The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that predict marijuana use and grade point average among undergraduate college students using the Core Institute national database. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was used to collect data on students’ attitudes, beliefs, and experiences related to substance use in college. The sample used in this study was delimited to include only full-time undergraduate students (N =111,664) and data were collected from 2011 to 2015. Six research questions provided the foundation of the study, which was operationalized by Astin’s (1993) input environment outcome model (IEO). Descriptive analysis was conducted to describe the sample in terms of individual and institutional characteristics, campus experiences, and substance use. Comparative analyses including one-way analysis of variance and two-way analysis of variance were conducted to determine statistical significance of differences between groups for gender, ethnic origin, marijuana use, and grade point average. Effect sizes were calculated for each ANOVA to determine the magnitude of the effect and practical significance for the population. Finally, inferential analyses using hierarchical, multiple regression were conducted to predict marijuana use. The regression model was also used to explore factors predicting medical marijuana and recreational marijuana use among students in the 2015 cohort. Statistically significant results were reported for each regression model. Statistically significant at p < .001, the factors that explained 42.2% of the variance in the final model included: gender, ethnic origin, age, institutional control, campus locale, intercollegiate athletics, social fraternities and sororities, music and performing arts, alcohol use, illegal drug use change, perceived risk of harm from trying marijuana once or twice, and perceived risk of harm from smoking marijuana regularly. Implications for policy, practice, and future research regarding marijuana use and academic performance are included. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

There are two general goals that personality researchers seek to accomplish. The first goal is to define domains that comprise the thousands of personal characteristics that make a person unique. And the second is to examine the generalizability of dimensions across cultures and languages, that is, to observe whether personality domains are universal or culture-specific. Following the steps of personality psychologists the first goal of this dissertation was to define dimensions of personality of Americans and Mexicans, and the second was to observe if dimensions were equivalent or unique across these two cultures. Typically personality researchers, in order to identify the most relevant aspects of human personality, have turned to a questionnaire method whereby people rate themselves along dimensions of traits most often described in natural language. These trait terms are derived from various dictionaries within the researchers' culture. Multiple ratings are then factor analyzed yielding a smaller group of broad traits that then serve to define the culture's primary personality dimensions. In this investigation, personality terms were culled from open-ended personality descriptions. Relying on a new text analytic procedure called the meaning extraction method, it was possible to define dimensions of personality in Americans and Mexicans. The factoranalytically derived results showed that there were seven relevant dimensions of personality for Americans and six dimensions for Mexicans. Using qualitative and quantitative analyses it was possible to observe which dimensions were equivalent and which dimensions were unique to each culture. Specifically, for both Americans and Mexicans, the most important dimensions were Sociability, Values, Hobbies/Activities, and Emotionality. Three dimensions were unique to Americans (i.e., Fun, Existentialism, and College Experience), and two for the Mexicans (Relationships and Simpatía). Other analyses were done to explore the universality and uniqueness of the dimensions. For example, dimensions were correlated with self-reports that measure dimensions wellestablished by personality researchers. The challenge of establishing dimensions across cultures and languages are discussed, along with the limitations of the approach.

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The purpose of this project was to examine potential differences in undergraduate student attachment styles based on their nationality (Taiwanese and U.S.), gender (female and male), and the duration of their dating relationships (no relationship, less than 1 year, more than 1 year but less than 2 years, more than 2 years but less than 3 years, and more than 3 years). A total of 2,580 students participated in this study. Of these students, 1,298 were recruited from a university in Taiwan, and 1,282 were obtained from a university in the U.S. Due to a lack of culturally-sensitive attachment theory and measures for the Asian population, in the current project, the author created a new scale based on the five Eastern cultural constructs identified by Wang and Song (2010) in order to gather data to better understand Taiwanese relational patterns. However, rather than confirming the five cultural constructs, a three-factor solution was found in this project. This solution better fit the data for Taiwanese students. The three-factors that were discovered were dialectical thinking and interdependent self-construal, filial piety, and yuan. In the study to test the hypotheses, it was found that among the three cultural constructs, dialectical thinking and interdependency and yuan seemed to be more relevant to the attachment styles of Taiwanese students than filial piety. For the U.S. students, however, responses to yuan were significantly correlated with responses to attachment styles. Regarding the comparison between Taiwanese and U.S. participants, Taiwanese respondents seemed to relate to a dialectical thinking pattern, interdependency, and yuan better than U.S. students, while U.S. respondents rated higher on filial piety than the Taiwanese participants. In addition, the longer individuals were involved in a dating relationship, the lower they scored on attachment avoidance. Even though females' overall scores on avoidance were higher than males, being in a relationship had greater salience for females than males. Strengths, limitations, and implications for research, theory, and practice are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

