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The investigation of youths' exercise attitudes and behaviors has been heavily researched. This study's focus was unique in that exercise attitudes and behaviors of academically accelerated and non-accelerated high school students were examined. Academic ability and sex were considered as possible influences toward physical activity attitudes and as potential predictor variables of exercise behaviors. The Revised CATPA inventory and the Attitudes Toward Exercise scale assessed subjects' exercise attitudes. A modified 7-Day Recall of Physical Activity measured the amount of time subjects spent exercising in the previous week. Results showed higher mean Revised CATPA scores for the academically accelerated and male subjects, while the ATE scores were higher among academically non-accelerated and female students. Results on the activity recall suggested that males were more physically active. A multiple regression analysis showed predictor variables of exercise. Future research ideas are discussed on differing academic groups. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Past research has shown that members of the military have less favorable beliefs regarding mental health services. To date, no known research has been conducted examining the beliefs about psychological services of students enrolled in ROTC. 136 undergraduate students participated in a study in which the beliefs about psychological services of students in a ROTC program were compared with students in the general college population. Participants completed the Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS) scale online. This scale consisted of three subscales that were analyzed independently; Expertness, Stigma Tolerance, and Intent. Results showed that the main effect of ROTC participation on all three subscales of BAPS was significant at the p ≤ 0.005 level. These results suggested that students enrolled in ROTC may have less favorable beliefs about psychological services than students in the general college population. Limitations of the study were discussed and directions for future research include: replication of the findings of this study, the use of a larger and more diverse sample, and the development of methods to improve ROTC students beliefs about psychological services in order to increase the chances of these individuals seeking necessary mental health treatment. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of the present research was to investigate whether or not there is similarity of values between American and Japanese college students. The following research hypothesis was established: There is a positive relationship between the value system of the Japanese college students and that of American college students.

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This paper uses a sociological model to compare the residential energy consumption between immigrant students and native-born American students and to explain the difference by demographic characteristics, values, and specific attitudes. Further, it tries to explore whether the relationship between immigration status and residential energy consumption is mediated by value orientation towards frugality and specific attitudes towards energy conservation. The data of an online survey among native-born and foreign-born students at the University of Central Florida are used. The results suggest that immigrants consume less energy at home than native-born Americans, but the time stayed in the US doesn’t have an impact on the energy consumption of immigrants. In addition, the results do not show evidence that value orientation towards frugality and specific attitudes toward energy conservation mediate the relationship between immigration status and energy consumption at home.

Abused women are frequent users of health care services. Yet, battered women often do not identify the health care delivery system as a resource. The present study surveyed 155 female associate and baccalaureate degree nursing students from three mid-Atlantic universities in order to examine how selected personal and relationship variables affected their attitudes toward battered women. It was hypothesized that those students who had an early exposure to family violence combined with high levels of egalitarianism and perceived control over life events would be more sympathetic toward battered women than those who did not. Instruments used to measure the chosen variables included the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale, the Conflict Tactics Scale, the Family Violence Scale, the Perceived Control Scale, and the Inventory of Beliefs about Wife-Beating. Data were collected via anonymous self-report questionnaires and analyzed through the use of correlation and hierarchical regression procedures. Nursing students with more egalitarian sex role beliefs and perception of control over their life events were more sympathetic to battered wives than those students with more traditional sex role attitudes and less perceived control over their life. Sex role egalitarianism was found to be the best predictor of attitudes toward victims of domestic violence. Contrary to expectations, there appeared to be little relationship between the level of violence experienced by students in their families of origin or in their current relationships and sympathy for battered wives. Findings from this study will add to the current nursing knowledge base regarding attitudes of one group of health care professionals toward victims of domestic violence by exploring those attitudes and by identifying which of the chosen variables was most predictive of those attitudes. Implications for nursing education include an examination of the impact of gender issues on personal and professional behavior as well as the importance of empowering nursing students through the use of a competency based practice model. / Ed. D.

Chinese international students in American colleges and universities report low levels of physical activity involvement, which may limit them in terms of realizing their full human potential (i.e., cognitively, physically, socially). The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the psychosocial mechanisms as well as the sociocultural influences to understand physical activity behavior among Chinese international students in American higher education. The first manuscript reviewed the background of physical activity participation among Chinese students. It also reviewed empirical findings related to the Youth Physical Activity Promotion (YPAP) model (Welk, 1999). The second manuscript tested a model of meeting physical activity recommendation (MPAR), using the YPAP model as the guiding framework in an effort to identify theoretical predictors of physical activity participation among Chinese international students. Results revealed that the predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors predicted MPAR among Chinese international students. Different from Welk's (1999) model, however, we found that the enabling and reinforcing factors influenced physical activity indirectly through the predisposing factors, able(i.e., Am I able?) and worth (i.e., Is it worth it?), instead of directly. The results clarify how the YPAP model might be used to understand the physical activity behavior of Chinese international students studying in American colleges and universities. The third manuscript qualitatively explored the physical activity experiences of Chinese female international graduate students in terms of meanings, facilitators, and barriers to participation. It revealed that physical activity provided the participants with a break from their academic work, allowed them some alone time, gave them feelings of accomplishment, and taught them a process for accomplishing other things in their lives. Major facilitators included social influences, the availability of ample resources, their changing perceptions of femininity, and the need to improve or maintain their health. The most frequent barriers included a lack of time, self-efficacy, social support, "how to" information, and cultural barriers. This study adds to our understanding of the physical activity experiences of Chinese international graduate students, as well offers some direction to colleges and universities in the U.S. regarding how they might facilitate the physical activity behavior of Chinese international graduate students in the future. Based on the two empirical studies, colleges and universities ought to provide physical activity resources, as well as social resources, to increase the perceived competence, self-efficacy, positive attitude, and enjoyment of physical activity among Chinese international students. University curriculums and fitness training programs should include cross-cultural course content to increase awareness of the unique needs of international students, as well as to help them to remove barriers to their physical activity participation. / Graduation date: 2012