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…

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…

This study investigated a set of messages on a university group's Facebook page intended as advice for first-year college students. Investigators coded 108 different units of advice into three overarching categories focused on academics, the transition to college life, and comprehension of the college campus. Messages transmitted were similar in…

Although there is a growing body of research on the effects of peer mentoring in higher education, the individual learning of mentors themselves is largely unexplored. In this narrative inquiry study, peer mentors working with a first-year learning communities program shared and analyzed stories about their experiences. The resulting narrative…

Pastoral peer mentoring often benefits both mentors and mentees through promoting a successful academic postsecondary transition. Based on interviews and focus groups with 36 York University mentors and mentees, this qualitative study highlights the successes and challenges of university pastoral peer mentoring and leadership. Major findings…

Residential learning communities often focus on easing first-year students' transitions to college by emphasizing the creation of peer social and academic relationships. However, this relational process is most often examined through analyzing individual student characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes. This study used network analysis to…

This study proposed to describe and understand the transition experiences of first-generation college students in comparison to second-generation college students by examining the frequency of activities linked to the transition process and the helpfulness of these behaviors for students at a medium-size state university in the Southeast. Parents,…

This quantitative research study sought to measure the impact of first-year seminar participation on three correlates of student retention: academic integration, social integration, and satisfaction with college life. Results suggest that students who participate in first-year seminars are not necessarily more integrated into the academic and…

This study compared two approaches to a first-year seminar, special academic theme vs. college transition theme, to determine if one approach was more effective in terms of one-year retention rates, first-year grade point averages (GPAs), and student perceptions of the course experience and outcomes. Participants included 177 first-semester,…

A newly developed measure of the quality of students' involvement in cocurricular activities was used to assess the relationship between quality of involvement and adaptation during the transition to university. Results indicated that the higher the quality of students' involvement, the better their adjustment to university. The relationship…

The present study compares college adjustment among emerging adults beginning college in 2000 (before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks) and in 2001 (three weeks before 9/11). A prospective longitudinal design was used to follow 41 students throughout their first college year. Participants completed questionnaires about symptoms of anxiety…

This study examines the college transition of students who participated in a summer bridge program. Three surveys collected longitudinal data on these students' aspirations and academic and social activities. Data provided from institutional research on their academic progress were also analyzed. A control group composed of non-participating…

This study examined the perceptions of six first-year students involved in a residential learning community during the program's pilot year. During group interviews, study participants shared their perceptions about what they were learning as members of the community and what value they placed on that learning. The findings indicated students…

Many institutions of higher education have designed a variety of first-year seminars to facilitate student transition to college. These seminars are often assessed in terms of their overall impact on academic performance and retention. However, limited research has been conducted to identify the types of seminars that are most effective for…