engineering program: women, who are 34% of ourparticipants, non-White and non-Asian students, 13% of our participants, and studentsof lower socioeconomic status, 17% of our students. I. Social BelongingThe need for a feeling of social belonging is vital, and the search for belonginginfluences many behaviors [1]. A feeling that students belong in school has positivecorrelations with academic self-efficacy [2], and this sense of belonging correlates tobehaviors like active engagement in class and seeking assistance outside theclassroom [3]. A feeling that students belong in school might be the most importantvariable influencing their achievement at school [2].Student retention rates increase when students are
, decision making, and self-efficacy will be monitored through a mixed methodsassessment including a follow up quantitative survey and an ethnographic interview. The researchquestions of the project are as follows: 1. Does participation of alternately admitted students in student success programs increase student persistence in engineering programs from semester 1 to semester 2 and from year 1 to year 2? 2. What aspects of student success programs are valued most highly by alternately admitted students in encouraging their success in Engineering? 3. For alternately admitted students who do not participate in student success programs, what factors discourage their participation and what out-of-college programs do