The final observable product of a successful doctoral programme is typically a thesis that has been critically examined by senior academics and considered to demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge. However, it is a conviction underpinning this special issue that the doctorate should be acknowledged, explored and understood as a…

My PhD study explored the experiences of a cohort of Iranian doctoral candidates in New Zealand. This paper presents my response to the unexpected challenge I faced as I collected data and formed my theoretical framework. I found that Western interpretations of non-Western international students largely ignored social-cultural specificities. I…

Despite a large number of Sino-foreign joint education programmes, little research has examined the pre-departure academic preparations of students on these programmes. This study aims to fill the research gap by interviewing 22 Chinese students on 2 + 2 programmes studying at an Australian host university. Findings show that while more than half…

In order to explore the contextual factors that may influence Chinese early study abroad students' acculturation experiences in Canada, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 Chinese early study abroad students and 6 Chinese parents. Using Oppedal and Toppelberg's acculturation development model as the analytical framework, we identify six…

This study investigates what behaviours female students considered harassing and to what extent they experienced them. It also explores perpetrators and locations of harassment, effects on students, coping strategies, and reasons for not reporting harassment. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 317 female students at Takhar University.…

Young women remain underrepresented among engineering bachelor's degree holders. While there is a relatively large body of extant research on the many factors that curtail young women's interest in pursuing engineering, less is known about high school girls who are on an engineering pathway. Therefore, this study focuses on a select group of…

This study aims to explore the influences of the CS-unplugged activities in developing problem solving skills of preschool children. The participants were 11 children (4-5 aged) enrolled in a public preschool and Code.org activities were used as an instructional package. Activity evaluation form and interviews were used to understand children's…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how college-bound Generation Z students describe higher education institutions' use of social media as a marketing tool during their college choice experience in Texas. The foundation for the study was the college choice model from Hossler and Gallagher that identified three phases…

This research focused on the "communication and systematic barriers Deaf and Hard of Hearing graduate students face in higher education." The research explored the experiences, roadblocks, and inequities the DHH students face daily in academia. This study utilized narrative inquiry and qualitative approaches to better capture the human…

The purpose of this research was to gain a greater understanding of the transition experiences of students on the autism spectrum. Because the transition phenomenon itself was the focus of the study, information was sought not only from the primary perspective of students on the autism spectrum, but also from family members who participated in…

This article examines how stereotypes operate in the social construction of Black Canadian male student-athletes and how those stereotypes frame these students' lived experiences in relation to race, athletic ability, and academic performance. From qualitative interviews with twenty current and former Black Canadian student-athletes, we found that…

Postgraduate taught student experience (PGT) is the product of a complex journey. During study, PGT students face an array of emotions and stressors associated with biopsychosocial-cultural processes interacting in, across, and in response to various dynamic systems that serve to threaten or challenge their study journey, making wellbeing an…

We address the problem of predicting the correctness of the student's response on the next exam question based on their previous interactions in the course of their learning and evaluation process. We model the student performance as a dynamic problem and compare the two major classes of dynamic neural architectures for its solution, namely the…

This study tested the psychometric properties of the "Sense of Belonging in STEM" Scale (SOB-STEM), a new scale measuring students' subjective evaluation of their academic and social experiences in STEM learning contexts, primarily focusing on purposeful interpersonal interactions. Data from 758 college students were analyzed, yielding…

Whilst the fitness testing debate has become more nuanced over time, the voice that is often absent from discussions is that of students. Located within the 'big tent' of critical pedagogy, and using an expansive learning approach that is grounded in cultural historical activity theory, this paper responds to the following research questions: (i)…