Nontraditional College Students Research Articles

Cardiac Risk Factors Among Nontraditional College Students

CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS: 2010 National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists Conference Student Poster Abstracts: March 3 to March 6, 2010, Portland, Oregon

Structured Groups for Non-Traditional College Students: Non-Cognitive Assessment and Strategies (review)

Part 1 Foreword Part 2 Preface Chapter 3 College Student Retention Chapter 4 Non-Traditional Students, First Year Programs, and Services Chapter 5 The ExCEL Group-Developmental Structured Groups, Theories, and Strategies Chapter 6 Establishing the ExCEL Group Chapter 7 Non-Cognitive Assessment for Group Members Chapter 8 ExCEL Group Process-Study Skills Chapter 9 ExCEL Group Process-Non-Cognitive Topics Chapter 10 Group Evaluation Chapter 11 Research Studies Chapter 12 What's Next? Part 13 Appendix Part 14 Bibliography Part 15 Subject Index Part 16 About the Author

Comparing Academic Motivation and Accomplishments Among Traditional, Nontraditional, and Distance Education College Students

Comparing Academic Motivation and Accomplishments Among Traditional, Nontraditional, and Distance Education College Students

Pet owner behaviors and attachment to yard versus house dogs

The majority of research on the human–nonhuman animal bond has considered its advantages for the human. Research investigating the benefits of the bond for the companion animal has focused primarily on the relationship between owner attachment and the relinquishment or abandonment of pets. Shore, Douglas and Riley (2005) compiled a list of 67 behaviors of pet owners of potential benefit to the dog or cat, categorized the behaviors as Essential, Standard, Enriched, or Luxury Care, and studied the relationship between these behaviors and a measure of attachment. The present study continues the investigation of more routine pet-keeping activities by examining the prevalence of such behaviors among a subset of dog owners who keep their dogs out of doors as compared with those whose dogs live primarily in the house. Participants were 322 largely non-traditional college students at a university in the Midwestern United States. Scores on two attachment measures were significantly higher for owners of house dogs as compared with those of owners of yard dogs. Although the majority of both house and yard dogs received basic care, fewer yard dogs received as high levels of attention to some of their physical and safety needs. The gap between yard and house dogs widened as the category of care moved from Essential to Enriched. Involvement in agility training, being taken to events for pets, and exercising with a member of the family were notable exceptions, in that they occurred in equal proportions for yard and house dogs, and perhaps represent opportunities for yard dogs to be in closer contact with a human caretaker. The results suggest that adoptions of sheltered or rescued dogs to people who plan to keep the pet outside can be made with confidence that the dog will be cared for, but that programs to educate the public on the social needs of dogs and the benefits of keeping dogs indoors might result in increased attention to the needs of the animals, strengthening of the human–nonhuman animal bond, and reduction of relinquishment.

Degree Completion Among Nontraditional College Students*

Objective. With the growing number of older students attending college, one major issue concerning these nontraditional students is their overall low completion rates. We examine factors affecting nontraditional students' degree completion.Methods. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we examine the effects of student characteristics on the probability of finishing college with event history models.Results. Part‐time enrollment significantly deters college completion, whereas the number of prior enrollments facilitates it. Being relatively young, having high cognitive ability, and a high‐status occupational background also increase the chance of completion, but these effects partly differ by gender. On the other hand, being divorced and having young children, the factors often negatively associated with women's socioeconomic status, suppress degree completion for both genders.Conclusions. Based on these results, we discuss how higher educational institutions and employers might be able to help increase the rate of completion among nontraditional students.

