First Semester Of University Research Articles

Characteristics and statistical analysis of university accidents in China from 2017 to 2021

University accidents in China are frequent, and to find out the relationship pattern of factors influencing accidents, 248 university accidents occurring within 2017–2021 were studied using difference analysis (Independent-samples T-test, Mann-Whitney U test), logistic regression analysis, and diagnostic analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves. The results show: The variability in time, space, and qualifications was statistically significant (p < 0.05), and when the number of university safety policies ≥77 would significantly reduce the frequency of university accidents, with an influence strength value of 0.884 and a diagnostic accuracy of 79.8 %. In addition, the perpetrators, the time and the location of the accidents were usually undergraduate students, first semester of university, and economically developed and educationally rich provinces, respectively, with influence strength value and diagnostic accuracy of greater than 1 and 70%, respectively. Finally, specific suggestions are offered for the future prevention and reduction of accidents at the University based on the findings of the studies.

Starting school with purpose: Self-regulatory strategies of first-semester university students.

Purposefulness may facilitate self-regulation; however, little is known about the self-regulatory strategies that are implemented by purposeful individuals. Given the multiple regulatory challenges students face in their social and academic lives, a central aim of the current work was to consider how purposefulness and self-regulation are linked during the first semester of university. This 13-week-long study was conducted with first-semester college students (N = 256) in the United States of America to examine whether weekly fluctuations in purposefulness may be connected to the use of traditionally adaptive (problem-solving) and maladaptive (rumination and experiential avoidance) self-regulation strategies. Consistent with our hypothesis, at the within- and between-person level, higher purposefulness was associated with greater use of problem-solving, lower rumination, and lower experiential avoidance at the weekly level. The findings imply purposefulness is an important individual difference that may explain better or worse self-regulatory abilities.

Perceived Social Support and Stress: a Study of 1st Year Students in Ireland.

Social support is consistently associated with positive outcomes for students, in terms of wellbeing and academic achievement. For first year students, social support offers a way to deal with stressors associated with the challenge of transitioning to university. The current research was conducted with a range of first year students (n = 315) early in their first semester in university. Both male and female students reported moderate levels of social support and perceived stress, while those with higher levels of social support reported lower levels of stress. Gender differences were apparent in both the levels and sources of social support that students perceived as available to them. Female students reported higher levels of social support and stress than males, suggesting that university initiatives for enhancing social support and dealing with stress may require a gender-specific focus. The results are discussed in terms of recommendations for developing students’ social supports during first year, in order to mitigate for the experience of stress and to enhance student experience of their educational journey.

Tailored vs. Standard Curriculum and General English Achievement: A Study of Teachers’ Views

This study was conducted in two phases. The first one is the preliminary phase aimed at tailoring the standard curriculum based on learners’ needs analysis. The second one is the main phase, intended to evaluate the tailored curriculum based on teachers’ views. The participants in the preliminary phase of the study (tailoring the curriculum) were 346 non-native male and female undergraduate students who received the same Pre-Requisite General English course at their first semester in university. They were studying different majors, including Accounting, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The participants in the main phase (evaluation of the tailored curriculum by teachers) were 10 non-native male (7) and female (3) teachers who taught the Pre-Requisite General English course through the tailored curriculum. The findings of the study supported the hypothesis that the teachers have a positive attitude toward using the tailored curriculum in teaching the Pre-Requisite General English course. It seems that the implementation of this tailored program, which is based on learner-needs-analysis, can enhance the effectiveness of the English for General Purposes (EGP) course, compared to the standard one.

Purpose as a predictor of satisfaction across relationship domains during the first semester of university

Background: Sense of purpose, or the extent to which one perceives their lives to have meaningful goals and directions, may aid in initiating satisfying and stable new connections while positively maintaining old ones for college students. Purpose: The current study sought to evaluate how a college students' sense of purpose during their first week of college may predict their satisfaction with different relationship types throughout their first semester of university. Research Design: At the beginning of the semester, students reported their sense of purpose, and every week of the semester they reported their weekly relationship satisfaction across a variety of domains (i.e., parents, home friends, university friends, roommates, resident assistants, and significant others). Study Sample: The current study followed-up first year college students ( n = 364) from a private Midwestern university who all participated in the same Psychology of Young Adulthood class. Data Analysis: Multilevel models were conducted to evaluate mean-level relationship satisfaction trajectories throughout the first semester and whether sense of purpose predicted those trajectories when accounting for gender and the Big Five personality traits. Results: Friendships with home friends and university friends as well as parental relationships increased in satisfaction during the first semester, while relationships with roommates and resident assistants decreased. Furthermore, a higher sense of purpose was associated with greater relationship satisfaction with university friends and parents, even when accounting for the Big Five personality traits, as well as greater relationship satisfaction stability. Conclusions: Findings paint a nuanced and equivocal nature of relationships during the first semester, and point to the need to better understand how and when sense of purpose does or does not yield positive relationships over time.

