This study explores the narratives of first-generation, Latinx graduate students whose parents emigrated from Mexico. We aimed to understand the life trajectories of six participants, particularly the ways in which they made sense of graduate education (MA and EdD) as part of their personal journeys, identity and practice as educators. Focus…

In this study, we analyze the effects of Project GRIT (Generating Resiliency and Inspiring Transformation), a six-week intervention program that worked with a group of high school "pushouts," students who were encouraged to leave school, in a school district in southern California. We interviewed thirty-nine former high school students…

Public discourse often frames the value of undergraduate education in financial terms--credentialing and increased earning power. Students must prepare to be self-supporting, but are financial prospects their only important goals? We asked 1,500 students from 11 U.S. colleges to write about their goals, the reasons their goals were important, and…

The relationship between sense of general life purpose, perceived well-being, perceived life purpose barriers, and faculty mentoring guidance were examined among 1,609 college undergraduates. Participants completed an online survey that included the General Life Purpose Scale, the Perceived Wellness Survey, the Life Purpose Barriers Scale, and a…

This article describes the ways in which a class of 7- and 8-year-old children used writing to communicate. Using Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics as a theoretical frame, I examine what functions these messages served, how functions varied from child to child and how the practice of message-sending evolved over time. Analysis of data…

When this author first started graduate school, she was an incurable snoop--deeply curious about the lifestyles of her professors. She looked through the bookcases in their offices, studied the clutter on their desks, and asked personal questions about everything from how they balanced work with family to how many hours they slept at night. She…

As part of a long-term inquiry into the nature of staff development, 300 interviews focused on teachers' use of formal development opportunities, informal interactions with other professionals, and personally directed growth activities. The relationships between teachers' growth levels and the social systems of schools are discussed. (Author/MLF)