Addiction and its staggering impact on today’s society is well established in literature. The existence of co-occuring addictions has been well documented by various researchers. Researchers found that the presence of co-occurring addictions in alcoholics predicted relapse and readmission to treatment for alcohol dependence, reinforcing the need to study the problems created by co-occuring addictions. In college students, there appears to be a clear tendency for addictions to occur together, with alcohol and high risk sexual behavior appearing to co-exist in this population. Today’s college students are deemed as technology savvy students; therefore, the Internet serves as a primary medium for their communication which means more time spent online. The Internet has been known for its sexual saturation, and today college students constantly use the computer, thus being exposed to this saturation. Current research found that students are online more often and are beginning to engage in online sexual behavior. Researchers found a tendency for college students to engage in cybersex related activity ranging from chatting to masturbation and even the development of offline relationships. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of cybersex and alcohol addiction in a sample of college students. In order to investigate the statement of the problem, several research questions existed for this study. This study examined prevalence rates of alcohol and cybersex addiction in this sample of college students and determined if a relationship existed between alcohol and cybersex addiction. The results of the research suggested that in this sample of college students, minimal participants met criterion for cybersex addiction and alcohol addiction. Findings show that these behaviors seemed to exist at some level in this sample of college students with 7.6% of the sample reporting that they felt that their online sexual behavior is out of control. This research demonstrated a more significant existence of alcohol abuse with 40% of the sample meeting criterion for alcohol abuse which validated that alcohol continues to be a prevalent problem with college students as previously determined by the existing research in the literature review.

No description available.

Many higher education institutions offer first-year college students the opportunity to participate in second-year retention programs in order to support the persistence of college students who seek assistance in navigating the college experience. Research regarding the traits that characterize second-year students and what the second-year experience entails is still in progress. (Braxton, 2000; Hunter et al. 2009; Schaller, 2000, 2005, 2010; Schreiner & Pattengale, 2000). While the existing research has built the foundation for research around the second-year experience, additional research is required to compose a truly holistic picture of the second-year experience. The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics of first-year students who choose to apply to second-year retention programs and why they choose to apply to such programs. The study will address three research questions. 1. What are the characteristics of students who apply to participate in a second-year retention program? 2. What student noncognitive variables reflect which students apply to participate in a second-year retention program? 3. What factors do first-year students consider when determining whether or not they will participate in a second-year retention program? A mixed methods explanatory design (Cresswell & Plano-Clark, 2007) was implemented to investigate the research questions. The research population was composed of 337 first-year college students, primarily first generation students and students of color, eligible for participation in a second-year retention program at a large research institution in the western United States. This study hopes to contribute to a greater understanding of the characteristics of first-year students who choose to apply to participate in second-year retention programs and why they choose to apply. The findings can inform universities as to how they can offer more effective support of second-year students in a manner relevant to their needs. / text

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

Second-generation college students comprise a large majority of the collegiate population. The research on this population strongly suggests that their knowledge, capitals, and the support received from their parents gives them a “jump start” in higher education in comparison to their first-generation peers. The positive exposure to higher education received by second-generation college students is asserted to be directly linked to their parents' experiences in higher education. Second-generation college students are assumed to possess the basic knowledge for successful navigation of the college experience. As a second-generation, African-American college student, I carried a high level of expectation and numerous assumptions about what my experiences would be like in the academy. I assumed that my mother's college education would have a positive effect on my college journey. As my college experience unfolded, I found myself severely deficient when it came to basic collegiate knowledge and survival skills. The radical changes in higher education that had occurred during the twenty years between the collegiate experiences of my mother and me greatly decreased my mother's ability to pass on knowledge that was still up-to-date and practical for my experience. My journey through college was nothing like the second-generation student literature suggested. My experiences in higher education closely paralleled those associated with the first-generation student population. The challenges I faced included social, cultural and racial integration, course and major selection, reduced parental involvement and financial strain. I have since come to view myself as a first-generation college student amid second-generation college student assumptions and expectations. Through the use of Scholarly Personal Narrative methodology, this dissertation seeks to bring into focus a hitherto hidden population in higher education. These are the students, who in spite of having at least one parent or guardian with a college degree, do not know how to navigate the college journey; these are the students who feel like imposters in the academy because it is assumed they are better equipped to navigate the institution. In this dissertation I draw upon numerous studies of first-generation and second-generation college students to create an empirical understanding of the dual and dueling narrative I occupied during my undergraduate experience. I explore concepts of cultural and academic capital as being vital in my ability to master the college environment. I introduce for the first time in the literature a concept I call “values capital.” I also discuss the salience of social class identity in the pursuit of higher education in order to frame a narrative of my own self-empowerment and subsequent integration into higher education. In addition to a number of empirical studies, I will draw upon biographies and my own personal narrative to elucidate the universal themes of self-empowerment, authenticity, insecurity, ambition, and meaning-making—themes that all second-generation-on-the-outside but first-generation-on-the-inside students must confront if they are to be successful in higher education.

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This study was concerned with determining if: (1) the effectiveness of residence hall student government varies according to the perceptions of its role held by residence hall student staff and government officers, and the hall type and population; (2) the perception of hall student government held by student staff varies according to their age, time in position and gender; and (3) the perception of hall student government by student officers varies according to their age, time in office and gender. The survey population included 48 residence hall directors, 209 student staff and 281 student officers from northwestern land grant universities. Hall directors were surveyed to determine perceived effectiveness of their hall's student government, and the resident population. Student staff and officer perceptions of the role of hall student government were obtained by utilizing the government section of the Residence Hall Attitude Scale (Murphy 1971). Age, gender, time in position or office and type of hall were also provided by the students. Multiple regression analysis was used to test three hypotheses at a .05 level of significance. Of the hypothesized relationships, only gender was found to be significantly related to the variance in perceptions of role of hall student government. In the case of both student staff and officers, women were more favorable toward residence hail student government than men. The combined independent variables of age, gender and time in position or office were found, however, to account for only small percentages (4.4%, staff; 7.8%, officers) of the total variance. The regression equation for effectiveness of hall student government failed to account for significant variance due to any of the independent variables of student staff and officer perceptions, type or population of hall. All variables combined accounted for only 7.7% of the variance in perception. The results of this research suggest that hypothesized relationships between various demographic factors and perceptions, and effectiveness of residence hall student government do not exist. This indicates that some other variables must be used to attempt prediction of either effectiveness or role perceptions of hall student government. / Graduation date: 1990

This thesis focuses on first generation college students and their unique social positions in social and institutional networks. First generation students are less likely to attend college than non-first generation students. I examine what factors make a student more likely to self-report student success by considering formation of a new identity, “college student,” as well as looking at networks and role behaviors consistent with the new identity. It was predicted that those that were consistent with behaviors and identity would self-report academic success at a higher rate. I also predicted that overall, first generation students would be at a disadvantage compared to non-first generation students. Survey data collected from a large university in the southwest was utilized for analysis. First generation students are less likely to report academic success compared to their non-first generation peers. However, when more variables are considered within a binomial regression analysis, first generation status is no longer a significant influence on success. Other factors such as hours per week engaged in homework, involvement in learning communities, and ethnicity had an effect on self-reported success. Those who spent more hours per week doing homework or were involved in learning communities were more likely to self-report academic success. Whites were also more likely to report academic success than non-whites. Several policy implications are discussed.

Thesis (PhD(Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on January 22, 2010). Thesis advisor: Dr. Margaret Duffy. Includes bibliographical references.