Mid-sized University Research Articles

Impulsivity traits associated with disordered eating and binge drinking among female college students

Objective: Disordered eating and problematic alcohol use may negatively impact women’s health, and the two issues frequently occur together. We assessed the interaction between negative urgency and disordered eating variables on binge drinking frequency. We also examined impulsivity facets in relation to binge eating, purging, and restrictive eating using multiple linear regression. Methods: Undergraduate women (M age 19.02; SD 1.51; n 262) from a mid-sized southeastern university, reported quantity and frequency of alcohol use over the past 90 days, disordered eating measured by the Multifactorial Assessment of Eating Disorder Symptoms (MAEDS), and impulsivity on the UPPS-P. Results: Negative urgency was the best impulsivity predictor of binge eating and restrictive eating. Negative urgency was a significant predictor of binge drinking frequency (negative binomial regression, p values < .01), but no interaction was found. Conclusions: To reduce these behaviors, college students may benefit from campus programs offering adaptive strategies to cope with negative affect.

Data-driven testing program improves detection of COVID-19 cases and reduces community transmission

COVID-19 remains a global threat in the face of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and gaps in vaccine administration and availability. In this study, we analyze a data-driven COVID-19 testing program implemented at a mid-sized university, which utilized two simple, diverse, and easily interpretable machine learning models to predict which students were at elevated risk and should be tested. The program produced a positivity rate of 0.53% (95% CI 0.34–0.77%) from 20,862 tests, with 1.49% (95% CI 1.15–1.89%) of students testing positive within five days of the initial test—a significant increase from the general surveillance baseline, which produced a positivity rate of 0.37% (95% CI 0.28–0.47%) with 0.67% (95% CI 0.55–0.81%) testing positive within five days. Close contacts who were predicted by the data-driven models were tested much more quickly on average (0.94 days from reported exposure; 95% CI 0.78–1.11) than those who were manually contact traced (1.92 days; 95% CI 1.81–2.02). We further discuss how other universities, business, and organizations could adopt similar strategies to help quickly identify positive cases and reduce community transmission.

Blue Zones-Based Worksite Nutrition Intervention: Positive Impact on Employee Wellbeing.

“Blue Zones” are geographical regions where people live to be non-agenarians and centenarians with significantly better rates of mental wellness when compared to the average American. It was discovered that these areas have nine unique evidenced-based lifestyle principles, with one of their main principles being the consumption of a plant-based diet. With this in mind, we performed a worksite intervention with the objective of understanding the relationships among Blue Zones knowledge, a plant-based lifestyle, and improvements in overall mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. During spring 2021, we recruited 52 employees from a public, mid-sized university in the southwestern United States to participate in an 8-week virtual intervention that included weekly topic presentations, cooking demonstrations, and Blue Zones education. Participants were also assigned to weekly wellness counseling groups integrating Motivational Interviewing based principles that included additional, relevant conversation topics and support. The final sample (n = 52 participants) had a mean age of 45.6 ± 10.6 years. Participants were predominantly women (84.6%) and nearly half were married (44.2%). The majority attended graduate school (59.6%) and identified as White (84.6%). Paired-samples t-tests indicated significant improvements in all mental wellness outcomes and Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores over time (p's < 0.001 to 0.02). Multiple linear regression models revealed that Blue Zones knowledge (β = −0.037, p = 0.010) significantly negatively predicted Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores at 8-weeks. Additionally, multiple linear regression models indicated small group attendance (β = −1.51, p = 0.003) and Blue Zones knowledge (β = −0.81, p = 0.012) significantly negatively predicted sleep scores at 8-weeks. When HEI-2015 total scores were also included at baseline and 8-weeks (post-intervention), Blue Zones knowledge (β = −0.031, p = 0.049) was a borderline significant predictor of PHQ-9 at 8-weeks. Additionally, small group sessions (β = −1.52 p = 0.005) were a significant predictor of sleep at 8-weeks. The intervention illustrated that virtual intervention strategies can improve nutrition and mental wellness for future advancement in life quality and wellbeing.

