Midwestern Public University Research Articles

The Psychometric Properties of the Online Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (OGSAS)

Over the last decade, many psychometric instruments have been developed that assess various online problematic behaviors. Despite the many scales assessing gambling disorder (and its equivalents), no instrument assessing the consequences of problematic online gambling currently exists. In order to assess the symptoms and consequences of online gambling disorder, the Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (G-SAS) was modified and its psychometric properties were assessed using exploratory factor analysis. The data were collected from 326 undergraduate and graduate students from a large public Midwestern university in the USA. Results suggest that the newly developed Online Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (OGSAS) is reliable and valid as regards assessing the symptoms of online gambling disorder.

Foster Care Alumni Achievement in Higher Education: the Role of Trauma.

Foster care alumni lag behind the general population in post-secondary academic achievement. This cross-sectional study uses a random sample of forty-six foster care alumni from a Midwestern public university to explore the relationship between exposure to trauma and post-secondary academic achievement (14.5% response rate; age range 17-24). While no significant relationship was found between trauma exposure and GPA or failing classes, participants who experienced increased exposure to trauma were more likely to have withdrawn from a class because it was too difficult or the semester was too overwhelming. More research is needed to further understand these findings.

Teaching Trump: Student Recommendations to Ensure Safe Discussions in a Time of Polarized Political Divide

ABSTRACTThis article includes findings from a mixed method survey at a large, public midwestern university following the election of Donald J. Trump as the president of the United States. It examines student perceptions about effective engagement in political discourse within social work classes. Survey questions urged students to suggest how instructors might facilitate this dialogue fairly in the classroom given the passionate emotions and differing viewpoints surrounding the election, while acknowledging and educating about values espoused by the profession. Findings from this study illustrate the challenges that students face in having these conversations and outline their recommendations to social work educators for facilitating safe, sensitive, and inclusive classroom discussion about politics.

Undergraduate Kinesiology Students’ Experiences in Online Motor Development Course

The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate kinesiology students’ experiences in an online life span motor development course. This study was based on theory of transactional distance (Moore, 1997). Seven undergraduate kinesiology majors (5 females, 2 males), who were enrolled in an online course at a Midwestern public university in the US, participated in this study. Data collection included face-to-face open ended interviews, bulletin board discussion logs, and online assessment projects. A constant comparative method was used to interpret the data, and allowed themes to emerge from the data as well as from the theoretical framework. Three interrelated themes emerged from the undergraduate students’ narratives; rigors and flexibility in online course learning, peer feedback experiences, and video assessment analysis. The results of this study demonstrate that undergraduate students can have independent learning styles and kinesthetic characteristics and concepts when enrolled in online life span motor development coursework. Online kinesiology courses should be centered on a set of student tasks (lectures, projects, and assignments) that constitute the learning experiences that engage students, either independently and collaboratively, in order for them to master the objectives of the course (Carr-Chellman & Duchastel, 2001).

Online instruction in large scale sport sociology courses: A collective autoethnography

Four instructors reflect on teaching large scale online sport sociology courses at a major Midwestern public research university in the Trump era. We provide an autoethnographic perspective from the perspective of one faculty member, one doctoral candidate, one doctoral student, and one first year doctoral student of some happy surprises as well as major and common pitfalls in attempting to engage and teach undergraduate students in critical analysis of sport through two separate courses with enrollments of 750 each. We also reflect on the role of the institution and the role of the instructor as they complement and contradict each other. This includes our engagement in course group-discussion assignments with students who represent a range of political standpoints and our attempts to support underrepresented students in those class discussions.

Reducing Inequality in Academic Success for Incoming College Students: A Randomized Trial of Growth Mindset and Belonging Interventions

ABSTRACTLight-touch social psychological interventions have gained considerable attention for their potential to improve academic outcomes for underrepresented and/or disadvantaged students in postsecondary education. While findings from previous interventions have demonstrated positive effects for racial and ethnic minority and first-generation students in small samples, few interventions have been implemented at a larger scale with more heterogeneous student populations. To address this research gap, 7,686 students, representing more than 90% of incoming first-year students at a large Midwestern public university, were randomly assigned to an online growth mindset intervention, social belonging intervention, or a comparison group. Results suggest that after the fall semester, the growth mindset intervention significantly improved grade point averages for Latino/a students by about .40 points. This represents a 72% reduction in the GPA gap between White and Latino/a students. Further, this effect was replicated for both spring semester GPA and cumulative GPA. These findings indicate that light-touch interventions may be a minimally invasive approach to improving academic outcomes for underrepresented students. Our findings also highlight the complexity of implementing customized belonging interventions in heterogeneous contexts.

