Yi Leaf Zhang

University of Texas at Arlington | UTA · Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this study contributes to empirical efforts to understand factors affecting the career-development process of American youth by focusing on change in occupational expectations between age 16 and 26. The study is based on the secondary analysis of longitudinal data from the Education Longitudinal St...

A considerable number of studies have investigated the relationship between part-time faculty employment and student academic achievement, such as credential completion. However, most studies used cross-sectional data, making it difficult to properly assess the changes in this relationship. In this study, we drew longitudinal data from IPEDS, and l...

This study uses the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002 (ELS:2002) to examine how varying levels of intention (planning) and action (choice) in pursuing a science-based major affect American college students’ degree attainment in Science and Engineering (S&E) fields by age 26. The study is guided by the Social Cognitive Career Theory’s performanc...

Employees in service-oriented, relationship-based jobs are prone to experiencing feelings of burnout. As such, paraprofessional staff in college housing environments, resident assistants (RAs), are not immune to its effects. Since navigating relationships is the root cause of burnout, it makes sense to focus on the relationships between service-pro...

In 2020, United States (U.S.) community colleges had to swiftly make changes to educational programs and alter teaching mobilities as a response to COVID-19 that profoundly impacted international education. Yet, the pandemic also created a moment in time that, like other disasters, offered a chance to rethink current practices to create institution...

Focusing on community college transfer students who declared a STEM major at their initial transfer to a four-year research university, this study examined the extent to which students’ sociodemographic characteristics and academic factors were related to STEM persistence and attrition. This study tracked multiple cohorts of transfer students matri...

In the aftermath of disasters, when reliable transportation systems are vital, the chaotic and complex environment creates multiple uncertainties and risks in the reconstruction of transportation infrastructures. Damaged transport infrastructures decrease the timeliness of emergency responses and recovery procedures and make it difficult for author...

Guided by the student engagement frameworks, this study sought to identify high-impact practices that show significant relationship with the baccalaureate degree attainment in STEM among vertical transfer students. Our study employed data drawn from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (or ELS, 2002). The sample includes 681 students who inte...

The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 5 in 2013 to adopt the Foundation High School Program, a new graduation program intended to support youth college and career readiness. Texan students entering grade 9 were guided to enroll in one or more endorsements with a specific curriculum designed to introduce them to STEM, Business & Industry, Public S...

This chapter creates a mapping of theories found in the literature on international students published from 2009–2019 to show what has existed in the field. The purpose of this research is to chart theoretical constructs used to interpret international students and to categorize current research with the intent to analyze trends on those who are st...

Guided by the notion of academic momentum, this study drew data from longitudinal transcript records at a large public 4-year research university and examined factors that specifically contribute to community college transfer students’ academic momentum. It also explored how early academic momentum along with students’ sociodemographic characterist...

Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010), our study aims to understand how community college transfer students’ STEM degree attainment behavior is shaped by their beliefs, intentions, contextual factors and social-demographic characteristics. This study drew upon data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS...

This study focuses on advising international students in a Texas community college. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, I explored how academic advising with international students was shaped by individual backgrounds and environmental influences. I utilized a qualitative research design and analyzed information collected from interviews w...

This study focuses on advising international students in a Texas community college. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, I explored how academic advising with international students was shaped by individual backgrounds and environmental influences. I utilized a qualitative research design and analyzed information collected from interviews w...

The process of pursuing a higher education degree can be particularly complicated for undocumented students as they navigate the K-16 pipeline. Ganas, or the desire to succeed, is a cultural value that can serve a motivation to overcome educational obstacles. Using portraiture, this article highlights the ways students demonstrated ganas in the way...

The purpose of this study was to examine which engagement factors, along with students’ socio-demographic characteristics and educational background, were associated with students’ overall satisfaction with their current 4-year institution. It also aimed to identify whether these independent variables had similar or different associations with the...

A sense of mattering among college students has been found to have positive outcomes, including lower levels of anxiety and depression as well as increased self-esteem, wellness, happiness, and job satisfaction. However, the feeling of mattering among Resident Assistants (RAs) has received little attention in literature. This quantitative study col...

This chapter provides an overview of community colleges in mainland China, addressing briefly the recent history of community college development, defining these institutions, detailing various models with examples, and discussing challenges faced by these institutions and recommendations for future development.

The American community college model has been gradually adopted by other countries in the world. In recent years, for instance, a growing number of institutions with a title “community college” were established across mainland China. Different from higher professional and technical colleges, most of these community colleges were built upon a well-e...

In recent years, an increasing number of international students have enrolled in engineering programs in U.S. colleges and universities. These students often encounter challenges, and academic advisors play a significant role in international students' academic success. Using a model of intercultural communication competence, we explored attitudes...

