Meta-analytic Structural Equation Modeling (MASEM) is the combination of meta-analysis (MA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). With new MASEM methodologies developed over the past few years, there is an opportunity to compare the past approaches with the new ones. The purpose of this dissertation is two-fold. First, the parameter estimates,…

Vocational education and training (VET) programs are typically regarded as the means to enable successful school-to-work transitions. However, high rates of premature contract terminations in VET programs suggest that adolescents face difficulties during this transition. This paper aims to examine the determinants of persistence intention,…

It is well documented that cyberbullying can lead to adverse mental health outcomes. Separate research shows that higher levels of social connectedness may result in more positive mental health outcomes, however, the relationship between social connectedness and mental health in the face of cyberbullying is not yet fully understood. An online…

A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted within the measurement portion of a structural equation model (SEM) looking at first time, full time freshmen's perceptions, commitments, and behaviors in the early part of the first fall semester. Survey items collected within the first three to five weeks of the initial fall semester were found to…

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine if social cohesion mediates the effects of neighborhood and household-level socioeconomic status (SES), perceptions of neighborhood safety, and access to parks on mothers' engagement in physical activity (PA). Method: Secondary analyses were conducted on cross-sectional data from The…

International student enrollment in higher education has risen in the United States for the past several decades. Along with the increase within 4-year institutions, the number of international students at community colleges also continues to rise. Open Doors reports there were 91,648 total international students enrolled in community college for…

This quantitative study examined the effects of marijuana on academic and social involvement in undergraduates using a structural equation model. The study was conducted at a midsized comprehensive community college in the Midwest and was guided by Astin's (1985) theory of student involvement. A survey link was e-mailed to all 4,527 eligible…

Despite the fact that international students face challenges at the United States (U.S.) universities and colleges, little research exits on these student's sense of belonging. This study investigates the factors of sense of belonging for international students and provides insights on factors like academic adjustment, homesickness, peer…

Navigating between cultures in addition to developmental changes and challenges in early adolescence can be difficult. We investigated school, family, and ethnic group as conditions for acculturation and school adjustment among early-adolescent boys and girls. Analyses were based on 860 mostly second- and third-generation immigrant students from…

Using structural equation modeling, this study examined the effects of peer environments on collegiate interracial friendship and how such effects vary by students' race. The results show that the peer environment of Greek life mediated the relationship between structural diversity and interracial friendship in college, in that students…

In recent years, positive psychology has focused on flourishing; a combination of social and emotional well-being. For flourishing to function optimally, social environments as well as hopeful future expectation are crucial. It can be inferred that social connectedness and hope might be predictor of flourishing in early adulthood. This study aims…

Measurement shortcomings have hampered the understanding of institutional commitment (IC) in college students. Therefore, this study sought to (a) develop validated indices of IC and associated psychosocial attributes and (b) use these indices to test a nomological network of variables and their direct and indirect relationships to IC. Exploratory…

Student satisfaction has become an important concept in higher education because students are paying higher tuition fees and increasingly seeing themselves as customers and because satisfaction is commonly used as an indicator of quality by quality assurance agencies and the compilers of rankings and league tables. In business organisations, it…

This dissertation empirically tested Tinto's student integration theory through structural equation modeling using a national sample of 2,847 first-time entering community college students. Tinto theorized that the more academically and socially integrated a student is to the college environment, the more likely the student will persist through…

This study examined the relationships between undergraduate students' social class background and variables theorized to affect students' social integration in higher education, including students' perception of campus climate, frequency of faculty interactions, frequency of involvement in campus activities, and sense of belonging.…