Search results for: Academic persistence

This study examines the factors women of color utilized as supports as part of their persistence in science majors. This article draws from a larger study of sixteen African-American, Hispanic, and African women who were navigating various undergraduate science majors at multiple colleges in the Northeast and Southeast United States. The findings illustrated that the participants viewed religion as a contributor to general support, stress relief, encouragement during difficult times, and intervention. The author concludes that the findings illustrate that one potential mechanism for broadening science participation may be through connections with students’ families, their cultural backgrounds, and even their religious views.

The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of the experiences of persistent, first-generation students. The author conducted in-depth interviews with 28 white, first-generation, working-class students. The author found three patterns of adjustment among these students. First, slightly more than half of the students seemed well-integrated into campus life. Second, about a quarter of the students experienced persistent and debilitating feelings of marginality. Finally, another quarter overcame their feelings of marginality en route to becoming socially and academically engaged.