Academic persistence among African American college students has become an important issue due to the consistent lack of increase in the retention rates of these students. Despite the importance of this issue in the field of education, little has been done to study how family factors may influence college student's academic success from a family science perspective. Further, students attending HBCUs are rarely utilized in empirical research even though HBCUs have proven to be effective in graduating African American students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in which African American college students' perceive family relationships and support as impacting their academic persistence. Fourteen African American college students attending an HBCU were interviewed about their perceptions of the impact of family relationships and support on their academic persistence. Participants included nine females and five males all identifying as juniors or seniors. Findings for the study included four major themes: (a) family structure and family relationships, (b) challenges/overcoming obstacles, (c) coping strategies, and (d) success and perseverance. Family structure and relationships were defined in a variety of ways by participants, which included immediate family, non-kin, and extended family. Participants faced several challenges and obstacles including transitioning to college, family issues at home, and being a burden, particularly financially, on other family members. Several coping strategies were utilized by participants. Family support, religiosity, peer relationships, and music were cited most often by participants in this study. The study concluded that family relationships and support are indeed important in academic persistence of African American college students. / Ph. D.

The English-as-a-second-language (ESL) community college student population has increased notably in the past decade, but a decreasing number of these students are completing courses, programs, or degrees (Erisman & Looney, 2008). These students come to college with unique background experiences, and once in college, deal with challenging linguistic, academic, and social integration issues. Though they are not linguistically homogenous, and they do not have a common purpose, ESL students share the common goal of attending community college to learn to speak English (Szelényi & Chang, 2002). Course completion is a primary measure of progress toward that goal, and is therefore an issue of concern for both ESL students and community colleges, which continue to be the access point for language-minority students progressing into higher education (Laden, 2004). The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that predict in-term persistence of community college ESL students. A mixed methods research design consisting of two phases was utilized, and participants in this study were ESL students enrolled in a large community college in south Florida. Phase 1 students completed the Community College ESL Student Questionnaire (CCSEQ), which collected demographic data and data on entry characteristics, academic integration, and social integration. Discriminant and descriptive analyses were used to report the data collected in Phase I. Phase 2 students were a matching cohort of completing and non-completing students who participated in semi-structured interviews at the end of the term. Data collected in the interviews were analyzed thematically, using a constant comparative method as described by Glaser and Strauss (1967). Students’ self reported demographic data, background characteristics, goal commitment, and integration factors on the CCSEQ showed no significance between the students who completed the term and the students who did not complete the term. However, several differentiating themes emerged from the interview data, which indicated differences in goal commitment and integration between the two groups. The focus of non-completers on getting good grades rather than completing the course, and the commitment of completers to the goal of finishing the class in order to go forward, both raise questions for future research studies.

The problem addressed in this study was that the Compass Learning Odyssey program, a self-paced online intervention, was being utilized to allow middle school students at the target school to recover course credits in the core subjects of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, but its effectiveness had not been studied. The Compass Learning Odyssey program provided remediation opportunities for students who had failed one or more academic core courses and allowed for credit retrieval, course completion and grade promotion. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the implementation of summer credit retrieval online program on the overall retrieval of credits by all Grade-8 student participants and student participants in subgroups of gender and ethnic groups. The credit retrieval program had been in effect in the school since the 2006-2007 school year, but its effectiveness had not been studied. The researcher used de-identified retrospective data to answer the research questions. One-way analysis of variance and t tests were conducted to determine for each year and overall for the 4 years if there was a statistically significant difference in the impact of the implementation of the summer credit retrieval online program on (a) the overall retrieval of credits by Grade-8 students in the summer program, (b) the quality points earned by gender and ethnic subgroups, (c) the students retrieving core credits, and (d) the core courses retrieved by gender and ethnic groups.The results of the study showed that all students passed the quarter modules with at least a grade of D, with 75% of students making average progress with a grade of C. There was not a statistically significant difference between subjects studied. Ninety-three percent of the students participating in the summer credit retrieval program were able to recover enough core credits to be promoted. Suggestions for program improvements and recommendations for future research are included.

