The present thesis investigated correlates of psychosocial and academic adjustment to University life among students. Five cross-sectional and one longitudinal study were undertaken. During the first 3 studies the focus of interest was both on home and non-home students. During the latter three studies the focus shifted to first year home students only. Data was collected by means of a number of self-report questionnaires consisting mainly of a number of standardised and widely used personality, social support and wellbeing/ adjustment measures. Results indicated that: (a) prior to arrival at University, non-home students, in comparison to home students, appear to be quite well equipped for the transition, in terms of social and personality attributes; however, they appear to lack substantial information regarding life in Scotland and academic standards of the host University, which might adversely affect their ability to cope with eventual academic demands; (b) Cultural Distance appears to affect non-home students' psychosocial adjustment during the early stage of the transition; (c) Non-home students experience not only the problems that home students report but also a number of additional difficulties which are closely related to cultural differences; (d) Correlates of Homesickness appear to differ for home and non-home students; (e) Personality (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Self-esteem, Social Inhibition and perceived Social Competence) and Dysfunctional Attitudes strongly influence the development of new satisfactory social networks, and the eventual psychosocial adjustment to University life; (f) Perceived Social Support is a significant predictor of psychosocial adjustment; (g) Academic performance does not appear to be related to any personality, social support or psychosocial adjustment variables; (h) Personality (Neuroticism, Extraversion), perceived Social Support and Loneliness appear to change significantly (in absolute terms) over the first academic year, but at the same time they remain relatively stable. Results are discussed in relation to the relevant literature, practical implications for students Counselling, and suggestions for further fruitful research.

This exploratory research investigates the factors that might influence a specific group of users’ mental models of a Web search engine, Google, as measured in the dimension of completeness. A modified mental model completeness scale (MMCS) was developed based on Borgman’s, Dimitroff s, and Saxon’s models, encompassing the perception of (1) the nature of the Web search engine, (2) searching features of the Web search engine, and (3) the interaction between the searcher and the Web search engine. With this scale, a participant’s mental model completeness level was determined by how many components of the first two parts of the scale were described and which level of interaction between the participant and Google was revealed during the searches. The choice of the factors was based on the previous studies on individual differences among information seekers, including user’s search experience, cognitive style, learning style, technical aptitudes, training received, discipline, and gender. Sixteen Ph.D. students whose first language is English participated in the research. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine the students’ mental model completeness level (MMCL) as well as their search experience, training received, discipline and gender. Direct observation technique was employed to observe students’ actual interactions with Google. Standard tests were administered to determine the students’ cognitive styles, learning styles and technical aptitudes. / Cette recherche préliminaire examine les facteurs qui peuvent influencer les modèles mentaux d’un groupe spécifique d’utilisateurs d’un moteur de recherche sur le Web: Google, mesurés selon l’étendue de leur réussite.Une échelle de cette réussite en suivant un modèle mental a été constituée en adaptant les modèles présentés par Borgman, Dimitroff et Saxon, incluant la perception (1) de la nature du moteur de recherche sur le Web, (2) des caractéristiques de la recherche propres à ce moteur, (3) de l’interaction entre le chercheur et le moteur de recherche. A l’aide de cette échelle, le niveau de réussite par un sujet donné utilisant un modèle mental a été déterminé en fonction du nombre de composantes des deux premières parties de l’échelle décrites et du niveau d’interaction entre le sujet et le moteur Google, tel que révélé par ses recherches. Le choix des facteurs a été fondé sur des études précédentes portant sur les différences individuelles entre les chercheurs d’information, comprenant le degré d’expérience d’une telle recherche par l’utilisateur, son style cognitif, son style d’apprentissage, ses aptitudes techniques, la formation reçue, la discipline et le sexe. Seize étudiants en doctorat ayant l’anglais comme première langue ont participé à cette étude. Des entretiens individuels semi-dirigés ont permis de déterminer le niveau de réussite des étudiants suivant leur modèle mental, ainsi que leur expérience de la recherche, la formation reçue, la discipline et le sexe. Une observation technique directe a été utilisée pour observer l’interaction réelle des étudiants avec Google. Des tests standardisés ont été administrés pour déterminer le style cognitif des étudiants, leur style d’apprentissage et leurs aptitudes techniques. fr

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between moral development and year in school, gender, and personality type for university undergraduates. Moral development was measured by the Defining Issues Test (DIT) and personality was assessed using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The sample consisted of 320 freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled as full-time students at The University of Iowa. From this sample, 188 (36.9%) students returned usable questionnaires. This random sample, stratified according to undergraduate class and gender, was provided by the university registrar. Subjects completed and returned a mailed questionnaire booklet containing the DIT and MBTI. These questionnaires were hand-scored and analyzed using analysis of variance and Pearson Product-Moment Correlations. An additional multiple comparisons test was done using the Scheff method. Systat software for the Macintosh was used to analyze the data. The analysis showed several significant results. Significant gender (p <0.001) and year in school (p <0.010) effects were found when analyzing the %P score of moral development level. Women scored significantly higher than men and seniors scored significantly higher than freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The feeling dimension of the MBTI was found to be significantly associated with gender (females at p <0.001). Finally, the % Stage 4 score was found to be significantly related to the sensing (S) (p <0.001) and judging (J) (p <0.050) dimensions of the MBTI. The %P score was found to be significantly related to the intuitive (N) (p <0.050) and feeling (F) (p <0.050) dimensions of the MBTI. These results confirmed earlier studies in which a significant relationship was found between year in school and moral development level. The gender effect had been theorized and found in some studies but is unusual when using the DIT. The significant relationship between different dimensions of the MBTI and % Stage 4 and % P moral development scores had not been previously reported in the literature. / Graduation date: 1993

