Making the transition from secondary to post-secondary education : a retrospective study of students with learning disabilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate what students with Learning Disabilities perceive are the personal characteristics they possess and services they require to assist them to complete secondary school and to continue their education in a postsecondary setting. Twenty-one students (12 female and 9 male) participated in the study which consisted of an interview and completion of a questionnaire. The central findings were as follows: 1) the participants perceived that personal characteristics were important in secondary school and still remain of importance at th~ postsecondary level; 2) Many of the typical accommodations and services supposed to be provided in secondary schools were not provided to the participants in this study; 3) the participants believed that they had more academic than social problems. Recommendations for future research in this field are based on findings related to the transition of LD students from secondary school to postsecondary education.

Sustainability, Fashion Design, and Consumerism: Undergraduate Entry Level Fashion Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Habits

This qualitative inquiry explored 7 undergraduate students' attitudes, habits, and knowledge of consumerism, fashion design, and sustainability. The postmodern study employed crystallization as its methodological framework to gain insight into how participants' knowledge is manifested in their daily habits, and used 4 methods of data gathering: semistructured interviews, visual exercises, journal entries, and the researcher's own reflections. Four major themes emerged: Knowledge-Concepts Linked and Fragmented; Dissonance Between Knowledge Versus Attitudes and Consumer Habits; Surrendering to the Unsustainable Structures; Design Process and Caring Attitude. Findings indicate that participants possessed some knowledge of sustainability but lacked a well-rounded understanding of environmental and humanitarian implications of Western consumer society. Findings also reveal a dissonance between participants' knowledge and attitudes-affecting how their knowledge influences their behaviour-and how reflection, creative thinking, and drawing initiate change in participants' underlying attitudes. Recommendations are made to merge a variety of theoretical frameworks into the educational system in order to create curricula that offer a holistic overview and unique insights into sustainability challenges, particularly in specialized areas of the fashion industry.

The Association between Tobacco Control Policies and Marijuana Use among Ontario Undergraduate Students

Background: Research indicates a steady increase in marijuana use and that it is concurrent with tobacco. There is speculation this concurrency reaches beyond use, to where policies aimed at reducing one may result in the reduction of the other. Purpose: To investigate the association between tobacco control policies and marijuana use among young adult undergraduates. Methods: A stratified sample of Ontario universities resulted in a sample of 4,966 participants. Results: Campuses with a moderately strong policy was found to be significantly associated with decreased marijuana use compared to campuses with a weak tobacco control policy. (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.36-0.76). Conclusions: The findings show tobacco control strategies are related to decreased odds of marijuana use among Ontario undergraduates. These findings are important to both policy makers and researchers interested in health strategies pertaining to marijuana and tobacco use and/or how health policies aimed at reducing one risk behaviour can affect another.

A Longitudinal Examination of Bidirectional Associations between Subjective Sleep Characteristics and Psychosocial Functioning among University Students

A number of studies have found a significant link between sleep and psychosocial functioning among university students. A critical examination of this literature, however, indicates that one important gap within the literature is the need for longitudinal studies that specifically test for bidirectional associations between these two constructs. The main purpose of my dissertation was to address this gap by conducting three studies that examined bidirectional associations between sleep and psychosocial functioning among a sample of university students. Participants were 942 (71.5% female) undergraduate students enrolled at a Canadian university, who completed survey assessments annually for three consecutive years, beginning in their first year of university. In the first study, I assessed bidirectional associations between two sleep characteristics (sleep quality and sleep duration) and three psychosocial functioning variables (academics, friendship quality, and intrapersonal adjustment). Results based on cross-lagged models indicated a significant bidirectional association between sleep quality and intrapersonal adjustment, such that more sleep problems predicted more negative intrapersonal adjustment over time, and vice versa. Unidirectional associations indicated that both higher academic achievement and more positive friendship quality were significant predictors of less sleep problems over time. In the second study, in which I examined bidirectional associations between sleep and media use, results provided support only for unidirectional associations; such that more sleep problems predicted increases in both time spent watching television and time spent engaged in online social networking. In the third study of my dissertation, in which I examined social ties at university and sleep quality, results indicated a significant bidirectional association, such that more positive social ties predicted less sleep problems over time, and vice versa. Importantly, emotion regulation was a significant mediator of this association. Findings across the three studies, highlight the importance of determining the direction of effects between different sleep characteristics and various aspects of university students’ psychosocial functioning, as such findings have important implications for both methodology and practice. A better understanding of the nature of the associations between sleep and psychosocial functioning will equip students, parents and university administrators with the tools necessary to facilitate successful adjustment across the university years.

Educating an iPod generation: undergraduate attitudes, experiences and understanding of vodcast and podcast use

ognyline) There is an increasing pressure on university staff to provide ever more information and resources to students. This study investigated student opinions on (audio) podcasts and (video) vodcasts and how well they met requirements and aided learning processes. Two experiments within the Aston University looked at student opinion on, and usage of, podcasts and vodcasts for a selection of their psychology lectures.

