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Bridge Inspection: Predicting the Retention of Academically Prepared First-Generation, Low-Income Students Participating in a Summer Bridge Program

The narrative of first-generation, low-income students (FGLI) has a long, and often complicated tradition in the history of American higher education. FGLI students experience challenges in postsecondary retention. FGLI students are rapidly enrolling in higher education, but they are dropping out of college at alarming rates. Over 4.5 million FGLI students enroll in higher education, but 46.8% of FGLI students drop out of college and 90% fail to graduate within six years. For the past decade, a growing number of postsecondary institutions have attempted to increase their commitment to serve FGLI students through targeted pipeline interventions, such as summer bridge programs (SBP). Summer bridge programs occur during the summer before incoming college students’ first Fall semester, and last four to six weeks. The majority of older and more recent studies have found positive relationships between developmental SBPs and the retention of academically underprepared and economically disadvantaged students attending community colleges and open-admissions four-year postsecondary institutions. However, fewer empirical studies have been useful predicting the retention of academically prepared FGLI students who participate in non-developmental SBPs at selective institutions. The present study expands our empirical understanding about the relationship between non-developmental SBPs and the retention of academically prepared FGLI undergraduate students attending selective four-year institutions. Specifically, this study focuses on academically prepared FGLI undergraduate students attending Excel State University (ESU), a public, four-year university located in the Southeast. Developmental SBPs are predictive of the retention of academically underprepared FGLI students, but the findings in this present study reveal contrasting results for academically prepared FGLI students in non-developmental SBPs. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2019. / April 4, 2019. / Academically prepared, First-generation, Low-income, Student retention, Summer bridge program / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert A. Schwartz, Professor Directing Dissertation; Frances Berry, University Representative; Kathy Guthrie, Committee Member; Lara Perez-Felkner, Committee Member.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_709715
ContributorsAnthony, Marshall Cedric (author), Schwartz, Robert A. (Professor Directing Dissertation), Berry, Frances Stokes (University Representative), Guthrie, Kathy L. (Committee Member), Perez-Felkner, Lara (Committee Member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Education (degree granting college), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting departmentdgg)
PublisherFlorida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish, English
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, text, doctoral thesis
Format1 online resource (107 pages), computer, application/pdf

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