Toward a Holistic Theoretical Model of Momentum for Community College Student Success

The Effect of Developmental Math on STEM Participation in Community College: Variation by Race, Gender, Achievement, and Aspiration

“…The momentum literature underscores the importance of initial academic course load and effort expended in pursuing academic outcomes (Attewell et al, 2012; Wang, 2015, 2017). Drawing from this definition, we examine steady progression through the developmental math sequence.…”

Utilizing NCES Survey Data for the Study of Postsecondary Pathways and Success: Challenges and Future Directions

“…SCCT not only charts the academic pathway from college preparation (CTE in this case) to college success, but also points out the importance of academic motivation to college students’ academic success such as academic self‐efficacy beliefs (Elliott, ; Larson et al., ; Lent et al., ). To further explore the incremental academic milestones that may underlie CTE course taking and college completion, we draw upon the role of early academic momentum, arguing that students’ academic and career endeavor in high school prepares them for later academic pursuit in college (Adelman, ; ; Attewell et al., ; Wang, ). In short, we utilize SCCT as the roadmap for the current study to examine how early academic momentum mediates the effect of CTE and academic self‐efficacy beliefs on college success.…”

“…However, in reality, this level of specificity is hardly attainable. Accordingly, we recommend that efforts be spent on data collection of academic momentum indicators—such as declaring/changing a major, completing 60 credits for a 4‐year degree program—academic milestones firmly grounded within the framework of academic momentum (Adelman, ; Attewell et al., ; Wang, ). Such data elements will help researchers evaluate, for example, whether and to what extent the main goals of the Guided Pathways are met (Jenkins et al., ), and whether students of different sociodemographic backgrounds make compatible progress.…”

“…In recent years, postsecondary policy and research have placed an increasing focus on identifying and strengthening incremental milestones and processes toward eventual success (for example, the focus on building academic momentum, the Guided Pathways initiative; Chan & Wang, ; Crisp, Nora, & Taggart, ; Jenkins, Lahr, Fink, & Ganga, ; Núñez, Rios‐Aguilar, Kanno, & Flores, ; Perna, ; Wang, ). Accordingly, institutional researchers and higher education scholars alike call for the type of data and analysis that illuminate viable pathways from college access to graduation and beyond.…”

Women, Community Colleges, and STEM Careers

“…Another concept that we drew upon to understand women's paths in STEM was aspirational momentum (Wang, Lee, & Prevost, ), which was adapted from the Momentum for Community College Student Success framework (Wang, ). Aspirational momentum represents “students’ clear definition of and sustained commitment to their educational goals” (Wang, Lee, et al., , p. 314).…”