To overcome the major weakness in the response format of the Defense Mechanisms Inventory and to use the information most relevant to the population concerned in the present study, an alternative form of the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI-AF) was designed. The 80 Likert-scaled items in the inventory were tested among 385 university students in…

This study demonstrates adult women college students overcoming challenges due to mistreatment in order to succeed academically. Asking each participant to tell her life story allowed the researcher to find common narratives of mistreatment among them, while using critical feminist and constructivist theories for analysis. As a result, the…

This study aimed to examine the influence of Adversity Quotient (AQ) on the academic achievement among Malaysian polytechnic students. A total of 1,845 students from five polytechnics in Malaysia participated in this study and these polytechnic was selected from five different zones, namely Nouthern, Southern, Eastern, Western and Borneo. The…

Prior research measuring service-learning program successes reveals the approach can positively affect students' attitudes toward community service, can increase students' motivation to learn and ability to internalize class material, and can change their view of social issues. Studies also suggest that college students sometimes enter and leave a…

An unwillingness to consider empirical evidence that contradicts one's desired conclusion, or science denial, is an enormous barrier to producing an informed citizenry. This essay explores literature on conceptual change and motivation to put forth fresh ideas on how curricula can foster science acceptance, or the willingness to engage in critical…

The neurosciences have expanded our understanding of the role of the "old" brain in generating defensive reactions to threat. Because the learning and practice of management skills pose various forms of threat to would-be practitioners, the question of how individuals respond to threat and how this affects their ability to learn has also…

The study examined potential factors and attitudes associated with providing fraudulent academic claims. A total of 319 students completed an online survey which involved reading a vignette about an incomplete assignment. Participants reported whether they would contact their instructor to gain an extension, expressed their confidence in the…

Research supports the use of the Color-Blind Racism Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) as a measure of color-blindness, but relatively little is known about whether it is predictive of policy attitudes. This study adds to that literature by investigating the extent to which CoBRAS predicts attitudes toward resource redistribution as a method of addressing…

A thorough understanding of academic dishonesty and the students who engage in it is necessary to develop appropriate policies and educational interventions to discourage such actions. The present study examines the frequency of academic dishonesty and the characteristics (i.e. gender, course enrollment, and grades) of students who engage in…

This article offers explanations as to why good candidates for mathematics or physics degrees might opt to study subjects other than STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects at university. Results come from analysis, informed by psychoanalytic theory and practice, of narrative-style interviews conducted with first-year…

Academic cheating and fraud are becoming more prevalent. The Internet removes barriers and opens access to information and increases the opportunities for academic fraud. The incentives to succeed academically also are increasing as higher education continues to grow in importance. A student's rationalization is the last, critical piece needed to…

University students in general experience stressful situations once they leave home and begin to adjust to the new life on a college campus with its related academic and social demands. However, students of color often have the additional burden of coping with race-related stress. Data from a focus group interview with 18 alumni of color, found…

The author explores the articulations of six social studies student/teachers after a viewing of "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts". The film, a documentary about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on the people in and around New Orleans, constitutes an encounter with what Deborah Britzman (1998) calls "difficult…

The purpose of the current study was to explore learners' evaluation of the credibility of scientific models that represent natural entities and phenomena. Participants were 845 students in grades 9-11 (aged 15-17 years) and 108 prospective science teachers in Oman, totaling 953 students. A survey called Epistemologies about the Credibility of…

It is costly for faculty to deal with cheating. Keith-Spiegel et al. (1998) identified several of these costs and argued that they can be grouped into four categories: emotionality, difficult, fear, and denial. I argue that the emotional and fear costs for faculty make it unlikely that the common approaches to dealing with plagiarism will be…