This article aims to unravel a mature student's processes of social engagement at a university, based on nine years of biographical interview data. By framing itself within the realist social theory, this paper analytically distinguishes between precedent social conditioning factors, social engagement processes, and their consequences of learning…

This study examines how work placement learning (WPL) might influence student engagement in practical skills acquisition (SEPSA). The study draws on key elements of three theories: the social cognitive career theory (self-efficacy), self-determination theory (intrinsic motivation) and expectancy-value theory (task value) to understand the…

It is unknown whether social presence in internet-based MBA courses enhances students' career success. This study examined general self-efficacy and goal orientation mediation models to determine what strengthens MBA students' social presence and their career planning self-confidence. Data included 278 online MBA students in an AACSB-accredited…

Foucauldian critical studies are cornucopian in illustrating how policy as discourse normalizes and yields human beings into made subjects in modern societies. However, Foucault's own slide from the 'terminal stage of discourse' pays little attention to the linguistic elements, and thus weakens the theory's potency in explaining the reality.…

This paper describes how critical realism was operationalized to provide an explanatory framework for a small-scale qualitative study in the field of teacher education in a sub-Saharan African context. Critical realism combines a realist ontology (there is something to find out about) with a relativistic epistemology (different people will come to…

The literature has shown inconsistent support for the equalization thesis, that is, the idea that a college degree erases the effect of social origin on socioeconomic destination, and suggested higher intergenerational persistence among advanced degree holders compared to those with bachelor's degrees. The present study sheds light on the…

This note discusses a class activity that was developed for first-year bachelor students in sociology to understand homogamy theory. Taught in a "classical" deductive way, this theory proved to be difficult to remember and describe on the examination. Starting from inductive learning, and more specifically, (structured) inquiry-guided…

There is a dearth of research on factors that increase the likelihood of underrepresented minority (URM) college students' enrollment and completion of graduate studies in the social sciences. To address this gap, we implemented the Graduate Enhancement for Minority Studies (GEMS) program and present an evaluative case study of the first…

This article starts from gaps found in the literature on international students. The literature points out that we need studies on the subject that: bring different student profiles to explain their internationalization; explain, beyond mere description, the factors that motivate students to internationalize their studies and careers; and that…

Considerable research has focused on the experiences of first-generation college students (FGS) (Defreitas & Rinn, 2013; Lightweis, 2014; Martin, 2015; Morales, 2014; Swecker, Fifolt, & Searby, 2013), who are defined as students whose parents did not graduate with a bachelor's degree from college (DeFreitas & Rinn, 2013). With minimal…

As the COVID-19 pandemic invaded our lives in March of 2020, schools were forced to close their doors and urgently transition to remote learning. This action research study is about pre-service elementary teachers (PSTs) in a social justice-focused social studies methods course who used this unprecedented time as valid curricular material. While…

This essay offers a new interpretation of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's landmark work of critical social theory "Empire." It develops an account of the politics of exile by situating this political strategy in terms of Hardt and Negri's claim that it is no longer feasible to confront capitalist power head-on. It attends closely to…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how online full-time faculty define, implement, and invest in social presence. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 15 full-time online faculty participants at a private Christian university in the Southwest. The participants of this study met specific criterion, which included…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how fourth-year Christian male emerging adults at a Christian college in the northeastern United States identify and describe changes in religiosity as expressed by the tenets of trust in parental religiosity, by missional outreach, and by personal faith, which form the basic…

This literature review provides an introduction to change management and reviews current approaches, theories and models which can be used to skillfully handle and direct change initiatives within higher education institutions (HEIs) so that the desired outcome is achieved. Planned approaches, psychological and behavourial theories, organisational…