The purposes of this study were to examine (a) health promoting behaviors, (b) physical activity levels, (c) exercise stages of change levels, and (d) exercise preferences of students who had just entered the university by gender and residence. Participants were 438 students from Middle East Technical University (METU) English Preparatory school. Adolescent Health Promotion Scale (AHPS), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Physical Activity Stages of Change Questionnaire (PASCQ), and Physical Activity Preferences Check-list were used for the data collection. Descriptive statistics, nonparametric statistical methods (Mann Whitney U test, Pearson chi-square test), and a one-way MANOVA were used for the data analysis. According to AHPS results, female students&amp / #8217 / health promoting behaviors were better than those of male students except exercise behavior. Students living at home had higher scores on nutrition behavior and students living in dormitory had higher scores on stress management behavior (p &lt / .05). According to the IPAQ results, male students were more physically active than female counterparts. Students who were living in dormitory had higher physical activity levels than students living at home (p &lt / .05). PASCQ findings indicated no significant differences on the exercise stages of change levels by gender and residence (p &gt / .05). In general, students were at pre-contemplation 9.2%, contemplation 39.3%, preparation 27.8%, action 14.5%, and maintenance 9.2% stages. Swimming, walking, and table tennis were the three most frequently preferred physical activities. In conclusion, female students had better health promoting behaviors than those of male students except exercise behavior. Female students and students living at home were more at risk of inactivity. Approximately 80% of the METU English Preparatory school students&amp / #8217 / physical activity levels were not satisfactory for a healthy life. University physical activity facilities, extracurricular programs and the courses should be reconsidered to support the health promoting behaviors of these students.

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between time spent by students engaged in student co-curricular involvement, online social networking, and studying on their academic achievement. Additional factors such as student residence, gender, ethnicity, class standing and work for pay were also considered. Existing literature supports the concept that the more time students spend in educationally purposeful activities, the more likely students are going to be successful. Little research exists regarding the use of current versions of online social networking, and the relationship it might have to student academic achievement as measured by grade point average. Therefore, this study was intended to further our understanding of these factors. Data for this quantitative study came from an online administration of a survey. The survey was disseminated to students who were enrolled at a large, public research institution in the southeastern United States and who were additionally registered in the institution's database of student organization officers during the fall 2010 semester. The number of respondents was 613, which was a 28% response rate. A multiple regression analysis was used along with other statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics were analyzed for all variables. All data was self-reported by students. This study yielded several statistically significant findings however the effect sizes for most of the regression models was low. The findings showed statistically significant, negative correlations between the number of hours spent by students engaged in co-curricular involvement and online social networking as it relates to grade point average. Additionally, studying and doing coursework was positively correlated with grade point average. Lastly, work for pay off-campus was negatively correlated with grade point average. Additional data analysis was conducted excluding graduate students who had originally completed the survey. This data analysis included 474 respondents. The regression models which excluded graduate students did not yield large effect sizes. Co-curricular student involvement and online social networking did have statistically significant, negative correlations with grade point average but less so than in the original analysis. These findings were despite the reported increase in the number of hours spent per week engaged in co-curricular involvement and online social networking. Work for pay off campus was more significantly negative. The findings of this study both supported and conflicted with existing literature on these topics. The finding of statistical significance for most variables can most likely be attributed to the large sample size in the study. These findings offer additional opportunities for research by other student affairs practitioners who are interested in student success factors like those included in this study.