Writer Identity Construction in MSc. Students of Engineering

Writing in academia is not only a way for students to acquire knowledge and skills, but also a process through which they construct author/researcher identity. This study aims to explore how twenty MSc. students construct their identity as writers of research papers. The students in this study received genre-based writing instructions on writing research papers during their writing course in the first semester of university. They wrote four papers during the semester, and the researcher provided feedback to their papers. Then, they were interviewed individually in order to find out how they reacted to the instructions, the writing process, and the feedback provided by the teacher. In addition, they were requested to write a reflective piece of writing about what they experienced including their emotions, thoughts and opinions about writing an academic paper before and after the course. Two types of analyses were made. Firstly, their sample research papers were examined during the course to see if there were improvements in the areas where feedback was provided. Secondly, the interviews and reflective pieces of writing were subjected to content analysis in order to extract themes. The examination of the papers revealed that the feedback provided by the teacher was effective as the writings improved in the areas where feedback was given. The thematic analysis resulted in two major themes of Affect and Attitude and the Need for Adaptation. An important implication of this study was the role feedback played in helping student/researchers to develop their identity in writing.

Sleep quantity and variability during the first semester at university: implications for well-being and academic performance

ABSTRACT Research has demonstrated the importance of sleep quality for university students, although work is limited with respect to how sleep during the first semester of school impacts well-being and academic outcomes. The current study sought to examine the role of sleep quantity and variability over the first semester of university on GPA and happiness. Students (n = 97) from a first-semester psychology course completed weekly assessments of sleep and well-being (happiness and anxiety) for 15 weeks, and they gave permission for researchers to collect their GPA and SAT data from the registrar. Average weekly sleep quantity was associated with greater weekly happiness and less anxiety. Weekly sleep variability was associated with lower happiness and more anxiety. Even when accounting for sleep quantity and initial start-of-semester measures, sleep variability predicted worse GPA and happiness for students at the end-of-semester. In summary, sleep consistency may be an important target for health professionals working within the university setting. This study contributes to the literature on the importance not only of sleep but also of sleep consistency, during a major life transition.

Body Mass Changes and Markers of Fitness, Health, and Well-Being over the First Semester of University in New Zealand Students

The current study aimed to assess the changes in physical and perceptual markers of health, fitness, and well-being over the first semester of university study in a New Zealand context. In a pre-post longitudinal design, 90 first-year university students (39 females, 51 males, mean ± SD age: 18 ± 2 years) studying in the field of health, sport and human performance underwent tests of body mass, height, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, predicted VO2max, flexibility, countermovement jump height, handgrip strength, isometric mid-thigh pull strength, and well-being pre and post the first semester of university study (12 weeks). When evaluating the entire group, there was a significant increase in body mass (0.66 kg, P = 0.004) and BMI (0.2 kg/m2, P = 0.005) and decrease in the “engagement” construct of the well-being questionnaire (− 0.2, P = 0.03) over the first semester of university. In total, 73% of students living on-campus reported a decline in sleep and nutrition habits since starting university, in comparison to ~ 35%–40% of students living off-campus (P ≤ 0.03). Similar to results seen in other countries, and despite the field of study, the first semester of university in New Zealand is likely to be associated with increases in body mass and BMI; however, changes in physical fitness and overall well-being measures were less obvious in the current study.

Relationship between academic self-efficacy, performance and anxious and depressive symptoms in emerging adult college students

The objective of the present investigation was to explore the levels of academic self-efficacy and their relationship with performance, anxiety and depression in a sample of emerging university adults. 114 students between 17 and 30 years of age (SD = 2.12), answered the in the Academic Behavior Self-efficacy Scale, the Diagnostic Questionnaire for Depressive Disorders and an Anxiety Inventory. For academic performance, the average grade for high school education, the university entrance exam and the first semester of university were considered. The analysis of the measurement of the levels of each of these variables and their correlation, indicated that the respondents who had low academic self-efficacy when entering university, had the lowest academic performance during high school and a high level of anxiety upon entering university without symptoms of depression.

