<p> The culture of American education that is largely predicated on acquiring the proverbial golden ticket for entrance to an esteemed college has produced the most anxious, stressed, and sleep-deprived generation ever (Jones &amp; Jones, 2006). As students strive to graduate from high school with perfected profiles that impress and garner admission to these colleges, high school success and educational practices are typically focused on achievement as reflected by test scores, grades, college acceptance results, and scholarship offers (Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, &amp; Walberg, 2004). As a result, instead of prioritizing process-oriented learning that is associated with a growth mindset, achievement performance measures focus on extrinsic rewards often linked with a fixed mindset such as grades, scores, rankings, and awards (Dweck, 2006). As students pursue accolades and marks of achievement, various aspects of learning are supplanted including risk, struggle, persistence, resilience, and growth, often at the expense of character, values, integrity, and psychological well-being (Guang, Hanchao, &amp; Kaiping, 2016). </p><p> The study revealed the relationship between mindset and psychological well-being for a sample of 123 high achieving, college-bound senior students attending private, college-preparatory Christian high schools in Orange County, California. It also reviews the factors related to the college admission process that affects and shapes the life experiences of these students. Quantitative data reveal the relationships and themes related to mindset and psychological well-being and offer insight and strategies that may promote positive, healthier outcomes for college-bound students as well as topics for future research. This study adds to the current body of knowledge related to implicit theories of intelligence, mindset, adolescent psychological well-being, and social emotional learning. </p><p> Furthermore, this study is relevant because it reveals the underlying factors related to the emotional needs of today&rsquo;s adolescents, providing teachers, counselors, and school administrators with important information that may influence vision, goals, policies, and instruction. The results of this study support the need to reevaluate the effects of the college admission process on adolescent mindset and psychological well-being.</p><p>

<p> This exploratory study was designed to establish a foundation for understanding the relationship between college students&rsquo; epistemic fluency, the need (self-concordance); want (self-determination); and ability (self-efficacy) to think about their learning; their regulatory mode orientation (locomotion versus assessment), and their academic goals. A novel instrument measuring both epistemic fluency and regulatory mode orientation was constructed for this purpose. </p><p> Self-efficacy may be the most important element of epistemic fluency as well as the most important moderating factor in goal pursuit. Assessment, a mode of regulatory orientation, and goal activity are inextricably linked. Goal activity may be a metacognitive byproduct of regulatory mode orientation. The differential expression of epistemic fluency and regulatory mode orientation was observable through participant identified academic goals. Personal characteristics such as self-identified racial or gender identity were important moderators in the expression of both epistemic fluency and regulatory mode orientation. Minority or female students had higher factor scores. The extent to which a goal signals intrinsic motivation (value) governs the dynamic allocation of self-regulatory resources more so than the differential time horizons of goals</p><p>

<p> A gap in the knowledge of literature was found in that no research had been performed examining the effect different physical learning environments have on cognitive load levels. This is important because high cognitive load levels are known to affect learning. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study is to examine the relationship between the overall, intrinsic, and extraneous cognitive load and the physical learning environment (online and traditional classrooms) of undergraduate college students in an Introduction to Psychology class, at a medium-sized liberal arts college. Cognitive load theory provides a framework that has been used extensively to promote learning. Cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental activity imposed onto the learner. Research noted what has not been examined is how different physical learning environments may affect cognitive load. For this study, the physical learning environment is the place where learning takes place. Three research questions sought a correlation between cognitive load levels and the physical learning environment, online or traditional classroom. The Leppink scale was used to measure cognitive load. A survey was sent, one week in December, until the minimum sample size was determined. Data were determined using a Spearman correlation. The findings indicated no significant relationship exists between Overall Cognitive Load and the physical learning environment (<i>r_s</i> = &ndash;0.011, <i>p</i> > 0.05), Intrinsic Cognitive Load and the physical learning environment (<i>r_s</i> = &ndash;0.082, <i>p</i> > 0.05), and Extraneous Cognitive Load and the physical learning environment (<i>r_s</i> = 0.086, <i> p</i> > 0.05). Recommendations for future research include looking at gender differences and testing at different times during the semester. </p><p>

