Testing the effects of a social capital intervention on college student retention and academic success.

To investigate the efficacy of home-school collaboration in enhancing college students' mental health. The convenience sampling method was used to select 500 students studying at University as survey participants. By designing a questionnaire, college students' mental health, self-identity, satisfaction and the status quo of home-school collaborative education were investigated. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted to explore the relationships among these factors. Furthermore, the PROCESS model was used to study the mediating effect, which was tested using the Bootstrap sampling method. Cronbach's coefficient α was above 0.7 for each index in the questionnaire, indicating good reliability. After excluding invalid questionnaires, 463 valid ones remained, with a validity rate of 97.1%. College students' mental health and self-identity were found to be positively correlated with home-school collaboration in terms of total scores and scores for each dimension. The highest degree of correlation was observed for identity moratorium and identity foreclosure, with a correlation coefficient of 0.479. Satisfaction and college students' self-identity contribute to the relationship between home-school collaboration and college students' mental health in the paths 'home-school collaboration → satisfaction → college students' mental health' and 'home-school collaboration → college students' self-identity → college students' mental health,' respectively. Additionally, satisfaction and college students' self-identity for the action path 'home-school collaboration → satisfaction → college students' self-identity → college students' mental health,' reflecting the impact of home-school collaboration on college students' mental health. Home-school collaboration positively influences the development of college students' mental health. Satisfaction and college students' self-identity have a chain mediating effect on the relationship between home-school collaboration and college students' mental health.

The shift to college presents numerous academic, social, and emotional challenges that impact students’ psychological well-being. Optimism and perseverance, key components of positive psychology, play a crucial role in enhancing resilience and fostering academic and personal success. This study examined the effectiveness of a positive psychology group intervention in enhancing optimism, perseverance, and well-being among first-year college students. The intervention, based on the EPOCH model and Cognitive-Behavioral Theory, consisted of four structured modules designed to cultivate positive thinking patterns and persistence. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was employed, with 40 participants completing the intervention. Standardized psychological instruments, including the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), Grit Scale, and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), were used to assess changes in optimism, perseverance, and well-being. Results demonstrated significant improvements in all three measures post-intervention, with large effect sizes: optimism (Cohen’s d = 1.5), perseverance (Cohen’s d = 1.3), and well-being (Cohen’s d = 1.6). These findings highlight the efficacy of positive psychology interventions in promoting mental resilience and academic persistence among college students. The study underscores the potential for structured psychoeducational programs to foster personal growth and well-being, offering valuable insights for educational institutions aiming to support student development.

Based on a questionnaire survey of 560 college students, this paper examined the relationship between the curriculum ideology politics function and college students' national identity, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of cultural confidence and school climate. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the curriculum ideology politics function and the national identity of college students, and that cultural confidence could significantly mediated the relationship between the curriculum ideology politics function and the national identity of college students, that is, the curriculum ideology politics could enhance college students' cultural confidence, thereby enhancing college students' national identity; This mediating path was moderated by school climate, that is, the curriculum ideology politics mainly played an indirect effect through cultural confidence, especially when the perceived school climate was low. These results showed that cultural confidence was an important intermediary process of the curriculum ideology politics affecting college students' national identity, and the high school climate was conducive to promoting the ideological and political function of the curriculum.

This research aims to get an overview of the differences in the increase in cognitive abilities and retention of college students who get basic physics learning based on value use scientific methods and without use scientific methods, and get an overview of the relationship between retention and cognitive abilities of college students who get basic physics learning based on value use scientific methods. The research conducted use a quasi-experimental method with a randomised control group design pretest-posttest design. The population is all college students of the Physics Education Study Programme 2016-2017 odd semester at one of the Private Universities in Jakarta. Samples of two classes selected by cluster random sampling. The results showed that there was an increase in cognitive abilities and retention of college students in both classes. However, the magnitude of the increase in the experimental class was more significant than the control class. The normalised gain average score for cognitive abilities in the experimental class is 0.78 which meets the high criteria, and in the control class is 0.65 which meets the criteria of being. While the normalised gain average score for student retention resistance in the experimental class is 0.68 which meets the criteria of being, and the control class is 0.47 which meets the criteria of being. Based on the average difference test, at the 95% confidence level, the results of the study show that value-based basic physics learning using scientific methods can significantly improve cognitive abilities and college student retention resistance. In addition, the results of the study also showed that there was a strong and significant relationship between cognitive abilities and student retention resistance with a correlation value of 0.63.

