The Indirect Effect of Alcohol Use on GPA in First-Semester College Students
This study focused on first-semester college students, investigating (a) indirect effects of aggregate alcohol use on grade point average (GPA) through academic effort (skipping class and time on schoolwork) and (b) daily effects of alcohol use on reduced effort. Eighty students reported daily alcohol use and academic effort (skipping class and hours spent on schoolwork) during five selected weeks of their first semester; the university provided GPAs. We found strong evidence of an indirect effect of aggregate alcohol use on GPA through skipping class; there was weaker evidence for time on schoolwork as a mediator. Daily analyses showed increased skipping and reduced schoolwork on days during which students used alcohol. Intervention to increase persistence may focus on reducing alcohol use and on dealing with low effort (e.g., skipping class).
xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Problem Statement 8 Purpose of the Study 10 Research Questions 11 Conceptual Framework 12 Significance of the Study 17 Methodology 18 Limitations of the Study 21 External Credibility 21 Role of the researcher 21 Participant selection 22 Internal Credibility 23 Reactivity 23 Researcher and observational biases 24 Illusory Correlation and Voluptuous Legitimation 24 Definition of Key Terms 25 Outline of Dissertation 30 Chapter 1: Introduction 30 Chapter 2: Literature Review 31 Chapter 3: Methodology 31 Chapter 4: Findings 32 Chapter 5: Discussion 32 Summary 33 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 35 Overview 35 Teacher Knowledge and Face-to-Face Training 35 Emerging Technologies and Staff Development 38