This study describes how student characteristics and environmental influences experienced in high school (and the interactions among them) impact academic engagement of first-semester college students. Data, collected from 300 first-year students at a single university at two different times, showed that precollege student characteristics of…

This study of first-year students in a Canadian university examined linguistic diversity and assessed associations with academic performance and reading abilities in English, the language of instruction. Among 68 students, 19 spoke English as a second language (secondary anglophones). Compared with 49 primary anglophones, these students'…

This study surveyed 399 incoming first-year students at two colleges in the Midwest on their use of social network sites before college entry and its impact on various dimensions of the first-year experience. Significant correlations were found for two pairs of variables: (a) students who used social network sites before arriving on campus…

This study explored college transition meaning-making dynamics of emancipated foster care youth and the role campus environments play in that process. It adds to the college student development theoretical base by acknowledging the needs, goals, and values of disenfranchised college students transitioning into higher education. Emancipated foster…

Research has shown consistently that first-generation college students are less prepared academically for college, have a higher risk for dropping out, and are less likely to obtain a degree. This study investigated the effect of first-generation students' participation in a first-year seminar (FYS) on academic achievement and persistence to…

As strengths-based approaches continue to gain steady momentum in colleges and universities, a distinct need for scholarship on the benefits of strengths-based practices has emerged. In fall 2011, all first-year students at a university in the Midwest were invited to discover their strengths by taking the Clifton StrengthsFinder. The purpose of…

Students enrolled in a first-semester, critical-thinking course assessed their perception of their own wellness using a 52-question survey. Within the survey, holistic wellness was measured along seven dimensions: (a) physical, (b) intellectual, (c) social, (d) occupational, (e) spiritual, (f) emotional, and (g) environmental. Individual…

Arguing that the first-year-experience and students-in-transition field is a mature industry, the authors assert that researchers and practitioners must re-examine currently held assumptions about student success. In particular, they propose that researchers should revisit the leading models used to study college impact in light of the changing…

This article focuses on past and present research studies that examined the creation of developmental theories to help understand how students develop while in college. The implications of this manuscript include understanding how the diversity of today's student body influences practice, considering the appropriate knowledge base needed to…

The essay examines the variety of research methods and measures used in the first-year experience and students-in-transition field over the past 25 years. Interrogating the extant research, Kinzie explores whether the methods and analytic processes most commonly employed are adequate to advance our understanding of complex issues in the field. The…

Enrollment practitioners commonly discuss the effect of geographic factors on retention at rural or small-city institutions. This study examined the correlations between geographic characteristics of first-year college students' home location and their retention to the second year at a university located in a small city. The dimension of…

This study explored factors related to college adjustment in nonresidential first-year students. It was hypothesized that stress, family functioning, and coping strategies would predict academic, personal-emotional, and social adjustment in addition to institutional attachment. The sample comprised 167 first-year college students (ages 18-23)…

In recognition of 25th anniversary of the "Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition" (the "Journal"), a content analysis and review of "Journal" citations in other works was conducted. A team of three researchers coded type of research, type of intervention, target population, and topics of…

Electronic communications technologies (ECTs) help college students and parents remain in contact. Because recent reports have emphasized a link between ECTs, helicopter parenting, and autonomy issues, this study focused on the significance of contact patterns for attachment and student adjustment. First-semester college students (199 female, 81…

This study examined how traditional-aged, first-year college students with specific learning disabilities adjusted to academic expectations as they moved from high school to a less monitored collegiate environment. Results of the study indicated that these students had difficulty moving beyond their established high school patterns by…