College adjustment is particularly challenging for students from rural Appalachia, causing rural students to be more likely than their suburban and urban peers to withdraw from college. However, little is known about rural Appalachian college students' adjustment. We explored 18 rural Appalachian students' college adjustment experiences and…

Gender studies in Western institutions of higher education tend to focus on the deficiencies of female students in adjusting to new cultures compared to their male counterparts (Contreras-Aguirre & Gonzalez, 2017; Manese et al., 1988; Mallinckrodt & Leong, 1992). Few researchers have delved into female Chinese international students' ways…

This qualitative study examines communicative processes associated with graduate students (N = 124) in their struggles with the impostor phenomenon (IP, commonly known as impostor syndrome) and their integration into and experience in graduate programs (aspects of organizational assimilation). We identified two mutually implicative relationships.…

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…

Current student development theories are mostly grounded in the experiences of domestic students in North America. The increasing portion of the international students in the post-secondary student population has created a glaring gap for a unique theory of international student development. A unique theory for international student development,…

Although students are the key actors in their transition to higher education, there is limited research concentrating on student agency in a successful transition. This study examines how Chinese students actively and effectively manage their transition to the Sino-foreign cooperative university (SFCU). In X University -- one of nine SFCUs in…

This study investigated the predictive relationships between cultural intelligence (CQ), personal orientation, and psychological adaptation among 193 expatriate students at the University of Jordan. Using a correlational descriptive design, the study employed the Cultural Intelligence Scale, a character orientation scale based on Fromm's theory,…

The first year of college is a critical time for students, as their early experiences can determine the path of their educational journey. Students are most at-risk for dropping out of college during their first year, and first-generation students have higher rates of departure than their continuing-generation peers. Student engagement, sense of…

This manuscript focuses on student veterans' best option to start their post-high-school education: attending community colleges. It illustrates this point using the story of the author, a US Army combat veteran who began his career at a community college, and other veterans who also began their college careers at the community college. Using…

International students are a significant yet often misapprehended segment of the American undergraduate student population. While recent literature has become more inclusive of international student voices, the lived experiences and identities of international undergraduate students have not been holistically explored in academe. This qualitative…

The articulation between Secondary Vocational School(SVS) and college, in China, is a relatively new reform, hoping to unlock the dead end of Vocational Education and Training(VET). Based on fieldwork conducted in two universities in Jiangsu Province in 2018-2019, this article reports on college experience for articulated students with a VET…

Students with disabilities may struggle with postsecondary transition since secondary school is often a scaffolded environment with supports. The use of self-determination may help ease transition difficulties, but if choice-making and goal-setting opportunities are few, the transitional process may be more complicated. The lack of…

First-generation rural student veterans face many unique challenges transitioning to and succeeding in higher education. Despite these barriers, many first-generation rural student veterans succeed in college persisting to graduation. The purpose of this grounded theory qualitative study was to explore and understand the experiences of…

The transition from traditional, in-person classrooms to technology-based models like online learning is a significant challenge. This change is not only brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also presents difficulties for low-income and developing countries that have adopted online education for students who are spread out over a wide area.…

Under the context of the in-country mobility of Hong Kong students studying at Chinese Mainland universities, this paper proposes the notion of 'transborder habitus' to understand Hong Kong students' experiences and perceptions. Through qualitative research with in-depth interviews with 51 Hong Kong students studying in major cities, namely…