Problem drinking among at-risk college students: The examination of Greek involvement, freshman status, and history of mental health problems

ABSTRACTObjective: Scarce research has examined the combined effect of mental health difficulties and demographic risk factors such as freshman status and Greek affiliation in understanding college problem drinking. The current study is interested in looking at the interaction among freshman status, Greek affiliation, and mental health difficulties. Participants and Methods: Undergraduate students (N = 413) from a private and public Midwestern university completed a large online survey battery between January 2009 and April 2013. Data from both schools were aggregated for the analyses. Results: After accounting for gender, age, and school type, the three-way interaction indicated that the highest drinking levels were reported in freshman students who reported a history of mental health problems although were not involved in Greek life. Conclusions: Findings are discussed in the context of perceived social norms, as well as alcohol-related screenings and intervention opportunities on college campuses.

Self-Compassion: A Potential Shield Against Extreme Self-Reliance?

Can self-compassion protect young adults from the pitfalls of self-reliance? Emerging adults undergo a process of exploring their identities and establishing significant relationships that is vulnerable to stressors. Extreme self-reliance exacerbates this because of a lack of access to emotional support, threatening their well-being. Self-compassion facilitates emotional regulation and enhanced coping, which may protect young adults’ well-being from the consequences of self-reliance. We explored (a) the relationships among self-reliance, self-compassion and its elements (i.e., self-kindness, self-judgment, mindfulness, over-identification, common humanity, and isolation), and well-being, and (b) the potential of self-compassion as either a buffer or a mediator of the relationship between self-reliance and well-being. At an urban Midwestern public university, we recruited 208 young adults aged between 18 and 30 years (M = 21.94, SD = 3.49) with diverse backgrounds. We found that self-reliance, self-judgment, over-identification, and isolation were moderately-to-strongly negatively correlated with well-being, and that self-kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity were moderately-to-strongly (i.e., .30 < r < .63) positively correlated with well-being. Although we found no evidence that self-compassion acts as a buffer, we found good correlational evidence via path analysis that it acts as a mediator. Our findings suggest that the potential threat of extreme self-reliance to young adults’ well-being may be partially explained by self-kindness, mindfulness, and isolation.

The Impact of a Randomized Sleep Education Intervention for College Students.

Sleep deprivation can impair attention, mood, and performance; however, few effective sleep education programs are available. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a sleep education website, Sleep to Stay Awake (sleeptostayawake.org), on sleep behaviors of college students. College students (age 18 years or older) attending a public Midwestern university were randomized to control or intervention groups. All subjects completed baseline surveys that included demographics, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Patient Health Questionnaire, sleep knowledge, and measures of sleepiness and circadian rhythm. The intervention group then undertook the online intervention. Surveys were repeated at 1 week and at 8 weeks. Students who participated included 295 controls and 254 intervention subjects. The mean age was 21.9 ± 4.1 years and 41.7% were male. Survey results at 8 weeks showed that more intervention subjects reported improved sleep behaviors (50.3% versus 39.5%, P = .04). Intervention subjects were more likely to stop electronics use earlier (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 1.5 [1.0-2.4]), keep a more regular sleep schedule (1.6 [1.06-2.4]), have an earlier weekday rise time (2.4 [1.3-4.4]), and have a lower likelihood of insufficient sleep prior to examinations (0.46 [0.28-0.76]). The intervention group had improvement in mean sleep quality (odds ratio = 5.8 versus 6.6, P < .001) and depression scores (odds ratio = 4.6 versus 5.6, P = .03). No significant differences were found in the other measures. A brief and personalized online sleep education intervention improved sleep behaviors, sleep quality, and depressions scores. This novel approach to address sleep deprivation, poor sleep habits, and mood among college students may offer an effective and inexpensive remedy.

Unblurring the lines of sexual consent with a college student-driven sexual consent education campaign

ABSTRACTObjective: To test the effectiveness of a college student-driven sexual consent education campaign to improve college students' sexual consent understanding. Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 992) at a large, public Midwestern university between March and December 2015. Methods: Three online survey questionnaires assessing relevant outcome measures were distributed to the university's undergraduate student population before, during, and after the campaign's implementation over two consecutive academic semesters. Results: Exposure to the campaign and the sexual consent understanding of the student population improved over time. College men and members of university-affiliated social sororities or fraternities resulted in greater improvement than their respective counterparts (i.e., college women, nonmembers). Conclusions: Sexual consent education campaigns for college students that are student-driven and address relevant sociocultural factors while authentically interacting with students can improve students' sexual consent understanding. These type of campaigns also have the opportunity to reach historically hard-to-reach audiences, such as college men.

