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This study aims to examine the unique lived experiences of international graduate students in light of COVID-19 and the recent sociopolitical climate in the USA (e.g. Black Lives Matter movement, protests against anti-Asian hate crimes and gun violence).

The authors used an exploratory qualitative design embedded within a constructivist/interpretivist paradigm. A total of 31 international health service psychology graduate students completed an online survey, 17 of whom participated in a 60-min one-on-one semi-structured interview.

Participants reported facing a range of difficulties (e.g. travel ban/inability to spend time with family, visa-related concerns, racism, decreased support) during the global pandemic and the recent sociopolitical climate in the USA. A total of 48 themes were identified and organized into six domains: COVID-19-related stress and worry, experiences of racism/discrimination, coping mechanisms, support received, recommendations for programs and higher learning institutions and advice for other international graduate students.

The recent sociopolitical climate in the US exacerbated some of the preexisting inequities for international graduate students due to their international student status and the global pandemic. Although few in number, students also spoke about some positive changes as a result of these major historical and political events. Implications for graduate education, clinical practice and policymaking are discussed.

This exploratory research aims to unravel how Chinese international students form their decisions regarding the school-to-work transition (sometimes also referred to as the university-to-work transition) when studying abroad.

The authors use the concepts of school-to-work transition and cultural approaches to investigate how Chinese graduate students make career decisions to navigate the school-to-work transition in the context of international mobility. The authors' empirical study is based on 30 semi-structured interviews conducted with Chinese graduate students studying in the Netherlands.

The authors discovered four patterns with two major subgroups among Chinese students studying in the universities in the Netherlands based on their initial intentions: return-return, open-return, open-stay and stay-stay. These patterns made sense when navigating the school-to-work transition: participants experienced varied international experiences, cultural perceptions and acknowledgment influences when enhancing employability and shaping their career decisions. Participants in the return-return and stay-stay groups indicated strong resilience and consistency in achieving their goals and strongly focused on long-term objectives. However, participants' open-return decision demonstrated a thoughtful alignment of personal goals and knowledge of the possible beneficial influence they may have in their home country. Open-stay participants utilized the overseas study opportunity to finalize their decisions and increase their employability in the local labor market, thereby creating a transition from university to work in the host country.

The authors highlight the way Chinese graduate students manage their international experience and provide novel insights into the role played by the cultural characteristics of their home country and host country.

Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The study’s aims were to (1) Explore challenges, barriers and successes of students of color, as a result of the instructor’s approach to teaching in a remote learning environment; and (2) Determine what types of practices and approaches students of color found supportive in adjusting to a remote learning environment.

This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of students of color, reflecting on in-person and remote learning environments. A total of 18 students from a large public university participated in the study.

The findings suggest significant adjustments were made by both students and professors during the pandemic. Although academics were important to students, there was an emphasis on the impact on social interactions with peers and the ability to build meaningful relationships with professors. Students displayed a sense of compassion and empathy toward professors and themselves.

The results from the study provide some insight into how higher education can move forward, potentially conducting future research that includes the perspectives of both students and professors to determine how to best provide support in the aftermath of a pandemic.

This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of students of color, reflecting on in-person and remote learning environments.

To explore the benefits and challenges of WBL in MET in Thailand.

A qualitative approach was used, involving interviews and surveys with participants from MET.

WBL offers practical experience, improved employability, networking opportunities, and real-world problem-solving skills, industry knowledge, professional development, and better learning outcomes, but faces challenges like language barriers, environmental issues, limited placement availability, time limits and task management, safety concerns, limited resources, and assessment issues.

Provides insights into WBL in the Thailand maritime sector and highlights areas for improvement to enhance student preparedness for industry roles.

We examined how high school students demonstrated historical empathy through conducting local history place-based research to create an exhibit and companion book about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their community. The majority of existing historical empathy scholarship focuses on classroom-based inquiry of historical events, people and time periods. We contend that broader examination of how historical empathy can be promoted beyond school-based instruction can contribute to the field by examining how student analyses of historical contexts and perspectives, and making affective connections to historical topics of study are needed when engaging in placed-based local history projects.

Qualitative case study methodology was implemented for this study. A Likert-scale survey with a questionnaire was distributed to 30 high school study participants. Thirteen students gave follow-up interviews. Students’ responses on the surveys, interviews and questionnaires were organized into three categories that aligned to the theoretical framework – identification of historical contexts of the sources that students collected, analysis of how contexts shaped the perspectives expressed in the collected sources and expression of reasoned connections between the students’ emotions and experiences during the pandemic. A rubric was used to examine how students’ writing samples and reflections reflected demonstration of historical empathy.

