This book offers an in-depth look at the experiences of international students as they pursued undergraduate degrees in the US. Drawing on recurring interviews with the students and other qualitative data collected over four years, the book investigates how the students' academic development intersected with other life factors, including their…

Increasing student retention is one of the greatest challenges faced by community colleges. First-year community college students face a complex set of issues in grappling with their new academic roles and identities. Therefore, there is a need for effective retention efforts that support students during this time of transition. First-Year…

This phenomenological study explored protective factors that students with a history of trauma utilized to persist in postsecondary education. The investigation sheds light on ten participants who were recruited from a 4-year public university located in the western region of the U.S.A preliminary survey was used to help identify study…

While computing programs in the U.S. are experiencing growth in enrollment trends, they are still grappling with matters related to retention and persistence of computing undergraduates. One construct identified by scholars as having an impact on persistence in computing is computing identity, which is shaped by constructs such as recognition,…

This paper explores the relationship between teachers and learners, particularly within Mathematics education, examining how language and discourse influence relationship dynamics. It acknowledges historical educational hierarchies where teachers exerted authority and students assumed passive roles. Through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis…

Contribution: This paper shows that identification with engineering for engineering graduate students is positively and significantly predicted by engineering interest, competence, recognition, and interpersonal skills competence. Background: Prior studies of engineering identity on undergraduates identified several factors (e.g., engineering…

Contribution: This paper explores the factors contributing to the development of engineering identity in Latinx students at two institutions. A better understanding of these factors will support the development of more inclusive engineering education environments and experiences. Background: Persistence of Latinx engineering students is of…

Institutions typically invest heavily in the first-year experience to promote persistence, yet colleges are also experiencing a pattern of attrition in the second year. The second year is viewed as a period in which students encounter increasing academic, developmental, and social demands, yet the institution tends to provide less support relative…

This paper argues that transition is not a one-off event that occurs when students first enter universities but is an on-going process that is repeated over time. We draw on qualitative data from a longitudinal project on "non-traditional" students who entered a research-intensive university in Scotland direct from further education…

Research has increasingly appreciated the potential benefits of having a higher sense of meaning in life for positive college student development. Drawing on Steger's (2009) meaning development model, this study investigated the effects of a 6-week web-based intervention designed to enhance a sense of meaning in life among college freshmen. The…

This review examines the psychological variables that influence academic performance, by exploring the psychosocial development of students and the individual differences that emerge in childhood and impact upon a student's later self-concept. Areas discussed include identity and achievement issues, gender differences in identity achievement, the…

This study examined minority and nontraditional college students and how new approaches to learning and student development may validate culturally diverse students and thus improve their achievement. The project interviewed 132 first-year students at four different types of institutional settings. Students were selected from diverse cultural and…

This study assessed how in- and out-of-class experiences influenced diverse students' learning and development in college. The study took place at two community colleges, one with a predominant minority group of Hispanics, the other with a large African American minority group. There researchers conducted focus groups with 3-6 students per group…