Thoughts on Moral Education of College Students in Network Era

Social capital is defined as the resources—for example, the exchange of favours, the maintenance of group norms, the stocks of trust and the exercise of sanctions—available to members of social...

Student retention and performance in higher education are important issues for educators, students, and the nation facing critical professional labor shortages. Expectancy and goal setting theories were used to predict academic performance and college student retention. Students' academic expectancy motivation at the start of the college significantly predicted cumulative GPA at the end of their first year. Compared to students who did not return, students that returned for their sophomore year reported greater peer competition with respect to academic goals, perceived good grades to be more attractive, and reported more effort to get good grades. Students' SAT scores and high school grade point average were significantly related to both cumulative GPA and retention after the first year. Study implications are discussed with an emphasis on the motivational set of college applicants, in conjunction with more traditional criteria (e.g., high school GPA) that together may increase student performance and retention.

English writing is not only a cognitive process for college students, it is also influenced by factors related to the emotional or psychological level. With the continuous improvement of the quality of university education cultivation, the pressure faced by college students has increased significantly, which has also given rise to general anxiety among college student groups. In order to investigate the correlation between college students’ English writing self-efficacy and English writing psychological anxiety, we conducted a questionnaire survey on 595 current college students who were not majoring in English at a university in China, and used SPSS 25.0 software to make an empirical analysis of the collected data. The results showed that college students’ English writing self-efficacy was at a moderate level, and they lacked self-confidence in their English writing skills and tended to complete writing tasks; college students generally had a moderate level of psychological anxiety in English writing, among which avoidance behavior was the most significant; college students’ English writing self-efficacy was significantly negatively related to English writing psychological anxiety. English writing self-efficacy can reduce psychological anxiety level by enhancing college students’ English writing motivation. Therefore, we suggest that we should set up English writing courses based on the process teaching method, change college students’ English writing psychology in teaching, set reasonable writing goals, mobilize their enthusiasm and motivation in English writing, reduce college students’ writing anxiety, and enhance their self-confidence in English writing.

College student retention and performance in higher education are important issues for educational institutions, educators, and students. The purpose of this study was to determine if student needs for achievement, affiliation, autonomy, and dominance measured by the Needs Assessment Questionnaire (Heckert et al., 2000) could predict academic performance and retention beyond traditional measures (high school grade point average and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores) to predict college student academic performance and retention. After controlling for demographics, high school grade point average, and SAT scores, students' needs for achievement and autonomy at the start of college significantly predicted cumulative GPA at the end of their first year. Students' high school grade point average, SAT scores, or motivation did not predict retention after 1 year. Study implications are discussed with a focus on improving the prediction of positive college student outcomes.

ObjectiveThe study aims to examine how moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) affects the severity of depression symptoms among Chinese college students. Additionally, it seeks to analyze the mediating mechanisms involving self-rated health and general self-efficacy.MethodsThe study utilized data from the 2023 Chinese College Health Tracking Survey and employed multiple linear regression and structural equation modeling techniques to investigate the impacts of MVPA on depression levels and its underlying mediating mechanisms among college students. The primary cohort comprised 49,717 enrolled college students from 106 universities in China.ResultsA total of 41,620 valid questionnaires were collected (response rate: 83.7%), with females accounting for 58.6%. In the past month, approximately 30.2% of college students engaged in MVPA. Self-rated health (B = − 0.282, P < 0.001) and general self-efficacy (B = − 0.133, P < 0.001) significantly influenced college students’ depression scores. Even after controlling for other variables, participating in MVPA remained significantly associated with reduced depression scores (B = − 0.062, P = 0.002). The results of the structural equation model showed that MVPA not only directly decreased college students’ depression scores but also indirectly reduced the likelihood of depression occurrence by improving their physical health status and general self-efficacy.ConclusionThe lack of physical activity among Chinese college students is evident. Engaging in MVPA can reduce the likelihood of depression among college students. MVPA achieves this reduction by enhancing college students’ general self-efficacy and improving their physical health. The factors influencing depression levels among college students are multifaceted. For future interventions targeting college students’ mental health, comprehensive approaches that incorporate behavioral and psychological factors should be emphasized.