Loving Out Loud: Community Mentors, Teacher Candidates, and Transformational Learning Through a Pedagogy of Care and Connection

Although there has been significant research examining the practice of culturally responsive teaching, little empirical work to date has examined the role that community-engaged, teacher preparation models play in shaping prospective teachers’ orientation toward cultural responsiveness. This study of 60 preservice teacher candidates enrolled in a program of community-engaged teacher preparation at a midsized Midwestern public university specifically examined the ways in which caring relationships between preservice teachers and volunteer community mentors scaffolded candidates’ contextualized understanding of culture, community, and identity of children and families. Findings provide evidence that as candidates experience authentic caring within the space of supportive relationships, they emerge equipped to care in more authentic, culturally responsive ways for their students.

Examining Admission Factors Predicting Success in a Doctor of Nursing Practice Program.

Graduate nursing programs are challenged to select students who are likely to succeed and who add to nursing workforce diversity. For this retrospective study, researchers examined 5 years of admission and retention data from a 4-year Bachelor-to-Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program (n=144) at a large public midwestern university. Using a multinomial logistic regression analysis, four factors were examined to determine which predicted student success, delayed success, or failure: last 60-credit grade point average (GPA), admission essay score, average recommendation letter score, and demographic data (i.e., race, age, gender). GPA, age, and race were found to be significant predictors of student outcomes in this program. Writing and recommendation scores and gender did not predict student outcomes. DNP admission committees should consider the weight given to the GPA in their admission formulas and be prepared to work with retention committees to support older and minority students. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(1):49-52.].

Peer evaluations within experiential pedagogy: Fairness, objectivity, retaliation safeguarding, constructive feedback, and experiential learning as part of peer assessment

This paper describes the analysis of peer assessment processes in experiential learning courses at a Midwestern public university. Factor analysis was used in the creation of constructs measuring perceptions of fairness, objectivity, retaliation safeguarding, and constructive feedback. Constructs were based on student fears that peer assessment is unfair, peers measure based on emotions (objectivity), giving a bad score will hurt me in later courses (retaliation safeguarding), and feedback is not developmental. As well, it was determined whether there was a belief, by end users, that peer assessment is a critical component of experiential learning. The authors surveyed 477 students within semester courses practicing experiential learning pedagogies and developed constructs for fairness (α = 0.785), objectivity (α = 0.774), retaliation safeguarding (α = 0.862), constructive feedback (α = 0.692) and experiential learning (α = 0.743). No within-factor multicollinearity was found in any construct.

The Association between Heavy Episodic Drinking and Gender Orientation among U.S. College Students: The Significance of Masculinity

ABSTRACTBackground: Heavy episodic drinking (HED) remains a public health concern among college students. Sex differences are routinely reported in the literature although some evidence of convergence in drinking patterns has been observed. The association between sex and gender-orientation in HED remains unclear because sex and gender are often conflated. Objective: We examine the intersection of sex, gender-orientation and HED to determine if gender-orientation alone and/or in conjunction with sex play a role in HED among college students. Methods: Data were collected using a web-based self-administered survey made available to students enrolled in courses at a mid-sized Midwestern public university during the Fall of 2013 and the Spring of 2014 (N = 793). Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between HED, sex, and gender orientation (measured using the short-form Bem Sex Role Inventory). Results: Our findings indicate that, regardless of sex, a masculine gender-orientation was positively associated with HED. Those who were found to have a feminine gender-orientation appeared to be at decreased risk for HED. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that sex and gender-orientation should be taken into account in prevention and intervention protocols at colleges and universities. Future work should examine the role of gender orientation among LGBTQ and ethno-racial minority populations.

An Investigation of Student Psychological Wellbeing: Honors Versus Nonhonors Undergraduate Education

The purpose of this study was to describe the current state of psychological wellbeing in gifted and nongifted undergraduate student sample populations and identify undergraduate populations experiencing heightened levels of distress within a large Midwestern public university. Study participants included 641 honors and 386 nonhonors undergraduate students. Each participant completed an electronic survey including a series of 10 measures of psychological adjustment to assess student psychological wellbeing. Significant differences between honors and nonhonors student sample populations were identified. Findings also suggest sophomore students share unique characteristics that may be responsible for lower levels of psychological wellbeing. Potential services that may improve the university undergraduate experience are discussed.

