Comparing the Demographics of Students Reported for Academic Dishonesty to Those of the Overall Student Population

Only a small proportion of academically dishonest students ever receive an official report of academic dishonesty, and the sociology of deviance literature is ripe with studies illustrating disproportionalities in detecting, policing, and prosecuting crimes. This study addresses the degree to which disproportionalities exist in the application of relatively few official sanctions levied upon students for academic dishonesty. I compared the demographics of those who have been reported for cheating with those of an entire undergraduate student body and of self-reported cheaters in the literature. I found that international students are much more likely than domestic students to get reported.     

Predicting Academic Dishonesty on National Examinations: The Roles of Gender,Previous Performance,Examination Center Change,City Change,and Region Change

The purpose of the present studies was to evaluate and predict academic cheating with regard to a national examination in a Middle East country. In Study 1, 4,024 students took part and potential cheaters were classified as those having discrepant scores in multiple administrations that exceeded 1 SD in absolute terms. A latent class mixture analysis suggested two pathways for potential cheating: (a) The first path involved students—most male—who changed city or region of examination during test taking, and (b) the second path described students—most male—who did not change city, region, or center of administration. Study 2 profiled cheaters using a sample of examinees who were actually caught cheating. Participants were 545 students, 253 of whom were caught cheating between 2002 and 2012. Both samples were selected from a pool of 319,219 testees using random sampling procedures. Results indicated that a 4-class solution best fitted the data as in Study 1. Furthermore, a predictive model was tested with an independent cross-validation sample of 112 examinees (56 cheaters, 56 noncheaters). Results indicated that the model classified correctly 78.57 of the new cheating cases (sensitivity) and 94.64% of noncheaters (specificity).     

The social and academic adjustment experiences of first-year students at a historically disadvantaged peri-urban university in South Africa

The goal of the research was to explore the social and academic experiences of first-year students at a peri-urban university in South Africa. Eighteen students (females = 50%, mean age = 19.88 years), participated in focus group discussions on their experiences of social and academic adjustment. Data were analysed using Thematic Content Analysis. The study found that first-year students reported both positive and negative adjustment experiences. Positive academic adjustment experiences included academic and financial support, and negative ones included unsupportive lecturers and departments, workload and lack of accommodation. Positive social adjustment experiences included social and emotional support and independence, while negative experiences were experienced as disintegration which included aspects of social isolation and homesickness. First-year students’ experiences carry both benefits and costs to their sense of well-being as learners.     

父母卷入在家庭社会经济地位与学业成就间的中介作用:元分析结构方程模型

以22项实证研究(25个独立样本,79665个被试)为对象,综合使用元分析和结构方程模型,以家庭投资模型和家庭压力模型为理论基础,探讨了家庭社会经济地位对学业成就的影响及内在机制。结果发现:(1)家庭社会经济地位能显著地正向预测学业成就(r=0.32);(2)家庭社会经济地位测量方式的调节效应显著;(3)父母卷入在家庭社会经济地位与学业成就间起着部分中介作用;(4)父母卷入的中介效应只存在于小学及以下群体,在中学群体中介效应不显著。结论,家庭社会经济地位与学业成就之间存在显著正相关,在小学和幼儿园阶段时父母卷入在家庭社会经济地位和学业成就间起着部分中介作用。     

调节聚焦对高中生毅力水平的影响:学业情绪的中介作用

对644名高一、高二学生进行调节聚焦、毅力和学业情绪的问卷调查,以探讨高中生毅力水平与调节聚焦和学业情绪之间的关系。结果显示:(1)高中男生的毅力水平显著高于女生,高一年级学生的毅力水平显著高于高二年级;(2)高中生的调节聚焦并不完全直接导致毅力的增强或降低,而是通过学业情绪作为中介而间接影响毅力的。促进定向通过高兴的中介作用而增强毅力,通过沮丧的中介作用而降低毅力;预防定向通过生气的中介作用而降低毅力,但是满足的中介作用不显著。     

EFFECTS OF ACADEMIC DEGREE AND DISCIPLINE ON RELIGIOUS AND EVOLUTIONARY VIEWS IN CHILE AND COLOMBIA

Relationships between degree/area of academic formation and religious and Darwinian views are controversial. This study aimed to compare the religious beliefs and acceptance of Darwinian evolution between two contrasting South American scientific communities (Chile and Colombia), accounting for different degrees and areas of academic formation. In 2018, 115 last year bachelor students (surveyed as freshmen in 2014 for a previous study) from Chile, and 283 first/last year bachelor students, graduate students, and professors from Colombia, all belonging to biology, chemistry, or physics, were surveyed. Chilean students/faculty were significantly more agnostic/atheist, more accepting of Darwinian evolution, and less creationist than their Colombian counterparts. Academic degree and area differently affected these views in both countries, as only in Chile there was a clear tendency among biologists and physicists with higher degrees to hold less religious and creationist views. Marked differences between the history, socioeconomic contexts, and especially in high school and university curricula of both countries might explain these results.     

The fit between dignity self‐construal and independent university norms: Effects on university belonging,well‐being,and academic success

Universities struggle with students’ low well‐being and high dropout rates. High (compared to low) fit between students’ self‐construal and perceived university norms might help to prevent these problems. A strong dignity self‐construal (i.e., the understanding that one's worth is independent of others) is adaptive if university norms stress independence. The more a university norm is perceived as stressing independence, the better the fit for students with a strong (vs. weak) dignity self‐construal. Thus, if students with a strong dignity self‐construal perceive a university norm as stressing independence, they should develop a greater sense of belonging to the university and, in turn, experience higher well‐being, more motivation, and lower dropout intention. A longitudinal study with two measurement points conducted with students from 18 universities (N = 719) provided support for these predictions. This underlines the relevance of the fit between student and (perceived) school characteristics for the higher education sector.     

青少年社交焦虑与学习投入的关系:意向性自我调节的解释作用及其年龄差异

本研究以6所初中、高中和大学1597名青少年为被试,一方面考察了社交焦虑、意向性自我调节和学习投入在青少年发展中的特点;另一方面考察了青少年社交焦虑与学习投入之间的关系,以及意向性自我调节在两者关系的中介作用及其不同青少年期之间的差异。结果发现：（1）随着青少年年龄增长其社交焦虑水平降低,相对于青少年中晚期,青少年中期学习投入水平较低;（2）社交焦虑可以显著负向预测青少年的学习投入;（3）意向性自我调节在社交焦虑与青少年学习投入之间起中介作用;（4）青少年中晚期群体意向性自我调节的中介作用显著,但是青少年早期意向性自我调节的中介作用不显著。结果表明：首先,青少年随着年龄的增长可以减缓社交焦虑水平;其次,青少年中期面临复杂的发展任务,这样不利于其学习投入;最后,社交焦虑可以显著预测青少年学习投入,并且在青少年中晚期意向性自我调节是两者关系的中介桥梁。