The obesity epidemic is steadily increasing and affecting all age groups. Obesity rates among young adults are scarcely reported but merit special attention as being overweight during young adulthood will likely result in being overweight or obese throughout adulthood. Because college students are still forming lifestyle patterns, the university setting is ideal for intervention and educating young adults on the importance of developing and maintaining healthy behaviors. This study evaluated whether participation in a 16-week first-year college seminar cooking course increased students’ self-efficacy in food preparation skills and dietary behaviors. Significant changes in food preparation skills were observed between before and after participation (p<0.05) but self-efficacy, overall, did not increase significantly. Institutions of higher education should provide experiential learning opportunities to improve food preparation skills and hence dietary habits of young adults by developing and implementing programs such as first-year seminars focusing on hands-on food preparation basics and techniques.

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The purpose of this comparative study was to determine the relationship of a First-Year Seminar course as well as student entry demographics to retention and graduation rates at community college in Tennessee. In the fall of 2013, the enrollment for the participating college was 3,790 with a mean composite ACT score of 18.9 and a mean GPA of 2.823. First-Year Experience programs at the community college consisted of First-Year Seminar (FYS), New Student Online Orientation (NSOO), New Student Advisement and Registration (NSAR), and mandatory academic advisement. For the purpose of this study the researcher examined only the First-Year Seminar course. The First-Year Seminar course was designed to provide students with strategies to further develop academic as well as life management skills. The course incorporated techniques to assist students in a successful beginning at the institution. Major topics focused on goal setting, institutional resources and activities, time management, basic study strategies including note-taking and test-taking, development of an academic plan, developing relationships, stress management, and career exploration. The populations studied were students who participated in a First-Year Seminar course and students who did not participate in a First-Year Seminar course. Those students who participated in the First-Year Seminar course were compared to the overall population of students prior to the implementation of mandatory participation in the first-year programs. The research questions in this study were addressed through data analysis using chi-square two-way contingency table. Archival data were retrieved from the institutions data system, about students who participated in a First-Year Seminar course and those students who did not participate. Additional demographic information were collected on student gender, age, and financial aid status. The findings in the study indicated there were significantly higher rates of retention for those students who participated in a First-Year Seminar course than those students who did not participate in a First-Year Seminar course. In regards to gender, age, and financial aid status overall retention rates were significantly higher for those students who participated in a First-Year Seminar course. The findings however did not indicate a significant correlation between participation in a First-Year Seminar course and graduation rates.

In the last 50 years, the trend in the field of composition pedagogy has turned away from traditional grammar instruction, condemning pedagogical practices that focus on preventing and remediating error. In the early 1960s, Richard Braddock, Richard Lloyd-Jones, and Lowell Schoer invoked the death sentence on traditional grammar instruction: "The teaching of formal grammar has a negligible or, because it usually displaces some instruction and practice in actual composition, even a harmful effect on the improvement of writing" (37-38). Having been enlightened by this scholarship, the field refocused instruction to emphasize elements like writing process, collaboration, modeling, and prewriting, pushing grammar instruction to the side. As a result of this shift in pedagogies, we are helping our students to see writing differently. We're teaching them that "good writing" is more than correct spelling and well-placed commas,which is correct. But grammar is still an important part of language, and an integral part of rhetoric. Recent scholars like Cheryl Glenn, Virginia Tufte, T.R. Johnson, Constance Weaver, Martha Kolln, and Nora Bacon have recognized this oversight in the sharp move away from grammar instruction, and have developed different strategies to rewrite the tradition so that grammar instruction can be an effective part of writing instruction. I will add to their efforts by identifying the shift in theoretical principles that makes what we refer to as traditional grammar instruction so ineffective, by using the Greco-Roman curriculum (specifically Quintilian's imitatio) as a framework for understanding where these new grammar instructions come from, and by synthesizing this new understanding into a new curriculum for the writing classroom that more effectively integrates grammar instruction.

Background: The registered nursing profession is a profession with high complexity and those who practice the profession must have knowledge and understanding to be able to independently practice and apply skills based on theoretical and examined knowledge. However, despite the shortage of nurses in healthcare, many choose to leave the profession because of fatigue or emotional exhaustion. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe newly graduated nurses’ experiences during the first year in the profession Method: The method used in this study was a literature based study, nine qualitative articles chosen from the databases CINAHL and PubMed were analyzed by Friberg's five step method. The articles were quality checked. Results: Results are based on the newly graduated nurses' experience in the first year of working life via three main themes and eight sub-themes. The main themes were “The first period in the profession”, “Need for collegial support”, and “Workload”.  Conclusion: The first year of professional work is a difficult time for newly graduated nurses, they experience high demands set on the work task, uncertainty about making correct patient assessments and handling heavy workloads. Introduction to the workplace, support from colleagues and the need for individual strategies with the aim of dealing with work-related stress were perceived as important aspects.

Britt (1998) indicated that to get to the heart of the complex issues first year teachers face, it is necessary to give first year teachers an opportunity to tell their own stories of their experiences as neophytes. The purpose of this study was to share the experiences of first year teachers. Of particular interest was how well these first year teachers believed their teacher preparation program had prepared them. The research question posed for this study was: How do graduates of Mississippi State University describe their first year teaching experience? A multiple-case design was used in this research study. Because this research was exploratory and descriptive, and because it had multiple cases, the replication approach to multiple-case studies was employed. The researcher was the instrument used for the collection of data. Five first year teachers participated in this study. All graduated from Mississippi State University and were teaching for the first time during the 2003-2004 school year. Six major themes emerged from the data. These themes were: (a) a feeling of being overwhelmed, (b) dealing with student misbehavior, (c) concern for student learning, (d) ineffective mentoring, (e) understanding the local culture, particularly in the area of discipline, and (f) lack of commitment to remain in the teaching profession. Three additional concerns of three participants emerged as well. These were: (a) negative student teaching experience, (b) conflict with parents, and (c) difficulties with other professionals. Recommendations included: (a) re-examining the practicum experience throughout the teacher education program, (b) implementing a follow-up program for graduates of the teacher education program, (c) re-examining the critical needs scholarship, and (d) implementing a study concerning student teacher placement.

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