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Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Theses and Dissertations by Subject "adolescents"

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    Alcohol-related outcomes among high school students in the southwestern United States: social-, interpersonal-, and school-related problems
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) McNamara, Robert S., author; Rosén, Lee A., advisor; Swaim, Randall C., advisor
    This study examined peer-, family-, and school-related outcomes of adolescent drinking. Two thousand, three hundred and eight Mexican American and White high school students completed the American Drug and Alcohol Survey tm and reported on a variety of measures including age first drunk, current level of binge drinking, and alcohol-related outcomes associated with friends, school, and family. Results indicated that binge drinking is a significant mediator of the relationship between age of drinking onset and school-related outcomes for all Mexican American and some White high school students, while mediation was not found when examining peer- and family-related outcomes. Multiple regression equations also suggest unique effects of age of drinking onset and binge drinking on alcohol-related outcomes. Results are discussed in regard to preventing drinking-related problems by targeting the delay of drinking onset and reducing the frequency of binge drinking behavior, as well as understanding alcohol use at it is related to different adolescent demographic groups.
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    Exploring differences in adolescents' educational expectations: a structural equation modeling approach
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Wood, Valerie Ford, author; Bell, Paul A., advisor; Edwards, Ruth W., advisor; Swaim, Randall C., committee member; Dik, Bryan J., committee member; Most, David E., committee member
    The current study examined a number of influences that are theorized to affect adolescents' educational expectations, including socio-economic status, perceived barriers to success, peer factors, family influences, school performance, and school adjustment. This study utilized a subset of pre-existing data, with the subset consisting of 76,218 students who completed the Community Drug and Alcohol Survey as part of a stratified random sample of junior high schools throughout the United States. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The major findings were that Perceived Family SES was related to Resource Barriers, Resource Barriers was related to School Performance, Friends' School Adjustment was related to School Adjustment, Family Academic Support was related to School Adjustment, Friends' School Performance was related to School Performance, School Adjustment was related to School Performance, Family Academic Support was related to Educational Expectations, and School Performance was related to Educational Expectations. The measurement model results indicated that the latent construct of Perceived Barriers was more appropriately considered to be several distinct latent constructs. When this revision was taken into account, the measurement model achieved adequate fit (Robust NFI = .901, Robust CFI - .902). The structural equation model results found that the Perceived Barrier items may have been interpreted differently by the students than intended, with minority students in particular interpreting those items differently. While the peer constructs operated as hypothesized, the structural model achieved a better fit when Family Academic Support rather than School Performance, was used as a predictor of School Adjustment. Overall, the proximal indicator of Educational Expectations in the current study was School Performance. The initial structural model achieved a fit of Robust NFI = .811, Robust CFI = .812, and the revised structural model achieved improved fit at a level of Robust NFI = .859, Robust CFI = .860. While the current study is limited by a number of factors, the results are in agreement with findings from previous literature, and indicate that School Performance may be more important to understanding adolescents' Educational Expectations than previously acknowledged.
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    Intentions for postsecondary education: meaning in life, school connectedness, and substance use
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Fitch-Martin, Arissa R., author; Dik, Bryan, advisor; Steger, Michael, advisor; Henry, Kimberly, committee member; Youngblade, Lise, committee member
    Attempts to understand what drives some youth to continue their education after high school have mostly been unsuccessful. Persisting education past high school requires sustained commitment and planning, which are theoretically important functions of the psychological construct of meaning in life. Research often has ignored the role that meaning in life plays in educational attainment and thus may be missing an important variable. Youth who report having meaning in their lives have higher well-being, are more resilient, and are more likely to report long-term achievement oriented goals. The current study investigated the relationship between meaning, school connectedness and substance use in order to create a model to better explain college aspirations 12th graders. Participants were seniors in high school and took part in the nationally representative Monitoring the Future project. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the hypothesized model. Results demonstrated that school connectedness and parental education are significant indicators of intentions for postsecondary education. Although not directly related to academic intentions, meaning in life had strong ties to school connectedness and parental education. The current study provides evidence that meaning in life may be an important factor in academic success and persistence. Implications for interventions and future research are discussed.
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    The role of meaning and purpose in the career development of adolescents: a qualitative study
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) McLaren, Molly, author; Dik, Bryan, advisor; Steger, Michael, committee member; Banning, James, committee member; Aloise-Young, Patricia, committee member
    The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore the role of meaning and purpose in adolescent career development by examining 7th-grade students' responses to a semi-structured interview. Interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) methods as described by Willig (2001). The findings supported the vast majority of the literature on the topic, contrasted with a few areas, and expanded others. In general, most participants had heard of the concepts of meaning and purpose in work, as well as the concept of a calling; however, many of them had not thought extensively about these topics. The students offered a variety of descriptions and definitions for each of these concepts. Continued research on the roles of meaning and purpose, and the infusion of meaning and purpose, in childhood career development can contribute to the theoretical knowledge base and practical applications of career curricula and counseling practice.