College Student Outcomes Research Articles

The Effects of Depression on Leisure: Varying Relationships Between Enjoyment, Sociability, Participation, and Desired Outcomes in College Students

Depression leads to negative mood and affect, difficulty experiencing enjoyment in chosen activities (anhedonia), and a reduced desire for social interaction. This study compared 974 college students with different levels of depression (minimal, mild, and moderate to severe) relative to their desired outcomes for leisure, and their enjoyment of, participation and sociability in, different types of chosen leisure activities. Findings indicated consistency in their desired outcomes students, yet there were differences in how social they chose to be, the extent to which they partook, and how much enjoyment they perceived during their leisure participation. In addition, in several activities only a mild state of depression was sufficient to produce differences in leisure involvement. The results question whether depressed individuals experience “leisure” in the same manner as nondepressed individuals and whether elements of “leisure” experiences stressing enjoyment and sociability are applicable for individuals with differing levels of nonclinical depression.

Health risk perceptions predict smoking-related outcomes in Greek college students.

Health risk perception in smoking behavior was prospectively evaluated in a cluster-randomized trial for smoking cessation in Greek college students. Perceived Vulnerability (PV), Precaution Effectiveness, Optimistic Bias, and smoking behavior measures (quit attempts and cessation) were assessed in college-aged Greek student smokers at baseline, end of treatment (3 months), and follow-up (6 months). Using generalized estimating equations, baseline risk perception variables and change in risk perception variables between baseline and end of treatment were examined as predictors of the dichotomous smoking outcome variables. Results revealed that higher baseline PV [OR = 1.42 (1.21, 1.68)] predicted a greater likelihood of a quit attempt (n = 267). An increased likelihood of cessation [OR = 1.41 (1.15, 1.72)] was also predicted by an increase in PV from baseline to end of treatment (n = 243). Overall results suggested that PV was the strongest predictor of smoking behavior change, supporting further examination of health risk perceptions in promoting smoking cessation among Greek college smokers.

Improving the Targeting of Treatment

Remediation is one of the largest single interventions intended to improve outcomes for underprepared college students, yet little is known about the remedial screening process. Using administrative data and a rich predictive model, we find that severe mis-assignments are common using current test-score-cutoff-based policies, with “underplacement” in remediation much more common than “overplacement” college courses. Incorporating high school transcripts into the process could significantly reduce placement errors, but adding test scores to already available high school data often provides little marginal benefit. Moreover, the choice of screening policy has significant implications for the racial and gender composition of college-level courses. Finally, the use of more accurate screening tools would enable institutions to remediate substantially fewer students without compromising college success.

Off the Court: Helping African American Athletes Address Behavioral Health Concerns While Using Motivational Interviewing

Alcohol and drug use among collegiate student athletes has been noted to be a significant issue of concern, prompting increased efforts to determine what works for addressing the specific needs of this group. A closer examination of African American collegiate athletes suggests that drug and alcohol use in this group may be a serious issue of concern, given the unique pressures faced by this group. Motivational interviewing has been reported to be an effective intervention for improving outcomes for at-risk college students. The current investigation explores the potential for using motivational interviewing as an intervention to address the specific needs of African American collegiate athletes.

Can Community Colleges Continue to Do More with Less?

In ShortCost-cutting policies have hurt community college student outcomes and weakened the capacity of those colleges to produce returns to students and taxpayers.Many colleges are instituting ref...

A Comparison of Body Mass Index Classifications and Health and Fitness Outcomes of College Students

A Comparison of Body Mass Index Classifications and Health and Fitness Outcomes of College Students

Identifying the Unmet Needs of College Students on the Autism Spectrum

The number of students entering college with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is expected to surge in coming years. The diagnostic features and psychiatric risks of ASD, coupled with the transitions and stresses that define college life, present extraordinary challenges for these students, their parents, and institutions of higher education. This article applies a bioecological framework for conceptualizing the systemic strengths and barriers at the secondary and postsecondary levels of education in supporting students with ASD. This theoretical orientation is used to illustrate the importance of offering services and programs in a more coordinated and fluid manner within and between systems to support students more effectively. Evidence-based programs, practices, and interventions associated with successful academic and mental health outcomes for youth and young adults with ASD, as well as for college students with mental health and other challenges, are reviewed for their applicability to the target population. It is proposed that more fluid transitions and improved mental health and academic outcomes for college students with ASD can be achieved by integrating elements from secondary and postsecondary educational systems and also from existing, effective approaches with youth and young adults. Building upon the disjointed, but promising, evidence from youth, young adult, and college mental health literatures, recommendations for developing more effective transition plans for students with ASD are proposed.