Dissertation (Ph. D.)--University of Akron, Dept. of Counseling (Counseling Psychology), 2009. / "August, 2009." Title from electronic dissertation title page (viewed 9/2/2009) Advisor, David M. Tokar; Committee members, James R. Rogers, David Baker, John E. Queener, Robert C. Schwartz; Department Chair, Karin Jordan; Dean of the College, Cynthia Capers; Dean of the Graduate School, George R. Newkome. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, November, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-120)

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are significant differences in leadership skills between successful and unsuccessful candidates in house committee elections as indicated by senior students and other house committee candidates. The study consists mainly of two parts. The first is a study of the literature discussing the concepts : leadership, leadership development and leadership skills. The concept of leadership from an educational psychological perspective will be associated with the concept of leadership development. In the second place, an empiric study is carried out in order to establish to what extent the six skills of the successful and unsuccessful candidates differ. From the data it will be established which skills are essential for the formulation of a leadership development programme. From the literature study it appears that it wasinitially believed that leadership required inborn qualities. The other two prominent approaches concentrated on the behaviour of the leader and the situation in which he and his followers find themselves. The contemporary viewpoint supports the fact that leadership can be developed through leadership skills. Two women's residences and two men's residences were selected as representative of the student population. At the 1990 house committee elections HC-candidates and other selected students at each of the four residences were required to evaluate each of the candidates in respect of leadership skills. The results obtained from the questionnaires have been processed by the way of the Hotelling Il-test technique. It was found that significant differences exist between successful and unsuccessful candidates in respect of the six leadership skills. It appears that these skills are more prominent with successful candidates than with unsuccessful candidates. The development of leadership skills should therefore be considered when a leadership development programme is formulated.

This study was undertaken in the belief that students of psychology possess a significantly greater degree of empathic ability than do students of other college majors. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is any significant difference in empathic ability between psychology students and business students as a group.

Previous research suggests there are a number of variables that are associated with the expression of schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) symptoms. Such variables include childhood trauma, depression and anxiety, substance use, normal-range personality traits, ethnicity, and gender. However, research to date has not examined all of these variables in a single study to determine how they may be interrelated or differentially related to SPD symptom domains. Of particular interest is the association of these variables as explained by the diathesis-stress model. This study utilized a convenience sample of 298 undergraduate students to examine a continuous range of scores for symptoms of SPD and how the interrelation of biological factors such as gender and ethnicity and psychosocial factors and stressors such as childhood trauma and personality traits, specifically neuroticism and extroversion, influence the expression of SPD symptoms. It was predicted that anxiety, depression, stress, and childhood trauma would positively correlate to SPD symptoms. It was also hypothesized that neuroticism and substance use would positively correlate to schizotypal traits and extroversion would be negatively correlated to schizotypal traits as measured by the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief. It was further hypothesized that psychosocial stressors would be moderated by the aforementioned biological factors.

No description available.

Are there personality characteristics statistically significant and of relatively large enough differences to make distinctions between talented achievers and underachievers? Would an identification of those personality characteristics be a necessary value to the institution of remedial procedures that might assist them in the realization of their maximal potential? What are the means by which a talented student is to be measured, aside from intellectual diagnostic procedures, that indicate this particular potential in certain areas or his ability to achieve in academic subjects by G.P.A. designation? The factors that produce achievement and underachievement are recognized in the light of success or failure in the peripheral structure encompassing the subject field itself. The achiever is an achiever only if he can meet the problems existing in the academic subject and solve them according to prescribed criteria. The underachiever, if he falls below the arbitrary standards set for the academic subject, is given a grade that evaluated his lack of performance only as it affects the actual involvement with extrinsic material. These evaluations offer no clues or information as to the specific personality characteristics that are part of the personality matrix of the talented achiever or underachiever that negate or stimulate students’ achieving or underachieving in an academic environment. The problem does not perforce exist in the academic sphere since the situation can be resolved by giving specific grade value to different performance levels. It does exist however, in the means by which certain conditions can be identified as residing in the student, and his social-interaction environment. This social-interaction environment intrudes the classroom as well as his relationships in the social milieu. Therefore, if achievement and underachievement are to have any dimensional values the forces that produce them must be understood not in the terms of a specific G.P.A. but in terms of acceptance or rejection of the procedures that would bring about these end results.