The study draws on longitudinal data covering four years of college among a sample of students from low-income backgrounds, with histories of adverse childhood experiences, who enrolled at more than 150 four-year institutions. Analyses investigate factors that influence the emergence and development of students' sense of campus belonging, with…

Female students, Latinx students, first-generation students, and transfer students often feel uncomfortable in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) environments. However, some departments have been making progress in changing that. Guided by double consciousness and person-environment fit theory, we investigated the lived…

Community colleges are increasingly recognized as providing an accessible and affordable pathway to STEM occupations, particularly for underrepresented racial and ethnic, first-generation, and low-income students. There are several institutional and academic factors that influence transfer outcomes. But one of the most central factors that can…

For too many community college students, transferring to a four-year institution for a bachelor's degree (i.e., vertical transfer) remains an unrealized aspiration. Prior research suggests that forms of capital can assist students in realizing their goals. Therefore, we sought to explore how relationships both within and outside of their…

This article examines how Chinese international students develop a complex understanding of race and racism from a transnational perspective. Through semi-structured interviews and follow-up exchanges with 21 Chinese international undergraduates at a US public research university, the article argues that students' racial learning was jointly…

This study examines how Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) serve Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA&NHPI) students. Through a two-site case study of a community college on the west coast and a regional comprehensive university on the east coast, this study details the…

Objective/Research Question: This research explores how community college students, who are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and aspire to vertical transfer in STEM make choices about majors and transfer destinations. The question is important to advancing equity in STEM, which continues to…

Despite efforts to foster a more equitable gender representation, Australia's higher education sector and workforce continue to be highly segregated. This article focusses on the gendered experiences of first-in-family (FIF) students--many who are from low-socioeconomic communities--transitioning to Australian universities. In terms of the…

Student wellbeing is a critical concern within higher education, as universities bear the responsibility of safeguarding students from potential harm arising from institutional decisions and the conduct of students and staff (Smith and Freyd, "Journal of Traumatic Stress" 26:119-124, 2013; Koskina ("Studies in Higher…

First-generation students often feel alone on college campuses. These students can find themselves excluded from organizations, traditions, and spaces that require financial, social, and cultural capital they may not have. In my Sociology of Work course, I use a family work history project to center and validate their experiences. Using census…

This qualitative study highlights how the use of several interpretative-methods helps to better capture the journey of the participants' transition from low-income, immigrant households to first-generation college students of color at a top-tier research university. I examine a wide range of interpretive practices, from traditional to innovative…

Despite the potential for mutual learning, improvement of service provision, and the advancement of policy, research on first-generation migrant students and research on international students have remained stubbornly separate. This paper makes the case that education research would benefit from leveraging data on international students and that…

Although the literature is extensive on students' experiences within student affairs offices, programs, and functional areas, less attention has been given to students' interactions with student affairs staff members. In this qualitative study, staff interactions are assessed in an exploration of students' experiences within the student affairs…

Two women scholars (Khmer and Black) explore how our subjectivities as researchers influence how we understand, give honor to, and (re)present our participants' experiences in ways that value their humanity. Through phenomenological methods and poetic transcription, we seek more nuanced, creative, and powerful ways of positioning participants'…

The journey to finding one's place in academia can be complex, especially for Black students navigating Predominantly White institutions (PWIs). My path through higher education--from feeling invisible in some White spaces to discovering true belonging at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU)--illustrates how educational environments…