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Abstract The purpose of this longitudinal investigation was to examine the effectiveness of a comprehensive, integrated curricular and co-curricular program designed to build community, provide academic and social support, and promote engagement in academically purposeful activities resulting in more equitable environments for historically underrepresented, low-income science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) information technology (IT) students. The study also focused on the role that the sense of belonging and academic hope play in enhancing persistence to degree completion. Program participants had significantly higher persistence rates compared to a matched comparison group. Additionally, STEM-specific belonging and academic hope significantly predicted students’ intentions to persist to degree completion in IT. A major finding was that STEM domain–specific belonging was a stronger predictor of persistence than general belonging. Our investigation has implications for the role that cohort-based programs, industry engagement, peer mentoring, proactive advising, undergraduate research opportunities, career preparation, and leveraging need-based financial aid play in ensuring equity in STEM.
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Creating HOPE: A Holistic Model to Increase Belonging Among Parenting Students
The Holistic Oasis for Parents’ Education (HOPE) Program is an on-campus summer program designed to serve the whole student with a three-dimensional support model. Low-income, Black, and Hispanic parents experienced some of the most egregious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which reflects the demographics of one in three Hostos Community College students. This five-year National Science Foundation grant–funded research program provides crucial support and research on an underserved and understudied group in higher education: pregnant and parenting students. Purpose of Study: The purpose of this paper is to describe the history and context of parenting students at Hostos Community College, to describe the HOPE three-dimensional (3D) model, to provide some preliminary findings on belonging from our first two cohorts, and to share challenges and future directions. Research Design: This study utilizes a mixed methods approach that includes qualitative and quantitative research with each HOPE cohort of parenting students and quantitative research with a quasi-control group of parenting students. Conclusion/Recommendations: The research on belonging from the first two years of the HOPE Program demonstrates a positive sense of belonging to the program and to their peers in the program. The HOPE 3D model stands as an example of effective holistic programming for pregnant and parenting students but could be adopted or adapted for other groups of underrepresented students.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2135805
- PAR ID:
- 10562891
- Publisher / Repository:
- Teachers College Record
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education
- Volume:
- 126
- Issue:
- 6-7
- ISSN:
- 0161-4681
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 24 to 45
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- parenting students adult learners community colleges two-generation 2Gen belonging
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1177/01614681241285740