The psychological problems and employment problems of college students have always been the focus of attention of all sectors of society. The COVID-19 epidemic has a great impact on the mental health and employment of Chinese college students. Under this background, this study discusses how epidemic anxiety affects the employment confidence and perception of employment situation of Chinese college students. Through the online questionnaire survey of 1,132 college students nationwide, and the ordinal logistic regression analysis of the survey data using Stata 16.0 software, the results show that: (1) Epidemic anxiety negatively affects Chinese college students' employment confidence and employment situation perception, and has a significant impact on employment confidence. The three control variables of employment guidance, older age and higher education have a significant positive impact on college students' employment confidence and employment situation perception. College students in the eastern region have stronger employment confidence and more optimistic employment situation perception. But the expected monthly salary is negatively correlated with employment confidence. (2) Male college students and Science and Engineering students' epidemic anxiety have a stronger negative impact on employment confidence and employment situation perception. (3) Employment guidance has a moderating effect on the relationship between epidemic anxiety, employment confidence and employment situation perception. Employment guidance can enhance college students' employment confidence and reduce their sense of employment crisis by alleviating epidemic anxiety. Combined with the research conclusions, it is proposed that the state and schools should pay attention to the psychological counseling of college students, strengthen the employment guidance of colleges and universities, vigorously support the development of small, medium-sized and micro enterprises, and improve the employment and entrepreneurship service system of college students, so as to promote the employment of college students.

Social capital can be used as a conceptual framework to include social context as a predictor of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical cancer screening behaviours. However, the effectiveness of interventions that use social capital as a mechanism to improve uptake of immunization and screening remains elusive. To synthesize empirical evidence on the impact of social capital interventions on HPV immunization and cervical cancer screening and describe key characteristics of such interventions. Using a rapid review methodology, a search of literature published between 2012 and 2022 was conducted in four databases. Two researchers assessed the studies according to inclusion criteria in a three-step screening process. Studies were assessed for quality and data concerning social capital and equity components and intervention impact were extracted and analyzed using narrative synthesis. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies found improved knowledge, beliefs and intentions regarding HPV immunization and cervical cancer screening. None of the studies improved uptake of immunization; however, three studies found post-intervention improvements in uptake of cervical cancer screening. All studies either tailored their interventions to meet the needs of specific groups or described results for specific disadvantaged groups. Limited evidence suggests that interventions that consider and reflect local context through social capital may be more likely to increase the uptake of HPV immunization and cervical cancer screening. However, further research must be done to bridge the gap in translating improvements in knowledge and intention into HPV immunization and cervical cancer screening behaviours.

We examined the relationship between gratitude and school belonging of college students, and the potential mediating role of perceived stress and meaning in life in such a relationship. Participants were college students (n = 1 691) from 10 universities in China (male = 768; average age = 20.76 years, SD = 1.45 years). The path analysis results indicate that gratitude can predict college students’ school belonging, and the higher the level of gratitude, the higher the college students’ school belonging. Perceived stress is lower with higher meaning in life. Sense of gratitude is associated with lower perceived stress and higher meaning in life. Lower stress and higher meaning in life are associated with school belonging. Perceived stress and meaning in life play a mediating role between gratitude and college students’ school belonging for higher school belonging with lower stress and higher meaning of life. In addition, the meaning in life plays a mediating role between perceived stress and college students’ school belonging for higher sense of school belonging. These findings align with find-remind-bind theory of gratitude which proposes that when individuals perceive the social resources they possess, they are enabled to strengthen existing social relationships. By implication, colleges can enhance college students’ sense of belonging to the school through gratitude education, guiding them to release stress by recognising the meaning of life.

