At the end of compulsory schooling, young people face an important transition: they have to decide whether to pursue either further schooling or vocational training. Choices are crucial phenomena in transitions: they are based on what a person considers to be options and follow preferences shaped by their social position and context. Using a…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore what college students' lived experiences were regarding the influence of outdoor orientation programs on their abilities to cope with transition-related stressors at one Arizona college. The study utilized two theoretical frameworks to understand the lived experience of…

Virtual reality (VR) applications have displayed remarkable development in the past two decades and have now been used vastly across the world for various educational purposes. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of a three dimensional (3D) desktop VR-based orientation for new online university students. The research study adopted…

Higher education has seen an increase in first-year students who arrive with significant early college credit. There is a gap in research about how first-year seminars meet the transition needs of students with college-level experience obtained during high school. This qualitative study, guided by Schlossberg's (1989) transition theory, explored…

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020 gave rise to a number of challenges for first-year experience activities at universities globally. One of the key challenges was the process of onboarding first-year students through an orientation programme that could not take place face-to-face as per the norm. In 2021, the first-year orientation at…

This study aimed to explore the factors reported by first-year international students which helped or hindered their experiences of transition to a multicultural higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates. Descriptive phenomenology was used to portray participants constructed and co-constructed views, formed through their individual…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore full-time university students from the western region of the United States perception of their resilience. Within the study, resilience was defined as per Taormina's adult personal resilience theory as a multi-dimensional construct with four separate and independent dimensions;…

Background: Undergraduate outdoor orientation programs facilitate students' transition into college. Research has yet to be conducted on the few programs at medical schools, which may have unique benefits given the specific challenges of transitioning to medical school and high rates of burnout among medical students. Purpose: This mixed methods…

This essay is a discussion of the lived experiences of first-generation college students each August when they arrive on a college campus for the first time. The author's approach offers a reflective component for institutions of higher education to consider when creating support or programs for first-generation students as they navigate an…

Whereas many college freshmen succeed during their first year, some struggle with transitioning. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive generic study was to examine the difficulties some high school graduates experience adapting to the college social environment. First-year college students often have feelings of homesickness, isolation,…

Many Indian international students are studying in American colleges and universities. Education abroad in an unfamiliar environment can be challenging for students. Thus, the present study investigated the coping strategies employed by six Indian international students studying in the United States, using phenomenological data analysis…

First-year students at universities continue to experience adjustment challenges which are an indication of low academic buoyancy. Academic buoyancy is a student's ability to succeed amidst academic difficulties and setbacks in academic settings. This study examined the gender differences in academic buoyancy among first-year undergraduate…

This study aimed to identify baseline data on University of Guyana students' demographics, success indicators, and the usefulness of the existing orientation program from students' perspectives. This action research study employed multiple data collection methods, including an online questionnaire with six sections totaling 23 questions,…

Purpose: This study aims to explore the use and perceptions of social media among university students before and during their transition from high school to higher education. Design/methodology/approach: This exploratory, cross-sectional study uses an online survey of 312 undergraduate students at a large public research university in the USA.…

Postsecondary students with disabilities risk facing challenges while pursuing their academic goals. Although disability service providers are encouraged to support their goal pursuit, its actualization and the role of individual differences remain poorly researched. We examine the role of autonomy striving dispositional styles, need satisfaction,…