Students responded that their local history research about the pandemic contributed to their displays of historical empathy. Students displayed weaker evidence of historical empathy while examining archival resources to explain the historical contexts of the pandemic. Student demonstration of historical empathy was stronger when analyzing community-sourced documents for perspectives and making reasoned affective connections to what they learned about the historical significance of the pandemic. The place-based aspects of this project were strongly connected to the students’ engagement in historical empathy because the sources they analyzed were relevant to their experiences and identities as citizens in their community.

Documenting the diverse human experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial to preserving the history of this extraordinary time. Every person around the globe experienced the pandemic differently, hence riding out the same storm in different boats. At some point, the pandemic will appear in historical narratives of the social studies curriculum. Therefore, now is an opportune time to ascertain whether place-based local history research about the contexts, perspectives and experiences of community members and children themselves, during the pandemic can foster historical empathy.

This study aims to explore information-seeking anxiety (ISA) among undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students at Dr Babasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, located in Dapoli, Distt. Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. The research focuses on evaluating the intensity of ISA, understanding its underlying causes and identifying potential strategies to reduce its effects, particularly within the context of an agricultural university.

This research intends to examine Information seeking anxiety (ISA) among undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students at Dr Babasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth located in Dapoli District, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. This research intends to examine and investigate the intensity of ISA among students at an agriculture university, its root causes and possible methods to reduce its effects. The research adopts quantitative surveys with qualitative secondary sources to achieve a comprehensive understanding of ISA among students. A standardized scale was used as the primary data collection tool to assess participants’ levels of ISA. A total of 122 students participated in the study, completing the survey and providing valuable data for analysis.

The findings reveal a range of ISA levels among students, indicating the presence of varied information skills and abilities. This underscores the need for well-structured information literacy programs tailored to address these disparities. A significant gender-based difference in ISA was observed, with female students exhibiting lower anxiety levels in relation to “integrated elements 3” at a significance level of .05 (t = 1.327). Interestingly, the study found that the students' rural or urban backgrounds did not significantly impact their ISA levels. Additionally, various integrated elements within the information seeking anxiety scale were found to be interconnected, contributing to the overall anxiety experienced by students.

The study highlights the importance of designing and implementing targeted interventions to address ISA in academic settings. These findings suggest that tailored information literacy programs could be effective in reducing ISA among students. Future research could build on these results by examining ISA across different disciplines and institutions, thereby contributing to the development of broader, more generalized strategies for mitigating ISA in diverse educational contexts. Individuals may not accurately recall or report their anxiety levels, potentially affecting the study’s findings. This study’s findings may not be generalizable to all agriculture university users due to factors such as the specific university setting, student demographics and agricultural disciplines represented.

This study provides actionable insights for academic institutions, particularly agricultural universities, in developing targeted information literacy programs. These programs can be designed to address varying levels of ISA among students, enhancing their ability to effectively seek and use information. Additionally, understanding the gender differences in ISA can guide the creation of more inclusive resources and support systems, ultimately improving the overall academic experience and reducing anxiety-related barriers to learning.

The research highlights the broader societal impact of ISA, particularly how it can affect students’ academic success and overall well-being. By addressing ISA through tailored interventions, institutions can contribute to reducing educational inequalities, especially in rural and underrepresented communities. This can foster a more equitable learning environment where all students, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to thrive academically and socially.

This study contributes to the relatively underexplored area of ISA within the context of agricultural universities. By combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, the research offers a comprehensive understanding of ISA, its causes and potential solutions. The findings provide new insights into how gender and integrated elements of ISA influence anxiety levels, offering valuable contributions to the field of library and information science, particularly in specialized educational settings like agricultural universities.

In this study, students’ perceptions of the effective practices of their research mentors were examined. The research mentors implemented the practices informed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) mentorship competencies to mentor underrepresented students in engineering education research in a virtual environment.

This research experience for undergraduates (REU) program, situated in the United States of America, consisted of undergraduate students (i.e. mentees), graduate students and faculty mentors who all had at least one underrepresented identity in engineering (i.e. Black, Latiné/x, and/or women). Using qualitative methods, we used data from reflection surveys and follow-up interviews with REU mentees to understand the outcomes of the mentorship strategies employed by the mentors in the program. The data were analyzed thematically using CIMER model constructs and social capital theory as guiding frameworks.

