Views of Struggling Students from Historically Excluded Groups on Academic Success and Instructor Support

Abstract

This qualitative case study explored the perceptions of struggling students who identified as first-generation, low-income, and/or Students of Color (i.e., Historically Excluded Groups), and their beliefs about success, struggle, and characteristics of supportive instructors. Thematic analysis revealed student participants understood academic success and struggle in terms of Identifying Performance Measures, Developing a Growth Mindset, and Integrating Knowledge. Students identified supportive instructors by using one or more of the following themes, which were described using in vivo codes: Creates More Motivation for Me, Puts the Joy into Learning, Doesn’t Make You Feel Dumb, Not Here to Hurt Your Grades, Makes Material Understandable, Treats Us as More Than Just Students, and If I Ever Needed Anything. Implications for practice include expanding the definition of academic success and engaging specific instructor dispositions and behaviors to better support these students.

"I feel like a bother": COVID-Era Experiences of College Students on Academic Probation and Financial Aid Warning Status

“…Students praised their connection to the instructor, knowing they could go to them with questions and the resources they discussed. Students realized they could learn from mistakes, a finding echoed in Collins-Warfield et al's (2023) study of historically excluded groups. Tinto's (1998) later work positioning the campus as a community finds value, as SCU attempted to create an online community during the pandemic through the success courses, and some at-risk students-though not all-established enough of a community to persist at the institution.…”

“…The students in this study were enrolled in a success class designed to teach them study strategies and build academic confidence, a model similar to the success program in Collins-Warfield et al's (2023) study. Kinzie (2023) also emphasized the need to embrace flexibility, to be mindful of varied academic preparedness among students, and to create opportunities for students to learn in groups.…”