Time for sex: nycthemeral distribution of human sexual behavior

BackgroundNycthemeral (daily) oscillation has been documented in a variety of physiological and behavioral processes. The present study was carried out to evaluate the existence of a nycthemeral rhythm of human sexual behavior and to identify environmental factors responsible for the rhythmic pattern.MethodsNon-traditional university students (ages 18 to 51 years) recorded the times of day when they went to sleep, when they woke up, and when they had sex for 3 consecutive weeks. They also answered a questionnaire designed to identify the causes of their selection of time for sex.ResultsThe majority of sexual encounters took place at bedtime (11 pm to 1 am). The most common explanations for this temporal pattern were the rigidity of the professional work schedule and family obligations and the availability of the partner, which reduced the opportunity for sexual encounters at other times of the day.ConclusionMost sexual encounters take place around bedtime. Although the presence of an endogenous component responsible for this temporal pattern cannot be excluded, the evidence indicates strong environmental forcing, particularly from the work/family schedule of the individuals and from partner availability.

Boundary functioning in celebrity worshippers

We examined the hypothesis that celebrity worshippers possess a generally ‘thin’ boundary structure, as implied by the absorption–addiction model of celebrity worship. One hundred and forty seven traditional and nontraditional college students completed the Revised Transliminality Scale (unconscious–conscious boundaries), Hartmann’s Boundary Questionnaire (measuring 12 types of boundaries), and the Celebrity Attitude Scale, which addresses Entertainment-Social, Intense-Personal, and Borderline-Pathological levels of celebrity worship. As predicted, total scores on the two measures of mental boundaries showed significant but low magnitude correlations with total scores on the Celebrity Attitude Scale. Standard multiple regression analyses revealed that attitudinal and behavioral components of the boundary construct as measured by the Hartmann instrument differentially predicted the three levels of celebrity worship and that each of these levels involved both ‘thin’ and ‘thick’ boundary functioning. Low levels appear to reflect sensation-seeking, openness to experience, and cognitive rigidity, while intermediate levels add to these traits with elements of identity diffusion. The most extreme levels showed trends similar to intermediate levels with the addition of poor interpersonal boundaries. This suggests that people at the highest level of celebrity worship want to socialize and bond with people but feel disconnected from the social milieu to which they belong or have access.

Introduction to the Special Section—Breaking With Tradition: Effective Counseling Services for Nontraditional Students

This collection of articles represents the first time that the Journal of College Counseling (JCC) has published articles based on a topical theme. Nontraditional Students was selected for a special section theme because most college counseling research continues to describe student populations in generic terms, perpetuating the stereotype that student body composition is homogeneous. However, nontraditional students currently compose at least 40% and as much as 70% of all undergraduate students nationwide, depending on how the term nontraditional is defined. Nontraditional students are typically described as those who are older than 24 years of age and who may have dependents, be financially independent, and attend college on a part-time basis. However, nontraditional students can also be those who are the first in their family to attend college (i.e., first-generation college students), students of color, students with disabilities, and students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. A walk across nearly any college campus in North America will reveal historically unprecedented diversity. Current economic conditions, ongoing changes in the world of work, admissions criteria that account for students' backgrounds, and the integration of distance learning with classroom instruction have all helped to increase the numbers of nontraditional students enrolled in higher education. As college counselors, we need to understand the students we serve so that we may provide effective services for them. Traditional forms of counseling work for traditional students, but we now need to reassess the value of the services that we provide, taking into consideration the particular needs and issues of new college environments. It should be noted that large numbers of nontraditional students are a new issue only for 4-year colleges and universities. Historically, community colleges have played an important role in providing affordable and convenient education as well as alternative courses of study to students who were considered nontraditional. Although that trend continues, 4-year colleges and universities now also face the opportunities and challenges associated with increased nontraditional student enrollment. Unfortunately, although some colleges and universities have seized the opportunity to increase tuition dollars by actively recruiting nontraditional students, some of those same institutions have been criticized for not providing adequate services to retain them. Counselors and administrators at 4-year colleges and universities may therefore benefit from consulting with counter-parts at community colleges, sharing ideas and working toward better serving nontraditional college students. In doing so, college counselors can consider implementing several potentially beneficial interventions. Although nontraditional students are amazingly diverse themselves, they typically have needs for assistance with orientation, financial aid, child care, remedial course work, and/or career counseling. …

Nontraditional Students' Perspectives on College Education: A Qualitative Study

This study explored nontraditional college students' perspectives on their college education. Forty‐three undergraduate students with an average age of 38 years completed 60‐minute structured interviews. Qualitative research methodology based on grounded theory was used in data synthesis. Results identified the central concept of hopefulness, which interacted with 5 other themes: (a) motivation, (b) financial investment, (c) career development, (d) life transition, and (e) support systems. Implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed.

