The value of higher education, and particularly the four-year undergraduate venture influenced from the liberal arts tradition, is largely framed around the impact it has on a broad range of skills and dispositions that serve to enhance human flourishing. Employers and society more broadly can benefit from individuals who are committed to careful…

This article explores students' experiences of intellectual, social, and emotional growth during the first year at university and the extent to which these experiences can be considered transformative (Mezirow, 1981). The study is a qualitative interpretive multiple-case study built on semi-structured interviews with students in two higher…

From microaggressions and exclusionary practices to epistemic violence and racial battle fatigue (Clark et al., 2012; Levin et al., 2013), the social sciences literature has highlighted the multitude of ways graduate Students of Color (GSOC) experience racism. Further, scholars have continued to underscore the prevailing influence of campus racial…

While researchers have suggested that mentorship positively affects academic and learning outcomes in higher education, little is known about the impact of peer mentoring on graduate students' academic experiences. We conducted a systematic review to explore the impact of peer mentorship on graduate students' learning, and formal approaches to…

In this monograph, the authors identify milestones in the journey toward self-authorship based on the theoretical work of Kegan (1982, 1994) and Baxter Magolda (2001b, 2008, 2009a), as well as the empirical findings from Baxter Magolda's longitudinal study (2001b, 2009a) and the qualitative longitudinal portion of the Wabash National Study of…

This study explores the association of students' self-perceived critical thinking ability with participation in Residential Honors living-learning programs versus Civic/Social Leadership living-learning programs and non-participation in living-learning programs. The study analyzes data from the 2004 National Study of Living-Learning Programs…

Article discussed seven steps that constitute the process of liberating education and that offer a framework in which to reflect on the call of the Synod of Bishops in 1971. (Author/RK)

Advances in theory and practice make it possible to measure moral reasoning empirically and offer college-level educational programs enhancing moral understanding. Bases for these advances are reviewed, a longitudinal study and curriculum development effort is described, and the next research frontier, the relationship of moral reasoning to moral…

The liberal arts develop the basic intellectual competencies necessary for leadership in modern society and, as highly reflective disciplines, also develop integrative thinking. In addition, a caring and committed undergraduate campus community offers a wealth of practical experience in exercising responsible leadership. (MSE)

This study examined the critical thinking skills of resident and commuter students during the freshmen year, controlled for precollege background and ability. Differences in commuter and resident students' experience, particularly aspects of academic and social integration were also considered. The study sample was a subset taken from a national…

A study with 210 college freshmen investigated the effect of 3 aspects of the college experience (curricular exposure, formal classroom and instructional experiences, and out-of-class experiences). Results suggest that both classroom/instructional and out-of-class experiences make positive, statistically significant, unique contributions to gains…

Explains that an organic curriculum embraces a social studies curriculum that is supported by multidisciplinary social science methods and is grounded in the students' real-world experiences. Maintains that this organic social studies methodology is a means for implementing the thematic strands of the National Council for the Social Studies…

This study, part of the longitudinal national Study of Student Learning, investigated the precollege characteristics and college experiences of 825 first-generation college students compared to those of 1,860 traditional students at 23 diverse institutions nationwide. First-year gains in students' reading, math, and critical thinking abilities…

A study investigated graduate and professional educational experiences that promote contextual knowing. Seventy students described these experiences as opportunities to struggle with ideas and formulate their own opinions, connect their beliefs to their own lives, use experiences in the learning process, engage in learning as equal partners with…

Discussion of a Dickinson College (Pennsylvania) first-year seminar identifies its teaching objectives, describes class activities, and examines transcripts from the simulation of a negotiation, the course's capstone experience. Evidence suggests the students mastered information and concepts, were thinking critically about issues, had developed a…