Establishing social networks can be extremely challenging when international students, particularly those of color, move to a new academic and social environment. We examine the perceptions of social networks among first-year international students of color and how these networks affect their experiences at a predominantly White institution (PWI).…

This article reports on the development of a methodology that integrates virtual and hands-on inquiry in a freshman introductory biology course. Using a two time x two order-condition design, an effective combination (blend) of the two environments was evaluated with 39 freshman biology participants. The quantitative results documented no…

Male perpetrated sexual aggression has long been recognized as a serious problem on college campuses. The purpose of this multiple regression correlation study was to assess the relationship between levels of moral development (measured by the Defining Issues Test) and the degree to which first-year college men (N = 161) ascribed to rape…

This qualitative study explores the nature of undergraduate commuter students' social involvement with peers during the transitional first six months of their university experience. Focus group interviews with 46 participants provided a student perspective of the role of social interactions in students' transition to university life. Findings…

Provides a rationale for including technical writing assignments in a freshman composition course. Describes several possible writing assignments, including descriptions of mechanisms, abstracts, and research reports. Also discusses possible texts and other readings for the class and how such assignments affect student attitudes and performance.…

There is a need for systematic comparisons and replications of research on questions concerning students' sexual behaviors and attitudes. To examine whether or not students' attitudes and behaviors toward sex and sex-related issues changed over a decade, 435 incoming freshmen in 1973 and 460 freshmen in 1983 were administered an anonymous…

A study investigated the attitudes of British first-year polytechnic or university students (n=38) and employed graduates (n=80) in science and technology fields up to age 30, concerning their choice of science/technology or nonscience/technology fields. Results indicate why some students are deterred from science/technology. (Author/MSE)

A study at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Massachusetts) found a positive relationship between freshman (n=262) decidedness regarding academic major and both anticipated adjustment (prematriculation) and actual adjustment (postmatriculation), more academically than socially. Comparison with another study suggests the relationship is stronger in…

The adjustment to college represents a potentially invigorating and unsettling time for students. As students are socialized into college experiences, they must simultaneously navigate issues of identity, uncertainty, and change--all of which take place in a dynamic, ever-changing communication environment. The purpose of this study was to explore…

The study reported in this paper examined the effects of teaching learning strategies integrated with courses content on the study habits, attitudes, and mastery of course content of 122 students. Students enrolled in the experimental section of a freshman level course were taught learning strategies and course content; students in another section…

Studies examining college students' drug use behavior have found that drug use has increased over the periods studied. To examine the attitudes and behaviors towards drugs of University of Maryland freshmen over a decade, 410 freshmen in 1973 and 491 freshmen in l983 were administered an anonymous questionnaire. An analysis of the results showed…

Evaluation of a faculty advising program at a large, public, urban commuter university had student pairs of entering first-year students and transfers matched, with one of each pair participating in the program. Results were compromised by low participation but suggest that students feeling comfortable and respected during advising sessions were…

Inspired by the increasingly important role of computers in vocational preparation and the practical value of determining curriculum and program needs on the basis of student vocational interests, an investigation of the differences in computer attitudes among students depending on their Holland type and their sex was initiated. Data were…

The problem of ill prepared college freshmen in remedial/developmental classes across the nation has significantly increased. At the same time, colleges and universities are increasingly concerned about college student retention. The study compared the belief structures of two groups: those enrolled in two remedial reading classes, and those…

A study of 291 freshmen from "invisible" colleges and 239 from 6 prestigious colleges and universities and their parents investigated how the 2 sets of families with obvious different college preferences had made their choice. Geography, parental influence and approval, the "second choice" concept, and institutional…