Students’ movement and participation in Latin-American psychology: historical and future perspectives

The historiographical paper presented is about the students’ activism and participation in the Latin American psychology. This aims are: 1) to provide a brief historic overview of the Latin American psychology; 2) to review on the students’ participation in the Latin American psychology; 3) to raise students’ future perspectives for the Latin American psychology. It is recognized that there is an extensive past of Latin American psychology and an emerging historiographical work that re fl ects that past.However, there are several historiographical gaps not covered yet by the investigations in the region. In this context, this paper wants to contribute to the study of the students’ activism and participation in the Latin American psychology construction. The historical perspective is supported by the renewed historiographical conception called instant history” which focuses on ancient and recent history at the same time. Indirect sources were used: articles, monographs and compiled editions.

Bibliography profiling of undergraduate theses in a professional psychology program

The bibliographic profile of 125 undergraduate (licentiate) theses was analyzed, describing absolute quantities of several bibliometric variables, as well as within-document indexes and average lags of the references. The results show a consistent pattern across the years in the 6 cohorts included in the sample (2001-2007), with variations, which fall within the robust confi dence intervals for the global central tendency. The median number of references per document was 52 (99% CI 47-55); the median  percentage of journal articles cited was 55%, with a median age for journal references of 9 years. Other highlights of the bibliographic profile were the use of foreign language references (median 61%), and low reliance on open web documents (median 2%). A cluster analysis of the bibliometric indexes resulted  in a typology of 2 main profiles, almost evenly distributed, one of them with the makeup of a natural science bibliographic profile and the second within the style of the humanities. In general, the number of references, proportion of papers, and age of the references are close to PhD dissertations and Master theses, setting a rather high standard for undergraduate theses.

Estrategias de aprendizaje, motivación y rendimiento académico en alumnos universitarios. 'Undergraduate students' learning strategies, motivation, and academic performance'.

Incluye un anexo que recoge los items que componen el cuestionario utilizado para este estudio. Resumen basado en el de los autores. Resumen y título en castellano y en inglés. Este trabajo forma parte del proyecto: Estrategias de enseñanza-aprendizaje en la universidad. Subvencionado por una beca del Instituto de Cooperación Iberoamericana-ICI, España y apoyo económico de la Vollmer Foundation - Caracas, Venezuela

Researcher development: the impact of undergraduate research opportunity programmes on students in the UK

Undergraduate research opportunity programmes (UROP) are common in North America where research has confirmed their benefits. These schemes are gaining ground in the UK, and this article provides evidence for how UK students are benefiting from the experience. Results suggest UROP makes a significant contribution to the research capabilities and confidence of participating students, boosting their understanding of both research and their own subjects. Whilst offering considerable benefits to student learning, there is no evidence that UROP schemes on their current small scale attract additional students to postgraduate research, since the majority that participate are already interested in postgraduate study. However, at an individual level, most students report increased confidence and appreciation of the realities of the research process, and desire to progress on to postgraduate study following the placement, indicating that schemes may have the potential to cultivate new research confidence and interest if expanded.

Introducing Undergraduate Students to Science

Understanding the scientific method fosters the development of critical thinking and logical analysis of information. Additionally, proposing and testing a hypothesis is applicable not only to science, but also to ordinary facts of daily life. Knowing the way science is done and how its results are published is useful for all citizens and mandatory for science students. A 60-h course was created to offer undergraduate students a framework in which to learn the procedures of scientific production and publication. The course`s main focus was biochemistry, and it was comprised of two modules. Module I dealt with scientific articles, and Module II with research project writing. Module I covered the topics: 1) the difference between scientific knowledge and common sense, 2) different conceptions of science, 3) scientific methodology, 4) scientific publishing categories, 5) logical principles, 6) deductive and inductive approaches, and 7) critical reading of scientific articles. Module II dealt with 1) selection of an experimental problem for investigation, 2) bibliographic revision, 3) materials and methods, 4) project writing and presentation, 5) funding agencies, and 6) critical analysis of experimental results. The course adopted a collaborative learning strategy, and each topic was studied through activities performed by the students. Qualitative and quantitative course evaluations with Likert questionnaires were carried out at each stage, and the results showed the students` high approval of the course. The staff responsible for course planning and development also evaluated it positively. The Biochemistry Department of the Chemistry Institute of the University of Sao Paulo has offered the course four times.

Relationship between psychological factors and symptoms of TMD in university undergraduate students.

Temporomandibular disorders is a collective term used to describe a number of related disorders involving the temporomandibular joints, masticatory muscles and occlusion with common symptoms such as pain, restricted movement, muscle tenderness and intermittent joint sounds. The multifactorial TMD etiology is related to emotional tension, occlusal interferences, tooth loss, postural deviation, masticatory muscular dysfunction, internal and external changes in TMJ structure and the various associations of these factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the relationship between signs of psychological distress and temporomandibular disorder in university students. A total 150 volunteers participated in this study. They attended different courses in the field of human science at one public university and four private universities. TMD was assessed by the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) questionnaire. Anxiety was measured by means of a self-evaluative questionnaire, Spielberger's Trait-State anxiety inventory, to evaluate students'state and trait anxiety. The results of the two questionnaires were compared to determine the relationship between anxiety levels and severity degrees of chronic TMD pain by means of the chi-square test. The significance level was set at 5%. The statistical analysis showed that the TMD degree has a positive association with state-anxiety (p = 0.008; p < 0.05) and negative with trait-anxiety (p = 0.619; p < 0.05). Moreover a high TMD rate was observed among the students (40%). This study concluded that there is a positive association between TMD and anxiety.