This book is premised on a very powerful social/educational concern about college retention rates: one-third of first-year students seriously consider leaving college during their first term, and only half of all students who start college ultimately graduate. This book examines the first year of college from a variety of perspectives to paint a comprehensive picture of the intersecting challenges facing today's students and higher education institutions. Technological advances, increases in college attendance costs, and increasing political pressure on colleges to prove their value have changed the landscape of the first year of college, but researchers have identified new approaches to improve student and institutional success that have shown considerable success and promise. In this comprehensive volume, top educational researchers explore topics of student success, persistence, and retention in the first year of college.

Despite the many strides that have been made in diversity, equity, and inclusion, many educational systems across the world continue to struggle with equality in education for all students regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status. This struggle within education inevitably negatively impacts society, as only select groups are given the opportunity to excel. It is essential for school systems to be proactive when dealing with student learning outcomes and student retention for all student populations. Using Self-Efficacy for Improving Retention and Success of Diverse Student Populations discusses the best practices in supporting students during their educational journey and examines the current efforts to improve student retention. Covering topics such as computing education, academic counseling, and student success prediction, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for faculty and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, pre-service teachers, teacher educators, school counselors, sociologists, librarians, researchers, and academicians.