Who wants to be a nurse: motivation of the new generation.

AN ANSWER TO the question of “Who Wants to be a Nurse?” may exceed the time limit and resources of the lifelines available to the contestant on the popular television show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” The contestants on this show quite likely are motivated by the chance of a monetary reward. It is much less likely that people could confidently name any one factor as the key to what motivates a young person to pursue a career in nursing. There is an outcry in the media and professional literature about the need for more nurses now as well as in the future and the heavy stresses on those currently in the nursing profession, yet answers to recruitment of more young people into the profession are not forthcoming. Young people today are members of what have been called variously generation Y, the millennium generation, and echo-boomers. These labels are traditional methods to describe cohorts in the population based on demographic variables and attempts to capture shared experiences of the group. Much attention in the media continues to focus on the Baby Boomers, those 72 million people born between 1946 and 1964, and the economic and social implications of the size of that cohort. The 30 million strong Generation Xers, born between 1964 and 1981, have a different set of economic challenges facing them, the economic burden of caring for the Baby Boomers as they age. And the latest cohort, nearing the numbers of Baby Boomers with estimates from 56 to 71 million strong, depending on the years included in the cohort, has just begun to be studied for the economic and social implications of their generation. Although most nontraditional university students are Generation Xers, the traditional student entering university studies today and those who will enter for the next decade were born in this last generation, Generation Y. Understanding the differences and similarities among and between these cohorts is crucial in determining approaches for enticing a new generation to enter nursing to replace the aging Baby Boomer nurses. Most nurses in practice currently are between the ages of 42 and 59 years, members of the Baby Boomer generation. The Baby Boomers are described as possessing a deep-seated set of ideals and traditions with a strong family orientation; they are politically conservative, yet are fairly liberal socially. They have experienced economic recessions and are cautious about the future. Altruistic motives led them into nursing, and their concerns for staying in nursing revolve around the physical demands of the job, with ergonomic issues and the physical stamina needed to work long shifts leading the list of concerns. Likewise, altruistic motives were identified as leading the Generation Xer (ages 22-41) into nursing (Brendtro, 1991; Chiara, 1993; Johnson & Peterson, 1990; Kersten, Bakewell, & Meyer, 1991). Although altruistic motivations led them into nursing, they are less cautious about the future, preferring to live in the present, willing to experiment, and looking for immediate results. They are described as selfish, cynical, and dependent on their parents. They question authority and believe that they carry the burden of previous generations. Keeping them in nursing requires attention to “recognition and praise, opportunities to learn new *Assistant Professor, Western Michigan University, Bronson School of Nursing, Kalamazoo, MI. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Sadler: Western Michigan University, Bronson School of Nursing, 1903 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 8755-7223/03/1903-0000$30.00/0 doi:10.1016/S8755-7223(03)00050-4

Nontraditional College Students and the Role of Collaborative Learning as a Tool for Science Mastery

This study investigates the way collaborative learning that occurs primarily outside the classroom affects college students' understanding of science. Collaborative learning is particularly important for the increasing number of nontraditional students who have limited time available for study groups and other peer learning activities occurring outside of class time. Using a national study of 4,644 college students of various academic majors, multiple linear regression was used to identify variables that enhance science learning. Time spent in peer learning settings, such as teaching science to peers and discussing science with peers, were the strongest predictors of understanding science; moreover, this finding was consistent even for nontraditional students who reported less frequency of engagement in such activities. The study suggests that science educators can enhance learning when they structure their courses to include peer learning that engages students with each other over science issues outside the classroom.

