Sense of belonging plays a key role in college students' persistence and successful degree completion. This study evaluated how social factors contributed to students' sense of belonging at a major Midwestern university when controlling for individual-level and academic factors. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that students'…

There is a broad literature that depicts the relationship between mothers' and teachers' autonomy support on students' adjustment at school; yet the mechanisms underlying this link have received less attention. Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT), the present study aimed to address this gap in the literature by testing a model where basic…

Research shows use of social media (SM) has important implications for college adjustment. However, most studies only focused on Facebook and did not attend to specific use patterns. Drawing on the activity-audience framework of social media use and literature of college adjustment, we examined the associations between use of Facebook, Instagram,…

The transition from school to the institute of higher learning is a challenging phase that requires students to adapt to new environments and cultures. This study aimed to explore the adaptation experiences of first-year students at the Institute of Teacher Education by using storytelling through drawing. This study involved 18 students pursuing…

European medical schools are recruiting increasing numbers of international students. This study explores the impact of cultural backgrounds and language on the transition of international medical students to the clinical years of their training when they are predominantly based in hospitals and interacting with health professional staff and…

Much research in face-to-face contexts outlines the importance of early adjustment on students' higher education experiences. However, few studies have replicated this research in distance learning contexts to unpack the early multifaceted adjustments associated with studying in absence of a physical campus. This is particularly needed from a…

The community college (CCcc) setting has become increasingly important in education; yet, graduation rates are low (20%) compared 4-year colleges (69%). Researchers have focused on factors that predict college students' retention and graduation. Measures of students' academic, social, and personal-emotional adjustment to colleges have been found…

Purpose: Building upon attachment theory and emerging theory, the current study was aimed at examining the effect of peer attachment in predicting adjustment to life in university among freshmen in a public unirvsity in East Malaysia. Furthermore, it sought to examine the influence of gender and perceived-adult status as moderators of the…

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the relation between social and academic support on student ability to adapt to college. Results demonstrated a weak and reverse relation between expression of support and personal ability to adapt and total adaptation. A direct relation was determined between emotional support and social adaptation and…

This study explored the effects of parents' and students' communication patterns on students' social, emotional, and academic adjustment to college. It matched 118 pairs of parents and students (n = 236) and asked them to report their frequency and mode of communication, as well as the first-year students' perceived adjustment to college. The…

The global population of students pursuing studies abroad continues to grow, and consequently their intercultural experiences are receiving greater research attention. However, research into long-term student sojourners' academic development and personal growth is still in its infancy. A parallel mixed method study was designed to investigate the…

This article presents a comparative study of the personal adaptive capabilities of Chinese students studying in Chinese, British and Russian universities. The study involved 224 Chinese first-year students who formed 3 groups: Group 1, 96 first-year students studying in China; Group 2, 100 Chinese first-year students studying in Russia; Group 3,…

The University of Macau located in Macau Special Administration Region recently relocated its campus from Macau to the neighbouring island of Hengqin and requires all first year students to live on campus in the newly established residential college system. This paper examines the effect of being homesick on perceived university support of first…

When examined more thoroughly, the complexities created by the discrepancies between admission and graduation of African American students point to the impact of their psychological orientation to community college. It simultaneously highlights the degree of their mainstream orientation experience and its impact on their perceptions of…

The purpose of this study is to understand how social class background plays a role in student experiences on selective campuses. This study centers the experience of low-income students and extends the work of Ostrove and Long (2007). Previous research has indicated that race, gender, and social class status have each, respectively, been…