About the Journal

The Routledge Handbook on Postsecondary Student Success addresses critical issues in student success, such as student engagement, mental health, academic achievement, career development, and social mobility, among others. It also offers a robust understanding of how to study and enhance student success by exploring the significance of data, analytics, and various research methods. With more than forty chapters authored by leading thinkers in higher education, this handbook is an indispensable resource for postsecondary administrators, faculty, staff, graduate students, and policymakers. It serves as a guide to fostering student success and equity in postsecondary education with practical strategies and evidence-based approaches.

The Handbook will feature six sections:

  • Section I: Landscape of Postsecondary Student Success
  • Section II: Multiple Dimensions in Student Success
  • Section III: Success for Diverse Student Populations
  • Section IV: Success for Students in Different Contexts
  • Section V: Salient Issues in Student Success
  • Section VI: Methodological Considerations for the Study of Student Success

Section I will examine the landscape of postsecondary student success including the evolution of the student success movement, discuss a wide range of outcomes, and address the diversity of both the students and the institutions to set the stage for broader perspectives in understanding student success and equity. That is, we consider student success as a longitudinal process and from a holistic development perspective. We would encourage the authors, when applicable, to consider the emergence of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence (AI) in the conversation of student success (Hu, in press).

Section II will cover important measures of student outcomes both within and beyond college that have significant implications for student success. Topics covered in Section II will include theories and models of student success in college, the impact of postsecondary education on student experience, learning and development, and post-collegiate outcomes. It will also attend to the gaps in student success for students from different backgrounds so that later chapters can provide in-depth analysis.

Section III will be devoted to examining success of diverse student populations. We recognize students of different backgrounds as people who may face common challenges but may well require targeted resources to succeed in postsecondary education. We also understand student success can be place-influenced, so the role of institutional contexts and success of students in different contexts will be examined in Section IV. In addition, we recognize that there are some long-standing issues in student success that warrant attention but also some emerging issues as postsecondary education, and its students, evolve. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted some emerging issues in student success that call for deeper examination. Therefore, some salient issues in student success will be highlighted in Section V. In each section, and chapter, we pay particular attention to effective policies, programs, and practices that promote student success and equity.

Section VI will cover topics on measures, data, analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and research methods that are important in the study of student success as well as other related issues.