We combine administrative data from a regional public university with a novel revealed-preference indicator of student friendships to show that socially connected first-year university students are more likely to be retained into their second year. The impact of friends on retention is statistically and economically significant: each friend raises…

Based on the Achievement Goals Theory and Students' Approaches to Learning, we proposed a model in which students' self-efficacy acts as a mediator between students' performance-approach goals orientation and their approach to learning in dealing with academic tasks throughout an academic year. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to test…

This practice report describes the development of a compensatory educational model to introduce first-year college students to resilient mindsets. The Teaching Resilient Mindsets Model emphasized (1) realistic expectations, (2) an "always learning" mindset, and (3) being prepared for challenges before they arise. After development, the…

Despite the benefits of collaboration, first-year nursing students prefer not to work together. It was important to find out why nursing students do not want to collaborate. The purpose of this study was to discover first-year nursing students' and faculty's perceptions of how instructor-created opportunities for collaboration contributed to…

A curriculum description of a general introductory biology course titled "Introduction to Research Methods" is presented here. The course aims to provide a glimpse of biomedical research to students who have had no or limited exposure to research to encourage them to do research as freshmen. Thus, this course aims to better equip and…

This dissertation contributed to ongoing conversations about reflection and writing transfer. This study was guided by a main research question: How might asking students to reflect collaboratively, rather than individually, about their writing, help them make connections between first-year writing and other contexts? While other scholars have…

Purpose: The transition to college presents significant challenges for many students as they navigate new academic and social experiences. In the USA, 30% of first-year students drop out before their second year. Research indicates that mentoring programs help students achieve social integration and likely have a positive effect on their…

Objectives: Examines whether a personality characteristic, need for approval, moderates the relationship between harassment exposure and alcohol misuse over time in a college sample, and compare the results between genders. Participants: Six waves of data (fall 2011 to fall 2015) were collected from 1,240 study participants sampled from eight…

This qualitative multiple-case study examined the experiences of exploratory students and the support provided by university resources and academic advising throughout their transition and major exploration. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with the five exploratory students who entered the university in the Fall of 2021.…

While women entering medical school are faced with a patriarchal system, they also enter into a community with other women and the potential for "resistance." The purpose of this study is to use the theory of temporal agency to explore how first-year medical students who identify as women draw upon past, future, and present agency to…

Objective: Examine the proportion of students with rapid firearm access and associations with recent alcohol and marijuana use. Participants: Cross-sectional data from college freshmen (n = 183) in 2020 who participated in the "Mason: Health Starts Here" study. Methods: Using logistic regression, associations were examined between past…

This mixed-methods study explored the nature, effectiveness, and policy implications of the fee-charging private supplementary tutoring (PT)--including online--that first-year Kazakhstani university students attended over the last 12 months. The data were collected from 952 participants using a close-ended questionnaire followed by semi-structured…

In identifying ways to create inclusive spaces in the classroom, instructors should not be limited by singular modes of discourse to engage students. Particularly when teaching first-year students who seek to invent the university and claim their intellectual space within it, these considerations must be deeply integrated into the course…

In this article, the authors analyze data accumulated over 10+ years of teaching market interaction using a simple classroom experiment. The experiment is designed to teach first-year undergraduate students the basics of supply and demand and market efficiency. In total, they analyze data from 85 teaching sessions and 243 individual markets. They…

For almost 40 years, our university's first year writing program has included a shared outcome: "Students will appreciate the capacity of writing to change oneself and the world." This outcome, unlike our more typical composition goals concerning writing processes, rhetorical acumen, and critical research abilities, had never been…