Grit is a trait that describes the drive to succeed above and beyond natural intelligence. While grit has been associated with positive academic outcomes, few researchers have investigated the predictors of grit, such as parenting. We examined the influence of parenting on grit and academic success in 226 college students. Results indicated that…

Student affairs and student engagement are becoming important mechanisms for social change within South African tertiary education. We explored the relationship between student involvement in cocurricular activities and learning outcomes related to collective leadership for social change. Data were collected via a survey of 1,309 students that…

Leaders of higher education value student engagement because of its measured effects on student outcomes such as retention and academic success. To increase engagement, institutions implement measures such as livinglearning programs, which combine the residential experience with an academic focus (Arboleda, Wang, Shelley, & Whalen, 2003; Zhao…

Career exploration is widely believed to produce positive career development outcomes among college and university students. Some research has supported this belief, but there is little information about exactly which outcomes it affects and whether any benefits of career exploration can be observed beyond individualistic western cultures. We…

This longitudinal multi-institution study examines the effects of students' involvement in high school service clubs and their level of civic-mindedness when entering college on their propensity and intentions to volunteer during college. The level of civic-mindedness was measured by a self-rating of their ability to work effectively with others…

A survey of 2,520 college students was conducted to test relationships between academic success and college student motivational orientation, conceptualized from a self-determination theory (SDT) perspective, while also considering the moderating effects of background characteristics such as gender, socioeconomic status, race/ ethnicity, and…

The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences in students' capacities for socially responsible leadership as well as significant predictors of its development at a higher education institution in Mexico as compared with US schools. Results revealed that Mexican students both entered and left college with significantly…

We examined the correlation between sex and cognitive outcomes of a national sample of students at four-year institutions. Outcomes data included objective tests and self-reported gains. In the presence of controls for a wide variety of potentially confounding variables, significant differences were found between women and men in outcomes and in…

This study builds upon earlier research on personality types, educational outcomes of diversity, and school and community desegregation to explore how students' plans for involvement in diversity-related activities in college varied by racial background and personality type and how students' exposure to diversity prior to college affected these…

Student engagement with faculty members and its relationship to learning was investigated for students of seven different racial/ethnic groups (N = 4,501), yielding small differences by student race/ethnicity. Relationships with faculty were stronger predictors of learning than student background characteristics for all groups, but strongest for…

Findings from this study show that living-learning (LL) programs at a research institution in the Midwest have a series of positive outcomes for both academic achievement and intellectual engagement. Controlling for past academic achievement, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics, LL programs are predictors, albeit small…

Grade point average for residence hall freshmen (N=1,167; 52%male, 90% white, 74% in-state) is related significantly to precollege characteristics (high school rank, gender, ethnicity, parental education, divorced/separated parents, self-perception of abilities, expectation of honors or changing major) and environmental variables (learning…