Holland's theory of vocational choice is a powerful framework for studying academic environments and student development in college. This study tests Holland's third proposition that students flourish in academic environments (i.e., majors) that are congruent with their personality types. In addition, we examine the extent to which student…

Multilevel modeling provides several advantages over traditional ordinary least squares regression analysis; however, reporting results to stakeholders can be challenging. This article suggests some strategies for presenting complex, multilevel data and statistical results to institutional and higher education decision makers. The article is…

The widespread popularity of programs for first-year students is due, in large part, to studies showing that participation in first-year programs is significantly related to students' academic success. Because students choose to participate in first-year programs, self-selection effects prevent researchers from making causal claims about the…

This study examined the relationships among first-year students' employment, engagement, and academic achievement using data from the 2004 National Survey of Student Engagement. A statistically significant negative relationship was found between working more than 20 hours per week and grades, even after controlling for students' characteristics…

Building on previous research, this study examined the reciprocal relationship between academic achievement and satisfaction of 1001 seniors at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Students completed a survey which measured overall satisfaction, ratings of academic and social experiences, whether the student would recommend the university to a…

This research evaluated the usefulness of three approaches for predicting college grades: (1) traditional regression models; (2) high school effects models; and (3) hierarchical linear models. Results of an analysis of the records of 8,764 freshmen at a major research university revealed that both the high school effects model and the hierarchical…

A study used a latent variable model with various factors to examine the relationship between college student grades and satisfaction. Results suggest satisfaction is a stronger influence on grades than vice versa. It is recommended that popular recursive models be reevaluated because nonrecursive models may more accurately represent effects.…

An examination was made of the relationship between grades and satisfaction from three distinct research viewpoints: (1) how satisfaction influences grades (as opposed to other research studying the reciprocal of grades influencing satisfaction); (2) the satisfaction of graduating seniors (rather than focusing on freshmen and sophomores); and (3)…