Examining the social ecology of a bar-crawl: An exploratory pilot study.

Many of the problems associated with alcohol occur after a single drinking event (e.g. drink driving, assault). These acute alcohol problems have a huge global impact and account for a large percentage of unintentional and intentional injuries in the world. Nonetheless, alcohol research and preventive interventions rarely focus on drinking at the event-level since drinking events are complex, dynamic, and methodologically challenging to observe. This exploratory study provides an example of how event-level data may be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. The drinking behavior of twenty undergraduate students enrolled at a large Midwestern public university was observed during a single bar crawl event that is organized by students annually. Alcohol use was monitored with transdermal alcohol devices coupled with ecological momentary assessments and geospatial data. “Small N, Big Data” studies have the potential to advance health behavior theory and to guide real-time interventions. However, such studies generate large amounts of within subject data that can be challenging to analyze and present. This study examined how to visually display event-level data and also explored the relationship between some basic indicators and alcohol consumption.

Measuring the impacts of administrative policies on student performance in higher education

In this study, we investigate the joint impacts of class size, modality of content delivery and instructor workloads on 1078 student performances from 2010 through 2014 in a required College of Business Administration Information Systems (IS) course at a public Midwestern university, controlling for 11 demographic and other factors that might impact student performance. Class size, modality of delivery and instructor assignments are strategic college decisions affected by and subject to administrative policies that can impact the probabilities of student performance. Using the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) and Chi-square significance tests, we construct a parsimonious binary logit model of individual student performance in the IS course and examine the effects of the administratively controllable factors on student performance. We find that the class size and the assignment of instructors to teach the course significantly impact student performance while modality of delivery does not. We offer and evaluate administrative policy recommendations likely to improve student performances.

Estas rimas son para ti: Exploring Learners Comprehension of Spanish Language Music Containing Dialectical Features

This paper reports the findings of a study that examined native English‐speaking learners’ comprehension of Spanish language music containing Caribbean dialectal features. Twenty‐one learners enrolled in 300‐ and 400‐level Spanish content courses at a large, Midwestern public university in the US participated in this study. Each participant completed the following five tasks: (1) listening task, (2) listening task difficulty questionnaire, (3) vocabulary familiarity task, (4) Spanish language proficiency test, and (5) background questionnaire. The listening task contained short clips of Spanish language music, several of which contained dialectal features present in Caribbean speech and music. The results revealed that comprehension accuracy was very low on the listening task, and listening task items containing dialectal features were more difficult to comprehend for learners. Additionally, listening task scores were significantly correlated with knowledge of vocabulary items present in the music lyrics.

Educating Social Workers for Practice in Integrated Health Care: A Model Implemented in a Graduate Social Work Program

ABSTRACTThis article introduces a curricular innovation, the Integrated Health Scholars Program (IHSP), developed to prepare master's-level social work students for practice in integrated health care settings, and presents preliminary findings related to students’ self-reported program competencies and perceptions. IHSP, implemented in a research-intensive school of social work in a large midwestern public university, includes specialized course work, interprofessional education across health science disciplines, and field practicum in integrated health care settings. Curricular components support stepwise learning and follows the British Columbia model of interprofessional education learning tiers: exposure, immersion, and skill mastery. Despite IHSPs successful development in a well-resourced, supportive environment, challenges facing our profession's ability to develop and sustain training of MSW students in integrated health care are discussed.

Baccalaureate Student Nurses' Study Habits Prior to Admission to Nursing Program: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

BackgroundFaculty continue to observe students struggling as they adapt their study strategies to learn nursing core content. ObjectivesThis study described the study habits of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students prior to admission to the program. DesignThis study used a descriptive qualitative research design. Settings and ParticipantsA purposive sample of 19 BSN students (juniors [n=10] and seniors [n=9]) from a 4-year public Midwestern university were included in this study. MethodsTwo focus group sessions, using a semi-structured interview guide, were conducted in the spring semester of 2013. ResultsThe four themes which emerged from the analysis of data were: “I just got it,” “I had a lot of time then,” “I studied alone” mostly, and “…a little struggle with the sciences.” ConclusionsThe findings suggest the BSN students did not study much or employed poor study strategies during their years completing general education courses. Academic support is needed by students prior to admission to the nursing program so they can learn effective study skills and modify their study habits for easier adaptation to the rigors of nursing education.