Formative evaluation of a brief video addressing student exam study habits and wellness behaviors

ABSTRACT Undergraduate student attrition is correlated with poor academic performance, and success is often predicated on students’ ability to develop and employ appropriate and healthy study habits. This study describes the development and formative evaluation of a brief video designed to enhance college students’ study and wellness behaviors. A pre-post design was used to survey undergraduate college students (n = 397) at one mid-sized public university. Students assessed the video on its perceived effectiveness and their likelihood to change their study behaviors as a result of watching the video. Qualitative feedback provided additional insights regarding students’ perceptions of intervention efficacy. After watching the video, students self-reported stronger likelihood to study in 2-hour blocks (Z = −11.157, p < 0.001) and to avoid looking at their cell phones while they studied (Z = −12.982, p < 0.001). Students also self-reported increased likelihood to reduce caffeine consumption and remain calm during exams. Four qualitative themes emerged: helpfulness, self-reflection, anxiety/distress associated with exams, and desire for more information. The use of a brief video may influence students’ likelihood to study and improve self-care during exams, particularly in combination with other interventions that reinforce concepts from the video. Further evaluation of interventions among college students that promote efficacious studying and distraction avoidance are warranted.

Using sport science data in collegiate athletics: Coaches’ perspectives

Limited research has examined American collegiate coaches’ perceptions of collecting data for informing training practices. The purpose of this study was to examine collegiate coaches’ perspectives and needs for collecting data from their athletes using a qualitative approach. Four focus groups were conducted with NCAA Division I coaches ( N = 13) at a mid-sized liberal arts university. Coaches were asked how they could benefit from collecting data from their athletes, how they would use the data to answer questions about athletes’ performance, what data they would want to collect, and what concerns they had regarding data collection. Principles of thematic analysis were used to analyze the interviews. Most coaches (54%) felt that collecting data would provide evidence needed to support training methodologies, and they would benefit (i.e. make improvements to coaching and athlete training) from monitoring progress in their athletes (61%). Regarding performance questions, coaches were interested in utilizing a biomechanist to conduct movement analyses (23%) and assessing athletes’ mental and emotional states (23%). Coaches wanted to monitor athletes’ fatigue, recovery, mental health states, and health behaviors (i.e. sleep and diet; 15%). Coaches expressed concerns over finding an optimal time to test athletes (8%) and effective presentation of data to athletes (23%) while limiting body composition assessments due to athlete discomfort (15%). Findings from these focus groups suggest that coaches would like to collect data to learn more about athletes’ physical and mental states, but several logistical and practical concerns still exist regarding how to efficiently collect and utilize the data.

Student Perceptions of Political Advocacy in the Classroom

Complaints about inappropriate attempts by a liberal professoriate to influence their students’ political attitudes and even punish those who disagree with them are common. Assumptions are made that because the profession leans left, professors must be trying to persuade their students to be like-minded. Little academic evidence supports this view. This paper expands on previous work by asking students at a mid-size national public university to assess their professors on average across their academic careers both in terms of the frequency of political advocacy in the classroom as well as the extent to which it is experienced as an inappropriate teaching tactic. I posit that attitudes are a function of a perception of ideological difference, as well as Fenno’s Paradox. That is, students are more likely to perceive professor bias at the national level than at their particular university. Results indicate that a non-trivial minority of students (23%) feel that professors do inappropriately politicize the classroom, and that perceived ideological difference between student and professors predicts this view. I also find that similar to how parents tend to like their local schools while lamenting the state of education in general, students are much more likely to perceive professor bias as a national problem than a local one.

Food Insecurity Exists among College Students at a Midsized University in Utah

ABSTRACT This study examined the prevalence of and identified characteristics associated with food insecurity among students at a midsized university in Utah. A cross-sectional survey of university students (n = 952) was conducted. Nearly 33% (n = 302) of students experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days. A weak, yet significant association was found between food security status and gender, marital status, year in school, employment, use of food assistance, use of other assistance, use of the on-campus food pantry, and parental education level. There is a need for increased awareness of on-campus programs and policies aimed at reducing food insecurity among college students.

Research on the effects of part time job on university students regarding learning process as well as daily life

