examine SAT Verbal prep offered through the Upward Bound program. SAT Verbal was offered through two instructional modes: teacher-led lecture or student-authored multimedia instruction. SAT Verbal instruction type was compared with a small sampling of students enrolled in Dual Enrollment to determine which SAT instruction increased scores beyond exposure to college level coursework. Three different groups were used in this pre-posttest design that utilized a combination of unique randomization and non-randomized group placements (n=101). Pre and posttest were analyzed with ANCOVAs to evaluate mean changes across the groups. Results indicate that students participating in high frequency academic vocabulary CAPs experienced a highly statistically signification casual effect of increasing scores on SAT Composite(p<.00) and SAT Verbal scores (p<.00). These results are even more pronounced in student groups with learning or language differences. Diverse students enrolled in multimedia instruction saw their SAT Composite scores increases (ELL=5.34%, IEP=18.12%) and SAT Verbal scores (ELL-3.67%, IEP 12.88%). These results support use of CAPS to address language, learning, access, and socio-economic issues that hinder urban students from high achievement on SAT, and ultimately college admission. / Special Education

Information Technology (IT) jobs are in demand in the United States and rural Appalachian communities are attracting IT businesses. The need to fill IT jobs creates a workforce opportunity for these communities where students have limited access to academic and career resources. The Upward Bound and Talent Search programs respond to the academic and career needs of disadvantaged students and aim to educate students about high skills jobs but little is known about interest in IT careers among middle and high school students in rural Appalachia. This study validates models of IT career interest and parental support of IT careers in girls and boys enrolled in Upward Bound or Talent Search in rural communities in Virginia using the theoretical framework of self-authorship. The theory of self-authorship explores the development of meaning-making in individuals and offers a context-specific way to study interest in IT careers. Results indicate interest in IT careers but the path to IT career interest is different among girls and boys. Girls are relying on others for career advice more often than boys and there is direct association between the information sources and interest in IT careers. Parental support is important in IT career interest for both girls and boys. Other important variables indicating an interest in IT careers are computer use and positive attitudes toward IT workers. Receiving information from sources such as parents, teachers, counselors, and friends is especially important to girls. Findings from this study can be used to inform practices and policies for Upward Bound and Talent Search. / Ph. D.

Upward Bound is a federally funded program designed to help low-income and first-generation high school students become college graduates by providing them with academic enrichment, financial aid information, and relevant educational experiences. Many Upward Bound programs throughout the country include a 6-week summer program when participants stay in residence halls on a university campus. The Upward Bound program at the University of North Texas is one such program. The goals of this research project are to understand how the residential component of the summer program affects the experience of participants in Upward Bound and the possible benefits it may have towards meeting the overall goals of the program. Participant observation during the 2016 UNT Upward Bound summer program and interviews with participants, RAs, program alumni, and organizational leaders uncovered the ways in which the residential component benefits and enriches the experience of participation in Upward Bound.

The problem of this study was to determine if study habits can be used to predict academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between selected study skill habits and attitudes and achievement of secondary students in English, mathematics, and spelling. The sample for this study consisted of 82 secondary school students participating in Upward Bound programs at two universities in the north Texas area in a six week period during the summer of 1988. Eighteen different high schools were represented in the study. The sizes of the schools ranged from small to very large. Instruments used were the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes, (SSHA) the Stanford Test of Academic Skills, (TASK), and the Otis-Lennon Mental Abilities Test (OLMAT). The statistical analysis indicated that the four subscores of the SSHA are not accurate predictors of academic achievement. However, some of the correlations among the subscores for the SSHA and the TASK were significant. Most noteable of these were work methods and mathematics, teacher acceptance and mathematics, and work methods and spelling. The recommendation is made that the SSHA should not be used to predict academic achievement in Upward Bound programs. Improving study habits and attitudes should be addressed as a method of refining academic programs, not of predicting academic achievement.