This study investigated the social integration (in relation to academic integration) of first-year students during the first semester at university. Sixteen focus group sessions with 93 students and 37 individual face-to-face follow-up interviews were conducted with first-year psychology and educational science students from a Dutch-speaking…

Disparity of Black male academic achievement compared with non-Black males is well documented in a variety of educational settings (Dancy & Brown, 2008; Harper, 2006; Jackson & Moore, 2008; Sander, 2014; Strayhorn, 2012). The literature has primarily focused on discussing educational shortcomings of Black male students rather than…

This qualitative study examines the social interaction patterns among international students at a large research university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Based on semistructured interviews with 60 international graduate students, the researchers provide a conceptual framework that identifies 4 primary types of social…

Consistent with predictions derived from the self-expansion model, this 3-year longitudinal study found that participation in more college groups during sophomore year predicted increases in inclusion of the college community in the self at the end of junior year, which further predicted increases in satisfaction with the college experience at the…

Immigration issues continue to generate attention and vigorous debate at national and international levels; some of these discussions involve immigrant students and issues pertaining to higher education (e.g., DREAM Act). Camarota (2007) noted that from 2000 to 2007, 10.3 million immigrants arrived--the highest 7-year period of immigration in…

This longitudinal study investigated to what extent noncognitive variables (e.g., expectations for college) and the college environment (i.e., academically based living-learning communities) influence students' college experience. This research goes beyond grouping all living-learning students into one category, which has dominated much of the…

This study used focus group interviews to explore 22 students' definitions of and strategies for college success. Students' narratives revealed their definitions of success were multifaceted and encompassed how they were doing academically, their degree of social integration, and their perceived ability to navigate the college environment. In…

The investigators reviewed the retention literature and developed a 53-item questionnaire and tested its validity. Component analysis of the responses of 2,022 students at four schools yielded six reliable factors: Institutional Commitment, Degree Commitment, Academic Integration, Social Integration, Support Services Satisfaction, and Academic…