Students who are parents are largely invisible within the Australian higher education sector. We know little about the particular views and experiences of this group at university. This article explores the Potivations perceived challenges to success and self-identified strengths of students who are parents. Our analysis is based on eighteen…

Bereavement is a universal experience common within the higher education student population. The present study aimed to understand the experiences and support needs of bereaved Australian university students. In semi-structured interviews, 12 students (10 women, 2 men; M[subscript age] = 38.13, SD = 15.37) shared their experiences of bereavement…

The robust evaluation of student equity initiatives is now an expected activity in Australian universities. This paper reports on the development of Swinburne's Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) Evaluation Framework in which the project team adopted a student-centred design approach. The needs of Aboriginal and Torres…

Purpose: In light of a largely negative discourse, this study aims to identify the various ways in which PhD mums have been supported in a range of contexts to develop a comprehensive typology of positive support, as well as to identify patterns that transcend institutional, national and disciplinary borders. Design/methodology/approach: The study…

Gifted education has been recognised as a fractured field that can be categorised using varying paradigmatic approaches. Over the past thirty years, Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talents (DMGT) has maintained a strong influence in Australia, which means that the paradigmatic assumptions that are present in this model have shaped…

While there has been a sustained focus on widening participation in higher education internationally, there are few empirical accounts of the experiences and perceptions of 'equity' students in STEM subjects, and even less that examines this in the elite university context. Reporting from the Australian higher education context, this article…

This article employs the concepts of recognition and precarious mobilities to understand university education for people from a refugee background. The authors draw on their ongoing qualitative longitudinal narrative enquiry exploring the experiences of 22 students in Australia from asylum-seeking backgrounds during their three-year study for a…

Students from low-socioeconomic (low-SES) backgrounds living in rural, regional and remote (RRR) communities in Australia experience intersecting equity challenges and disadvantages impacting upon their study success. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, this study explored the experience of 42 students living in low-SES RRR communities in…

Current research around the middle grades has brought a heightened attention by teachers, policymakers, and researchers recognizing that this stage is a time when a students' health and social and emotional well-being directly impacts their academic progress. To date, school leaders and teachers have not been well served by explicit resources for…

Engaging in sexual relationships is part of adulthood, but doing so in a foreign country can be risky because unsafe sexual experiences can have severe consequences for international students. This review explored sexual and reproductive health (SRH) experiences and needs of international university students in Western countries to identify…

Students with language and/or attentional difficulties are present in all classrooms, but evidence indicates they are poorly identified and supported. Reasonable adjustments are a legislative requirement, but these are often generic and fail to address instructional barriers. Students are uniquely placed to report on the pedagogical implications…

Tom (pseudonym) was an international undergraduate student with a rare visual disability, known as cone dystrophy. His appearance was that of a normal person but variations in light greatly influenced his vision. During his first two years at a university in Australia, Tom had particular difficulty making sense of assessment and feedback. His…

Universities now have more students with disabilities enrolled in their programs. The pursuit of a higher degree could be because universities have responded to increasing online programs that make it accessible to students with diverse needs. However, with change come the challenges of catering to diverse needs and how universities make strategic…

Student retention in education courses is a political imperative. This research examined the wicked problem of attrition in a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Studies) course, drawing on the experiences of three different groups of students studying early childhood. The participants from each study represented different student groups within…

Australia has been very successful in recruiting international students. The Australian government regularly reports students' high levels of satisfaction with their educational experiences; however, there is also evidence of some dissatisfaction with regard to social and educational experiences. This paper explores the extent to which…