This in-depth study examined the perspectives of 17 Korean undergraduate exchange students attending a U.S. southern university during the 2005-2006 school year. The struggles and frustrations they experienced; the difficulties they encountered socially, culturally, and academically; their contributions to the American academic community; and…

This study examined the connection between the parent-adult child attachment relationship, adjustment, and achievement among a sample of 168 college students and explored how the attachment relationship changed over time. Our findings indicated the attachment variables were all positively related to adjustment to college during years one and three…

The purposes of this study were to test for uniform differential item functioning (DIF) between male and female students on end-of-semester class evaluations in an introductory university science course and to demonstrate DIF detection methods that take into account the complex sampling mechanism that often underlies data used in such assessments.…

Guided by a conceptual model of student involvement, this study examined the patterns of undergraduate student involvement in academic and social activities and student services, focusing on a comparison between transfer and native students at a large, Midwestern public research university. The results indicated that compared to native students,…

This study used a representative metropolitan sample to make longitudinal comparisons of college-bound and non-college-bound youth on incidents and predictors of heavy drinking. Respondents in the six-wave study were ages 13-16 at wave 1 and 18-21 at wave 6 (n's ranged from roughly 425-500 for different analyses). College/non-college comparisons…

This research presents findings from a qualitative study investigating the perceptions of students engaged in the transfer process. Fifty-seven community college transfer students were interviewed through e-journaling during fall 2006 and spring 2007 in an effort to learn what students perceive as a successful transfer process, supports needed to…

Many immigrants regard college education as a primary means for socioeconomic advancement and assimilation into U.S. society. However, despite their growing numbers in American higher education, little consideration has been given to how immigrant students negotiate acculturative stress, social integration, cultural values, and academic engagement…

First-year undergraduate students enter college with varying expectations, motivations, and goals and are being bombarded with messages about the importance of grades, sometimes to the detriment of learning. This descriptive, cross-sectional study employs LOGO II to describe the learning and grade orientations of first-year students and identify…

In this study, the authors examine the differences between two groups of students--those enrolled in either an independent section of a first-year seminar and those enrolled in a first-year seminar embedded in a learning community. In particular, the authors focused on the extent to which course/program outcomes were being met, as reported by…

Research examining service-learning in honors undergraduate education is scarce, and there have been no empirical studies that examine the effect of service-learning participation on honors undergraduates' social dominance orientation (SDO). The current study aimed to determine whether 119 first-year undergraduate honors students experienced…

Students were surveyed about a first-year summer reading program (SRP) at Murray State University, a regional, comprehensive university, for five consecutive years. Data are presented on how well the program met five stated goals: (a) providing a common academic experience for incoming first-year students, (b) introducing students to intellectual…

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…

Mentoring has emerged as an important element of programs to support the success of first-year students. However, the term mentoring is ambiguous and frequently leads to conceptual confusion, which can limit the quality of support provided to students and confuse those acting as mentors. This article offers a case study of one college's approach…