TRIO's Student Support Services program: Participant perspectives on program components that impact student persistence toward bachelor degree attainment

Today's adult learners are destined to be tomorrow's leaders, and it is imperative for educators, administrators, community leaders, and legislatures to understand the needs of underrepresented learners. It is certainly more likely that these learners need assistance in transitioning to bachelor degree attainment and beyond. First-generation and low-income college students are faced with many challenges during their undergraduate studies. Early intervention is critical for their success. Appropriate counseling and guidance, financial support, and various other academic support services are necessary for students to persist toward bachelor degree attainment. Student retention and graduation rates can improve among this group of learners if faculty, administrators, and outreach support groups better understand how students value support services and to what extent these services attribute to their success. The purpose of this research was to identify specific services offered by TRIO's Student Support Services (SSS) program that have significantly impacted a student's decision to persist toward bachelor degree attainment. The purpose of this research was also to examine the experiences of TRIO's SSS participants. While components of the SSS program are identified in this study, it is necessary for educational administrators, program designers, and SSS staff to examine and focus on specific components of these outreach programs that are proven to be positive influences in bachelor degree attainment. Understanding specific factors of the SSS program that significantly influence participants to persist and graduate is important in order to improve the college experience and services offered through the program. This research was influenced by two major research questions: Which component(s) of the SSS program do participants feel significantly impacted their persistence toward bachelor degree attainment, and which component(s) have had the least impact on their persistence toward bachelor degree attainment? This research examined study participant motivation levels, persistence behaviors, and other factors that contributed to bachelor degree attainment.