Frequent solitary drinking mediates the associations between negative affect and harmful drinking in emerging adults

IntroductionDepression and anxiety are highly comorbid conditions that are associated with harmful drinking. Social learning theory proposes that depressed or anxious individuals learn that drinking can reduce negative affect, which makes them susceptible to harmful drinking. Consistent with theory, evidence suggests that negative affect increases risk for harmful drinking. But, less is known about mediators of negative affect-pathways to harmful drinking. Research has demonstrated that solitary drinking is an underlying mechanism of harmful drinking among emerging adults with high levels of negative affect. However, much of this work is cross-sectional. We conducted a longitudinal study to examine solitary drinking as a key explanatory variable in the negative-affect pathway to harmful drinking. MethodsEmerging adults (N = 308) completed online self-reports of depression and anxiety at Time 1 (the beginning of their first semester in university), and drinking context and harmful drinking at Time 2 (the end of their first semester of university). ResultsStructural equation modeling supported indirect effects from negative affect to harmful drinking via solitary drinking. Specifically, emerging adults with high levels of negative affect at the beginning of their first semester engaged in frequent solitary drinking over the rest of the semester, and subsequently experienced increased harmful drinking (controlling for Time 1 solitary/social drinking and harmful use). Social drinking was not a mediator of this effect. ConclusionsThe findings reveal that solitary drinking uniquely mediated the relation between negative affect and harmful drinking. Reducing solitary drinking might mitigate negative affect-related risk for harmful drinking in emerging adults.

Student Reflections on Learning and Studying during the Transition to University: Implications for Tertiary Learning Advisors

Tertiary learning advisors (TLA) are key support staff for university students in Aotearoa New Zealand and serve a major role by promoting effective strategies for students’ studying and learning. For TLAs to effectively assist students, particularly first-year university students, institutions must have a greater understanding of the academic transition experience as reported by students. The current study used a mixed-method approach to consider students’ reflections on their learning and study after their first semester of university. Results show that 2 out of 3 students reported feeling underprepared for their university courses, and most students reported attempts to modify their learning and study approaches in their adaptations to university. Further, students’ perceptions of the learning environment as clear and organised, interesting and personally relevant, and supportive of building a peer-based learning network were linked to positive changes in their learning and study practices. Such findings highlight the importance of the psychosocial climate on learning and learners during the student transition to university. While the majority of participants reported that their modified learning strategies were effective, a small minority felt incapable of overcoming this challenge. The implications of these results are discussed about stress and coping theory. Recommendations for TLAs to support transitioning students are included.

A Comparative Analysis of Effectiveness of Learner-centered Approach and Teacher-centered Approach in Writing Skills of undergraduate students

The research article investigates the effectiveness of Learner Centered Approach on the development of writing skills of undergraduate students. It is an experimental study on 60 undergraduate students of first semester in University of Management and Technology, Lahore. The participants were divided into two groups of 30. One group was taught through the Learner Centered Approach and the other was taught through Teacher Centered Approach. A pre-test was conducted at the start of the experiment to assess the performance of students at initial stage. The Teacher Centered Class was taught writing skills through Teacher Centered based activities and the Learner Centered Class was taught writing skills through Learner Centered activities. At the end of the experiment, a post test was conducted in order to assess the effect of the two approaches on the writing performance of the students. Ten (10) activities were conducted in total. IELTS assessment method was used to assess the performance of students in the pre-test, post-test and in the activities conducted during the experiment. The quantitative analysis was done through SPSS 21. The scores of the pre-test and post-test were compared to determine the approach that had relatively more positive effects on the writing skill of students. The results of the study show that the Learner Centered Approach is more effective in developing writing skills of undergraduate students at University of Management and Technology, Lahore.

Bottom dogs on campus: how subjective age and extrinsic self-esteem relate to affect and stress in first semester of university

The first semester of university can be a difficult transitional period that affects students' psychological well-being, and ultimately, their academic success. Personal resources and vulnerabilities that they bring to the transition may shape their day-to-day experiences. Subjective age (how old one feels) and extrinsic self-esteem (ESE; the extent to which self-worth is based on external sources) were examined as predictors of mean levels of and intraindividual variability in daily affect (positive and negative) and stress in 170 Canadian students tracked for 14 days during their first semester. Consistent with a self-enhancing effect of an older subjective age, regression models found that feeling older predicted higher mean levels of positive affect, and students with higher ESE reported more negative affect unless they felt considerably older than their chronological ages. In addition, an older subjective age and higher ESE predicted higher levels of and more intraindividual variability in daily stress experience. An ESE appears to contribute to negative affect and stress, but an older subjective age might counteract some negative emotion and play a part in positive emotion. As much as an older subjective age is a possible personal resource, its association with stress suggests that it might have some disadvantages for first-year university students, the bottom dogs on campus.

