Immigration issues continue to generate attention and vigorous debate at national and international levels; some of these discussions involve immigrant students and issues pertaining to higher education (e.g., DREAM Act). Camarota (2007) noted that from 2000 to 2007, 10.3 million immigrants arrived--the highest 7-year period of immigration in…

Research on supportive communication was examined in relation to students' goals of earning a college degree and their intent to persist. Theories of student departure (Bean, 1985; Tinto, 1993) informed research questions assessing the impact of how social support from family members and friends affected commitment to the goal of graduation…

Little research has focused carefully on the means by which peer mentors foster development in undergraduate protégés. Two faculty members developed a holistic, peer-mentoring project in which 26 upperclassmen mentored 74 underclassmen at a midsize, 4-year institution. Mentor journal notes, open-ended protégé responses, and participant…

Native American and First Nations (herein collectively referred to as Indigenous) women college students are faced with the challenge of balancing their cultural imperatives and the demands of the dominant Western culture in family, school, and work/employment roles. In order to explore these women's experiences and perspectives, this study…

Using a psychosociocultural (PSC) approach, we examined how self-beliefs, social support, and cultural fit influenced the academic persistence decisions of 115 Latina sorority members. Upper-division Latinas reported higher self-efficacy than lower-division Latinas; however, lower-division students reported higher college stress and more perceived…

Student attrition is a problem in universities. A systems perspective describing both departure and retention is helpful in explaining the circumstances in which student retention is increased, particularly for students traditionally excluded from university participation. Risk factors for departure include poor preparation for college and…

A survey of 2,520 college students was conducted to test relationships between academic success and college student motivational orientation, conceptualized from a self-determination theory (SDT) perspective, while also considering the moderating effects of background characteristics such as gender, socioeconomic status, race/ ethnicity, and…

At most colleges and universities, African American and Latino students are less likely than students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds to stay enrolled in college and are, therefore, less likely to earn a college degree. "The Digest of Educational Statistics" reports the following trends: in 2006 30% of Whites age 25 and older held a…

In recent years, scholars have focused on students' use of social networking sites (SNSs) such as Myspace and Facebook. Research about such technologies is largely descriptive or based on theoretical assumptions and anecdotal evidence, although some authors have studied frequency of use, adoption of technology, and computer usage among college…

Students with disabilities are attending postsecondary school in increasing numbers. College students with disabilities have lower retention rates, take longer to complete degrees, and have lower degree completion rates than do their peers without disabilities. Thus, students with disabilities face a number of significant challenges adjusting to…

This study analyzed a multi-institutional and longitudinal data set to determine the impact of exposure to effective instruction on first-year persistence--defined as reenrolling for the second year of college at the same institution. Net of important confounding influences, exposure to effective instruction significantly increased the likelihood…

This qualitative study of 11 Black male students who entered a public historically Black college and university (HBCU) as academically under-prepared and persisted to graduation, provides insight into the ways in which family promotes academic success for Black male students at a public HBCU. The study's findings encourage practitioners at HBCUs…

There are few in-depth studies of Thai college student health and mental health behaviors that focus on the cultural influences that shape such behaviors. Thus, the purposes of this study are: (1) to conduct the needs assessment survey on health and mental health issues at a public university in Thailand in order to better understand the issues…

The purpose of this study was to identify the attitudes and behaviors of faculty and staff that impact the success and persistence of highrisk students. Using an exploratory qualitative approach, 62 successful high-risk students from nine different colleges and universities were interviewed and asked to identify and describe someone on campus who…

Although race and parental attachment are concepts that have been widely researched, few studies have explored how these variables manifest themselves among women or influence their adjustment to college. This study examined how parental attachment effected college adjustment among White, Black, and Latina/Hispanic women attending an urban…