This dissertation is comprised of three studies that examine the likelihood of exiting the college-going pipeline, test the framing of a text messaging intervention, and explore the transition and enrollment experience for high school seniors eligible for Tennessee's tuition-free college scholarship, TN Promise. In a discrete-time survival…

Background/Context: Amid rising immigration from the African continent to the United States, researchers have begun to explore the transnational identities and networks of African immigrants. There is a small body of literature about whether educational supports for immigrant youth are differentiated to address the particularities of African…

This chapter examines the scaffolding of leadership learning and development in student organizations from secondary to postsecondary institutions and explores ways that high school and collegiate advisors can better integrate efforts to help emerging student leaders make the transition from involvement and leadership development from one…

After Hurricane María, approximately 3,500 students enrolled in on Florida's school district from Puerto Rico. Displaced Puerto Rican high schoolers incurred the transitional costs of forced migration at a time in their educational trajectories when they are formulating their postsecondary plans. While student mobility is not uncommon, prevailing…

Despite the rapid increase in international students in the education sector, this area remains an under-researched. In Australia, many schools welcome international learners, but are also aware that the support they can offer cannot fully address the student's needs. Drawing on surveys (n = 51) and focus group interviews (n = 16), this case study…

Across countries, the age and timing of when children navigate school transition varies, as does provision of support during this challenging time. These two factors can heavily shape young people's adjustment, yet to date there is minimal research which has investigated how this period is navigated in different cultures. The aim of the present…

District leaders have invested widely in the creation of parent portals, but have paid less attention to ensuring that they are achieving their purpose in providing information that parents can use in supporting their children's academic success. This study, based on qualitative field note data from a larger four-year study of a continuous…

The current study investigated the role of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) on early adolescents' school adjustment, as moderated by their school friends' aggregate ERI. The study drew data from a longitudinal socioemotional project in a Midwestern U.S. middle school. Surveys were administered twice over a 6-month interval with a sample of 161 African…

Perceptions of the ecology and middle school transition are examined in relation to interpersonal competence patterns (ICPs) of approximately 3,000 sixth graders (46.2% boys) including 415 students with disabilities from 26 metropolitan schools. Teacher ratings of students' academic competence, externalizing and internalizing behavior, popularity,…

The transition to higher education is a topic of concern for educators around the world. In fact, the shift to a more competitive educational environment can negatively impact students' academic self-concept, which, in turn, might lead to lower persistence and less adaptive educational decisions. To examine how psychology students adapt to the…

The current study investigated early adolescents' experiences of friend-related stress across middle school and its developmental consequences following the transition to high school. Using a sample of approximately 1,000 middle school students, four unique friend-related stress trajectories were observed across middle school: consistently low…

Transitioning from primary school to secondary school is an important and defining stage for many pupils which can bring both positive and negative effects on pupil's wellbeing. It is a time that involves rapid physical, social and emotional development which can bring about feelings of loneliness, pressure of social acceptance, stress and a rise…

Changing from elementary to secondary school is a life event that every child has to pass. Previous research has shown that some children feel more threatened by the transition than others. In the present study children's expectations concerning the impending transition to secondary school were analyzed and it was investigated how individual…

This study explored parental experiences and factors impacting on the successful transitioning of young people with Down syndrome from primary to mainstream secondary school settings in Ireland. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to examine the perspectives of parents (N = 5) and secondary school teachers (N = 3) regarding this…

The present study sought to extend prior research in the Chinese context by examining the role of demographic and socioeconomic factors in middle school students' motivation, engagement, academic buoyancy, and adaptability. A total of 2,434 middle school students (aged 11-15 years) in China participated in the study. For demographic factors,…