Results of a series of ANOVAs performed on self-report data from a large (N = 1310), diverse sample of Undergraduate students enrolled at an urban 4-year university are presented to address what different groups of students perceive as their ideal learning environment (course, professor) and motivational profile. Younger students, and students…

All tenured and tenure-track faculty know the trinity of promotion and tenure criteria: research, teaching, and service. While teaching and research are relatively well-defined areas of institutional focus and evaluation, service work is rarely tabulated or analyzed as a key aspect of higher education's political economy. Instead, service, silent…

This article is based on a two-year multi-method research project, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, investigating the experiences of international undergraduate students in UK higher education. In investigating the influences on their experiences and the strategies that students employ, the study has also revealed something…

Objective: Because little is known about college-age smokers, the authors conducted a qualitative study to better understand this population. Participants: Forty college student smokers from 12 Pacific Northwest colleges participated in the study. Methods: The authors identified themes and built models to ascertain important factors related to…

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

This research emerged from the Social Science Research Council's collaborative partnership with the Pathways for College Network, with technical assistance in data collection provided by the Council for Aid to Education. The project has followed over 2,300 students at 24 institutions over time to examine what factors are associated with learning…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to analyze how potential college-bound and current college students make meaning about the higher education experience from the legendary film that is pivotal in the American college culture, sets the trend for future college-themed films, and is a national phenomenon--"National Lampoon's Animal…

Using a survey of self-authorship (Pizzolato, 2004), this longitudinal study investigated to what extent particular student characteristics (e.g., demographics characteristics, academic preparation characteristics) and the college environment (i.e., academic and living environment) influence self-authorship development. Findings in this…

Vulnerable people may become susceptible to the effects of shared life stress. To test this possibility, undergraduates and their roommates completed questionnaires on suicidality and stress. Consistent with an assortative relating process, roommates who chose to room together were more similar on a suicide index than were roommates who were…

This study examined the relevance of higher education institutions' existing student activity programming and its effectiveness in promoting students' multicultural learning. Employing path analysis, this study explored the level of undergraduates' participation in selected college organizations and activities and its linkage to multicultural…

Using a national sample (n = 643) of Native American students who took the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ), the researcher identified how student involvement and institutional commitment to diversity predicted student learning. Native American students reported higher levels of learning when the institution's commitment to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate responses of a large stratified random sample of students (based on year in school, college major, race, and sex) to elements of the Illinois State University campus academic climate, academic formats, social climate, and physical climate. (Author/IRT)

Focuses on what has the potential to get lost - for both faculty members and students - in working in an environment that does not see undergraduate education as its first priority. Explores in more depth the challenges and pleasures of working in a college whose primary focus is the teaching of undergraduates. Describes four classroom examples of…

Originally published in July 1989, uses meta-analysis to integrate and summarize the empirical research from 1966 through 1987 regarding the influence of college residence halls on the academic performance of undergraduate students in the United States. Results indicate that residence halls do not generally exert a major influence on students'…

Reports on a study of the academic integrity culture of a mid-sized comprehensive private university. Study outcomes illustrate the need to address campus culture issues before attempting to create a student honor code. Argues that the need to involve every layer of an institution is key to the creation of a culture that will support and sustain a…