The U.S. attracts a significant number of international doctoral students each year. As these students navigate cultural and academic systems, understanding their unique experiences and challenges becomes crucial. This study explores the intricate nuances of identity negotiation in the lived experiences of six East Asian international doctoral…

This dissertation is an exploration of leader identity development and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college academic classrooms. While there continues to be research promoting diversity in STEM professions, women remain underrepresented in STEM disciplines, leadership positions, and for this specific study, the…

A persistent challenge for Australian higher education policymakers and researchers has been to understand why policies and practices have met with limited success in widening the participation and attainment of non-traditional students. This paper explores theorising Narrative Identity as a constructive methodological framework for understanding…

The purpose of this Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was to understand the extent to which hegemonic masculinity inhibits self-authorship among male undergraduate students at Saint Somewhere College, a small, liberal arts, and Catholic institution of postsecondary education in the northeastern United States. Utilizing Baxter Magolda's…

Placing myself as a rejected doctoral student (2010-2022), this paper examines the emergent nature of identity formation across time and space. While presenting a layered account of my lived experience in seeking pathways of pursuing doctoral study, each reading experience leads me to produce my identity(ies) and situated knowledge(s) as an…

With numbers over half a million, student-athletes are a significant, yet unique, population on college campuses. They encounter unique experiences and face unique challenges, not the least of which is navigating the competing roles of student and athlete. Navigating these roles within the high-stakes and competitive world of collegiate athletics…

Employing transnationalism and transnational literacies as theoretical perspectives, this study explores how two focal students from Asian immigrant families construct their transnational and transcultural identities by reflecting on their dynamic border-crossing experiences. The students' creation of artifacts (illustrating self-portraits and…

Student-athletes have long been a population of interest to researchers regarding identity development and academic success. More specifically, researchers have looked into the identity foreclosure of student-athletes; its impact on academic success, motivation, and career outlook; and differences of this foreclosure among student-athletes. Most…

Identity formation is a pivotal milestone in the age range of emerging adulthood ("EA"; ages 18-29; Arnett, 2000; 2014). Most of the literature in the area emphasizes the role of identity within college student samples, but there is a lack of understanding of identity distress among graduate students. Graduate school is a prolonged…

Prior studies commonly emphasized the beneficial impacts of a growth mindset on students' success and well-being. However, recent evidence cast doubts on the ability of a growth mindset to optimize desirable achievement and psychological outcomes. This study contributes to this line of evidence by exploring the association of mindsets in talent--a…

Background: Adolescents with overweight or obesity are at greater risk of having physical and psychosocial consequences. With increased disparities and inadequate literature on prevalence of adolescent weight status in rural Appalachia, there is potential for further complications. Unfortunately, adolescent obesity treatment options are often…

This study aims to assess the current physical health status and levels of body image satisfaction among Chinese secondary school students and identify the influencing factors of student body image perception. Guided by a mixed-methods research design, data was obtained through collecting 903 secondary student questionnaires and interviewing 15…

Underrepresented groups on college campuses, first-generation college students (FGCS) face several obstacles which put them at risk of developing Impostor Phenomenon (IP). Research has shown that IP can negatively affect performance, lend to burnout and withdrawal, hinder individuals' abilities to properly assess performance, and inhibit one's…

The study investigated engineering students' attitudes and motivation in relation to their identity formation during the learning of EFL in a multilingual and multicultural context. It adopted a Motivational Factors Questionnaire (MFQ) based on Dörnyei's L2 Motivational System framework. In this study, a mixed-methods approach was applied, with an…

This study explored the experiences of seven first-year university students in Johannesburg, South Africa. Recognising storytelling as a lens to reveal identity, this study focused on student experience narratives as a tool to better understand their transition from school to university. It examined the narrated experiences of these students as a…