This study is an attempt to analyze some of the social psychological underpinnings of the contemporary trends in postponement of marriage and possible increase in singlehood in the U. S. Recent census data, for 1970-78 specifically, and for 1960 to date generally, show marked increases in that direction among the young marriageables 18 to 34 years old. / After reviewing the available literatue, we have identified three loosely defined categories of writings that exist on the topic, namely, "psychological-ideological", "structural", and "social psychological." For reasons of parsimony, as well as in view of other theoretical considerations, we favor the social psychological analyses as a source of our hypotheses in this study. Therefore, utilizing primarily social psychological theory and research we have proposed a model relating the peer group, the family, and selected personality variables to traditionalism in individual sex role perceptions and to singlehood predispositon, and stated thirteen hypotheses which were tested from empirical data gathered for the study. / The data were gathered by the use of a questionnaire which was administered to a probability sample of some four hundred and fifty undergraduate students on the campus of a small, private, independent, midwestern university in the fall of 1976. The actual sample size used in the analysis consisted of 394 students (233 males and 161 females): some 56 questionnaires had to be rejected for various reasons such as those with incomplete responses, or those completed by married or divorced individuals, etc. / The data tended to support some of our hypotheses and indicated rejection of others thus providing only selective support for our over all model. Our central hypothesis positing a negative correlation between the degree of traditionalism in individual sex role perceptions and singlehood predisposition was supported by our data for males only even though we obtained a somewhat low correlation (Gamma = -.130). For females we found a relatively stronger positive association (Gamma = +.37). It is our interpretation that the more the females perceive traditionalism in societal sex role definitions the more they are likely to choose the singlehood alternative. / It seems that future work and career plans may be important factors in current marriage postponement among the college females studied. We found a strong association between future work and career plans and singlehood for females (Gamma = +.622). Marriage interest in general is still very high in this generation and all but a small minority intend to marry ultimately. There is also strong attitudinal support for the "liberal" view of sex rule definitions in general. / Our most significant findings were in the area of male-female differences where we frequently found correlations in the opposite directions for the two sexes. The study found the males to be a bit more likely to uphold traditional view of sex roles. Whereas personality variables (assertiveness and dependence) appeared to be unrelated to the degree of traditionalism in individual sex role perceptions and to singlehood predisposition, happiness and conflict in the family of orientation seemed to influence marriage decisions. Males from happy families and females from unhappy families of orientation were somewhat more likely to choose marriage; at the same time there is low positive correlation between family conflict and choosing marriage for males and negative correlation for females in this respect. / We find it challenging to extrapolate from our data and analysis the implication that those men who marry or those who prefer to remain single choose those states for different, even opposite, reasons from those of the females. What meaning this has for the marriages of those who do marry and for the sex role relationships of those who remain single is an intriguing question somewhat beyond the scope of our present study.

The problem with which this study is concerned is the methodology that is used to assess the relationship between student perceptions of the college environment and student attrition. The population of the study was 329 students from a metropolitan community college who took the Student Opinion Survey, a publication of the American College Testing Service. Data on course withdrawals and non-return in a subsequent long semester were collected for the student population. The data results were analyzed statistically using analyses of variance, Pearson product moment correlation, multiple regression analysis using step-wise procedures, and factor analysis. Data were considered statistically significant at the .05 level in relation to seven hypotheses on combinations of variables that include areas of student satisfaction with the college environment, student background data, course withdrawal, and non-return in a subsequent long semester.

The purpose of this study was to compile an account of the growth and development of physical education for men in the colleges and universities in the United States. The plan was to organize the historical literature and the material obtained from the investigation in such a way as to make it of value to the institutions of higher learning in the further development of their physical education programs.

This study examines stereotypes of fraternities and sororities in the media. Recently the media, particularly movies and television, has produced numerous portrayals of fraternal organi zations. Through thi s study a content analysis of the television show GREEK from ABC Family was conducted. The first seven episodes were analyzed answer the following questions: Were stereotypes of fratern ities and sororities pmirayed through these episodes? If so, what were the stereotypes? Five stereotypes were studied for fraternities and six for sororities. Definitions of the chosen stereotypes are identified in the literature and recorded. Tally markers were used to tabulate each portrayal of stereotypes. An average of the three viewings was then calculated to help maximize the reliability of this study. The results were further manipulated to determine the frequency of both the fraternity and sorority stereotypes individually as well as together. Stereotypes were found throughout the television series. Fraternity stereotypes were recorded more often than sorority stereotypes. This study allows us to better understand the portrayals of fraternity and sorority life as shown in GREEK.

The problem of this study concerned illicit psychoactive drug use among community college students. A non-experimental design methodology, a survey, was used in this study. The population consisted of 149 students at 14 randomly selected public community college institutions throughout the United States. Three waves of mailings took place to increase response rate. Community college students appear to be knowledgeable regarding the deleterious physical and mental impact upon those who use drugs. Community college students appear to have a negative attitude toward drug use and toward those who use them. Community college students have an aversion to actual drug use. The illicit psychoactive drug of choice among community college students is marijuana.