Drawing on focus group, interview, and participant-observer data collected as part of this IRB-approved [19.177] qualitative research project, this dissertation provides insights about how Black American students develop academic identities through coursework and extracurricular involvement in a Black culture center on the campus of a historically…

A sense of belonging and feeling at home at their institution are key factors in student success at university. Engaging with extracurricular activities is part of this dynamic, and an area in which 'international' students face additional barriers. These include institutional and psychological barriers to belonging, resulting in a shortage of…

This dissertation study explored meaningful experiences contributing to students' identity, capacity, and efficacy development as culturally relevant leaders. In Chapter One, I detailed the importance and relevance of this topic in the field of higher education. Then, I reviewed the literature on college student leadership development; defined…

For higher education students, feelings of belonging play an important role in their academic success and overall health and wellbeing. However, few studies to date have examined the contributors to and impacts of belonging experiences among post-secondary students within a qualitative paradigm. Written descriptions of belonging experiences were…

This essay reevaluates the role of reflection in experiential learning programs, contrasting traditional solitary ref lection methods with contemporary approaches that integrate collaboration and multimodal expression. These new approaches highlight a shift toward more flexible and interactive methods, reflecting the influence of new technologies…

Co-curricular activities have been shown to impact many measures of academic success, such as academic self-confidence, leadership abilities, identity development, personal development, and student thriving. Borrowing from established research paradigms on pluralistic ignorance, the current study sought to explore whether first-year and senior…

The Oaks Leadership Scholars engage in a year-long program grounded in transformative leadership and framed by Project Based Learning to develop identities as advocates and activists. Analysis of Scholars' reflections throughout the year indicate increased representation of their selves as advocates and activists over time and identifies…

This dissertation uses an anti-deficit perspective to explore the academic experiences of Black men who have completed their bachelor's degrees at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Despite the reality that only 34% of Black men achieve their undergraduate degrees within six years, this study shifts the narrative from focusing on obstacles…

Too often student services have become a provider of discrete assistance in which one-way information transactions take place between the staff/student paraprofessionals providers and the students receiving the services. Students attend academic advising appointments, listen during tutorial or small groups study meetings, and read computer screens…

This study explores how extracurricular activities experiences affect students' leadership development outcomes. The current status of students' experiences of extracurricular activities and leadership development outcomes identified. Also, it analyzed the correlation, as well as how they contribute to the college students' leadership. Lastly, the…

University students in paid employment have less time for studying, report more stress, and participate in fewer extracurricular activities than non-employed students. These negative outcomes that result from combining work and study can cause employed students to experience the domains of work, study, and social life as practically incompatible,…

Despite the heightened popularity of entrepreneurship education, there remain open questions regarding best practices in co-curricular programs. Using the theory of planned behavior, the authors examine how students' intention is shaped to increase the likelihood of participation in entrepreneurship co-curricular programs. To the best of the…

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory that explains the process of self-authorship development of college students in China. Little research exists that explicitly explores the integrated development of college students in China and influences on that development from the educational environment. Despite the extensive…

The number of physics bachelor's degrees that are awarded in the United States annually is small compared to most other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, and only about one-fifth of these degrees are awarded to women. Understanding the influence of students' science and engineering experiences on career choices is critical…

This dissertation studied the adjustment of international students at two private comprehensive institutions. This basic qualitative inquiry study used as its theoretical framework the International Student Identity Model (Kim, 2012) and investigated the primary features of the Enclosure phase of Kim's Model which is characterized by poor English…