Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-136). / xiv, 136 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary aim of this research project was to determine the relationship between the way students experience family and personal coherence and the extent to which students used potential sources of support. A secondary aim was to determine the relationship between the way the students and their parents experience the type of coping strategies used by the family during crisis situations. A Biographical questionnaire, Use of Resources Questionnaire, Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ), Family Sense of Coherence Scale (FSOC) and the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES) were completed by 145 first-year students at the University of Stellenbosch. Only the FSOC and the F-COPES scales were completed by parents. The results show that there is a significant positive relationship between the way students experience family and personal coherence and the importance of using sources of support. It was found that female students have a stronger sense of family coherence than male students. Significant differences were found between the experience of students and their parents of the type of coping strategies used by the family during crisis situations. Significant differences were found specifically between the way students and their parents experience obtaining social support, mobilising the family to get and accept help and the passive appraisal of a problem. The results of the research have important implications for the development and implementation of support groups and also social and life skills programmes at secondary and tertiary training establishments. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoofdoelstelling van hierdie ondersoek was om die verband te bepaal tussen studente se belewing van gesins- en persoonlike koherensie en die mate waarin studente potensiële ondersteuningsbronne benut het. 'n Sekondêre doelstelling was om die verband tussen die studente en hulouers se belewing van die tipe hanteringstrategieë wat deur die gesin tydens krisissituasies gebruik word, te bepaal. 'n Biografiese vraelys, Benutting van bronne vraelys, Lewensoriënteringsvraelys (Orientation to life Questionnaire (OLQ)), Gesinskoherensieskaal (Family Sense of Coherence Scale (FSOC)) en 'n Gesinskrisisgeoriënteerde Persoonlike Evaluasieskaal (Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES)) is voltooi deur 145 eerstejaarstudente aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch. Slegs die FSOC en F-COPES skale is deur ouers voltooi. Die resultate dui daarop dat daar 'n beduidend positiewe verband bestaan tussen studente se belewing van gesins- en persoonlike koherensie en die belangrikheid van die benutting van ondersteuningsbronne. Daar is gevind dat vroulike studente 'n sterker belewing van gesinskoherensie as manlike studente het. Beduidende verskille is gevind tussen die studente en hulle ouers se belewing van die tipe hanteringstrategieë wat deur die gesin tydens krisissituasies gebruik word. Beduidende verskille is gevind spesifiek tussen die studente en hulle ouers se belewing van die gesin se verkryging van sosiale ondersteuning, die mobilisering van die gesin om hulp te verkry en te aanvaar, en die gesin se passiewe waardering van 'n probleem. Die navorsingsresultate het belangrike implikasies vir die ontwikkeling en implementering van ondersteuningsgroepe asook sosiale en lewensvaardigheidsprogramme aan sekondêre en tersiêre opleidingsinstansies.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between emotion regulation and school adjustment in Secondary One students, and the mediation effect of peer support on such relationship. A sample of 207 adolescents completed measures of school adjustment, peer support, and emotion regulation. Results revealed that the use of expressive suppression was negatively associated with all school adjustment variables (social, personal-emotional, and academic adjustment). Cognitive reappraisal was correlated with social and personal-emotional adjustment and the relations were mediated through peer support. Results suggested that the importance of adaptive emotion regulation strategy and peer support improves students’ adjustment during school transition. Implications for education provided to early adolescents in the Hong Kong context are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This program of research had two related aims: (1) to explore the problem of student attrition in the context of an Australian higher education institution, and (2) to investigate the efficacy of peer-mentoring as a retention strategy. Participants in this program of research were students commencing first-year studies in the School of Applied Psychology across two cohort years: 1996 and 1997. In 1996, a classic pre-test/post-test experimental design was adopted, with students (N = 118) randomly assigned to either a peer-mentoring treatment group or a control group. In 1997, while a classic pre-test/post-test design was also adopted, all students from this year (N = 162) participated in the peer-mentoring program. Thus, it was intended that the 1996 control group would be utilised for comparison with both the 1996 and 1997 treatment groups. Students were surveyed pre- and post-intervention across a number of personal, demographic, and academic achievement (e.g., tertiary entrance rank, and grade point average) variables. Students’ academic integration, social integration, institutional commitment, and goal commitment were measured using the Institutional Integration Scales (adapted from Pascarella and Terenzini, 1980). Students participating in the peer-mentoring program also completed a range of measures in order to evaluate its efficacy. The first part of the research program focused on the measurement and prediction of student retention and academic performance. The results of confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a six first-order factor solution provided the most parsimonious explanation of students’ responses to the Institutional Integration Scales. The six Institutional Integration Scales demonstrated moderate to good levels of reliability, with results being comparable to those achieved in previous studies. The results of structural equations modelling analyses suggested that students’ peer group interactions influenced their interactions with faculty, and