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This study sought to examine how schools influenced and promoted student resilience through the lens of persistence, leading to high school completion. The focus of this study was significant because there are few studies that focus on student resiliency as it relates to high school completion through the lens of persistence. Previous studies have generally identified at-risk factors for non-high school completion and either qualify or quantify the results. They have not taken into account the social and economic contexts of school and the communities and their influence on student resiliency. This study utilized a phenomenological methodology that identified the lived experiences of twenty-six 11th - grade students of color at an urban high school in Southern California that manifested resilience and persistence. Semi-structured interviews of participants drawn from a stratified variation sampling were utilized. A CRT framework was applied to examine the role of high school as a protective factor, the interactions of faculty and staff, and the perceptions of participants as it relates to school culture and climate. External factors such as supportive relationships in the familial and community context were also examined and discussed. The results of this study highlighted school climate that promotes belonging along with a collective focus on the study of student success, the role of teacher-student and counselor relationships as being pivotal to the development of resilience in students of color. The findings from this study provide examples for schools to develop supportive climates that focus on promoting and developing academic, social, and emotional resiliency in students of color with specific next step recommendations.

In recent years, engineering education has witnessed a sharp increase in research aimed at the outcomes of academic success and persistence within engineering programs. However, research surrounding the key forces shaping student persistence remains unknown. This study explores enhancements and broader perspectives of learning; the relationship among dimensions of resilience theory and learning styles in engineering students to identify elements of both that contribute towards academic persistence and to determine which components of both contribute towards strengthening students’ academic persistence in engineering. The study was conducted using two quantitative self-reporting instruments to measure resilience and learning style preference, the Personal Resilience Questionnaire (PQR) and the Index of Learning Styles (ILS). Retention was measured as the continuous enrollment of a student into the second semester of the first-year engineering program. Results indicate that the following have a statistically significant effect on student persistence in engineering programs at Texas A&M University: learning style construct sequential; resilience constructs positive (self) and focus; with both tools combined, positive (self), organized, positive (world), flexibility (self) and focus; and a newly combined construct, Walton’s self-efficacy.

A review of the literature indicates that Latinos lag behind Whites and Blacks in college degree attainment. This educational disparity is of concern because Latinos are currently the largest minority group in the United States, and the Latino population is expected to increase exponentially in the future. College degree attainment for Latinos is imperative because statistics show an undeniable relationship between degree attainment and income level. In order to ensure the economic wellbeing of Latinos, it is important that Latinos persist through college degree programs. This is especially true for Puerto Ricans because they are the second largest Latino subgroup. The majority of college persistence and departure literature applies to students in general and some of the studies focus on Latino College students. However, fewer studies explore the perspectives of Latinos with the process of graduate or doctoral degree attainment. This is especially true of Latinos of specific ethnic backgrounds such as Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican. I conducted this study in order to address this gap in the literature. This study described and explained the perspectives of a purposive sample of Puerto Rican doctoral graduates on their education by exploring those social and cultural factors that influenced their perceptions, and served as educational facilitators or barriers to their doctoral attainment. The questions that guided the study were: 1.What are the components of their perspectives? and; 2. What social-cultural variables influenced their perspectives?  In order to answer the research questions, I interviewed eight Puerto Ricans with doctorates who were affiliated with the GOTHAM educational system in the state of New York. In order to collect the data, I went to New York in February and March 2010 and conducted face to face interviews with the participants, which were recorded. After I recorded the interviews, I transcribed the data, which I analyzed using a software program called Atlas.ti. I analyzed the data by coding the excerpts, which I identified as the subthemes or variables of this study. The subthemes were coalesced into major themes, which were validated by peer review, several iterations of member check, and data triangulation. After coming to a consensus at all levels of validation, I determined that the emergent themes were in fact evidence of the components of the perceptions of the participants‟ experiences with doctoral attainment. Those components are Personal Factors, Social Role Factors, Cultural Factors, and Social Factors. Based on the analysis of the data, the most profound influence to the perception of the participants‟ lived doctoral experiences was that of the interaction of being a doctoral student, or Adult Learner, with at least one other social role. The most commonly reported negative interaction was being an Adult Learner and a Worker at the same time. Having a lack of Finances, No Latino Role Models, experiencing Negative Events by Ethnicity, and struggling with Self-Efficacy served as barriers to most of the participants. Having Peer Networks and Faculty Support served as facilitators to most of the participants. In order to add to the usefulness of this study, I asked the participants for their advice to future or current doctoral students, and for suggestions to faculty and administrators of higher education. I included their responses as part of this study.

