University and college leaders are tasked with enhancing student outcomes with fewer resources. Student retention is one such key outcome of interest for many policy makers as well as for university administrators. Over the years, administrators have turned to High Impact Practices (HIPs) such as Learning Communities (LCs) to aid in retention.…

Undergraduate students are leaving higher education at an alarming rate. Student retention is one of the most important measures of success at a university. This study engaged in an action research (AR) study using Dweck's (2006) theory of growth mindset to study growth mindset in relation to the retention of undergraduate students seeking an…

Since its implementation in 2006, Portugal's full-time schools programme led to a massive increase of curricular enrichment and family-support activities in public schools throughout the country. The literature review brings together important contributions from previous research and assessments of the full-time school programme, including results…

A collection of data points can show an abundance of information about a college student, telling a data-driven story about a student's past, current, and sometimes predicting future challenges at the university but some challenges may not be able to be indicated by data points alone. Challenges such as mental health, financial challenges,…

To improve student success outcomes and close equity gaps, Boise State University has been testing a variety of ways to embed design thinking methodologies into the rhythm of student affairs work and serves as a case study for other university leaders looking to accelerate innovation on behalf of students. Design thinking can be effective in…

Although it has become increasing popular for first-time-in-college (FTIC) spring enrollment, there has been no empirical study on spring starters. Existing literature on delayed enrollment has not distinguished students by the semester in which they have matriculated. The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) does not collect…

This quantitative nonexperimental comparative study aimed to evaluate if a difference exists between senior leadership groups at an institution regarding student retention and student satisfaction and if a relationship exists between student satisfaction and retention at a private college in Illinois. Prior research validates the effects of…

Retention continues to be a point of concern for academic institutions, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled growing concerns for institutions ranging from community colleges to universities. Past research has identified various psychological factors significant to the discussion of academic success and retention. Recent scholarship…

Developmental academic advisors' perceptions of their effectiveness in student retention are based on experiences with students. The problem addressed in this study was advisors' outcomes are not matching the expectations of administratively targeted retention initiatives mandated outside of their day-to-day practice. The purpose of this…

Having an adequate supply of nurses is critical to maintaining the health care system. The problem for this study was that undergraduate nursing students were leaving a local Midwest community college's nursing program before obtaining a degree. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of the program's recent graduates,…

Many colleges and universities seek to promote student success through targeted strategies for individuals or groups of students who are believed to have a higher risk of attrition. Taking a different focused approach, Supplemental Instruction (SI) provides voluntary collaborative learning sessions that are generally linked to specific…

Demand for the skill of critical thinking is extensive in both higher education and in the workforce. The purpose of the current research is to examine the relationship between critical thinking educational efforts (e.g., programs incorporating high impact practices) and higher education student outcomes. For this study, student outcomes were…

Despite efforts to improve student retention and graduation success outcomes, many U.S. four-year postsecondary institutions have experienced limited growth in student retention and graduation rates over the past decade. The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was to determine the mean differences in retention and graduation…

Learning communities for college students have been shown to improve first-year student outcomes and narrow equity gaps, but longer-term data to evaluate whether these benefits persist through multi-year retention and graduation are rare. This is especially important for students in science, technology, engineering and math, who often confront…

The purpose of this Explanatory Mixed Methods study was to investigate the impact of dual enrollment and mentoring programs on college readiness, retention, and graduation. The current study focused on Point Park University's College Now dual enrollment and mentoring program and the impact on past participants. Furthermore, two phase quan-qual…