<p>The study aimed to describe the knowledge and awareness of HPV infection and vaccine of female university students and to determine the predictors of vaccine acceptability.&nbsp / The study found that 70% of the participants were sexually active. Awareness and knowledge on HPV/vaccine were poor / with only 22% being aware of HPV and that a HPV vaccine was available in South Africa. A greater proportion (80%) reported willingness to be vaccinated. Being aware of the existence of a pap smear, higher knowledge about HPV, higher perceived vaccine effectiveness and higher perceived severity of HPV infection were significantly associated with increased willingness to be vaccinated.</p>

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure attitudes toward teenage parents. The instrument, called the Attitude Toward Teen Parent Scale (ATTPS), was based on Robinson's (1988a) suggested myths about teenage fathers. The ATTPS consisted of 20, Likerttype items and was administered to 133 volunteer undergraduate students attending Ball State University. A series of exploratory principal component factor analyses were conducted to identify independent factors represented by the ATTPS. A four-factor solution, accounting for 54% of the variance on the ATTPS was retained . The internal consistency reliability for the ATTPS was .67. Two factors were interpreted as "psychological deviance" (alpha = .77) and "supportive involvement" (alpha = .66). The other two factors were not interpretable. These findings suggested that the ATTPS measured two independent constructs. It was suggested that future research should further test the validity and reliability of the ATTPS by focusing on the two interpretable factors identified in this study, and by increasing the items on the scale as well as the number of subjects tested. Further studies should also examine attitudes among different populations (e.g., varying by race, sex, age, profession) toward teenage parents. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Hintergrund: Nach der deutschen Wiedervereinigung beschäftigte sich eine Reihe von Studien mit der psychischen Befindlichkeit der Menschen in Ost- und Westdeutschland. Die vorliegende Untersuchung stellt eine Replikation der Studie von Basten et al. [Psychische Beschwerden und körperliche Gesundheit im vereinten Deutschland: Eine Ost-West-Vergleichsuntersuchung an einer studentischen Stichprobe. Verhaltenstherapie 1994;4:90–95] 10 Jahre nach der Originaluntersuchung dar. Diese wurde 1991/1992 durchgeführt und untersuchte Unterschiede in der Depressivität, Angst, Somatisierung sowie im berichteten Essverhalten zwischen Studentinnen in Dresden und Marburg. Probanden und Methode: Von Oktober 2001 bis April 2002 wurden die psychischen Beschwerden und das Essverhalten bei Dresdner und Marburger Studenten untersucht. In die vorliegende Arbeit gingen Daten von 221 Studentinnen ein. Es wurden dieselben standardisierten Erhebungsinstrumente wie in der Originaluntersuchung eingesetzt. Ergebnisse: Im Unterschied zu der Originalstudie konnte keine höhere Depressivität bei der westdeutschen Stichprobe nachgewiesen werden. Stattdessen gaben ostdeutsche Studentinnen signifikant mehr Angstsymptome an als westdeutsche. Daneben gab es Hinweise auf einen stärker ausgeprägten Schlankheitswunsch der Ostdeutschen. Insgesamt wiesen die ostdeutschen Studentinnen in allen Verfahren höhere Mittelwerte auf als 10 Jahre vorher. Diskussion: Die Studie bestätigt vorliegende Ergebnisse, wonach nur geringe Unterschiede in der psychischen Befindlichkeit in Ost- und Westdeutschland bestehen. Allerdings sind in den letzten 10 Jahren Veränderungen geschehen, die aufgrund fehlender Längsschnittstudien nicht eruiert wurden. Die höhere Ausprägung der Angstsymptomatik der ostdeutschen Studentinnen wird als ein Sozialisationsergebnis interpretiert. / Background: After the German unification, several studies have focused on differences in the psychological health of people in East and West Germany. The current study is a replication of the Basten et al. study [Psychological wellbeing and health in a unified Germany: An East-West-comparison of two student samples. Verhaltenstherapie 1994;4:90–95] 10 years after the original research of 1991/1992. It investigated differences in depression, anxiety and bodily symptoms as well as problematic eating behaviour in female university students in Dresden (East Germany) and Marburg (West Germany). Subjects and Methods: From October 2001 to April 2002, we investigated psychological symptoms and eating behaviour in students of the universities of Dresden and Marburg. The current report includes data of 221 female students. We used the same standardized measures as had been used in the original research. Results: In contrast to the original study, students from West Germany did no longer exhibit higher depression scores. Instead, students from East Germany showed significantly increased anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, there was a trend towards a higher drive for thinness in East German students. In all, students from Dresden showed higher mean values in all measures than 10 years before. Discussion: This study corroborates results that there are only minor differences in psychological health between people in East and West Germany. However, our findings point out that during the past decade subtle changes might have occurred which have not been detected through lack of longitudinal investigations. The higher level of anxiety in East German students could be a result of socialisation. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

