College student journal 

About: College student journal is an academic journal published by Project Innovation Austin. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Higher education & Population. It has an ISSN identifier of 0146-3934. Over the lifetime, 2133 publications have been published receiving 46700 citations.

Sources of stress among college students.

Abstract: The Student Stress Survey (SSS) was used to determine the major sources of stress among college students. The scale consisted of 40 potentially stressful situations. The scale addressed interpersonal, intrapersonal, academic, and environmental sources of stress. The items in the scale were also classified as either daily hassles or major life events. Participants were 100 students at a mid-sized, Midwestern university and varied in year in school, age, gender, and major. Overall, daily hassles were reported more often than major life events, with intrapersonal sources of stress being the most frequently reported source. The top five sources of stress were; change in sleeping habits, vacations/breaks, change in eating habits, increased work load, and new responsibilities. The findings from this study may be further used to examine which sources of stress cause the highest levels of stress among college students, and may be helpful in creating stress management programs. College students, especially freshmen, are a group particularly prone to stress (D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991) due to the transitional nature of college life (Towbes & Cohen, 1996). They must adjust to being away from home for the first time, maintain a high level of academic achievement, and adjust to a new social environment. College students, regardless of year in school, often deal with pressures related to finding a job or a potential life partner. These stressors do not cause anxiety or tension by themselves. Instead, stress results from the interaction between stressors and the individual's perception and reaction to those stressors (Romano, 1992). The amount of stress experienced may be influenced by the individual's ability to effectively cope with stressful events and situations (D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991). If stress is not dealt with effectively, feelings of loneliness and nervousness, as well as sleeplessness and excessive worrying may result (Wright, 1967). It is important that stress intervention programs be designed to address stress of college students. However, in order to design an effective intervention, the stressors specific to college students must be determined (Wright, 1967). The dynamic relationship between the person and environment in stress perception and reaction is especially magnified in college students. The problems and situations encountered by college students may differ from those faced by their nonstudent peers (Hirsch & Ellis, 1996). The environment in which college students live is quite different. While jobs outside of the university setting involve their own sources of stress, such as evaluation by superiors and striving for goals, the continuous evaluation that college students are subjected to, such as weekly tests and papers, is one which is not often seen by non-students (Wright, 1964). The pressure to earn good grades and to earn a degree is very high (Hirsch & Ellis, 1996). Earning high grades is not the only source of stress for college students. Other potential sources of stress include excessive homework, unclear assignments, and uncomfortable classrooms (Kohn & Frazer, 1986). In addition to academic requirements, relations with faculty members and time pressures may also be sources of stress (Sgan-Cohen & Lowental, 1988). Relationships with family and friends, eating and sleeping habits, and loneliness may affect some students adversely (Wright, 1967). Assessment of stress levels in college students is a topic often examined by researchers. For example, Towbes and Cohen (1996) created the College Chronic Life Stress Survey in which they focused on the frequency of chronic stress in the lives of college students. This scale contains items that persist across time to create stress, such as interpersonal conflicts, self-esteem problems, and money problems. They evaluated these stressors in relation to how many times a student had to deal with them on a weekly basis. …

Predictors of Academic Achievement and Retention among College Freshmen: A Longitudinal Study.