The purpose of this study was to explore individual perceptions of African-American at-risk students in an undergraduate teacher education program, specifically continuing students or community college transfer students in a four-year urban university College of Education (COE) program. Specific areas of interest included: (a) demographic characteristics profiling the study participants; (b) emotional and motivational factors as they affected the students; and (c) the personal thoughts and effect of institutional and environmental variables and administrative factors. Ten females volunteered to participate in a semi-structured interview. The 22 semi-structured interview questions were developed by the researcher. The questions captured the individual personal background, academic information, college environment, and reasons for leaving college. A triangulated set of research methods for data collection was used, including a demographic profile, the semi-structured interview, coding, and salient points and theme validation. Member checks and independent reviewers were used for verification and validation purposes.Conclusions drawn from this study include the findings that the majority of students were motivated to complete their degree, but a variety of barriers including personal problems, financial needs, faculty communication difficulties, lack of administrative support services, and isolation in classes existed. Some positive perceptions of the teacher education program included appreciation for most of the faculty in the college, technology services and the new facilities for the COE, and the existence of on-line advising capabilities. The following implications emerged from this study: (a) the COE needs a clear policy for recruiting at-risk African-American students; (b) flexible course selections and offerings conducive to non-traditional students are desirable; (c) a full-time recruiter to organize and facilitate student organization support is needed; (d) more African-American faculty are crucial as role models; and (e) it is essential to continue to focus on cultural awareness within the curriculum, and (f) creating a climate of support and togetherness in which students feel comfortable is necessary. Future research is recommended addressing the perceptions of at-risk African-American male students, other ethnic and racial minorities and other colleges within the university or across universities.

As the nation's largest and fastest growing marginalized ethnic group, Latina/os play an increasingly crucial role in the economic and social life of the nation, highlighting the need for education systems to re-evaluate and expand their efforts in supporting and retaining this growing population. A number of contextual factors have been identified that influence the college experience and academic persistence of Latina/o students, including campus racial climate, perceptions of university environment, cultural congruity, interpersonal racism, and structural racism. An emerging area of research is racial/ethnic microaggressions (i.e., subtle forms of racism). In the face of these challenges, many Latina/os learn to critically navigate and negotiate the cultural environment of college, drawing on cultural strengths as well as cultural knowledge and skills gained in overcoming previous structural barriers to education. The focus of the present study is on Latina/o students and factors that influence their academic persistence intentions. Structural equation modeling techniques were performed to test a hypothesized structural model of the mechanisms by which racial/ethnic microaggressions, protective factors (i.e., resilience, mentor support, social support from family and friends), and sociopolitical development (i.e., ethnic identity, critical consciousness) influence Latina/o students' intentions to persist in academia. The hypothesized structural model tested indicated a good fit to the data. Study results were consistent with several study hypotheses: (a) the hypothesized structural model provided a good fit to the data; (b) the proposed set of relationships between resilience, mentor support, social support from family and friends, critical consciousness, ethnic identity, and intentions to persist accounted for significant variance in the model; (c) perceptions of university environment was directly related to intentions to persist; (d) protective factors (resilience, mentor support, social support from friends and family), sociopolitical development (ethnic identity and critical consciousness), and perceptions of university environment fully mediated the relationship between racial/ethnic microaggressions and intentions to persist; (e) protective factors mediated the relationship between perceptions of university environment and intentions to persist. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed. / 2015-10-10

abstract: Native Americans reported the least number of degree completion than any other population in the United States. Native American students experience multiple challenges while in college making them a high-risk population for college departure. This study used two hierarchical multiple regression to explore the relationship between non-cognitive factors (financial concerns, family support for education, cultural involvement, ethnic identity, academic self-efficacy) with both academic stress and academic persistence decisions from a combined sample of 209 Diné college students attending two tribal colleges on the Navajo reservation. Two-week test-retest reliabilities were calculated for three scales: family support for education, financial concerns, and Dine’ cultural involvement. The Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity Scale was modified to measure two facets of ethnic identity (centrality and private regard) for Diné students. Academic Self-Efficacy was measured by the College Self-Efficacy Inventory. The Daily Hassles Index for College Stress was used to measure academic stress and the Persistence/Voluntary Dropout Decisions Scale was measured academic persistence decisions. Due to its suppression effect on the relation of private regard and academic stress, centrality was not included in the hierarchical regression predicting academic stress; however, it was included in the prediction of academic persistence decisions. Diné students reported high scores for family support for education that suggested that generally the students at Dine’ College perceived that their families as being supportive and encouraging their efforts to get their college degree. In the hierarchical regression predicting academic stress, in step one more cultural involvement and fewer financial concerns predicted less academic stress. In the final model, only fewer financial concerns and greater academic self-efficacy predicted less academic stress. In the hierarchical regression predicting academic persistence decisions, private regard and academic self- efficacy were significant, positive predictors of persistence decisions. These findings are discussed in light of the role counseling psychologists can play in addressing financial concerns, ethnic identity, and academic self-efficacy among Dine’ students in order to decrease their academic stress and increase their positive decisions about staying in school. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Counseling Psychology 2018