The thesis was designed to determine the nature, type, and scope of drug use existing on the Ball State University Campus. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to a ten percent stratified random sample of undergraduate students with a proportional allocation of ten percent from each of the four college years.Results of the survey revealed drug use (use for other than medically prescribed reasons) by 31.5 percent of the sample. Ball State students who used drugs were likely: To be 21 to 22 years of age, to be males, to be juniors, to major in the Science of Humanities, to be divorced, to specify “none” for religious affiliation, to live in off-campus unapproved housing, to have a grade point average of 1.5 to 2.0, to have parents with incomes of $15,000-$20,000, to have begun their use of drugs as college sophomores, to have received their first drugs from friends, to have used, to be currently using, and to anticipate continuing to use the drug, marijuana, and to give curiosity as their main reason for using drugs.

This study was designed to examine: (1) the extent to which cheating occurs in fundamentalist Christian colleges; (2) the attitudes of fundamentalist Christian college students toward cheating; (3) attitudes of fundamentalist Christian college students toward cheating among their peers; (4) the kinds of cheating practices of fundamentalist Christian college students; (5) the degree to which students engage in neutralizing behavior to justify cheating; (6) differences in cheating behaviors according to gender; (7) differences in cheating behaviors according to ethnicity; and (8) differences in cheating behaviors according to the length of duration of Christian commitment. Based upon the responses of 337 students attending 3 different Christian colleges, it was concluded that: (1) most Christian fundamentalist students do not engage in cheating; (2) respondents believe that each of 17 self-reported cheating behaviors are serious forms of cheating; (3) respondents are unlikely to report cheating among peers; (4) plagiarism is the most common cheating behavior; (5) most respondents justify cheating on the basis of the workload at school and the pressure to obtain good grades; (6) there are no differences in cheating behavior according to gender; (7) there are differences in cheating behavior according to groups; and (8) most respondents do not cheat regardless of the self-reported duration of Christian commitment.

The present study examined the influence of the demographic variables of age, gender, major in college, and level of education or class standing on individuals' stage of moral development. Trevino's interactionist model, combined with the basic principles of cognitive moral development, provided the theoretical basis for this study. One-hundred and forty-four university students, representing business, home economics, and liberal arts majors, participated in this qualitative study. The research instrument used was the Sociomoral Reflection Measure (SMR), designed to measure an individual's level of moral development. The SMR considered four stages of moral development: 1) unilateral and simplistic, 2) exchanging and instrumental, 3) mutual and prosocial, and 4) systemic and standard, in addition to three transitional stages: a) transition 1/2, b) transition 2/3, and c) transition 3/4. The stage achieved indicated an individual's level of moral maturity. One-way analysis of variance statistics were performed to test the research hypotheses. Frequencies and percentages were also calculated for both the demographic and sociomoral stage data with regard to the total sample. Analogous with previous research, findings indicated that age directly related to an individual's current stage of moral development. Concurrently, the class standing variable also was found to influence one's stage of moral development. Conversely, the remaining demographic variables tested differed from previous studies, failing to prove significant. A collegian's choice of major was not found to influence stage of moral development achieved. Furthermore, the impact of gender-based differences on stage of moral development did not appear to be of significance. / Graduation date: 1995

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

Previous research has shown that accountants may be inadequate moral reasoners. Concern over this trend caused the Treadway Commission (1987) and the Accounting Education Change Commission (1990) to call for greater integration of ethics into the student's training. Ponemon and Glazer (1990) found a difference in cognitive moral development (CMD) between accounting students at a public university and a private university with a liberal arts emphasis. This study expands Ponemon and Glazer's research by examining two liberal arts universities, one a private, secular institution and one a Catholic institution. The primary research question asks if Catholic university accounting students manifest greater CMD growth than secular university accounting students. Additionally, this study examines and compares the priority that accounting students from the different institutions place on ethical values versus economic values. It was expected that Catholic university accounting students would manifest both greater CMD growth and a greater concern for ethical values over economic values when compared with non-Catholic university accounting students. The study utilized a two-phase approach. In the first phase, an organizational study of two institutions was made to determine how each strives to integrate moral development into their accounting students' education. In the second phase, lower-division and senior accounting students were given three ethical and values related tasks to complete which propose to measure differences in ethical and economic values.

