This paper focuses on the students who are registered in the University of Pretoria's academic development programme, named the Four-year Programme (FYP). The programme was introduced as a gateway for students who are underprepared but have the potential to succeed and then continue their studies into the mainstream science programmes. Our…

Despite the fact that grade retention is now seen as controversial in many quarters, it remains common practice in numerous countries. Previous research on the effects of grade retention on student development has, however, generated ambiguous results, particularly in terms of motivational outcomes. This ambiguity has been attributed in part to a…

The campus climate literature obscures the complexity of individuals' perspectives in relation to multiple dimensions of the broader learning environment. Unexamined are the ways students from marginalized backgrounds may "respond" to oppressive dimensions of the campus climates in unique ways that moderate observed outcome differences.…

Kids Creative is a New York City nonprofit that runs afterschool and summer programs with over 1,000 youth each year. The programs they run use this creativity-oriented process to produce original musicals, works of art, videos, dances, and more. When Kids Creative received grant funding, they were able to include more youth and add homework help,…

Study abroad programs offer undergraduate students multiple benefits by providing academic, professional and personal learning experiences that cannot be fully replicated in the domestic university setting. Recognizing the unique positioning of preservice English teachers participating in a London summer study abroad program, the author created a…

Current events happening in society have direct impact on the physiological and psychological development of students in primary and secondary schools. Incorporating social events into primary and secondary school teaching could enhance student learning activities, increase their ability of social recognition, adaptation and contribution to…

Internships are a widely touted co-curricular activity that may enhance students' employability, their future wages, and employer talent needs. However, how students themselves understand and conceptualize the internship experience is poorly understood. Reasons why understanding students' perceptions of internships is important include the fact…

While the importance of social-emotional learning for student success is well established, educators and researchers have less knowledge and agreement about which social-emotional skills are most important for students and how these skills distribute across student subgroups. Using a rich longitudinal dataset of 221,840 fourth through seventh…

Schools seeking to develop students' social, emotional, and academic skills should consider service learning as one way to help students apply those skills. As of the 2017-18 school year, 37 states and the District of Columbia required or encouraged school districts to offer community service education and service-learning programs. This NASBE…

This dissertation study contributes to the dearth of research examining the leadership development of Latina college students. Using critical race feminism (CRF) as a guiding framework, this study centers the experiences of Latina college students, exploring how dominant cultural values, Latinx cultural values, and the context of the collegiate…

There is ample evidence that youth who have supportive relationships with others experience more positive outcomes (Kesselring et al., 2016 ). Positive Youth Development (PYD) emphasizes the promotion of better outcomes for youth by building on their strengths and providing supports and opportunities to foster the achievement of goals and…

This chapter reviews the literature on the moral self and student development and highlights the best practices for enhancing students' moral strength.

Using a perspective analysis of curriculum design, we advance the conversation on ways underrepresented and underserved communities can rethink educational design. From an original educational model, we interrupt traditional pedagogy to grow effective community leaders. In this paper, we blend Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and…

Research indicates the need for children performing below grade level in reading to receive additional support in summer months. However, little research has been done related to utilizing preservice teachers during those months in the form of a supplemental field experience. Investigating the experiences of undergraduate students majoring in…

Social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) is a holistic approach to supporting students' development and learning that is integral to ensuring positive outcomes in school and beyond. Schools must ensure students experience healthy development and rigorous learning. Unfortunately, students of color, students from low-income backgrounds,…