This chapter focuses on a unique transfer population, international transfer students, and depicts their demographic backgrounds, academic interests and performance, as well as enrollment trends in the past decade.

For this study we identified factors exerting signi ficant influence on homesickness and explored the impact of the homesick experience on students’ academic performance and retention in the first year in college. The findings reveal 2 constructs underlying the homesickness scale: homesick separation and homesick distress. Demographic variables fou...

RAs play a critical role in the lives of residents; but do RAs feel as if they matter to their residents? A recent quantitative study explored the relationship between perceived mattering among RAs and their placement in apartments or residence halls and their community size. It turns out RAs in residence halls and RAs responsible for fewer residen...

Objective: Guided by validation theory, this study aims to better understand the role that academic advising plays in international community college students’ adjustment. More specifically, this study investigated how academic advising validates or invalidates their academic and social experiences in a community college context. Method: This study...

In this study, I focused on international Chinese doctoral students and sought to better understand their lived experience in transition to U.S. higher education. I also aimed to explore strategies that can be employed to improve these students’ academic and sociocultural experiences on American campuses. Guided by the adult transition theory (Good...

International students in US higher education have received greater attention in the past decades as their enrollment continues to grow. According to the Open Doors report, during academic year 2013–2014, the total enrollment of international students in US higher education reached an all-time record of 886,664, of which 87,963 (10 %) attended Bacc...

Objective: Increasing degree completion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, particularly engineering, is a national priority. With an aspiration to increase the number of STEM graduates by one million in the next 10 years, more research is needed to understand the role of community colleges in achieving this national...

Academic advising has long been considered a critical factor to student success. With a qualitative, phenomenological research design, this study was undertaken to better understand the lived experiences of academic advisors in communicating with international students in a community college context. Intercultural communication competence was used...

An increasing number of international Chinese undergraduate students enrolled in United States.colleges and universities in the past few years. Many began their journey in an intensive English program of a four-year university due to lack of English proficiency. Instead of continuing their study at the same institution, a considerable number of stu...

Community college engineering transfer students are a critical student population of engineering degree recipients and technical workforce in the United States. Focusing on this group of students, we adopted Rendón’s (1994) validation theory to explore the students’ experiences in community colleges prior to transferring to a four-year comprehensiv...

In an era of increasing global competition in education related markets, many higher education institutions in the United States have come to realize the need to market better for international students. Community colleges are no exception and have become increasingly active in recruiting international students using education agents. Using in-dept...

Despite a diverse body of literature on college student retention, studies focusing on small, private, selective liberal arts colleges are limited. This study utilized a mixed methodology beginning with logistic regression analyses and followed with a qualitative inquiry that included interviews with students who had not persisted. While variables...

The purpose of this research study was to explore the influence of Confucian-heritage culture on Chinese learners’ online learning and engagement in online discussion in U.S. higher education. More specifically, this research studied Chinese learners’ perceptions of power distance and its impact on their interactions with instructors and peers in a...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that impact Chinese female students' intention to study overseas. This study also aimed to understand how these factors impact female students' decision making process. Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected from 96 female undergraduates who enrolled in a 4-year public university i...

The Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition (Quick, 2010) is specifically written for third culture kids (TCKs) who will begin their journey into university life. TCKs are defined as those who grew up in places outside of their home or passport cultures and have no sense of belonging in neither the home culture nor host culture. These student...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that impact Chinese female students’ intention to study overseas. This study also aimed to understand how these factors impact female students’ decision making process. Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected from 96 female undergraduates who enrolled in a 4-year public university i...

This case study explores the use of multiple languages within a large Advertising Principles course in a US university. Course support materials—slides and syllabi–were provided in two languages, English and Chinese. Acceptance was measured through an online survey. Behavioral outcomes were measured through classroom observations and test score ana...

Iowa has implemented the secondary engineering curriculum Project Lead The Way (PLTW) in an effort to create a more seamless transition for students from secondary school into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics post-secondary programs. PLTW has been implemented in all fifty states; however, there has been sparse research to-date that...

An education agent is a third-party entity who is paid to assist a student to find, apply to, and/or prepare for college. In China, agents are often hired to assist students in finding an international institution fitting their academic goals. Although using an agent has been a common practice in China, there is virtually no research regarding the...

This article—the first in the Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) Review Essays Series—reviews the literature concerning education-abroad opportunities for community college students. The article examines the benefits accrued to students through overseas study, briefly notes the history of education-abroad programs, and summarizes wh...

The purpose of this study is three fold: (1) to enhance understanding about Chinese undergraduate students' experience when applying to U.S. higher education institutions; (2) to examine rationale of Chinese students using, or not using, an agent to assist their application process and to identify differences or similarities between the two groups;...

http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=edu_pubs