Counseling Psychology and Human Services Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Counseling Psychology and Human Services Theses and Dissertations by Subject "Academic outcomes"

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    Exploring the Role of Social Belonging in College by Racial Minority Group. An Examination of Academic and Psychosocial Outcomes
    (University of Oregon, 2021-11-23) Livingston, Steve; McWhirter, Benedict
    The present study explored how anticipated social belonging (SB) uncertainty in incoming first-year college students interplayed with precollege context (subjective social status and generational status), academic preparedness (high school GPA and ACT/SAT scores), academic outcomes (end-of-year GPA and second-year retention), psychosocial outcomes (end-of-year perceived stress, life satisfaction, and sadness), and experienced SB uncertainty measured at the end of student’s first year of college. The sample in this study included 3,847 incoming first-year college students of varying racial groups at a public institution in the pacific northwest region of the United States. The goal of this study was to examine how the development and role of anticipated SB uncertainty among college students differs as a function of racial group membership. Specifically, we examined racial group differences in how precollege factors and academic preparedness were associated with students’ anticipated SB and how anticipated SB predicted students’ end-of-year experienced SB, psychosocial outcomes, and academic outcomes. A series of ANCOVAs and regressions were employed to examine these relationships. The results of the analyses examining the association between precollege variables and students’ anticipated SB showed that students’ levels of anticipated SB were related to their subjective social status. Significant differences in baseline levels of anticipated SB were also found between students who identified as Asian and students who identified as White. Anticipated SB was further shown to be predictive of end-of-year perceived stress for all students. However, the findings largely failed to find significant differences in outcomes of interest as a function of racial group membership. Potential explanations for these findings and why they differ from existing literature are discussed. Findings suggest that future research would benefit from measuring SB and outcome variables of interest prior to matriculation, shortly after matriculation, and at different points throughout the academic year by racial group to understand how the changes and maintenance of this construct influence students’ academic and psychosocial outcomes.
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    Immigrant Refugee Adolescents: The Relationships Between Peer Connectedness, Academic Self-Efficacy, Educational Barriers, Parental Monitoring, and School Engagement
    (University of Oregon, 2012) Ramzy, Laura; Ramzy, Laura; Chronister, Krista
    Adolescence can be a difficult time for youth, and several additional factors intensify the stress and risk associated with adolescence for refugee youth. Refugee adolescents, for example, often have to learn and speak different languages in different contexts, establish new peer relationships, and adjust to new cultural norms. It is important to understand how such cultural negotiations influence refugee youth's educational experiences because improved educational outcomes for youth are associated with improved health outcomes. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the relationships between peer connectedness, parental monitoring, academic self-efficacy, educational barriers, and school engagement with a sample of refugee adolescents. Research hypotheses were tested using exploratory factor analysis and bivariate correlational, multiple regression, and MANOVA analyses. Data were collected from a sample of 120 refugee adolescent participants who were between 13-18 years old and arrived in the United States from Bhutan, Burma, Somalia, Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, or Iraq. Refugee adolescent participants and their families were recruited from Ecumenical Refugee and Immigrant Services (ERIS) and the African Community Center (ACC), which are refugee resettlement agencies located in Denver, Colorado. Language interpreters were recruited to assist with communication during data collection. Study findings showed that (a) a significant amount of variance in academic self-efficacy was uniquely accounted for by participants' educational barriers, school engagement, and parental monitoring, (b) a significant amount of variance in educational barriers was uniquely accounted for by ethnically similar peer connectedness, ethnically dissimilar peer connectedness, academic self-efficacy, and school engagement, (c) peer connectedness and educational barriers were positively, rather than inversely, correlated, (d) a significant amount of variance in school engagement was accounted for by educational barriers and academic self-efficacy, and (e) group differences in the level of relationships between variables were found as a function of current geographic location. Research implications include re-evaluating the use of negatively-worded and confusing items within the measures and collaborating with community partners when working with vulnerable populations. Practice implications include involving parents to decrease educational barriers through collaboration and providing educational support to foster success within the school and community.