The number of Nigerian graduate students enrolling at HBCUs has increased over last decade. Nigerian students have consistently made-up majority of the student population enrolled in U.S. colleges from West African countries. However, despite the growing presence of Nigerian students at HBCUs, these students face several adjustment challenges…

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…

At the onset of Africa becoming the most populous continent in the world, there remains a wide gap in literature about the academic experiences of youth representing the vast diversity of the African continent. In an attempt to bridge some of the gap, the focus of this study is to identify the factors influencing the academic experiences of…

This paper reports on a study conducted to explore the challenges faced by Pakistani university entrants in adapting to university culture. Several studies have been conducted on first-year experience and challenges faced by students in adaptation to university culture globally. However, this was the first study conducted on this topic in the…

Interest is growing regarding high school preparation for students transitioning to college with chronic illnesses such as asthma, cancer, and diabetes. This qualitative study examined 15 college counselors' perceptions of working to address high school transition needs with incoming students diagnosed with chronic illnesses. Four themes emerged…

There is a consensus that the crises children encounter during the transition period might impact negatively on children's learning and development. However, from cultural-historical perspective, qualitative leap in development can hardly be achieved without crises. This paper, drawing upon cultural-historical theory as the framework and by using…

The subjects of this qualitative research study are seven undergraduate international students between the ages of 18-25 at an urban, private university in the northeast of the United States. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was the methodology employed in this study. The data was analyzed by using Pettigrew's (1998) reformulated…

Peer status is an important indicator and predictor of adjustment. While gifted children tend to enjoy favorable peer status, their social functioning during adolescence is less clear. The current study seeks to enhance this understanding by examining both preference- and reputation-based peer status of gifted adolescents. Peer nominations were…

A dearth of literature exists on first-year transfer student interventions, which makes it difficult to determine whether there are transfer student subgroups that struggle more than others. This study used a latent class analysis to examine whether meaningful subgroups of transfer students emerged based on their response patterns to measures of…

Since social connectedness is critical to student retention, colleges and universities have vested interest in identifying and providing assistance as early as possible. When students are struggling to fit in, a great deal of campus energy is invested in welcoming each new cohort of students and planning events to facilitate a sense of belonging.…

Despite the increase in methodological sophistication and complexity of models being tested for international student adjustment to universities in the United States (U.S.), researchers often do not test or control for salient demographic differences between students, including their educational status (i.e., graduate or undergraduate) and country…

: International students make valuable intellectual, cultural, and economic contributions to host-country colleges and universities. Some U.S. institutions enrolling greater numbers of international students offer a variety of specialized services designed to support students' social adjustment, academic achievement, and language development in…

Drawing on frameworks from marketing research literature, this study indicates that educational service augmenters (e.g., academic advising, writing support services, immigration advising, etc.) are significantly related to international students' academic adjustment. The results indicate educational, campus, and social support services explained…

The purpose of this study was to explore potential predictive relationships between college and university students' electronic media choices and their sense of social adjustment to college life. This study reviewed previous theoretical constructs related to socialization among college students. An online questionnaire was then presented to…

Through analysing data collected from interviews with 12 students and 7 teachers, observations, students' journals and other documents at a US high school, this qualitative study examines the sociocultural adaptation of "parachute kids" from mainland China. Emerging themes revealed adjustments to be made at three levels, namely,…