Assessing an Assessment Tool of Higher Education: The Case of PROG in Japan

Assessment of learning outcomes of college students has been at issue around the world in recent years. Given that grade point average (GPA) may not be a reliable indicator for learning, some organizations have developed new types of assessment tools that measure generic skills, such as the Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcome (AHELO) and the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). In Japan, an assessment tool called the Progress Report on Generic Skills (PROG) has been introduced to measure college students’ generic skills. However, the validity of this test has hardly ever been studied. This paper thus provides an opportunity to analyze the validity of PROG through statistical analyses of the correlation between PROG scores and GPA as well as interviews with students and instructors. The findings show a gap between PROG scores and GPA. Three possible reasons are put forth as explanations for such a gap: 1) PROG does not test generic skills properly; 2) the university does not nurture and/or assess students’ generic skills that PROG measures; and 3) students make different levels of efforts for PROG and college course work. The findings of this research suggest using the results of PROG only as a reference tool that needs to be triangulated with other assessment tools. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v3i1.5427

Intensity and Attachment

This study examines the relationship between community college enrollment patterns and student outcomes—credential completion and transfer to a 4-year institution—introducing a new way of visualizing the various attendance patterns of community college students. Patterns of enrollment intensity (full- or part-time status) and continuity (enrolling in consecutive terms or skipping one or more terms) are graphed and then clustered according to their salient features. Using data on cohorts of first-time community college students at five colleges in a single state, the study finds astounding variation in student enrollment patterns. Clustering these patterns reveals two relationships: the first is a positive association between enrollment continuity and earning a community college credential, and the second is a positive association between enrollment intensity and likelihood of transfer.

The Causal Model of the Freshman Year Characteristics, Campus Experiences and Learning Outcomes for College Students

The purpose of this study is to examine the causal model involving college students’ family background, freshman year characteristics, campus experiences, and learning outcomes. The subjects comprised 3,050 students from public universities and 5,723 students from private universities. Data source were based on responses to the 2003 university freshmen and 2005 university junior student questionnaires obtained from the Taiwan Integrated Postsecondary Education Database (TIPED). The results of the study indicated that the research model possessed a good fit and all the direct influential effects in the model reached a level of significance.

An Examination of the Impact of a Biological Anti-Stigma Message for Depression on College Students

Stigma is one reason that some people avoid seeking mental health treatment. This study tested whether a biologically based anti-stigma message affected various stigma-related outcomes in college students. One hundred eighty-two undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to see a billboard presenting the message, “Depression is a brain disease,” or a control message. Dependent variables included positive and negative affect, message appeal, stigma, and willingness to seek treatment. The biologically based anti-stigma message increased participants’ affect, was rated as relatively unappealing, and failed to reduce stigma or increase willingness to seek treatment. These preliminary findings raise concern about continued use of similar messages in college populations.

Book Review: Civic Engagement in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices

By Leah A. Murray Abstract Barbara Jacoby and Associates. (2009). B. Jacoby, ed. Civic engagement in higher education: Concepts and practices. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. According to an Association of American Colleges and Universities monograph, “Five High-Impact Practices,” there are four essential learning outcomes for college students. They are knowledge of […]

“I don’t think the university knows me.”: Institutional culture and lower-income, first-generation college students.

Recognizing the complex and diverse factors impacting first-generation and lower-income college student outcomes, this study seeks to explore the under-examined role of institutional culture on the experiences of these students. Using data gathered from interviews with 6 lower-income, first-generation college students participating in a TRIO Student Support Program at a large, public 4-year institution, we examine how institutional culture shapes student sense of self at the university. Results indicate that institutional culture manifests in two main ways: 1) through administrative and faculty perceptions and interactions, and 2) through peer perceptions of and interactions with social class. The results of this exploration highlight the complexity of the lower-income, first-generation college student experience and point to an opportunity to shift the discussion of these populations away from the use of a deficit language that focuses on the shortcomings of the student, and moves toward an acknowledgment of the role of the institution in the barriers that students face.

The Impact of Developmental Education on Community College Persistence and Vertical Transfer

Developmental education has been cited as one of the most difficult issues facing community colleges. Despite the controversy and changes to educational policy regarding developmental education, there is a notable dearth of rigorous research measuring the causal effect of remediation on community college student outcomes. The present study uses data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS: 04/09) to measure the impact of developmental education on community college students’ odds of persistence and vertical transfer after controlling for enrollment in remediation and institutional-level variables. Propensity score matching results reveal that students who enroll in developmental courses are systematically different from community college students who do not remediate in gender, ethnicity, first-generation status, academic preparation and experiences during high school, and delayed college entry. Moreover, post-matching hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) findings demonstrate that developmental education may overall serve to decrease community college students’ odds of successfully transferring to a 4-year institution, with negative impacts on students enrolled in English and mathematics courses. Implications for research, policy, and practice are addressed.