Nowadays, it is common for students to work part-time to cover their lives and earn extra income and student in Ho Chi Minh city is no exception. However, part-time jobs will affect the student's living and learning process. Besides, there is also an opinion that when working part-time, students will learn more experience than in school. Therefore, this article aims to study the influence of part-time work on outcomes. student learning outcomes. Methodology: The article was completed based on a comparison of current and previous studies. By using Likert scale, the article compares opinions and finds results and finds suitable solutions. Results: This study shows that there is a difference in learning outcomes through actual surveys of two students in FPT University who have part-time jobs and don't work part-time. Research has found the effects of part-time jobs, which are the factors that make students' academic performance decrease. Conclusions: From those bases, the research has proposed solutions and recommendations to help FPT University students get a part-time job to improve their study results. References Ali, E. (2017). Impact of part time work on the academic performance of international students. Journal of International Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship, 2(1), 17-22. Farooq M. S., Chandhry A. H., Shafiq M. ( 2011), Factors affecting students quality of academic performance: A case of Sunday school level, Journal of Quality and Technology Management, 3-11. Greenbank, P., Hepworth, S., &amp; Mercer, J. (2009). Term‐ time employment and the student experience. Education+ Training, 43-55. Tessema, M. T., Ready, K. J., &amp; Astani, M. (2014). Does part-time job affect college students' satisfaction and academic performance (GPA)? The case of a mid-sized public university. International Journal of Business Administration, 5(2), 50. Hoi, H. (2020). Advertising Vietnam's Tourism Products in the Technology Age. In Proceedings of the 2020 International Conference on Management of e-Commerce and e-Government, 11-15. Muluk, S. (2017). Part-time job and students’ academic achievement. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 5(3), 361-372. Lin, M. C., &amp; Ching, G. S. (2014). College student'employability: Implications of part-time job during college years. Advances in public, environmental and occupational health, 4, 101- 106. Kuzuhara, K., Shibata, M., &amp; Iguchi, J. (2021). Incidence of skiing and snowboarding injuries over six winter seasons (2012-2018) in Japan. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(1), 73-80.

Identifying Key Success Indicators in Student Letters for Reinstatement from Suspension

Retaining and graduating students continues to be an issue that higher education institutions are longing to solve, especially for the growing non-traditional student body whose list of competing priorities continues to grow. As academic suspension hinders persistence, this article examines a key aspect of the reinstatement from suspension process for students: the letter of appeal. The narrative provided is impacted by how the writer expresses their acknowledgment of what went wrong and what changes will be made to ensure administrators of future success, it too is impacted by the interpretation of the institutional decision maker. By reviewing a sample of reinstatement letters, the researchers sought to identify themes in successfully reinstated letters for adult and diverse students who were suspended from a mid-sized urban university. Barriers to success, changes made, self-efficacy and locus of control, and success plans were noted as key themes in both reinstated and non-reinstated letters supported by empirical research for these student populations. The research found that students who provided more details or context around their initial suspension were more successful in their reinstatement attempt.

Association of Ageism and Empathy in Young Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between empathy and ageism among undergraduate students. A cross-sectional survey of undergraduate students was conducted at a midsize university in the Southeastern region of the United States.

The enhanced effect of a twitter intervention on Pell grant recipients 6-year STEM graduation rates

This study evaluates the long-term impact of a randomized controlled study which utilized Twitter as an educational intervention to extend the course beyond the physical and time constraints of face-to-face instruction. Participants included 125 undergraduates from a mid-sized midwestern doctoral granting university in the United States. Outcomes previously published include increased engagement and grades for the intervention group (Twitter) compared to the control group. In the longitudinal study presented here, interaction effects were analyzed between GPA, ACT, gender, and socio-economic status with first-to second year retention rates, 6-year graduation rates and 6-year graduation rates in STEM fields.A statistically significant interaction effect was found between socio-economic status and the intervention (Twitter), resulting in an increased likelihood of graduating in STEM compared to students with low-socioeconomic status (SES) in the control group. This finding indicates that low cost or free technology has the potential to expand the face-to-face classroom in meaningful ways, can increase access to faculty, can increase access to peer-support and ultimately enhance 6-year STEM graduation among low SES students.

Gender stereotyping in student perceptions of teaching excellence: applying the shifting standards theory

ABSTRACT Existing characterisations of student conceptions of teaching excellence (TE) implicitly position it as an objective construct. This study investigated gendered differences in student-submitted nominations (n = 418) for an excellence award in a mid-sized university in England. Biernat’s shifting standards theory, which proposes that evaluative standards can shift due to stereotyping effects, was used to interpret the findings. Chi-square tests revealed significant effects of gender on the distribution and thematic content of nominations. Results suggested that students were more likely to nominate teachers of the same gender, but also that male students were disproportionately less likely to nominate a female teacher. Student conceptions of TE generally conformed to gender biases, particularly for male students. These findings indicate that students’ perceptions of high quality teaching are inextricable from sociocultural influence. Future research can continue to engage with the shifting standards theory to investigate the influence of gender and student perceptions of high quality teaching.

Publication practices in the Humanities

This paper is a case study of research publication practices at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Linnaeus University, a young, mid-sized university in the south-east of Sweden. Research output was measured from publications in the local institutional repository following the guidelines of local research policy as defined in university documentation. The data collection comprised 3,316 metadata records of publications self-registered by authors affiliated with the faculty during the period of 2010–2018. A statistical analysis of research output was conducted, focusing on preferred publication types, disciplinary specificity, level of co-authorship, and the language of the publication as registered in the local repository. The analysis focused on two main research questions: 1) how do the local research practices stand in relation to traditional publication patterns in the humanities? 2) how do the observed publication patterns relate to local university policy on publication and research evaluation? The empirical results suggest a limited correlation between publication practices and research incentives from university management, a finding that is corroborated by previous research on the scholarly character of the humanities and university policies. Overall, traditional humanities publication patterns were largely maintained throughout the period under investigation.

