3543 research outputs found
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Tobacco and Inhalant Delivery Systems on University Property and at University-Sponsored Events
No full textThe purpose of this policy is to ensure that Concordia University – Portland is in compliance with state and federal laws regarding the possession and use of tobacco products and inhalant delivery systems
Exploring the Associations between Instagram Use and Depressive Symptoms: A Replication with Extension
No full textToday, social media platforms continue to grow. Users of these platforms are also spending extended periods of time on them. Researchers in the literature are finding that social media use can have detrimental effects on a user’s wellbeing. This study is a replication with extension of a 2015 study by Lup, Trub, and Rosenthal. This study uses a moderated mediation model to explore the association between Instagram use and depressive symptoms through negative social comparison and moderated by amount of strangers followed and type of Instagram use. One hundred and forty two participants between the ages of 18-29 completed anonymous online questionnaires. This questionnaire measured demographic information, frequency of Instagram use, amount of strangers followed, social comparison, depression symptomology, and type of use. Instagram use mediated by social comparison and moderated by type of Instagram use was a significant indicator of depressive symptoms
Where to Next? Undergraduate Uncertainty Regarding Life After College
No full textUncertainty is arguably a universal human experience that transcends culture. One threat to existential meaning identified in the literature was the experience of personal uncertainty, defined as either an aversive feeling experienced when one feels uncertain about the self or as a neutral cognitive state created when an individual is unable to determine meaning, categorize or assign value to an event, or predict outcomes, with positive or negative reactions influenced by individual perception. Thus far, literature regarding uncertainty has focused disproportionately on medical uncertainty while studies of uncertainty in college students have yielded mixed results. The current study sought to answer the question, “How do undergraduate college students experience living with existential uncertainty regarding where to go next after university (i.e., career, higher education, or exploration)?” Utilizing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a single-subject case study of a Caucasian, female student with a declared major attending Concordia University in Portland, Oregon was conducted. Primary themes found in this study were money, family, and anxiety reported to fall under the higherorder theme of external influences. This theme was found to interact with the subtheme of intrapersonal considerations to shape student experience of uncertainty. Study results were compared against theoretical understandings of uncertainty reported in the literature and implications for career counselors were discussed. Strengths and limitations of the present study were then explored
Exploring The Lived Experiences of African American Male Learners in Higher Education
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how specific factors like college readiness, college affordability, and financial preparedness lead to college success for African American male learners attending historically Black colleges or universities located in Ohio. The state of Ohio continues to experience concerns with the low academic achievement of African American male learners. This study was explored through the implementation of three research questions: How do African American male learners perceive the effectiveness of their college readiness experiences to being successful in college? How do African American male learners perceive the effectiveness of their college affordability experiences to being successful in college? How do African American male learners perceive the effectiveness of their financial preparedness experiences to being successful in college? To ensure both data saturation and data triangulation, this researcher utilized three data collection instruments: face-to-face, in-depth interviews with 16 participants; three focus group sessions; and a researcher journal. The results indicate that successful African American male learners depend on their non-cognitive college readiness skills—self-motivation, family motivation, time management/strategic planning, and strong relationships through engagement and guidance from professors and education leaders— to support their success in college. Many African American male learners are enrolled full-time and work one or two jobs to support their financial preparedness and college affordability responsibility. They perceive their university to offer affordable tuition when compared to other institutions of higher education
Community College Students’ Perceived Value of High School Career and Technical Education Program Experiences
No full textThe goal of this qualitative, narrative inquiry study was to explore the voices of community college students who have taken Career and Technical Education (CTE) while in high school, investigate if they perceived value from their high school CTE classes, and determine how those experiences impacted their high school and college educations (cf. Association for Career and Technical Education, 2016; American Institutes for Research, 2013; Southern Regional Education Board, 2008). The central research question for the dissertation was: What value do local community college students believe their high school Career and Technical Education program participation provided? The screening survey had 13 participants that identified as possible candidates. A total of eight community college students were interviewed for this study. There was one exceptional case, Robs’ vignette, where CTE played an important role in defining Robs’ transformative learning experience. The overall outcomes of the study found positive lived experiences from taking CTE while in high school that included employable skills, collaborative learning, and personal behavioral skill building. The study discovered that taking CTE classes while in high school provided value for postsecondary learning and valuable training for the entry-level workforce. This analysis showed that CTE helped participants with personal and work skills to become career ready for an entry-level position and entry in to postsecondary learning. The themes found in this qualitative narrative study were: 1) Why did you take Career and Technical Education? 2) Community college students placed value in taking Career and Technical Education while in high school. 3) What was the best and worst of a Career and Technical Education program? 4) College credit was earned while in high school. 5) Career and Technical Education classes were underrepresented in schools. 6) Career and Technical Education is a valuable asset in high school. 7) Career and Technical Education offered real world hands-on learning experiences. 8) The importance of quality education
The Impact of Prekindergarten Intervention on Kindergarten Early Literacy Development
No full textCurrent findings in early childhood education research document the beneficial impact of prekindergarten on the development of young learners. However, while much research notes the important role prekindergarten can play on early childhood development, there is little research on how prekindergarten intervention impacts the early literacy development of struggling learners. Therefore, this causal comparative quantitative study examines the benefits of prekindergarten intervention instruction on the early literacy development of struggling learners. A pre- and posttest design used in a one paired t-test were performed to assess the early literacy benefits of prekindergarten intervention instruction on the early literacy development of struggling learners, specifically in the areas of Initial Sound Fluency, Letter Naming Fluency, Phoneme Segmentation, and Nonsense Word Fluency as assessed through kindergarten DIBELS. Within each DIBELS component, and for each assessment period in the fall, winter and spring, former prekindergarten students met and exceeded the National Norm developmental DIBELS benchmarks. Students kindergarten early literacy skills were positively impacted by the prekindergarten intervention instruction they received. The kindergarten DIBELS early literacy indicators are therefore predictive of the probability of prekindergarten students achieving future reading achievement with a level of 80%–90% confidence
