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Peer Social Support In The Classroom, Dennis Paul Debeck

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Social support in the classroom is an under-researched area of instructional

communication literature. Cutrona and Russell’s (1990) five dimensions of social support were

used as a framework to investigate peer social support. Those five dimensions were expected to

predict engagement, classroom participation behavior, attitude towards attending class, and

identification with the university. Participants (n=222) were asked to respond to measures that

were developed to assess the five social support types and the four criterion variables. All the

types of social support were found to be positively correlated with the criterion variables when

the zero-order correlations were examined. It was also …

College Leadership Opportunities' Impact On Life During And After College, Mark Anthony Pietrowski Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the personal experiences of 14 individuals who engaged in leadership opportunities during their college educations. Through in-depth interviews, this study sought to explore how those leadership experiences impacted their leadership, both in their careers and/or in the community, after their graduation from both 2 and 4-year institutions. Findings from this study indicate that participants identified that their leadership experiences had impacts upon their careers and leadership after graduation. Yet, participants also shared that they engaged in leadership because they were self-motivated to do so, rather than learning about these opportunities on their campus. The final finding indicated …

Sources Of Social Support And Their Relation To Stress And Engagement Among College Students, Jonathan D. Emmons

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has explored the impact of stress on students’ well-being, including academic outcomes such as grades and student engagement. Research has also noted the positive and protective impact of social support from family, friends, classmates, teachers, etc., on academic outcomes. The current study sought to extend the existing base of literature by exploring the relation between stress, social support, and engagement among college students. In the current sample, stress was found to be a significant, positive predictor of social engagement with peers. Regression results also revealed significant and positive associations between social support from family and academic engagement. Additionally, …