Latino/Hispanics are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in the United States, yet they are underrepresented in higher education. Grounded on the social cognitive theory and the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parental expectations, parental involvement, parental…

While there is evidence about the relationship between career development and psychological outcomes, more work is needed to understand how career development is related to personal mental health outcomes in college students. Studying some of the social and cognitive predictors of self-efficacy, this study espouses a holistic perspective to career…

Theory of mind plays an important role in our everyday interpretation of interactions. Being able to analyze what people desire, know, and believe and recognizing these mental aspects may be false or different from our own is a key component of language, cognitive, and social development. Studies have shown that skills that fall under theory of…

Test anxiety is a construct that includes cognitive, physiological, and behavioral symptoms occurring in response to anxiety prior to, during, or following examinations. The current literature on test anxiety has evaluated a number of possible predictors, including demographic variables, academic indicators, and self-perceptions. The movement…

Underrepresentation of both females and minority racial groups in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors contribute to an unbalanced STEM workforce. This was a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional survey research study utilizing secondary data analysis of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 public use…

Tendency to foreclose on careers, vocational exploration, and career commitment were examined in relationship to racial-ethnic socialization, parental responsiveness, and career-related verbal encouragement and emotional support among 228 African American male and female college athletes and non-athletes. A number of tests were conducted to test…

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, youth faced significant disruption to their lives due to the storm damage and, for many, long-term evacuation. One domain of functioning that faced significant threat because of this disruption was student engagement. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of student engagement, as measured by the…

This study explored barriers that Korean collegiate student athletes confront with regard to pursuing careers outside of professional athletics. More specifically, the purpose of the study was to identify the barriers to Korean student athletes' career development, as well as to examine the relationships among the psychological constructs of…

Children with learning disabilities represent the largest category of students served within special education systems in schools, and are at increased risk for academic and psychosocial problems in comparison to peers without learning disabilities. While much of clinical practice and research focus has been on academic interventions,…

College retention rates are a growing problem for many universities. Previous researchers focused on the inconsistencies between high school exit exams and college entrance exams, marginalized groups, and students with disabilities. However, a gap remains in the current literature regarding other external variables that may affect college…

The purpose of this study was to address the gap in the current literature on community college students in basic math courses by examining motivational, parental and cultural factors as predictors of achievement and persistence of students enrolled in basic skills mathematics courses at a community college. More specifically, this study…

This study examined science achievement growth across elementary and middle school and parent school involvement using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K). The ECLS-K is a nationally representative kindergarten cohort of students from public and private schools who attended full-day or half-day…

National efforts to interest students in STEM careers are intensifying around the globe, due to a shortage of professionals to fill the growing demands in these fields. Although some US studies find high interest in STEM in K-12 students, longitudinal studies show a decline in interest following middle school. Many students, particularly females…

This dissertation sought to explore the choice-of-college decision of academically talented students using Chapman's (1981) Model of College Choice to inform the selection of variables. This study focused on what factors influenced the decision of students who earned an A/A+ average in high school to enroll in their first-choice institution of…

This study explores factors first generation college graduates identify as impacting their successful baccalaureate degree attainment. This research was conducted using qualitative case study method, and a cross case analysis of individual case summaries was completed. Through a review of degree attainment, persistence, and first generation…