For almost 40 years, our university's first year writing program has included a shared outcome: "Students will appreciate the capacity of writing to change oneself and the world." This outcome, unlike our more typical composition goals concerning writing processes, rhetorical acumen, and critical research abilities, had never been…

Purpose: The paper aims to close a literature gap by proposing a comprehensive conceptual soft skills competency framework for enhancing graduate intern employability through the cultivation of employability capital. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a theoretical inquiry and delved into the existing literature on employability, soft…

We examined the critical task of emerging adulthood--identity development--via analyses of trajectories of identity exploration and commitment over the college years, as well as whether narrative processing of important events during this period served as a mechanism of identity exploration and commitment. We took advantage of a unique and…

Purpose: Building upon a larger mixed-methods research agenda, the purpose of this research study was to explore the growth of generativity (i.e. care for the next generation) among college student leaders who mentor, answering the central question "What changes in generativity do college student leaders who mentor associate with their…

Campus engagement opportunities such as leadership development have potential for students to strengthen their personal skills. As such, fraternities and sororities can play an influential role in strengthening students' leadership skills. The present study examines the efficacy of a fraternity emerging leaders program, which is an educational…

This basic qualitative study explored the intercultural development and experiences of thirteen US undergraduate faculty members. It was grounded in the theoretical frameworks of intercultural development and constructive-developmental theory. Data included two Intercultural Development Inventories® 3-6 months apart; a Subject Object Interview;…

Many community colleges do not have a formal process in place to offer or support a structured gap year option for students who recently graduated from high school, thereby denying those students an educational option that has been recognized as beneficial to many learners. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore factors that…

In order to empower and well prepare student teachers for their future roles, integrating character strengths into their personal development and academic pursuits is crucial. This will equip them to contribute invaluable knowledge and practice to future generations. Given the absence of character strengths research in Myanmar, the investigation…

We explored the professional identity development of nine international counseling doctoral students. Our findings broadly corroborated Dollarhide et al.'s general model but revealed further nuances that need to be carefully contextualized at the intersection of a constellation of identities and experiences that international students bring to the…

Against the backdrop of the worldwide prevalence and importance of internationalisation in higher education, the mixed-methods study examined the relationships between tertiary-level learners' on-campus intercultural activity participation (e.g. intercultural talks and workshops), seven aspects of whole-person development (civic responsibility,…

The purpose of this study is to understand the climates and contexts that promote college students' development of appreciative attitudes toward Jews over four college years. Drawing on an established theoretical framework and a comprehensive literature foundation, we approached this question through an integrative mixed-methods perspective. We…

Students hold foundational assumptions that interact with information they are introduced to in college. By learning to identify, assess, and restructure these foundational ideas, students' ability to acquire topical knowledge improves. This article presents a format for teaching students how to evaluate their beliefs through four levels of…

The U.S. attracts a significant number of international doctoral students each year. As these students navigate cultural and academic systems, understanding their unique experiences and challenges becomes crucial. This study explores the intricate nuances of identity negotiation in the lived experiences of six East Asian international doctoral…

Background: In the United States, the current 6-year completion rate in engineering is a mere 54% among full-time students who enter a 4-year course. Researchers have identified many reasons why students leave engineering, including academic difficulties and poor teaching. However, the problems experienced by the departing students are also…

Since the 1940s research has suggested that higher education has a liberalizing influence on sociopolitical orientation, although none has demonstrated how this might occur. In the U.S. there is an increasing trend among conservative politicians and media to depreciate the value of a college education, by alleging that college turns people into…