Southeast Hub Research

The Auburn University team, which leads the Southeast Hub, will investigate the relationship between student background experiences and dispositions (e.g., student demographics, family background, motivation, academic efficacy) and persistence; and they will study the relationship between organizational context factors and student experiences on student commitment, persistence, and academic retention.

This research will further examine key constructs in relation to SWD institutional commitment, persistence, and retention. The study will examine two primary research questions:

RQ1: What is the relationship between student background experiences and dispositions (e.g. student demographics, family background, motivation, academic efficacy) and persistence for students with disabilities (SWD)?

RQ2: After controlling for student characteristics and dispositions, what is the relationship between organizational context factors and student experiences on student institutional commitment, persistence, and academic retention?

The primary sample will be SWD from each TAPDINTO-STEM alliance site, representing varying institutional contexts (public/private, 2 year/4 year, HBCU/MSI/PWI) so that such critical contextual factors can be examined. In addition to this sample of SWD, samples of students without disabilities will be drawn from two other NSF-funded projects (LSAMP, S-STEM), creating a valuable opportunity to determine the extent to which the factors related to student persistence and retention differ for students with and without disabilities.