This study investigated personality differences among students who seek personal, career, and academic counseling and students who do not seek counseling. Students in the 1983 freshman class (N = 3,245) at Ball State University were administered various tests including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Counseling center files were examined to determine the number of students who subsequently sought counseling (n = 494) and which services they sought. Virtually no previous research existed using these variables. Therefore the study was considered exploratory in nature.In the statistical analyses, descriptive statistics were used to examine counseling groups. Loglinear analysis model fitting was performed on the four MBTI scales for the counseling seeker groups and the nonseekers.Results of the descriptive statistics showed that, in addition to the three counseling service groups, a fourth group emerged. Nearly one-fourth of the seekers did not return for services after intake (the "no services" group). Women represented about two-thirds of the total counseling seekers and of each counseling group. There was a significant relationship between year in school and counseling service sought. In the freshman and sophomore years, students sought more career and academic counseling. By the junior and senior years, students sought more personal counseling.Results of the loglinear analyses showed that the best-fitting model for the counseling groups contained the MBTI scales of sensing-intuiting (S-N) and judging-perceiving (J-P). The model further discriminated between the personal and academic counseling seekers and the nonseeking group. The personal counseling group was intuiting and perceiving (NP) and the academic group was sensing and judging (SJ). No differences were found for the no services and the career groups.The results of this study indicate there are definite personality differences among counseling seekers and nonseekers. By personality type, academic counseling seekers prefer the practical and concrete. Personal counseling seekers prefer the theoretical and abstract. Career counseling seekers and the no services group appear more like the general student population on the MBTI. Suggestions for counseling interventions and future research were given. / Department of Educational Psychology

Este trabajo investiga el problema de la deserción y graduación de los estudiantes universitarios. Se utilizan modelos de riesgo proporcional no paramétricos para estimar los efectos cualitativos y cuantitativos de factores personales y características socioeconómica de los alumnos sobre las probabilidades condicionales de deserción y graduación. Se emplean datos de una cohorte de estudiantes de la carrera de Contador Público de la Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina. Los hallazgos son útiles para evaluar y diseñar políticas públicas en el sector de educación. / This study examines the issue of student departure from a public university. Non-parametric proportional hazard models are used to estimate the quantity and quality effects of the students’ personal and socioeconomic characteristics on the probability of their dropping out or graduating. Data include a cohort of students who started studying accounting at National University of Rosario, Argentina, in 1991. The results are useful to evaluate and design public policies in the educational sector.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of achievement emotions in self-regulated learning (SRL). Participants included 111 university students enrolled in a first-year course designed to teach and improve SRL. Students reported their emotional experiences while working on self-set studying goals at three times during the semester. Measures included self-reported goal attainment, intensity ratings for nine emotions, and open-ended descriptions of emotion regulation strategies. Students reported enacting a variety of strategies to regulate their emotions, often in response to boredom and anxiety. Goal attainment positively correlated with positive emotions and negatively correlated with negative emotions other than boredom. Follow-up regressions revealed that positive emotions explained more unique variance than negative emotions in goal attainment. Over time, goal attainment and emotions did not change; however, correlations between times indicated that students were reporting situation-specific emotions. Contributions of this exploratory study to theory, research, and practice are discussed.