Predicting alcohol use with subjective and objective measures of cognitive function in healthy college students

Objective: The current study examined the association between subjective and objective cognitive measures and alcohol use in college students. Objective cognitive impairment is associated with alcohol use, however subjective cognitive impairment remains understudied in at-risk populations. Participants: Data were collected from 140 undergraduate students at a mid-sized private university. Methods: We used the Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Function—Adult (BRIEF-A) and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Task (ROCF) as our subjective and objective measures of cognitive functioning respectively. Results: In our regression model, the BRIEF-A was significantly associated with the AUDIT in college students such that more poorly perceived cognitive functioning predicted higher degrees of problematic drinking. However, the relationship between the ROCF and drinking was less clear. Conclusions: Our study shows that perception of one’s cognitive functioning is related to alcohol use and may be a potential risk factor for hazardous drinking in college students. Our results also suggest that subjective functioning is more strongly related to alcohol use than objective functioning, however further research is needed to replicate our results.

Reimagining the Delivery of International Student Services During a Global Pandemic: A Case Study in the United States.

The COVID-19 global pandemic caught the United States and the rest of the world ill-prepared, and many institutions of higher education continue to wrestle with unprecedented challenges to provide effective support services to their students. This paper examines how a mid-sized university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States reimagined the delivery of services to its international student population at the onset of the health crisis. The study employed a qualitative method and a case study research design to describe, from an institutional perspective, the shift from a traditional in-person service model to a virtual mode of support for international students as a result of campus closures and a switch to remote learning. Based on the findings, the authors offer five key considerations that can be crucial in effectively delivering International Student Services in an online environment. Implications for international educators and support staff are discussed.

Food Insecurity on College and University Campuses: A Context and Rationale for Solutions

Food Insecurity on College and University Campuses: A Context and Rationale for Solutions

Developing an interprofessional research infrastructure at a mid-sized liberal arts university

ABSTRACT This Interprofessional Education and Practice (IPEP) Guide describes the various mechanisms used to grow and support interprofessional research and scholarship at a mid-sized liberal arts university. The guide illustrates a creative, multi-stakeholder approach to integrating interprofessional education into university departments and programs and offers suggestions for establishing a research infrastructure that centers interprofessional scholarly engagement and is aligned with the institution’s missions and values. Faculty and higher education practitioners are provided with key takeaways for crafting an internal grants program to achieve these goals.

Keeping Focus on Relational, Social, and Emotional Needs of Students and Faculty During University-Level Remote Instruction

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of various approaches taken to address anticipated and demonstrated needs of university students, faculty, and instructors through and beyond the transition to fully online instruction in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The authors discuss the complexities associated with navigating multiple levels of need, as described within Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Primary examples are provided from two mid-sized universities from the perspective of Physical Education Teacher Education faculty employed at the respective institutions.

Exploring the Association Between Social Media Addiction and Relationship Satisfaction: Psychological Distress as a Mediator

Social media use has become part of daily life for many people. Earlier research showed that problematic social media use is associated with psychological distress and relationship satisfaction. The aim of the present study was to examine the mediating role of psychological distress in the relationship between social media addiction (SMA) and romantic relationship satisfaction (RS). Participants comprised 334 undergraduates from four mid-sized universities in Turkey who completed an offline survey. The survey included the Relationship Assessment Scale, the Social Media Disorder Scale, and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. According to the results, there were significant correlations between all variables. The results also indicated that depression, anxiety, and stress partially mediated the impact of SMA on RS. Moreover, utilizing the bootstrapping procedure the study found significant associations between SMA and RS via psychological distress. Consequently, reducing social media use may help couples deal with romantic relationship dissatisfaction, thereby mitigating their depression, anxiety, and stress.

Examining the Impact of a Criminology Doctoral Program on Successful Graduates

ABSTRACT Best practices for graduate student education and training has been under recent scrutiny, especially as universities are looking for methods of improving their programs. A method of demonstrating proficient and successful programs is providing evidence of successful alumni. This study will provide a quantitative and qualitative analysis of an alumni survey of a criminology doctoral program from a mid-sized university in the Northeast. With the results, we intend to highlight not only the successes of the alumni, but also potential lessons that other doctoral programs can apply to enhance future successes with their graduates.