Abstract: This research examines potential psychosocial predictors of freshman academic achievement and retention College students were assessed on various dimensions, (ie, demographics, prior academic record, smoking, drinking, health-related quality of life, social support, coping) during the first week of their freshman year, and at the beginning of the next academic year A multiple linear regression equation predicting cumulative GPA using 10 predictors accounted for 56% of the variance in academic achievement while a logistic equation predicting retention rates was not statistically significant The amount of variance accounted for in first year cumulative GPA (56%) represents a substantial improvement in prediction over using highschool GPA and SAT scores alone (25%; Wolfe & Johnson, 1995) However, similar to past research, some health and psychosocial variables (eg, smoking, drinking, health-related quality of life, social support, and maladaptive coping strategies) were related to retention This model may be used as a tool to proactively identify students at high risk for poor academic performance during their freshman year and to provide direction regarding proactive intervention strategies for maladaptive behaviors predictive of poor academic performance (eg, smoking, binge-drinking, social support, coping) ********** The freshman year represents a stressful transition for college students (Lu, 1994) Despite a multitude of social, academic, and emotional stressors, most college students successfully cope with a complex new life role and achieve academic success Other students are less able to successfully manage this transition and decide to leave higher education during or at the end of their freshman year It is estimated that 40% of college students will leave higher education without getting a degree (Porter, 1990) with 75% percent of such students leaving within their first two years of college (Tinto, 1987) Freshman class attrition rates are typically greater than any other academic year and are commonly as high as 20-30% (Mallinckrodt & Sedlacek, 1987) The implications of leaving college without obtaining a degree are many Each student that leaves before degree completion costs the college or university thousands of dollars in unrealized tuition, fees, and alumni contributions The decision to leave college is also frequently economically deleterious to the college dropout, whose decision to leave often leaves him or her in a position to earn much less over a lifetime of work (National Center for Educational Statistics, 1989) Despite these considerable negative consequences for universities and students, attrition rates have not changed appreciably over the last few decades (Porter, 1990) This fact has provided an impetus to understand risk factors for college student attrition If such risk factors can be identified, then intervention programs can be designed to increase retention rates (Clark & Halpern, 1993) There is a consistent relationship between college academic achievement and retention, with higher performing students persisting in their studies to a greater degree than their lower achieving cohorts (Kirby & Sharpe, 2001; McGrath & Braunstein, 1997; Ryland, Riordan, & Brack, 1994) Given the consistent relationship between these variables, it is prudent and efficient to identify common risk factors for these student outcomes in order to best develop targeted intervention programs This study will examine a number of potentially predictive variables of academic achievement and retention that have been examined in prior studies and also examine some new potential risk factors, such as student health status, that have yet to be examined The goal of this research was to create a multidimensional risk model that would optimize prediction of both academic achievement and attrition The following is a brief literature overview and rationale for the inclusion of certain variables in this comprehensive risk model …

Relationship between color and emotion: A study of college students.

Abstract: Ninety-eight college students were asked to indicate their emotional responses to five principle hues (i.e., red, yellow, green, blue, purple), five intermediate hues (i.e., yellow-red, green-yellow, blue-green, purple-blue, and red-purple), and three achromatic colors (white, gray, and black) and the reasons for their choices. The color stimuli were referenced from the Munsell Color System. The results revealed that the principle hues comprised the highest number of positive emotional responses, followed by the intermediate hues and the achromatic colors. The color green evoked mainly positive emotions such as relaxation and comfort because it reminded most of the respondents of nature. The color green-yellow had the lowest number of positive responses because it was associated with vomit and elicited the feelings of sickness and disgust. For the achromatic colors, white attained a large number of positive responses, followed by the colors black and gray. The reasons for the color-emotion associations are discussed and future research areas are suggested. Introduction Color is an inseparable part of our everyday lives and its presence is evident in everything that we perceive. It is widely recognized that colors have also a strong impact on our emotions and feelings (Hemphill, 1996; Lang, 1993; Mahnke, 1996). For instance, the color red has been associated with excitement, orange has been perceived as distressing and upsetting, purple as dignified and stately, yellow as cheerful, and blue has been associated with comfort and security (Ballast, 2002; Wexner, 1982). Moreover, some colors may be associated with several different emotions and some emotions are associated with more than one color (Linton, 1999, Saito, 1996). Red, symbolically known as a dominant and dynamic color, has an exciting and stimulating hue effect. It has both positive and negative impressions such as active, strong, passionate, warm, but on the other hand aggressive, bloody, raging and intense. Green has been found to have a retiring and relaxing effect. It too has both positive and negative impressions such as refreshment, quietness, naturalness, and conversely tiredness and guilt (Davey, 1998, Mahnke, 1996, Saito, 1996). The relationship between color and emotion is closely tied to color preferences. In particular, color preferences are associated with whether a color elicits positive or negative feelings. While particular colors have been found to be highly preferred regardless of age, racial group, or culture (Adams & Osgood, 1973, Eysenck, 1941), there is some evidence that color preference may be culturally-based. For example, Choungourian (1968) found that the colors red and blue were the most preferred colors among American subjects, but were less preferred in other cultures. In a comparision of Japanese and Korean subjects, Saito (1996) found unique color preference tendencies between the two countries, and also with respect to age, gender, and geographical region within the individual country. In an investigation of children's emotional associations with colors, Boyatzis and Varghese (1994) found that light colors (e.g., yellow, blue) are associated with positive emotions (e.g., happy, strong) and dark colors (e.g., black, gray) with negative emotions (e.g., sad, angry). In a study examining color-emotion associations among college students in Australia, Hemphill (1996) also found that bright colors elicited mainly positive emotional associations, while dark colors elicited negative emotional associations, confirming the results obtained by Boyatzis and Varghese (1994). However, Saito (1996) found that the color black elicited both negative and positive responses among Japanese subjects, and that black was often a preferred color among young people. Colors can also be described in temperature terms, such as "warm" or "cool"as related to the dominant wavelength of the color. The cool colors (e. …