Community College Study Abroad: Implications for Student Success

The aim of this research is to explore whether participation in study abroad by community college students impacts levels of engagement and if there is a connection between studying abroad and academic achievement. While university-level studies have a history in exploring these questions, the same is not true for community colleges. The California Community College Student Outcomes Abroad Research project (CCC SOAR) uses a mixed methods design to examine data that evidences how participation in study abroad programs not only has implications for personal development and global learning, but also has a range of indicators of academic success variables. Data show that there is a range of positive outcomes that occur as a result of studying abroad for all students across an array of early, midstream, and terminal outcomes due to engagement-enhancing components such as shared common experiences, nurturing behavior from faculty, and increased student interaction in collaborative activities.

Childhood and current ADHD symptom dimensions are associated with more severe cannabis outcomes in college students

BackgroundNumerous studies have shown that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated higher risk of cannabis use disorders (CUD). However, these studies are limited in that most did not: (a) differentiate the role of hyperactivity–impulsivity (HI) and inattention (IN); (b) control for associated psychopathology; and (c) consider more fine-grained CUD-related measures. Our aim was to clarify the unique and interactive contributions of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms to age of cannabis initiation and DSM-IV cannabis dependence, craving, and severity of problems related to cannabis use while statistically controlling for symptoms of comorbid psychopathology in a non-clinical sample of young adults. MethodsCannabis variables, current use of cigarettes and alcohol, current and childhood ADHD, and comorbid internalizing and externalizing psychopathology were assessed in 376 male and female undergraduates. ResultsResults indicate that current and childhood IN were independently associated with more severe cannabis use, craving, and problem use-related outcomes in young adulthood (p's<.01) and that childhood HI symptoms were associated with earlier initiation of cannabis (p<.01). Further, current IN symptoms moderated the relationships between level of use and more severe outcomes (p's<.01), such that higher IN strengthened positive associations among use and problem cannabis use. Associations with ADHD symptom dimensions and current use of alcohol and cigarettes were also present. ConclusionsThus, current and childhood inattention symptoms as well as childhood hyperactive–impulsive symptoms emerged as significant factors in cannabis-related outcomes in young adults, even after statistically controlling for important confounding variables.

Is college worth it?: a former United States Secretary of Education and a liberal arts graduate expose the broken promise of higher education

For many students, a bachelor's degree is considered the golden ticket to a more financially and intellectually fulfilling life. But the disturbing reality is that debt, unemployment, and politically charged pseudo learning are more likely outcomes for many college students today than full-time employment and time-honored knowledge. This raises the question: is college still worth it? Who is responsible for debt-saddled, undereducated students, and how do future generations of students avoid the same problems? In a time of economic uncertainty, what majors and schools will produce competitive graduates? Is College Worth It? uses personal experience, statistical analysis, and real-world interviews to provide answers to some of the most troubling social and economic problems of our time.

Effects of choice on intervention outcomes for college students sanctioned for campus alcohol policy violations.

This study tested the hypothesis that client choice influences intervention outcomes. We recruited 288 student drinkers (60% men, 67% freshmen) required to participate in an intervention due to a violation of campus alcohol policy. Participants were randomized either to self-chosen or researcher-assigned interventions. In the choice condition they selected either a brief motivational intervention (BMI) or a computer-delivered educational program. In the assigned condition they received 1 of the 2 interventions, assigned randomly. Follow-up assessments at 1 and 2 months revealed that choice was associated with higher intervention satisfaction. However, the assigned and choice conditions did not differentially change on consumption or consequences across intervention type. Overall, change scores favored the BMI over the computer-delivered intervention on consumption and consequences. Exploratory analyses revealed that given the choice of intervention, heavier-drinking students self-selected into the face-to-face BMI. Furthermore, among the students who received a BMI, the students who chose it (despite their heavier drinking) reduced drinks per drinking day more than did the assigned students. In summary, offering a choice of intervention to students mandated for campus alcohol violations increased the chance that at-risk students will select a more intensive and effective intervention.

The Conditional Effects of Interracial Interactions on College Student Outcomes

The Conditional Effects of Interracial Interactions on College Student Outcomes

Self-esteem instability and academic outcomes in American and Chinese college students

The connection between self-esteem instability and various academic outcomes was examined across two studies. Study 1 (N=419) found that unstable self-esteem was associated with poor academic performance for American undergraduate college students. Further, unstable self-esteem was associated with higher levels of academic disengagement and devaluation for individuals with high levels of self-esteem. Study 2 included college students from the United States (N=167) and China (N=178). As in Study 1, unstable self-esteem was associated with poor academic performance and higher levels of academic devaluation for individuals with high levels of self-esteem. However, the association between unstable self-esteem and academic disengagement emerged only for American college students with high self-esteem.