During the global pandemic, lockdown policies aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 have been affecting all demographics. Although they may be continuing their studies online, university students may suffer severe mental consequences because of loneliness and social isolation. To help students improve their psychological well-being, we examined the effectiveness of a web-based positive psychology intervention (PPI) with 886 students who either took part in PPI sessions or received health reminders. Results show that the PPI sessions (vs. regular health reminders) significantly improved positive mood and mitigated negative emotions among the students. The positive effect of the intervention also remained consistent at both 3and 6-month follow-ups. These findings indicate that PPI should be embraced at universities to boost college students' psychological state.

Reviewed by: Hip-Hop Culture in College Students' Lives: Elements, Embodiment, and Higher Edutainment ed. by Emery Petchauer Wilma J. Henry Hip-Hop Culture in College Students' Lives: Elements, Embodiment, and Higher Edutainment. Emery Petchauer (Editor). New York, NY: Routledge, 2012, 130 pages, $35.95 (softcover) Hip-Hop Culture in College Students' Lives encourages new critical thought and analysis among educators, campus personnel and researchers regarding the value of hip-hop culture in enhancing college students' learning and development. Unveiled through an artistic approach to inquiry, a portrait is presented of how students who create hip-hop integrate its ideology, aesthetics and practices into their college lives. In chapter 1, Petchauer traces the trajectory of hip-hop from its advent in the Bronx during the early 1970s to its current day arrival on college campuses. He lays out several perspectives relative to conflicting views of hip-hop, which higher education scholars have used in describing hip-hop among college students. Additionally, he argues college personnel's misperceptions about hip-hop have created misunderstanding regarding its value in students' lives. The author advocates for a broad artistic approach from which to view, analyze and apply hip-hop culture. Chapter 2 describes the method employed in this study. Using a phenomenological approach, the author conducted a series of in-depth interviews to explore the cipher (i.e., hip-hop spaces and places) of college students at three diverse higher education institutions in the U.S. Central to the investigation is the concept of hip-hop collegians (a subculture of college students from diverse gender, socioeconomic, and ethnic/racial backgrounds, immersed in hip-hop culture, and who intertwine hip-hop with their college experiences). World view is presented as the conceptual framework used to contextualize how hip-hop exists in students' lives and how they make it relevant to education. Chapter 3 introduces the reader to the underground (the diverse spaces, places and artistic ways students create hip-hop on, off and around campus), which is an integral part of the college experiences of hip-hop collegians. Students share that hip-hop affects every aspect of their identity from the music they listen and dance to, to interactions with others or how they approach learning. The author contends that campus environments that do not acknowledge and take advantage of the educational value of hip-hop culture may encourage students to seek it out in surrounding areas off-campus. In chapter 4, Petchauer discusses how hip-hop collegians integrate aesthetic forms of hip-hop in their academic disciplines using many of the same strategies and techniques of hip-hop artistry. Several scenarios were described relative to the clash that sometimes exists between aesthetic forms of hip-hop and traditional teaching philosophies. According to the author, these conflicts may impede student learning, engagement, and emotional health. The author argues that educators would be better positioned to serve the needs of hip-hop collegians if they developed a deeper understanding of the genre and worked to integrate the ways in which these students experience hip-hop into the structure of higher education. Both chapters 5 and 6 primarily examine the habits and practices of hip-hop collegians. Readers are invited into the lives of students who approach their education by applying the [End Page 222] concepts of edutainment (the combination of education and entertainment), kinetic consumption (affective responses used to engage with the world) and sampling (taking the best from a wide variety of sources and creating something new and relevant) to their campus lives. Petchauer also suggests that some students may develop a level of critical consciousness from hip-hop while others may not. Thus, he challenges educators to rethink hip-hop as a position from which students may be able to develop critical consciousness. Campus personnel should focus on the opportunity to help students draw explicit connections between the content and production of hip-hop and the political and social realities that exist in the world. The book concludes in chapter 7 with a model designed to assist educators in understanding hip-hop collegians on their campuses. The model integrates the key elements that emerged in the lives of the hip-hop collegians studied...