This article explores students' experiences of intellectual, social, and emotional growth during the first year at university and the extent to which these experiences can be considered transformative (Mezirow, 1981). The study is a qualitative interpretive multiple-case study built on semi-structured interviews with students in two higher…

This study uses the critical race theory approach of counter-storytelling to explore scholarly identity development among first-generation, low-income, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and women students transitioning to graduate school. Data included interview transcripts, observation notes, and student assignments from a program…

This paper aims at defining and exploring design principles in a distance technological setting for an educational activity for mathematics undergraduate students, devoted to the construction of basic concepts in general topology, the promotion of problem-solving processes, the development of metacognitive aspects, and, in general, the development…

As part of a two-semester advanced research methodology course, five PhD students completed three sketches--beginning, middle, and end of course--to represent how they were thinking and feeling about themselves as doctoral students as they progressed through their first year. They also wrote reflections to complement the sketches and shared their…

Beliefs about academic functioning play an important role in the academic development of students. This study considers perceptions about underachievement, that is, the degree to which accomplishments are believed to be in line with potential. In particular, we examined why these perceptions might deviate from measured underachievement, determined…

First-year students enrolling into higher education institutions experience multiple transitions requiring the support of student success programs. Students who enter college undecided about a major face additional hurdles to their success and may experience low academic self-efficacy as a result. A strengths-based approach to assisting these…

This article explores the sustained impact of an Access module on mature students from disadvantaged backgrounds as they progress to undergraduate study. Framed in the context of OfS concerns about attrition and conceptualisation of dispositional, situational and institutional barriers, student survey and tutor focus group data were collected in a…

By focusing on the role that "in loco parentis" plays on college campuses, according to the author, we are offered a new angle of vision, one that may break us out of simplistic understandings of campus life in our time. In the 1960s, college students fought for free speech and against in loco parentis. Students did not want their…

Learning about the nature of science is an important aspect of becoming part of the culture of practicing physicists. While these topics have a long-standing tradition in U.S. curricula they are currently not part of German educational standards or curricula. And while there is some research concerning primary and secondary school students'…

We employed a mixed methods approach with sequential explanatory design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2017) and a Social Capital Theory framework (Bourdieu, 1977) to investigate three research questions: (1) In what ways were participants' career and college readiness capital developed during high school? (2) How do participants view their academic…

Many international students are looking to improve their career opportunities pursuing a specific career when they study in the U.S.; however, they confront struggles because they are less prepared in career readiness. Their voices are easily ignored because they are less vocal and have been told to obey the rules; at the same time, their needs…

This study investigates Chinese international students' acculturation strategies and pragmatic intentions to address identity conflicts in Hong Kong study experiences through a developmental lens. We treat conflicts and stressors as indicators of active commitments and the process of engagement as strategic, goal-oriented, intentional investments…

Reflection has been increasingly used to enhance student development in higher education, in both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Learner autonomy is essential on reflection, particularly on how learners interpret their learning experiences. The learner has to take initiatives in making meaning of their learning by examining their…

Math achievement is an important predictor of progression to later science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and careers. However, attitudinal factors also play a role, and interventions attempting to improve math attitudes may be important for increasing the number of STEM-aspiring students. To design effective interventions, it…

This study investigated how college students (N = 376) at a private, selective university (a) define success in college in their own words, and how conceptions of success (b) relate to differences in motivation and other individual differences, and (c) predict well-being. A thematic analysis suggested that students' definitions of success were…