First-Generation College Students at a Four-Year University: Background Characteristics, Reasons for Pursuing Higher Education, and First-Year Experiences

Abstract: This study examined the background characteristics of first-generation college students at a four-year university, their reasons for pursuing higher education, and their first-year experiences. In comparison to students whose parents had some college experience but no degrees (n = 75) and students whose parents had at least a bachelor's degree (n = 68), first-generation college students (n = 64) were more likely to come from a lower socioeconomic background, to report that they were pursuing higher education to help their family out financially after they complete college, and to worry about financial aid for college. It is recommended that campus support services for these students directly address their unique challenges and concerns. ********** First-generation college students are those whose parents have not attended college (Billson & Terry, 1982). Most of these students start college at a two-year institution rather than a four-year institution. For example, for the 1995-96 academic year, 50.2% of first-generation college students started higher education at a two-year college (National Center for Education Statistics, 1999). They tend to start at two-year institutions for various reasons, three of which are (a) their academic preparation is not competitive enough to gain admission to a four-year institution, (b) they cannot afford the tuition costs at a four-year institution, or (c) they need the flexibility of class schedules at a two-year institution to meet their other responsibilities as workers, spouses, or parents (see Zwerling & London, 1992). Research, however, has shown that first-generation students have a better chance of earning a bachelor's degree if they start postsecondary education at a four-year college rather than a two-year college. For example, statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (2000) show that, among first-generation college students who started higher education during the 1989-90 academic year, less than 10% of those who started at a two-year institution had earned a bachelor's degree by 1994; in contrast, a little more than 40% of those who started at a four-year institution had earned their bachelor's degree by 1994. Surprisingly, little survey research has been done on the background characteristics of first-generation college students at four-year institutions. The few empirical studies that have been conducted on these students have mainly examined topics such as their risk of attrition (Billson & Terry, 1982; Pratt, & Skaggs, 1989), their personality characteristics (McGregor, Mayleben, Buzzanga, Davis, & Becker, 1991), their relationships with their families (London, 1989), their academic preparation and first-year performance (Riehl, 1994), and their cognitive development (Terenzini, Springer, Yaeger, Pascarella, & Nora, 1996; these researchers also included community college students among their participants). The current study contributed to the literature on first-generation college students by focusing on those who start their higher education at a four-year university. More specifically, this study examined (a) the background characteristics of these students, (b) their reasons for pursuing higher education, and (c) their first-year experiences. Their responses were compared to those of students whose parents had at least a bachelor's degree and to those of students whose parents had some college experience but no degrees. Such analyses can identify challenges that are particular to first-generation college students and inform offices of student support services of the kinds of help that these students need to succeed at a four-year institution. Method Participants First-generation college students (n = 64) were recruited from the Program Leading to Undergraduate Success at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). …

A Sense of Belonging: Improving Student Retention.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes and potential solutions to, student attrition. With student attrition rates reaching between 30 and 50 per cent in the United States, and over 20 per cent in Australia, the inability of higher education institutions to retain their students is a significant issue. This paper cites key risk factors which place students at risk of non-completion, which include mental health issues, disability, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Furthermore, first year students and higher degree by research students are susceptible to attrition. The capacity of a student to develop a sense of belonging within the higher education institution is recognised by this paper as a being a critical factor determining student retention. The creation of a caring, supportive and welcoming environment within the university is critical in creating a sense of belonging. This can be achieved by the development of positive student/faculty relationships, the presence of a well resourced counselling centre and the encouragement of diversity and difference.