ABSTRACT
Several key concepts guided and informed our understanding of at-promise student support, including ecological systems theory, identity-consciousness, validation theory, and cultures of student success. Ecological systems theory (EST) is a person-environment theory that explains student development and success by exploring how the environment shapes student outcomes. However, unlike other person-environment theories, like Tinto’s student departure theory, EST explains student development and success in terms of student interactions over time with a dynamic web of contexts that foster development beyond what any one context contributes alone and the effects are cumulative. Susanna, a third-year student, is a first-generation White woman from a working-class family who came to college because she has a drive to make a difference in the lives of children in her home community. During the career exploratory seminar, Susanna was encouraged to attend discipline-oriented student club meetings on campus to get a feel for what her peers might be like in these different majors and career paths.
