Ernesto Soto

The focus on academic success starts early for many students. For example, many high school students have clear career goals and may take steps to ensure success at the collegiate level in order to achieve their goals (McWhirter, Torres, Salgado, & Valdez, 2007). Studies have shown that students who rate high on academic self-efficacy while in high school continue to succeed in their postsecondary education (Eccles, Vida, & Barber, 2004; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). One method in which high school… Show more

The focus on academic success starts early for many students. For example, many high school students have clear career goals and may take steps to ensure success at the collegiate level in order to achieve their goals (McWhirter, Torres, Salgado, & Valdez, 2007). Studies have shown that students who rate high on academic self-efficacy while in high school continue to succeed in their postsecondary education (Eccles, Vida, & Barber, 2004; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). One method in which high school students can be better prepared for postsecondary education and increase their academic self-efficacy (Margolis & McCabe, 2004) is by participating in programs that offer collegelevel curriculum at the high school level, such as dual enrollment (DE) programs. Method: Two hundred and eight undergraduate students responded to questionnaires assessing factors that may help DE students succeed in college, including higher self-efficacy, academic hardiness, perfectionism, and expectations of success. Results: DE students did in fact possess higher GPAs than did non-DE students. Results showed the most important factor affecting GPA in DE students was facilitating anxiety. For those students that did not take dual enrollment courses, the main factors related to GPA were academic hardiness, general self-efficacy, and organizational skills. Conclusion: College administrators may wish to emphasize different factors for success based on students’ academic backgrounds. Show less

In recent years, websites that stress the message of thinness as the ideal and only choice have surfaced on the internet. The possibility that pro-anorexia websites may reinforce restrictive eating and exercise behaviors is an area of concern. In addition, friends may be influencing one another to view these websites, further contributing to drive for thinness in women and drive for muscularity in men. Three hundred male and female undergraduate psychology students responded to questionnaires… Show more

In recent years, websites that stress the message of thinness as the ideal and only choice have surfaced on the internet. The possibility that pro-anorexia websites may reinforce restrictive eating and exercise behaviors is an area of concern. In addition, friends may be influencing one another to view these websites, further contributing to drive for thinness in women and drive for muscularity in men. Three hundred male and female undergraduate psychology students responded to questionnaires assessing: internalization of pro-anorexia website content, internalization of general media content, influence of friends to view pro-anorexia websites, peer influence, drive for muscularity, and drive for thinness. Results showed internalization of pro-anorexia website content was positively correlated with drive for thinness in women, and negatively correlated with drive for muscularity in men. Internalization of pro-anorexia website content was found to be related to both drive for thinness in women and drive for muscularity in men. Show less

Facebook, a popular social networking site among college students, provides the means for college students to stay in contact with their friends. I conducted this present study to examine the relationship between college students’ Facebook usage, their age, and their number of friends. One hundred and thirteen students from a general psychology course participated in this study. The outcome suggest that Facebook usage among college students is higher among younger students, with those students… Show more

Facebook, a popular social networking site among college students, provides the means for college students to stay in contact with their friends. I conducted this present study to examine the relationship between college students’ Facebook usage, their age, and their number of friends. One hundred and thirteen students from a general psychology course participated in this study. The outcome suggest that Facebook usage among college students is higher among younger students, with those students spending 1.37 hours more per week logged into their Facebook account. Additionally this study found a strong correlation with the number of friends college students have and their Facebook usage, were those college students that have more friends interacted more frequently on Facebook. The college students with a higher amount of friends posted information on their Facebook account more frequently on a daily basis as well as uploaded pictures more frequently during a weekly basis. As expected this study confirmed the association between age and the number of friends as a driving factor behind Facebook usage. Show less