Research Projects
College Impact Study
This proposed project will examine factors related to successful adaptation and retention at college. While traditional cognitive measures of success (e.g., persistence, timely graduation, and GPA) will be included, less frequently studied indicators of psychological and social development will also be examined. Following the recommendations of leading scholars (e.g., Astin, 1993; Terenzini and Reason, 2005), we will study non-cognitive as well as cognitive factors that serve to predict these various measures of success. To this end, we will use a longitudinal, mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative), interdisciplinary approach.
Major research questions
The study will address four major questions:
Question one : How do cognitive (i.e., academic) and non-cognitive (e.g., social, emotional, motivational, experiential) factors combine to predict college success?
Question two : Do cognitive and non-cognitive predictors of college success vary across different incoming populations (i.e., ethnic minorities, first-generation students, under-prepared students, undecided students)?
Question three : How do the cognitive and non-cognitive skills and dispositions change over the course of students' college careers?
Question four : What is the impact of programs aimed at supporting successful transition to college (e.g., first-year seminars, exploratory programs for undecided students, programs for under-prepared students)?
Bullying Project
Ongoing project in conjunction with Taylor and Park Elementary Schools in Columbia, PA.
BVQ (Olweus) survey data collected yearly from May 2003 to May 2006.
Siblings' Role in Adolescent Identity Formation
Ongoing project growing out of Erin Marko's undergraduate Honors Thesis.
Paper presented at SRCD, March 2003.
Journal article in preparation.
Measurement of Identity Statuses
Ongoing project extending the original data collection for the above project to include retest reliability estimates and concurrent validity studies using Marcia's Ego Identity Status interview and a second survey instrument.