O presente trabalho analisou como os estudantes universitários avaliam o uso de psicofármacos por pessoas que pretendem melhorar o rendimento cognitivo sem apresentar prejuízo nessa habilidade mental. Esse tipo de remédio só pode ser comercializado através de receita médica especial. Dessa forma, o uso não-médico desse tipo de droga, chamado também de aprimoramento neurocognitivo farmacológico, é ilegal. Com o crescimento no número de estudantes universitários americanos e canadenses que utilizam estimulantes para melhorar a performance acadêmica, o tema tornou-se uma preocupação para a Saúde Pública nos respectivos países. O aprimoramento neurocognitivo farmacológico vem sendo muito discutido no campo da Neuroética. Nos debates dessa a prática são avaliados os riscos e benefícios que essa prática pode trazer para o indivíduo e à sociedade. No Brasil, esse assunto é pouco discutido. Assim, a investigação sobre a compreensão e avaliação que estudantes universitários fazem sobre esse tema trouxe informações que podem ampliar o conhecimento sobre tema no Brasil. A investigação foi realizada através de três grupos focais com estudantes universitários. Os resultados indicaram que questões como pressão social (exigência de bons resultados), segurança do medicamento, risco de coerção social, possibilidade de essa prática aumentar a injustiça social foram as principais preocupações da população entrevistada. Alguns aspectos foram compreendidos de maneira bastantes polarizada. Não está claro para os participantes dos grupos focais, por exemplo, se esta é ou não uma prática desonesta e se a melhora no rendimento cognitivo pode ser entendida como sendo legítima da pessoa. Esses e outros dados mostram que a compreensão do tema aprimoramento neurocognitivo farmacológico é muito influenciada por dois aspectos. O primeiro aspecto se refere ao entendimento prévio que a pessoa tem sobre a relação entre cérebro e comportamento e sobre a relação entre indivíduo e grupo social. O segundo aspecto é a influência que os textos que informam sobre ciência exercem sobre os leitores. Nesse sentido, a aplicação dos grupos focais mostrou-se um importante meio para conhecer o entendimento dos estudantes universitários sobre o aprimoramento neurocognitivo farmacológico e, dessa forma, contribuir para a discussão desse tema no Brasil.

Syftet med studien var att ta reda på studenters intention att stanna i Luleå efter avslutade studier vid Luleå tekniska universitet. För att ta reda på detta användes Theory of planned behavior (TPB). Deltagarna var 407 studenter från olika program vid LTU. En elektronisk enkät mailades ut till studenterna. Data analyserades med multipla linjära regressionsanalyser. Frågornas reliabilitet kontrollerades med Cronbachs alfa. Generellt var Intention att stanna i Luleå låg. Attityd hade störst effekt på Intention, där att kunna forma sin framtid som man vill var den starkaste bakomliggande faktorn till Attityd. Subjektiv norm påverkade även Intentionen och där var familjens vilja den starkaste bakomliggande faktorn. Upplevd beteendekontroll påverkade ej Intentionen. Kvinnor hade högre intention att stanna än män och utsocknes hade lägre intention än Luleåbor att stanna i Luleå efter studierna. Det visade sig även att möjligheterna till arbete inte påverkar studenters intention att stanna. Korrelationer visade att härkomst har medelstarka till starka samband med intention, där ju längre från Luleå man kom desto lägre var intentionen att stanna. / The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge of students’ intentions to stay in Luleå after finishing their studies at Luleå university of technology. Theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to gain this knowledge. The sample consisted of 407 students from different programs at LTU. An electronic survey was sent by e-mail to the students. Data was analyzed with multiple linear regression analyses. The reliability of the questions was controlled with Cronbach’s alpha. Generally, the Intention to stay was low. Attitude had the greatest effect on Intention, where being able to form ones’ future as one wants it was the strongest underlying factor to Attitude. Subjective norm also affected Intention and the family’s will was the strongest underlying factor. Perceived behavioral control had no effect on Intention. Women’s intention to stay was higher than men’s and nonresidential students had lower intention to stay in Luleå after finishing their studies than students originally from Luleå had. The result also showed that job opportunities had no effect on students’ intention to stay. Correlations showed that origin had a semi-strong to strong connection with Intention, where the farther away from Luleå one origin, the lower was the intention to stay.