<p>The general public harbors misconceptions about mental illnesses; particularly, auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs). Misconceptions about the causes, dangerousness, and treatment of mental illnesses constitute barriers for treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a neurobiological refutation text was more effective than a neurobiological expository text in changing knowledge and attitudes concerning AVHs. A MANOVA determined that the refutation text was not statistically different than the expository text in changing knowledge of AVHs [F(2, 95) = 0.982, p = 0.428]. Another MANOVA determined that the refutation text was not statistically different than the expository text in changing attitudes towards a person in a vignette with severe AVHs [F(2, 95) = 2.553, p = 0.083]. A bimodal distribution was observed in participants? level of contact with persons with severe mental illness. Supplemental analyses indicated that participants who read the expository text and reported high levels of contact endorsed significantly lower levels of social distancing behaviors towards the person in a vignette [t(47) = 1.983, p = .053, d =.57]. Participants who read the refutation text and reported low levels of contact attributed significantly less attitudes of fear and anger [t(41) = 2.664, p = .011, d =.82], and endorsed significantly lower levels of social distancing behaviors [t(41) = 2.829, p = .007, d =.87]. A refutation text may be more effective than an expository text in changing attitudes concerning AVHs, when a participant?s misconceptions of persons with severe mental illness are formed through observations and various forms of media.

<p> The majority of American high school students compete in school sponsored athletics (NCES, 2017; NFSH, 2017). Therefore, it is important for students, parents, educators and other pediatric professionals to be aware of the benefits and costs of participation. High schools and their associations are also often put in a position of determining what, if any, academic requirements should exist for athletic eligibility. This paper provides a thorough literature review of more than sixty references related to the benefits, costs, eligibility standards and legal issues associated with high school athletic participation. In addition, to gather and analyze input directly from the classrooms and playing fields, a novel survey on the topic was conducted with more than 130 high school employees at various high schools in Northern California, including teachers, coaches, athletic directors, administrators, psychologists, counselors and other staff. Findings from the literature and survey overwhelmingly support the immediate and long-term academic, occupational, social-emotional and health benefits of high school sports. More controversial, however, is suspending athletic participation for students who do not meet academic requirements. The author explores this issue taking into account the proven benefits of high school sports, procedural and legal concerns, and best practices for students. In particular, the effects are considered by gender, race, English-language status, socio-economic status and students with disabilities. Conclusions and recommendations are provided to assist stakeholders in understanding the role of high school athletics and developing fair and appropriate procedures and interventions for supporting all student-athletes. </p><p>

<p> Organizations invest billions annually in the form of Tuition Assistance Programs (TAP) with little knowledge as to the reasons why employees choose to participate. The purpose of this multiple exploratory case study was to explore the perceptions of employees with access to a TAP of at least $5,250 per year. Interviews were conducted with 17 participants to elicit input on the perceptions and rationales related to participation in the program. In Case One (participators), the data suggests that communicating the intentions of the programs through marketing and individual development plans (IDPs) could help employees differentiate these programs from standard benefits. Next, the support role that managers played in the decision-making process encouraged participation and therefore, engaged them with work. In Case Two (non-participators), the data suggests that time is a considerable factor that prevented participation. Additionally, institutional barriers, such as financial holds on previously earned transcripts or an inability to apply work experience as experiential credits, caused discouragement and demotivated employees to participate. Lastly, this study provided the opportunity for cross-case analysis, which showed that manager support, regardless of the decision to participate in the TAP, improved an employee&rsquo;s engagement and motivation at work. The analysis also showed that the intention, value, and benefits of the employers&rsquo; TAPs were not understood by the employees with access to participate. Implementation of IDPs for those eligible to participate in the program could help employees make the connection between the investments made in their education and their future career opportunities with their employer. </p><p>

<p> Competing within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) involves an inherent risk of injury. For the student-athletes who experience serious injuries, the subsequent difficulties can be hard to navigate. While most research focuses on the athletic identity of recovering student-athletes, little is known about how they are affected within the classroom. This study utilizes qualitative methodology and Wiese-Bjornstal et al.&rsquo;s integrated model of response to sport injury (1998) to explore this gap in the literature, by looking at how the psychosocial effects of injury are related to student-athletes&rsquo; academic responsibilities, as well as the balance between their athletic and academic commitments.</p><p>

