Nusspickel, Mark & Malisa, Mark

First-Generation Millennial Southeastern US Community College Students: Navigating Education during the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Millennial students face many challenges about completing their studies. Faculty members must continually adapt their teaching methods to help colleges attract and retain students. Institutions must examine how self-efficacy influences retention rates, particularly among students who lack confidence and have weak academic support systems. This interpretive phenomenological study explores millennial students' perceptions of the role of self-efficacy on their academic persistence at a community college in the Southeastern United States. The findings of this study illuminate the factors that affect student self-efficacy, resiliency, and persistence. The study also documents the need for administrators and teachers to develop and integrate programs to help students acclimate during their first year of college. This study contributes to the existing body of literature on factors influencing the retention and completion of studies among millennial students. By providing insight from the students' perspectives, this study can inform improvements in policy and decision-making, allowing institutions to attain meaningful increases in retention rates. We conclude by suggesting ways in which millennial college students, as netizens, may benefit from the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Cite: Nusspickel, Mark & Malisa, Mark 2025. First-Generation Millennial Southeastern US Community College Students: Navigating Education during the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Holistic Science Publications, Holistic Archive, p.25-46, Finland. https://www.holistic-science-publications.com/holistic-archive/