Satisfaction with College by Traditional and Nontraditional College Students

University students (N=433) were surveyed about their satisfaction with a number of campus services and opportunities. Comparisons between traditional (up to 24 years old) and nontraditional (25 years old and older) students indicated the latter valued learning and school opportunities more and appreciated the efforts of their professors in interacting with them and communicating information. A number of similarities were noted. University administrations need to be aware of the important differences between such groups to be able to enhance students' satisfaction.

Application of the Transtheoretical Model to Exercise Behavior among Nontraditional College Students

This study examined the applicability of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) to understanding exercise behavior among a sample of nontraditional college students at a southwestern university. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. The independent variable was stage of exercise behavior change. The dependent variables analyzed were exercise efficacy expectations, decisional balance (i.e., pros and cons), and the processes of change. Six hundred and eighty students (mean age = 27.45 ± 8.2 years, 62.0% female, 85.9% Caucasian) representing various disciplines on campus (e.g., education, engineering) completed valid and reliable questionnaire packets during regularly scheduled classes. Fifty-nine percent of the sample were sedentary or exercised irregularly (precontemplation [PC], contemplation, or preparation stages), whereas 17% were in the action stage (A, regularly active <6 months) and 23% were in the maintenance stage (M, regularly active ≥6 months). Results revealed that all of the TTM constructs differed significantly across exercise stages. Students in PC scored the lowest and those in M scored the highest on efficacy expectations and pros, with the pattern reversed on cons. Use of processes of change generally increased steadily from PC to A and then leveled off. Results support the use of the entire TTM in examining exercise behavior among nontraditional college students.

Differences in immediacy between traditional and nontraditional students.

Reported differences between 83 traditional and 44 nontraditional college students on immediacy were nonsignificant.

Teaching Nontraditional Students

Science, especially chemistry, and math both seem to have an aura about them that strikes fear into nontraditional college students. Indeed, as a scientist attempting to teach scientific concepts to community college students in central Appalachia, over half of whom are nontraditional, I spend a lot of time attempting to quell such fear. At first, I found it extremely difficult to do because when I began teaching here in 1990, my background had been chiefly at the university level with some advanced high-school science teaching, and I had had no exposure whatsoever to rural, nontraditional students.

Identifying the Career Decision‐Making Needs of Nontraditional College Students

As the number of nontraditional college students (defined as students over the age of 25) continues to increase on college campuses nationwide, there is a clear need to address the career development needs of this growing population. This article critically reviews the results of recent research evaluating the relationship between the age of college students and various aspects of their career development. On the basis of this review, several implications for career counselors who work with nontraditional college students are discussed, and ideas for future research in this domain are presented.

Improving the Background Knowledge of Non-traditional Students

Three intervention methods to assist non-traditional college students in evaluating and improving their chemical and mathematical backgrounds were developed and implemented over three successive years. The goal was to improve students' self-confidence and success in the course. The first method was a one-day optional symposium featuring a variety of tutorial sessions. In the second, a pre-test helped students determine potential deficits in requisite knowledge, and topical workshops were made available outside of class time. The third method used the same assessment pre-test combined with instructional videos on selected topics drawn from the pre-test. The three approaches were compared in a formative sense with respect to 1) student identification of areas of potential weakness, 2) accessibility of each method to the non-traditional student population. The success of the third method at improving student course performance was also examined.