<p> The topic of this study was student motivation and intention to graduate at a for-profit university. The research problem addressed is only 23% of bachelor&rsquo;s degree-seeking students at for-profit universities persist to graduate within six years. Students who leave without graduating incur more debt and earn less money over time. Grounded in an integration of self-determination theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this quantitative, casual comparative study was to predict student intention to persist to graduate based on motivational profiles. Cluster analysis revealed two distinct motivational profiles (internally motivated and externally motivated) of 158 students at an online, private, for-profit university. Differential tests indicated attitude and subjective norms were significantly different between the two profiles. The significant differences between the two profiles offers support for the multidimensional nature of motivation as argued by self-determination theory. Therefore, is recommended that future research adopt a person-centered approach in investigating student motivation. However, no differences were found between motivational profiles and intention to graduate. Regression analysis confirmed motivational profiles did not predict intention. The lack of difference between motivational profiles and intention challenges the integration of self-determination theory and the theory of planned behavior. Since all students in this study had high levels of intention to graduate, but only 31% are graduating at this university, it is recommended that future research use a longitudinal approach to investigate the sustainability of distinct motivational profiles. The results offer insights into the motivations of bachelor&rsquo;s degree seeking students attending a for-profit university. Over two-thirds of the students in this study exhibited external forms of motivation. It is recommended practitioners employ methods to increase autonomous forms of motivation in the online, for-profit educational setting.</p><p>

<p> Sierra Leone suffered the worst Ebola outbreak in history. This is a study of Sierra Leone aid workers during the 2014&ndash;2015 Ebola epidemic using the mixed-method concurrent nested model. Data collection consisted of 4 quantitative surveys (BSI, PDS-5, CD-RISC, and CSI), demographic information sheet, and qualitative semi-structured interviews. The findings show 53% met the criteria for psychological distress indicated by the BSI and 40% met the criteria for PTSD indicated by PDS-5. The highest score on CD-RICS resilience questionnaire indicated a belief that God can help them. The CSI revealed 15% of the participants used wishful thinking, social support, problem-solving, and cognitive restructuring coping strategies. Sociocultural factors showed significant impact on NAWs during the Ebola epidemic The qualitative themes that emerged in the responses of the participants included psychological distress, trauma, coping, resilience, economic factors, social structure shift, social factors, basic needs, community support, infrastructure, and changing cultural practices.</p><p>

A key aspect of the student learning experience in higher education takes place through student research projects. Existing research suggests that the supervisor plays a central role in the success of these projects (e.g. Devos, 2007). Current literature concentrates on the qualities of an effective supervisor and much focus is given to setting out guidance on what academics should do in order to become good supervisors (e.g. Lovitts, 2001). Independently, research suggests that students’ characteristics and approaches to learning can have an impact on success (e.g. Busato et al, 2000). Conventionally, the qualities of a “good” supervisor and the qualities of a “good” student are studied separately. No research bridges the gap between these aspects. However, it is proposed that the qualities of the supervisory relationship, and hence the student’s learning experience and the outcomes of the dissertation, depends on a complex interaction between the characteristics, personalities and expectations of both the student and the supervisor. This concept of a ‘match’/‘mismatch’ in terms of psychological factors is novel but has significant implications for higher education. With reference to the central importance of student projects for learning and development the research reported in this thesis concentrates firstly on the student, then on the supervisor and finally on the relationship between them. The thesis is divided into 4 research themes, with the aim of investigating if any psychological factors, of both the student and the supervisor, can predict student success and development during a final year and masters project. The first theme looks at the difference between undergraduate and masters students; the second addresses the characteristics of a “good” student; the third “good” supervision; and finally the 4th theme looks at the interaction between the student and supervisor and investigates the significance of “match” or “mismatch” of psychological factors in supervisor-student partnerships. This final theme considers the qualities of students and supervisors together. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, combining questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, this research investigated pairs of students and supervisors. Data collection occurred in two phases: Student data pre-project and student and supervisor data post project. A total of 580 students and 60 supervisors were surveyed. This was complemented by interviews with 20 students and 10 supervisors. On the basis of the findings it is concluded that there are qualitative differences between undergraduate and masters students in their approaches and attitudes to doing a project; in line with the findings of other research there are characteristics of students which are important for success; and there are some core characteristics of good supervisor; and finally, uniquely this research found that match and mismatch between student and supervisor is important in terms of students’ perceptions of their success and development. It was clear that both the magnitude of difference and direction of the difference, between students and supervisors, had an impact and it seems that certain types of mismatch result in the highest perceptions of success for students. The implications for this research are discussed with a particular focus on higher education.