Submission Guidelines

The Division J Blog is a place for scholars to write commentaries and reflections of interest to higher education researchers, practitioners, and institutions. As part of Dr. Lange’s visioning for the blog, we hope to curate relevant commentaries and reflections to help Division J members think about theory, research, and praxis in ways that push and challenge current ways of studying and imagining postsecondary education. Blog posts can include reflections on recent policy discussions, challenges facing researchers, or an emerging research idea someone wants to put into the world. This blog aims to provide an accessible form for educators to learn about different topics and issues through the perspectives of their peers in the field.

Additionally, we will solicit writers to respond to people’s ideas generously and generatively. Frequently, scholars engage other people’s ideas to the extent that they relate to their ideas and interests. How does this relate to my research interest? Did they look at this thing that I am interested in? We hope to create a call-and-response system where someone posts an original commentary or reflection, and another scholar responds to the piece. This second writer would reflect on what resonated, offer potential further ways of thinking about the topic, suggest complementary ideas or approaches, and discuss how their work and interests may (or may not) be tied to this kind of thinking.

Thus, each month, we will offer a new commentary or reflection from a scholar and a contemplative account from another scholar to model one way to engage in another person’s ideas and thinking.

The primary audience for the blog is the membership of AERA’s Postsecondary Education division (Division J). However, posts will be able to be accessed by others outside the organization. This blog is particularly interested in intergenerational perspectives, and we highly encourage collaboration among graduate students and faculty/practitioners.

Length and Formatting Guidelines

Submissions should be at least 800 words but no longer than 1,200 words. We encourage authors to use a less formal tone in their writing than something for a peer-reviewed outlet. We also ask that authors cite their work in APA format (preferably) and include links to other materials to give appropriate credit for others’ ideas, supporting their positions, so readers can easily find additional information. For URLs, we ask that you hyperlink with a two-to-five-word descriptor.

Submitting Posts

Anyone is invited to submit material for consideration, and submissions will be reviewed continuously. We hope to receive material from graduate students, faculty members, and practitioners. Submissions should be addressed to Editor Dr. Alex Lange (they/them) at a.c.lange@colostate.edu. Please include “AERA J Blog Submission” in the subject line. For questions about submissions, contact Editor Dr. Alex Lange at a.c.lange@colostate.edu. or Managing Editor Martha Sesteaga at sesteaga@arizona.edu.

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Black Thriving and Flourishing in Higher Education: The Imperative for a New Research Agenda

By Agyemang Amofa Prempeh & Dr. Sydney Freeman, Jr. Black people continue to face significant challenges in higher education. The Underrepresentation of Black students in colleges and universities and a lack of Black faculty and administrators highlight the pressing need for targeted initiatives to foster Black thriving and flourishing on campuses. While valuable research has been conducted on concepts such as Black joy and a sense of belonging, a comprehensive research agenda on Black thriving and flourishing in higher education is still lacking. A research agenda on Black thriving and flourishing will provide a comprehensive approach to correct the existing disparities faced by Black students, faculty, staff, and administrators at predominately White institutions (PWIs). Such a research agenda may also lead to developing strategies that, when implemented, facilitate higher education campuses where Black people can reach their fullest potential academically and professio

Preparing for the (Non-Academia) Higher Education Job Market

I entered graduate school knowing that my higher-education doctoral degree would be the catalyst for changing my career path. My original path through student affairs had been fulfilling but not sustainable. The long hours of evening events strained my relationships, and the pay and opportunities for advancement were few. Over time, my values shifted, and I was no longer willing or able to make the tradeoffs in my work-life balance and mental health often required in student affairs positions. I had a vague understanding that I would need further education to embark on a career in research in higher education, but what even was a research career? I entered my graduate program knowing that a faculty role is the most commonly sought post-graduation career path. Additionally, I felt fortunate that my institution offered a Certificate in Institutional Research and some guidance for students who wanted to follow that path. Beyond those two options, I was unsure what else existed for me.

A Focus on Rural Student Strengths: Dismantling Deficit Thinking and Language on Rurality in Higher Education

Ty C. McNamee, Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi In recent years, issues that for decades have plagued rural areas have been front-and-center in mainstream news outlets, such as high rates of poverty, declining population, fewer white-collar job opportunities, and comparatively lower levels of educational success. Such issues impact rural students’ higher education attainment, a topic that news media have appeared to notice with headlines such as: “ Colleges Discover the Rural Student ,” “ The Rural Higher-Education Crisis ,” and “ For Colleges, A Rural Reckoning .” Each piece highlighted rural youth holding some of the lowest college attainment rates in the country , compared to other geographic locales. These pieces put rural students at the forefront of higher education conversations for the first time in decades. Unfortunately, much of the discussion surrounding rural Americans frames their lives and educational experiences as deficient. In turn, my co-researchers

Expansive Blackness: Making Space for the Multiple Identities of Black College Students

Laila McCloud, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Counseling Department, Grand Valley State University. I didn’t become aware of the term diversity until my first year of college. I left the west side of Chicago for a small, private liberal arts college in rural Ohio. It was on that campus that I learned about the many ways to be Black. I learned to love the distinct way that Black folks from Louisville and Baltimore pronounce words with the letter “r” in them. I met Black folks from California and Texas who told me that the tacos I had in Chicago were trash. Some of us graduated from elite boarding schools in the northeast like Choate or the George School. Some of us had white parents and some of us were dating white people. Some of us were the children of immigrants from the Caribbean, west, and east African countries. Some of us were coming into our queerness. We had different religious upbringings that impacted how we understood what to do Fri

What Does It Mean to Use “GaoKao” Scores to Admit Chinese International Undergraduate Students in U.S. Universities?

Jia Zheng , PhD Student of the Higher Education, Student Affairs and International Education Policy Program, University of Maryland The Open Doors Report marked a fourth consecutive year of decline in international student enrollment since 2016 , with the number of international undergraduate students dropping by 2.4% during the 2018-2019 academic year (Institute of International Education [IIE], 2020). China remained the top leading country of origin for international students, constituting 35% of the total number of international students in U.S. universities (IIE , 2020). To attract more prospective Chinese international undergraduate students , an increasing number of private institutions in the U.S. are accepting the Chinese National College Entrance Exam scores (Gaokao scores) in lieu of SAT or ACT scores (Bennett, 2019). Although Gaokao, SAT, and ACT are all high-stake standardized tests, they differ in several areas. Gaokao is a 2-day college entrance exam administered by

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