“Success Is Not Just About Grades”: Exploring Scholar-Practitioners’ Informal Theories on Student Success in Higher Education

Despite the proliferation of research on student success, deficit thinking is pervasive among scholar-practitioners in higher education. Whereas anti-deficit perspectives are used to train aspiring K–12 educators, fewer higher education and student affairs graduate preparation programs have adopted this practice. This narrative inquiry study examined graduate students’ initial conceptualizations about student success. Themes within graduate students’ initial conceptualizations included critiquing traditional metrics, exploring broader definitions, and addressing the role scholar-practitioners should play in student success. Implications center on advancing anti-deficit research and practice in higher education.