The results indicated the identified strategies students perceived as the most impactful for mentorship throughout the program. Students in the REU gained knowledge on how to activate social capital in mentorship relationships and how to better mentor others.

The findings provide insight on how to operationalize the CIMER mentorship competencies to skillfully mentor underrepresented students in engineering. Given the size of the REU and the nature of qualitative research, the sample size was limited.

The results help inform mentorship practices for underrepresented individuals in engineering education and the workforce. Further, they add to the practical knowledge of implementing CIMER best practices virtually, at a time when the world has transitioned to more hybrid and virtual working and learning environments.

This study identifies impactful strategies for operationalizing mentorship strategies informed by theory- and evidence-based CIMER mentorship competencies. In addition, this study extends knowledge about how to implement mentoring best practices and engage mentorship in a virtual environment.

There is evidence that both hypnotherapy and virtual reality (VR) can be helpful in reducing perceived stress in the general population. This is a feasibility and acceptability trial of an intervention combining hypnotherapy and VR to establish its acceptability in students. This study aims to establish whether students found the experience acceptable, described any adverse effects and whether they reported feeling calmer after the experience.

The study was testing the hypothesis that students would attend the sessions and find the experience acceptable. A secondary hypothesis was that preliminary qualitative and quantitative evaluation of measures of stress and wellbeing would signal potential improvements.

All participants completed all three sessions. No side effects were reported. Visual analogue scales recorded each day assessing the immediate effect improved. At the end of the intervention, there was an increase in wellbeing of 2.40 (95% CI: 1.33, 3.53, p = 0.006), and a decrease in depression of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.40, 1.07, p = 0.010), reflecting large effect sizes of 0.76 and 0.83, respectively. Qualitative feedback was generally very positive.

This study is small with just 15 students and was over a short period of time. The recruitment method meant there was no way to establish whether the volunteer students were representative of the general student population in terms of mental wellbeing. There was no control arm.

The preliminary results suggest that a larger controlled trial is justified.

This VR experience may have benefit to university students and to the wider population.

This described the evaluation of a novel intervention for perceived stress combining hypnotherapy and virtual reality in a group of healthcare students, with promising results suggesting further evaluation is needed.

Supporting community college transfer students represents a critical strategy for broadening participation in STEM. In addition to being a racially diverse group, students who pursue STEM degrees by way of community college report frequent interests in graduate study and academic careers. Thus, supporting and expanding transfer students’ PhD interests can help to diversify the STEM professoriate. This study aims to identify the experiences that predict PhD interests among students who transferred into the computer science major from a community college.

Relying on longitudinal survey data from over 150 community college transfer students throughout their first year at their receiving four-year university, we used regression analysis to identify the post-transfer college experiences that predict early interest in PhDs.

We found that receiving information about PhDs from a professor strongly predicted PhD interest among transfer students. Relationships with other variables indicate that the provision of information about graduate school was more likely to occur for students who participated in undergraduate research experiences than for those participating in internships. Descriptive data document inequities in who has access to these types of experiences.

This paper provides new insight into how STEM departments can develop targeted efforts to ensure that information about PhD training is equitably available to all transfer students. Working to ensure that faculty equitably communicate with students about PhD opportunities may go a long way in countering potential deterrents among transfer students who may be interested in such pathways.

This chapter investigates the experiences of doctoral students and supervisors in the doctoral process, focusing on the potential impact of imbalances in the distribution of power. In this respect, there are troublesome manifestations of excessive faculty entitlement that appear to be a source of inequality and injustice. These phenomena call into question the crucial relationship of support expected of doctoral students, as thesis supervisors have a fundamental role to play in guiding them towards the doctorate and ensuring their successful entry into the research community. Looking at the issue from the angle of the theory of social fields, I examine instances of dysfunction in supervisory experiences. Such problematic practices tend to conform to the relationships and traditions that sustain and (re)produce the practices of the academy, constraining the establishment of what Bakhtin describes as a dialogical relationship, between doctoral students and supervisors. I examine this problem from my own experience, both as a doctoral student and as a supervisor. I approach the question by combining self-study and narrative inquiry to make use of the data from my experience to analyse the issues raised during the supervision of doctoral programmes. I connect accounts drawn from literature, real-life testimonies and a corpus of discussions and notes to explore the manifestations of excessive faculty entitlement in the form of asymmetries and difficulties that can negatively impact the quality of supervision.