skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: 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.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2135805
PAR ID:
10562891
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
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
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; (, Frontiers in Education Conference)
    This innovative practice WIP paper describes a pioneering National Science Foundation-supported research project designed to address the underrepresentation of minority groups in STEM fields by meeting the educational needs of community college student parents. The Holistic Oasis for Parents’ Education (HOPE) Program at Hostos Community College centers on a dual-enrollment model, wherein community college parenting students (HOPE Scholars) pursue their academic goals by taking STEM courses during the summer while their children, ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade, are engaged in enriching hands-on STEM activities on the college campus. By aligning the educational pursuits of parents and children, this program supports the academic advancement of adult learners and fosters a positive learning environment for the next generation. The Program's holistic approach empowers HOPE Scholars to accumulate summer credits in STEM courses and nurtures the STEM talent pipeline by inspiring the younger generation. 
    more » « less
  2. ; (, International Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Studies)
    Background: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas are one of the fastest-growing majors in the nation. Engineering is projected to add the second largest number of new jobs from 2016 to 2026 with 140,000 new jobs (Torpey, 2018).According to the National Center for Education Statistics despite all the research done throughout decades to improve the issue of retention in STEM areas about half of the students who pursue a degree in STEM will either leave or change majors. Purpose: This study aimed to sample at-risk college freshmen students from the College of Engineering & Computer Science, to describe and explain the association between retention after the first year of at-risk college freshmen students in a STEM program and completion of a STEM intervention, to identify the reasons STEM students decided to stay in the program after completing a STEM intervention, and to identify how to improve the STEM intervention. Method: A Chi-square test of independence was used to find if there was an association between the completion of a STEM intervention and the retention rate of at-risk freshmen students and focus group interviews. Results & Conclusions: The quantitative analysis, a test of independence X2 (chi-square)found no statistically significant association between STEM intervention completion and retention. The qualitative analysis provided five themes describing the students’ STEM intervention experience was also provided: learning activities and processes, mentorship, sense of belonging, and transitioning from high school to college.   Key Words: STEM, College, Intervention, Student Progress 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; (, Journal for STEM Education Research)
    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. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; (, The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching 2020. Special Issue 13. UNM Mentoring Institute’s Conference Proceedings 2020. ISSN 2372-9848)
    null (Ed.)
    There has been a nationwide effort to increase the number, caliber, and diversity of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Research on student development shows that while there is a need, providing financial aid alone is not a sufficient factor for academic success of low-income academically talented college students. Thus, Hostos Community College has recently created the NSF-funded Hostos Engineering Academic Talent (HEAT) Scholarship Program which offers its scholars financial support and experience with a combined mentoring model where students work with faculty and peers during the academic year. This research then systematically investigated the impact of a combined faculty- and peer-mentorship approach with a population not yet studied, undergraduate STEM students at minority-serving community colleges. Preliminary data indicates that the combined mentoring approach has positive effects on scholar’s academic performance and STEM identity. The findings are expected to be generalizable to other populations, and hence provide an opportunity to expand the combined mentorship model to other STEM programs at a variety of institutions whose students could benefit from its implementation. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; (, The Chronicle of Mentoring & Coaching, Mentoring Institute)
    A group of interdisciplinary faculty at Hostos Community College, an institution that serves a largely first-generation student population that is over 90% minority, 69% women, who often live below the poverty line and lack academic role models, has created the NSF-funded Hostos Engineering Academic Talent (HEAT) Scholarship Program designed to increase the number of low-income academically talented students who persevere and graduate with associate and baccalaureate degrees in engineering. HEAT provides its scholars with financial support, a combined mentoring model where scholars work with STEM faculty and more advanced engineering students throughout the year, and the opportunity to participate in mentored research experiences. Student successes include improved GPAs, rates of retention, graduation from 2- and 4-year institutions, and acceptance to STEM graduate programs or entering the workforce as compared to students not participating in HEAT. Surveys of Scholars indicate that combined mentorship is the most important component of HEAT. Thus, HEAT is a model of intervention that serves to expand the STEM pipeline to create a more inclusive and diverse engineering workforce. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email