both of these factors, along with their faculty concern for student development and teaching, influenced students’ academic and intellectual development, which in turn influenced students’ institutional and goal commitments. These results were taken to indicate the potential value of peer-based processes in aiding students’ institutional and goal commitment and subsequently reducing levels of student attrition. Given that significant differences were found between the 1996 and 1997 cohorts on a number of pre-test measures and other key indicators, investigations regarding significant predictors of students’ re-enrolment into second year and their first year grade point average were conducted separately for the two cohorts. The results of logistic regression analyses indicated that students’ first year grade point average was the only consistent and significant predictor of their re-enrolment into the second year of study across the two cohorts. Multiple regression analyses revealed that students’ tertiary entrance ranks and previous university attendance were consistently significant predictors of their first year grade point average across the two cohorts. Equipped with a better understanding of the factors that affect student attrition and academic performance, as well as the relationship between those factors, the second part of the thesis focused on the efficacy of two formal, group-based peer-mentoring relationships in assisting first year students make a successful transition to university. However, given that significant differences were found between the 1996 and 1997 cohorts on a number of pre-test measures and other key indicators, it was not possible to evaluate the efficacy of the 1997 peer-mentoring program relative to either the 1996 peer-mentoring program or control group. Nevertheless, the 1996 treatment and control condition groups were found to be equivalent on pre-test measures and indices, and thus were able to be compared. Overall, the results of a series of one-way ANOVAs revealed that the 1996 peer-mentoring program was found to have a positive effect on enhancing students’ re-enrolment into second year, persistence intentions, academic performance and self-reported adjustment, which was consistent with the direction of findings in previous studies. However, for a range of reasons, the effect of the 1996 peer-mentoring program on a number of these variables was not strong enough to reach statistical significance. Although there were trends towards significant differences between the 1996 treatment and control groups on a number of variables (i.e., students in the 1996 peer-mentoring program evidenced higher grades in PB11002: Introduction to Cognitive and Biological Psychology; and PB11008: Research Methods and Statistics; as well as higher scores on the Peer Group Interactions scale than students in the control group), the only significant positive difference of the 1996 peer-mentoring program was the improvement of students’ academic performance in one first year subject (i.e., PB11006, Introduction to Research in the Behavioural Sciences). Finally, exploratory factor analyses and reliability analysis of a mentoring functions scale revealed strong support for the presence of one, highly reliable, general mentoring function. Both the 1996 and 1997 program participants’ ratings of the performance of this general mentoring function were significantly and positively correlated with their self-reported academic and intellectual development. In addition, the 1997 program participants’ ratings of the performance of this general mentoring function were significantly and positively correlated to their self-reported peer group interactions, institutional commitments, goal commitments, and persistence intentions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

The aim of this investigation was to develop an Adjustment Assessment Instrument for Omani College Students. The adjustment instrument items were constructed and grouped into academic, family, social and personal adjustment areas common to Omani college students. The content validity of the adjustment instrument was determined by utilizing two Delphi panels. The first panel examined the instrument items which represented Omani students' adjustment areas. The second panel determined the instrument items' content domains and the appropriateness of their dimensions. The revised 190 item instrument was administered to 30 Omani Students at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in order to test the wording of the items and determine the actual time for the completion of the instrument. One item was dropped from the instrument leaving 189 items, including 70 positive and 119 negative items. The developed adjustment instrument was administered to 400 Omani students at SQU. Internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability for the developed instrument were investigated. The test-retest reliability was determined by administering the instrument to 37 subjects using two week intervals between the two tests. In addition to reliability consideration, construct validity was determined by examining (a) instrument dimensionality, (b) factor analysis, (c) item analysis, and (d) internal consistency. The results revealed that the developed adjustment instrument possessed high reliability estimation which was adequate for individual measurement. In addition, the results supported the construct validity of the instrument as an adjustment measure. The results of the correlation matrix of the developed four dimensions and of the inter-factor correlation of the adjustment questionnaire provided evidence for the multidimensionality of the instrument. Also, factor analysis results confirmed that the developed instrument consisted of four dimensions: academic, family, social and personal adjustment. Moreover, item-total correlation finalized the instrument, which included 58 items, of which 25 were positive and 32 negative. These items were retained as adjustment item statements for the final Adjustment Instrument for College Students. The results of the internal consistency measurements provided additional support for the construct validity of the final adjustment instrument. / Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Bibliography: p. 112-120.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-202). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/NQ27621.pdf.