For many students the first-year composition (FYC) classroom marks the beginning of college. The FYC instructor acts as a leader and a mentor for each student who is unique and approaches learning differently. The question is whether students enter the classroom prepared for the challenge of academic writing with a high sense of self-efficacy and…

Investigated the impact of freshman orientation and locus of control on college adjustment in college freshmen (N=315). Found orientation had no effect; students characterized by internal locus of control were significantly better adjusted than were their external counterparts. (Author/ABL)

Examined state anxiety, locus of control, and perceptions of the relevance and helpfulness of a college counseling center among 275 vocationally undecided college seniors. These variables, as a set, contributed significantly to discrimination between respondents and nonrespondents to vocational assistance offered from the center. Separately, only…

Investigated the comparative effects of two types of precounseling training (written, videotaped) in facilitating client counselor relationships and client self-exploration of internally and externally oriented clients. Results indicated both internally and externally oriented clients who experienced videotaped precounseling training reported a…

Describes a program for training people to apply generic problem-solving techniques to personal problems. Male student volunteers (N=64) were assigned to a training group or no-training control group. The training group achieved a higher standard in their bachelor's degrees and developed an increased belief in internal control. (Author/JAC)

Identification of relevant individual and intervention variables whose interaction affects response to treatment can be used to facilitate favorable outcomes through appropriate client-treatment matching. To provide a preliminary appraisal of this interaction hypothesis by examining the relationship between client and treatment loci of control as…

In response to perceived need, the University of Pretoria (South Africa) implemented a stress management program for students using relaxation and visualization techniques and emphasizing development of study skills. Case studies of six participants in 1986 found both quantitative and qualitative improvement in all stress management areas except…

Describes a study of affective differences between 300 university undergraduates enrolled in an introductory psychology course, comparing students who elected to participate in Supplemental Instruction (a nonremedial, academic support model targeting high-risk courses) with those who did not. Assesses Supplemental Instruction's effects on locus of…

GAIN (Getting Assistance in Nursing) is a federally-funded program designed to recruit and retain high-risk nursing students. One aspect of the GAIN program is a three-credit developmental course to prepare educationally and economically disadvantaged students for required nursing courses. The course, "Success in Nursing," consists of two…

A preservice teacher education course in educational psychology focused on students (n=67) taking greater responsibility for learning through exposure to a variety of learning experiences, including curriculum negotiation, peer discussion and teaching, learning contracts, self/peer/collaborative assessment, and critical reflection. Locus of…