Date of Award
2026
Degree Type
Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation
Degree Name
Education, PhD
Program
School of Educational Studies
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Marissa C. Vasquez
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Emilie Reagan
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Frank Harris III
Terms of Use & License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Rights Information
© 2026 Danielle Christine Huddlestun
Keywords
academic recovery, belonging, college transition, motivation, qualitative research, undergraduate students
Subject Categories
Education | Educational Psychology | Higher Education
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative inquiry is to understand (1) how undergraduate students conceptualize their experiences through the formal academic difficulty process during their first-year, (2) the critical supports and constraints that contributed to academic recovery, and (3) the role of belonging in students’ undergraduate experience after a formal academic difficulty standing during their first year. Through phenomenological inquiry, this research explores both the collective and individual experiences of 10 undergraduate students who received a formal academic difficulty notification from their institution during their first year. Study findings uncovered that the existing academic difficulty process is effective in students’ return to good academic standing, however, may not buffer against psychological implications that influences students’ self-perceptions of belonging. This study is intended for practitioners, administrators, and scholars, by providing recommendations to improve the academic difficulty process, such as leveraging sense of belonging and engaging students in the campus community, to create a high-touch structure of support for first-year students’ navigating the formal academic difficulty process.
ISBN
9798247967231
Recommended Citation
Huddlestun, Danielle Christine. (2026). Navigating Academic Challenges: A Phenomenological Study of Undergraduate Students’ First-Year Experiences. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 1104. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1104.