What Role Does Sleep Play in Weight Gain in the First Semester of University?

We hypothesized that shorter sleep durations and greater variability in sleep patterns are associated with weight gain in the first semester of university. Students (N = 132) completed daily sleep diaries for 9 weeks, completed the MEQ (chronotype) and CES-D (depressed mood) at week 9, and self-reported weight/height (weeks 1 & 9). Mean and variability scores were calculated for sleep duration (TST, TSTv), bedtime (BT, BTv), and wake time (WT, WTv). An initial hierarchical regression evaluated (block 1) sex, ethnicity; (block 2) depressed mood, chronotype; (block 3) TST; (block 4) BT, WT; and (block 5; R2 change = 0.09, p = 0.005) TSTv, BTv, WTv with weight change. A sex-by-TSTv interaction was found. A final model showed that ethnicity, TST, TSTv, and BTv accounted for 31% of the variance in weight change for males; TSTv was the most significant contributor (R2 change = 0.21, p < 0.001). Daily variability in sleep duration contributes to males' weight gain. Further investigation needs to examine sex-specific outcomes for sleep and weight.

Incoming engineering students' self-assessment of their mathematical background

The aim of this study was to develop a tool to measure levels of mathematical knowledge gained in high school, as perceived by incoming engineering students. The study included 657 engineering students in the 2011–2012 academic year. Factor analysis was used to obtain a scale consisting of 47 items (Cronbach Alpha coefficient, 0.975). The mathematical knowledge scale consisted of five sub-dimensions (Integration, Differentiation, General subjects, Graphing and Limit) related to subjects in the high school mathematics curriculum. Engineering students were asked to evaluate their own levels of knowledge. There was a significant difference between average scale scores of students successfully completing the calculus I course during the first semester of university and those failing this course. This difference was in favour of the students completing the lesson successfully. Key words: Mathematical knowledge, engineering students, success in mathematics, mathematical knowledge scale

Predicting the ‘freshman 15’: Environmental and psychological predictors of weight gain in first-year university students

Objectives: (1) To investigate weight gain in first-year university students; and (2) to examine whether environmental and psychological factors, specifically accommodation and stress, predict weight gain. Methods: Eighty-four first-year university students (77 per cent female) were weighed and completed the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein, 1983) and a health habits questionnaire at the beginning and end of their first semester of university (Mean duration = 76.67 days, SD = 1.76). Results: Weight gain was small, but significant ( M = 0.89 kg, SD = 3.30). Students living on-campus gained more weight than their off-campus peers, M = 1.65 kg and 0.13 kg respectively, t(82) = −2.32, p &lt; .05. No significant relationship was found between stress and weight change. Conclusions: These results suggest that the first year of university is a critical period for weight gain, especially for students living in residence. Greater understanding of risk factors associated with weight gain in first-year university students, particularly students living in residence, could lead to prevention of this weight gain and potential subsequent overweight and obesity.

Losing Sleep Over It: Daily Variation in Sleep Quantity and Quality in Canadian Students' First Semester of University

Daily covariation of sleep quantity and quality with affective, stressful, academic, and social experiences were observed in a sample of Canadian 17–19‐year‐olds in their first year of university. Participants (N=191) completed web‐based checklists for 14 consecutive days during their first semester. Multilevel models predicting sleep quantity and quality from daily experiences indicated that more time on schoolwork, expecting a test, and alcohol use predicted less sleep whereas socializing predicted more sleep. More positive affect and no alcohol use predicted better sleep quality. Models predicting daily experiences from sleep the night before indicated that less sleep preceded increases in negative affect, decreases in schoolwork time, and a higher likelihood of socializing. Better sleep quality preceded increased positive affect, decreased negative affect and stress, and less time on schoolwork. These data are informative for understanding relations between sleep and daily experiences as they occur naturally in first‐year university students.

