Institutions of higher education must tailor the learning experience to meet the needs of all adult learners and increase student retention and lower dropout rates. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how post-secondary online learners described their engagement and instructional techniques they have experienced in an…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this qualitative transcendental (descriptive) phenomenological study was to investigate and document the lived experiences of African American (AA) female graduate students utilizing Afrocentric mentoring paradigms at PWIs. I examined the challenges caused by institutional racism in PWIs and whether…

Current research shows that students have the most investment in reaching their educational objectives but have no influence or voice in how their education is provided. This research study explored the lived experiences and lifted the voices of TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) recent community college graduates who reached their academic goals…

The problem addressed in this qualitative grounded theory study was that there are different curricula designs for online biology courses resulting in students having significant challenges. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to use the theories of Mezirow (1990) and Tomlinson (1996) as the theoretical framework to explore…

This article employs narrative methodologies to present the stories of three asylum seekers enrolled in two adult learning centres in the Lombardy region of Italy. The author draws on Axel Honneth's theory of recognition to provide an understanding of how these adult learners' experiences might impact their self-identity. Based on the narratives…

Drawing on 24 semi-structured interviews, this small-scale qualitative study delves into mature students' social, academic, and career preparation experiences pursuing college education. Using Schlossberg's (1989) transition model, the findings reveal that mature students' overall experience is influenced by their mature status, as they possess…

The use of Social Networking Sites (SNS) has grown in popularity in recent years, notably for college students' study and communication. This article examines college students' experiences with SNS and the strategies they employ to strengthen sociability and learning activities receiving assistance through social media platforms such as Facebook,…

The objective of this study was to develop and validate the Psychobiosocial Experience Semantic Differential in Physical Education (PESD-PE) scale, a new holistic measure of discrete emotion-related feelings (i.e., psychobiosocial experiences) as conceived within the individual zones of optimal functioning (IZOF) framework. A preliminary version…

Existing research on elite universities finds that high school pre-college years are consequential for later educational success, both for middle-class students as well as lower-income students (Jack, 2016). However, far less is known about the pre-college student engagement strategies of community college students. I conducted 80 semi-structured…

The problem addressed through this project is the decline in the retention of foreign students in U.S. institutions of higher learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020-2021 school year, international student enrollment declined by 15%, demonstrating the direct impact of the pandemic on U.S. institutions of higher learning (Svrluga, 2021).…

Despite the growing visibility of equity and access work in higher education, increasing the college degree attainment of Native Hawaiian students remains an urgent goal. The University of Hawai?i-West O?ahu, a regional public university, has the vision and location to realize this kuleana. Colonization and the illegal occupation of Hawai?i led to…

Pursuing postsecondary education is complicated for adult learners with children, also known as parenting adult learners (PALs). PALs must consider family expenses in addition to college expenses and make tough decisions about how to spend their time across their academic, work, and family responsibilities. Nonetheless, PALs are highly motivated,…

As the entry point into higher education for over half of the bachelor's degree earners, (Trapani & Hale, 2019), community colleges are positioned to have a positive impact of bringing a more diverse student group into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. However, the vertical transfer function from community…

The undocumented student experience has been a topic of interest for educational institutions since the passing of AB 540 in 2001 and has become an increasingly prevalent phenomenon amid emergent legislation, ever-changing political climates, and the rise of Dream Centers and undocumented student liaisons across higher education systems. However,…

A student's sense of belonging can affect many aspects of their achievements, and their academic and social life (Freeman et al., 2007; Hausman et al., 2007; Hoffman et al., 2002; Strayhorn, 2012). Vaccaro and Newman (2022) contended only by understanding the process of belonging development, one can develop a sense of being as students navigate…