Understanding the Role of First Year Experience Courses in the Persistence, Retention, and Completion of Latinx HSI Community College Students

The purpose of this single phenomenological case study was to examine the importance of an FYE or College 101 seminar and why this topic matters to Latinx students’ success. The research took place in a two-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) located in the Southwest part of the United States. The overarching question was: How can First-Year Experiences (FYEs) or college seminars bridge the gap of retention, persistence, servingness and completion for Latinx students in higher education? A total of 18 Latinx students were interviewed and provided valuable information about their experiences to assert the study findings. Four major themes were created from analyzing the interview transcripts: 1) cognitive factors, 2) social factors, 3) institutional factors, 4) FYE course content and lack of servingness. The findings supported the challenges of Latinx students to fit in a college environment and comply family expectations. The majority of the participants were first generation. Many of them expressed mental health as a major struggle to cope with the demands of school and at home responsibilities. In general terms participants expressed their main struggles with navigational skills, time management skills, sense of belonging, social capital, financial struggles, immigration status, balancing school with work, and student services. The findings also support the lack of curriculum and instruction to serve their needs with a racial/ethnic cultural enhancement perspective. Another part of the findings reveals that the FYEs may be an important point of intervention to the transition of Latinx college students. Latinx students were exposed to services that assisted them in their academic journey. In addition, the FYE provided the basic skills of college preparedness and navigational skills.