Don Meinig as a Teacher

DON MEINIG AS AN UNDERGRADUATE INSTRUCTOR (BY JOHN WESTERN) It is abundantly clear that Donald Meinig, though so very eminent a research scholar, never skimped his undergraduate teaching. Entirely appropriately, his first arrival at Syracuse University from the University of Utah saw him rostered in, yes, Geo 101: World Our not-quite-complete archives reveal that from then until his retirement from undergraduate teaching in 1989 his major lower-division contributions were twofold. First was Man on the Earth: In the 1960s this was a year-long, two-semester sequence; it was retitled Cultural in 1972, and he taught it at least nine times. Then there was the semester-long Political course, which he also taught at least nine times. Historical Geography of the U.S. found itself taught at either the lower-division or at the joint upper-division/master's level; he offered the course a dozen times. In the upper division, Don taught World Cultures fourteen or more times. In addition, there were a number of other offerings over the years, with titles like American Culture (three times), Canada (three times), and American Diversity and Unity, an honors-students-only undergraduate seminar that he handed on to me when, in 1986, I was in my fourth semester at Syracuse and that I have held tightly and delightedly onto ever since. Vicki Andersen entered Syracuse University in 1985. When, after a hiatus of at least fifteen years, I contacted her to enquire whether she might be interested in playing a role in this tribute, she volunteered with alacrity. Here is what she then wrote to me: My first encounter with Professor Meinig was in a freshman geography survey class. His booming voice filled the auditorium as he lectured us. I remember thinking two things: he was a bit intimidating with all the information he presented, and this guy knows his stuff! He had so much knowledge to impart to us, though as a freshman I couldn't yet appreciate just how much. Senior year I took his Geo 414 class, American Historical Geography. Again, there was an amazing amount of information to digest, but in this small class setting, Professor Meinig's joy of teaching and his kindness made an impression on me. We became immersed in the development of America and used volume 1 of his The Shaping of America [1986], recently published at the time, as one of our textbooks. This fascinating book gave me insights into cultural patterns and the migrations of settlers in North America into separate regional societies, something I had not been aware of prior to this class. His geniality and moments of levity made us all comfortable with this knowledgeable man. Professor Meinig was a tough and demanding instructor. Working my tail off during the semester did not earn me the top marks I had sought. [A little later, however,] one of my greatest honors while at SU occurred during routine office hours with Professor Meinig. He indicated during our chat that he thought I was a fine geography student who would be probably be heading off to grad school. If so, he would happily write me a recommendation. I had no plans for grad school at the time, but the idea that DONALD MEINIG would write me a recommendation almost convinced me to ditch my postgraduation plans-- which didn't include any more studying!--and apply to grad school immediately ... I was that honored! In Fall Semester 1986 Sophie Oldfield began at Syracuse University. Immediately she found herself in Don's class on--the name escapes me--the world (!) This was in my first semester of university, my first semester at SU, and my first geography course and I basically was captivated. Two memories have surfaced: one was my task to nudge two friends who sat on either side of me in the second row when they fell asleep (pretty much daily) The second memory was receiving an A++ on the first test (probably my first test at university) and Meinig having written a note on the test to say please come and see him, which I did, and perhaps seeing a potential geographer, he sent me skipping down the corridor to meet you (quite literally! …

Changes in network composition and need satisfaction received from different network sectors during the first semester in university

The aim was to investigate changes in composition of students’ social networks and in satisfaction of various needs by different network sectors during the first semester in university. Questionnaires were distributed to 235 first year Turkish students attending Middle East Technical University (METU) at the beginning and end of the first semester. Eighty-eight students lived with and 147 lived away from parents. Network members were grouped into three categories: family members, friends who were students at the university, and friends who were not students at the university. The results were generally consistent with the premise that social networks change with changing contexts during life transitions. More within-university friends and fewer family members and outside-university friends were cited as network members over time. Students living away from families added more new within-university friends to their networks and retained fewer outside-university friends than students living with families. Family members emerged as important providers of both affiliative and instrumental need satisfaction at the beginning of the semester but their importance declined over time. Affiliative need satisfaction obtained from both within- and outside-university friends declined and instrumental need satisfaction from outside- friends university increased over time. Females living with families cited more family members and outside-university friends than females living away from families. Females reported more need satisfaction from their families at the beginning and less need satisfaction from families at the end of the first semester when compared with males. In spite of these time related changes, network stability was also evidenced.

The personal response: A novel writing assignment to engage first year students in large human biology classes

The teaching of highly valued scientific writing skills in the first year of university is challenging. This report describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a novel written assignment, The Personal Response and accompanying Peer Review, in the course, Human Biology (BIOL1015) at The University of Queensland. These assignments were the first assessment tasks of the course and were set early in the first semester of university. BIOL1015 had a diverse cohort of 319 first year students from five bachelor degree programs, primarily from Pharmacy and Human Movement Studies. Audio files in the form of interviews with eminent biomedical scientists were obtained from a leading public radio program. Students used these files as triggers to submit a short but highly structured assignment written from a personal perspective and in an expressive style. Evaluations revealed that overall, students found the task interesting and challenging. Students performed well, regardless of their background knowledge, disciplinary interest, or preference for topics within human biology. This study demonstrated that The Personal Response was an appropriate task for these first year students of human biology. It represents an alternative to traditional essay writing.