Historically Underrepresented Students Redefining College Success in Higher Education

Abstract

Extant definitions of college success largely focus on macro-level academic outcomes including academic achievement, retention, and persistence, which are linked to a limited set of indicators achievable by students including high grade averages, extra-curricular involvement, and leadership that denote a successful college student. These normative ideas of college success sustain ideologies that dismiss the multiplicity of ways students experience success in college and most importantly, they define who can and cannot be characterized as a successful college student. Relatedly, the dominant narrative of college success frames historically underrepresented college students (e.g. first-generation, low-income, students of color) as deficient and as less likely to be successful, even though these students consistently have to overcome greater adversity during their college trajectories and consequently experience many victories that are not legitimized as a success. Therefore, the purpose of this manuscript is to propose a more inclusive definition of the term college success that accounts for the diverse realities of students historically underrepresented and reveals the direct connection between student success and institutional success. Authors draw evidence from two research studies to illustrate their proposed definition of college success and provide implications for research, practice, and policy.

Supporting Students on the (Academic) Margins: An Equity-Driven Framework

“…These deficit-based beliefs, combined with a lack of appropriate support, result in negative outcomes, particularly for those who hold underprivileged identities and are at a higher risk of attrition and endure substantially more obstacles to academic success (Brost & Payne, 2011;Monroe, 2022;Tovar & Simon, 2006). Academic warning is particularly treacherous for students who come from marginalized backgrounds, especially first-generation students, students of color, and students with lower socioeconomic status (Frink, 2021;LeSavoy, 2010;Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021). Additionally, first-generation students have been found to have less successful outcomes than their second and continuing-generation peers.…”

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

“…Student success is a broad term that encompasses academic, personal, and professional achievement. Despite the ubiquitous use of the term, formal definitions of it in the research literature are limited (Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021;Weatherton & Schussler, 2021). Institutions typically use measures like retention, persistence, and degree completion to account for a generalized concept of student success (Kinzie, 2020;Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021).…”

“…Despite the ubiquitous use of the term, formal definitions of it in the research literature are limited (Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021;Weatherton & Schussler, 2021). Institutions typically use measures like retention, persistence, and degree completion to account for a generalized concept of student success (Kinzie, 2020;Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021). Student success is viewed as linked to integration, institutional fit, sense of belonging, economic factors, and individual beliefs and motivation, which are straightforward and easily quantifiable definitions (Kinzie, 2020;Tinto, 2017).…”

“…Student success is viewed as linked to integration, institutional fit, sense of belonging, economic factors, and individual beliefs and motivation, which are straightforward and easily quantifiable definitions (Kinzie, 2020;Tinto, 2017). An increasing number of scholars call for a wider range of measures of success, including critical thinking and writing skills; cognitive, personal, and social development; preparation for adulthood and citizenship; engagement; and personal accomplishments (Hensley et al, 2018;Kinzie, 2020;Kuh et al, 2007;Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021). Furthermore, the typical measures are frequently based on the achievement standards of students from majority groups and promote a deficit view of students who do not meet these standards (Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021).…”

“…An increasing number of scholars call for a wider range of measures of success, including critical thinking and writing skills; cognitive, personal, and social development; preparation for adulthood and citizenship; engagement; and personal accomplishments (Hensley et al, 2018;Kinzie, 2020;Kuh et al, 2007;Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021). Furthermore, the typical measures are frequently based on the achievement standards of students from majority groups and promote a deficit view of students who do not meet these standards (Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021). A more inclusive view of student success takes into account how students navigate and overcome systemic and institutional inequities to attain their degrees, transforming their institutions along the way (Ramos & Sifuentez, 2021).…”