This dissertation explored the role mentors play in female students' selection of a college for undergraduate education. Domestic and international female students enrolled full-time at a University in the Southeastern United States were engaged in a focus group setting to understand how mentors influence the college choice process. While research…

The aim of this study was to better understand Latinx adolescents' experiences in their transition to in-person schooling following the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focuses on the challenges and sources of support that Latinx adolescents faced as they pivoted to fully in-person learning. Participants were 40 Latinx high school students from…

We study the peer effects of grade retention in the context of Indiana's statewide third-grade retention policy. When a retention occurs, it changes the peer group for two cohorts: rising fourth graders who lose a peer and rising third graders who gain a peer. We identify peer effects in both cohorts by leveraging plausibly exogenous variation in…

The purpose of this study is to analyse high school students' views on developing health behaviours and health education. In the study in which the qualitative method was used, the study group consisted of 26 students. Descriptive and content analysis was applied to the student views. 19% of the students stated that they have never done healthy…

While team learning within engineering classrooms has been studied, minimal work has been done examining out-of-classroom collaboration to complete individual deliverables. However, such informal peer collaboration (IPC) is common among engineering undergraduates, and some evidence exists that low levels of IPC are associated with poorer learning…

The purpose of this study was to explore how peer support schemes can be used to facilitate meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging for underrepresented students. Using three case studies, the study explored and compared peer support leaders' narratives about their experiences at three universities: one in the United Kingdom (UK), one in…

Background: Anxiety impairs adolescent development and is a risk factor for psychopathology. However, factors related to anxiety impairment's severity remain poorly studied. Objective: This study aims to document anxiety impairment across different domains in adolescents and to study associated factors (sociodemographic, specific anxiety, and…

The study aimed to analyze the influence of such factors, as cognitive engagement, learning strategies and social support on academic success and student satisfaction in online learning environments. Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey carried out in the Winter semester of 2023. Participants were 523 students recruited from…

Polysubstance use is related to elevated risk for adverse outcomes but remains understudied among early adolescents. This study focused on a cross-sectional (N = 1568) primarily Black (79%) sample of eighth grade students living in urban communities (Mean age = 13.8, SD = 0.68) to identify subgroups based on adolescents' reports of lifetime and…

The social environment plays a crucial role in shaping students' learning experiences and mental well-being, ultimately impacting their academic performance. The study examined the interplay between social environment, perceived academic stress and coping strategies. The study participants were 374 undergraduate students enrolled at the Malawi…

This study addresses an underexplored aspect of diversity at four-year research universities: the impact of international students on their domestic peers. I explore the peer effects of international students, assessing how their presence influences domestic students' academic outcomes. Using the classroom setting as a natural experimental…

The purpose of this study was to investigate online social comparison and impostor phenomenon (IP) in undergraduate music education students. In Phase 1, participants provided demographic information and completed measures of online social comparison, Facebook use, and the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). Facebook social comparison emerged…

There remains a gap in college completion rates for Black and Hispanic students. Universities have focused on creating a diverse student body (peer effects), a diverse faculty (role model effects) and on providing resources to boost completion rates. This paper tests these effects in a panel data set of 9800 observations from 1493 universities…

Instilling civic-mindedness in youth is crucial for the functioning of a democratic society. Inclusive education, which involves placing students with special needs into general education classrooms, is considered a method for fostering civic-mindedness in young people. Building on existing literature, this study investigates the impact of…

Background: According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), motivation is inherently present in every individual, growing from amotivation via controlled to autonomous motivation, through fulfilment of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Peer relatedness has been found to influence motivation multimodally.…