Student Participation and Instructor Gender in the Mixed-Age College Classroom

In 1991 over 38% of all U.S. college students, and nearly 42% of female U.S. college students, were age 25 or older. According to projections, by 1998 the number of nontraditional (age 25 or older) U.S. college students will rise to almost 46% (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1995, p. 178-179). The Education Resources Institute (1996) reported that the percentage of college students age 40 or over grew from 5.5% of the total enrollment in 1970 to 11.2% in 1993, making this group the fastest-growing age category during that period. Clearly, nontraditional students will continue to be an increasingly significant part of the college classroom. Despite their significance, nontraditional college students have been largely ignored in investigations of classroom discussion. Much of the debate has centered around the issue of student gender in the college classroom with little consideration to the impact of student age on classroom participation. The Education Resources Institute (1996) report described the typical 40 and over student as a white female who attends a community college part-time and works thirty or more hours per week. Thus, as Howard, Short, and Clark (1996) suggested, due to their different life experiences, nontraditional students' definition of the situation in the college classroom is likely to differ considerably from that of traditional students. These differences contribute to the greater willingness of nontraditional students to participate in classroom discussion. Because Howard, Short, and Clark's (1996) sample of 13 introductory level courses were taught almost exclusively (12 of 13 courses) by female instructors, it was not possible to consider the effect of instructor gender or course level in the mixed-age classroom. This study seeks to fill that void in the literature and contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the impact of student age, student gender, instructor gender, and course level on student participation. Previous Research Since Hall and Sandler's (1982) contention that the college classroom presents a chilly climate for female student participation, the issue of student gender has been the object of considerable study with ambiguous results. Several studies found no effect of student gender (Boersma, Gay, Jones, Morrison, & Remick, 1981; Cornelius, Gray, & Constantinople, 1990; Crawford & MacLeod, 1990 [in their university sample]; Hamlin & Janssen, 1981). However, other studies have concluded that males participate disproportionately (Brooks, 1982; Constantinople, Cornelius, & Gray, 1988; Crawford & MacLeod, 1990 [in their small college sample]; Fassinger, 1995; French, 1984; Graddol & Swann, 1989; Karp & Yoels, 1976; Pearson & West, 1991; Spender, 1981). Brooks (1982) linked males' greater levels of participation with instructor gender, suggesting that males participate more than females in female-taught classes. On the other hand, Sternglanz and Lyberger-Ficek (1977) and Pearson and West (1991) concluded that male students are more likely to dominate discussion in male-taught classes. Auster and MacRone (1994) found that instructor gender was not a significant determinant of student participation. Fassinger (1995) concluded that although instructor gender had no effect on the participation of male students, female students were more likely to participate in classes taught by female instructors. Class size was found to be a significant determinant of participation in classroom discussion in several studies (Constantinople, Cornelius, & Gray, 1988; Crawford & MacLeod, 1990; Fassinger, 1995; Howard, Short, & Clark, 1996). Fassinger (1995) emphasized the role of student traits (e.g., confidence, comprehension, interest, and preparation) and class traits (size, emotional climate, interaction norms, frequent large group discussions) over instructor traits (e.g., gender). Nunn (1996) challenged Fassinger's (1995) findings by concluding that the instructor's choice of teaching techniques (e. …

Self-directedness in nontraditional college students: a behavioral factor in computer anxiety?

This paper reports on the results of a study of nontraditional undergraduate students enrolled in a business communication course. The focus of the study was to determine whether or not self-directedness in learner profile was a predictor of computer anxiety. Analysis was carried out to assess the factor structure of the Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory and Oetting's Computer Anxiety Scale. Self-directedness was indicated to be a predictor of computer anxiety in nontraditional college students.

Increasing the Career Decision‐Making Self‐Efficacy of Nontraditional College Students

Nontraditional college students (29 women and 37 men) participated in a career counseling workshop based on Bandura's (1977) self‐efficacy theory. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental treatment group or a delayed‐treatment control group. Results suggested that participation in the workshop had a significant, positive effect on the career decision‐making self‐efficacy of the participants (p &lt; .05) across levels of age, sex, year in college, and family income. Results provide support for career self‐efficacy theory and indicate that the career decision‐making self‐efficacy of nontraditional college students is amenable to change through counseling interventions.