The term emerging adulthood was coined during the 21st century to describe human development between adolescence and adulthood, during the ages of 18-25 (Arnett, 2000). During this stage, individuals can explore life areas. Emerging adults beginning college have a unique opportunity to form their identities and develop value systems (Hauser & Greene, 1991). With increasing autonomy, college students have possibilities for positive development and risk; values may be imperative in that differentiation. Furthermore, value systems are believed to play a major role in decision-making (Schwartz, 1992). Parents are influential in values development (Simpson, 2001; Steinberg & Sheffield Morris, 2001). During emerging adulthood, individuals have opportunities to notice discrepancies between their parents’ value system and society. Thus, emerging adults evaluate and choose personal values, which may or may not be similar to those of their parents, peers, or broader culture. Findings from this study indicate female caregivers’ parenting styles and closeness of the parent-child relationship have significant direct effects on the degree to which values are freely chosen. Specifically, Authoritarian parenting style (β = -.43 B = -1.70, p < .001), Authoritative parenting style (β = .12, B = .53, p < .001), and Emotional Support (β = .30, B = 6.80, p < .001) significantly predicted the degree to which values are intrinsically chosen. Only one significant relationship was found for male caregivers; there was a significant positive relationship between the authoritative parenting style and quality of the parent-child relationship (β = .64, B = .10, p < .001).

M.Ed. / The influence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic as well as the significant impact it has left on children and adolescent who are left without parental guidance and support has huge implications for communities. As the epidemic spreads, adolescent-headed families are becoming more and more frequent in society, posing great challenges to extended families that have to care for additional children, causing a collapse on parental functions. This leads to the emergence of a new family structure where great strain is placed on children who are often left to fend for themselves. The absence of parental care and support often not only affect their social emotional development, but also their scholastic performance. This inquiry attempted to understand how these adolescents cope with difficulties related to living without caregivers, and as to how some can overcome the odds and still successfully progress with expectations placed by the school context. The inquiry utilized a phenomenological research design that is exploratory in nature. The data collection methods included semi-structured interviews with four participants, two boys and two girls. Each of the four participants also wrote narratives of their life stories. Two focus group interviews were also conducted, one with the four participant's educators and the other with another group of adolescents from adolescent-headed families. Data obtained was analysed using content analysis to determine the common themes and subthemes that emerged.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Freely choosing a life direction, or flexible valuing, is a core component of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Initial research suggests that valuing behavior may contribute to psychological well-being, but has been stymied by a lack of an efficient measure. The current study examined the psychometric characteristics of a new measure of flexible valuing, the Meta-Valuing Measure (MVM), in a sample of 532 undergraduates. Exploratory factors analysis revealed 3 orthogonal factors, Valuing (&#945; = .94), Freedom from Values Conflict (&#945; = .92), and Flexibility in Valuing (&#945; = .73). The majority of expected relationships with other constructs were significant including those with measures of values, mindfulness, quality of life, experiential avoidance, and psychological distress.

Currently, garden-based research does not include input from young adults about their experiences and perspectives as individuals in garden-based programs, specifically those that address issues of food and community. To address this void, this qualitative research examines youth perspectives and engagement in garden-based community projects in Olympia, Washington, and Medford, Oregon. The sample of 11 students was chosen from these projects that use food as a means to engage the community and educate underprivileged young adults about local food systems. The main question that the research addresses is: Why, and in what ways, are young adults appropriate agents for community revitalizing garden-based projects? Using open-ended interviews, field notes and observations, the research draws upon theories of food access, community development, social and environmental justice, and nontraditional education. The findings suggest that when young adults are involved in garden-based community projects, they are learning life skills, developing leadership, engaging in models of nontraditional education, and retaining perspectives of grass-roots community development. It is evident from the research and emerging themes that young adults desire to accept responsibility in their community. It is time to harness young people's energy, care, compassion, and dedication so that they can act as ambassadors to dispel the class-based ideologies of the current food systems, empowering underserved communities and celebrating youth's perspectives on food and place.