Investigating the role of two types of understanding in relationship well-being: Understanding is more important than knowledge

Understanding is at the heart of intimate relationships. It is unclear, however, whether understanding-partners' subjective feeling that they understand each other-or knowledge-partners' accurate knowledge of each other-is more important for relationship well-being. The present article pits these two types of understanding against each other and investigates their effects on relationship well-being. In a prospective study among 199 newlywed couples, partners' self-reported and perceived understanding and their knowledge in different domains were assessed. Understanding was independent of knowledge. Self-reported and perceived understanding predicted relationship well-being but neither type of knowledge did. Thus, subjectively feeling that one understands and is understood by one's partner appears to be more important to relationship well-being than actually knowing and being known by one's partner. © 2009 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc

Student satisfaction with residence and GPA as a function of person-environment fit in the residence halls on a college campus

Through my experiences as a student living in on-campus housing, a residence life official and a researcher asking students about their experiences in on-campus housing, I noticed that certain students were happier or functioned better in certain residence halls. Given that I experienced a lot of different residence hall environments and facilities, and saw a lot of students who were happy or unhappy in each setting, I began to believe that a good person-environment fit was necessary to facilitate residents\u27 well being. This study was designed to examine the relationship between the degree of person-environment fit and students\u27 satisfaction with residence and GPA. The University Residence Environment Scale, URES (Moos, 1987) was used to measure the degree of person-environment fit for undergraduate students (N = 75) living in on-campus housing at a small private college. Fit was measured by taking the absolute value of the discrepancy between an individual\u27s Ideal Form and Real Form score on the URES. Based on current person-environment fit research, it was expected that students with small discrepancy scores (a good fit) would have high satisfaction with residence and high GPAs. Multiple regression equations indicated that a good fit on the Emotional Support subscale and a poor fit on the Competition subscale was predictive of high satisfaction with residence, while a good fit on the Academic Achievement subscale and a poor fit on the Involvement subscale was predictive of a high GPA. Interviews with residents supplemented these empirical findings. Some interviewees intuitively validated the person-environment fit model, while others provided insight into other factors that may have affected satisfaction with residence and GPA. Implications for future research, including a new measure of fit to help control for the error variance associated with difference scores, were discussed

Student satisfaction with residence and GPA as a function of person-environment fit in the residence halls on a college campus

Through my experiences as a student living in on-campus housing, a residence life official and a researcher asking students about their experiences in on-campus housing, I noticed that certain students were happier or functioned better in certain residence halls. Given that I experienced a lot of different residence hall environments and facilities, and saw a lot of students who were happy or unhappy in each setting, I began to believe that a good person-environment fit was necessary to facilitate residents\u27 well being. This study was designed to examine the relationship between the degree of person-environment fit and students\u27 satisfaction with residence and GPA. The University Residence Environment Scale, URES (Moos, 1987) was used to measure the degree of person-environment fit for undergraduate students (N = 75) living in on-campus housing at a small private college. Fit was measured by taking the absolute value of the discrepancy between an individual\u27s Ideal Form and Real Form score on the URES. Based on current person-environment fit research, it was expected that students with small discrepancy scores (a good fit) would have high satisfaction with residence and high GPAs. Multiple regression equations indicated that a good fit on the Emotional Support subscale and a poor fit on the Competition subscale was predictive of high satisfaction with residence, while a good fit on the Academic Achievement subscale and a poor fit on the Involvement subscale was predictive of a high GPA. Interviews with residents supplemented these empirical findings. Some interviewees intuitively validated the person-environment fit model, while others provided insight into other factors that may have affected satisfaction with residence and GPA. Implications for future research, including a new measure of fit to help control for the error variance associated with difference scores, were discussed

Using cluster analysis for transcript analysis of course-taking patterns of General Studies graduates at Community College of Philadelphia

Many community colleges offer an Associate in General Studies (A.G.S.) degree. This degree is characterized by its flexibility in accommodating the individual transfer and career goals of students. The requirements for this degree tend to be less demanding and less rigorous than the requirements for other degrees. Students graduate without taking courses in specific fields and without acquiring specific skills. Community colleges are being called upon to demonstrate that students are enrolled in well-defined curricula with explicitly stated learning outcomes. In order to improve the delivery of services to its students, community colleges must examine the curricular experiences of their A.G.S. graduates. Typically this would call for a transcript analysis, a costly and time-consuming process. This study makes use of cluster analysis to identify discrete groups of A.G.S. graduates from the Community College of Philadelphia. The course-taking patterns of the eighteen clusters identified are examined to determine if they represent some sort of informal curricular structure. The patterns of course-taking are similar in many clusters. Three general types of course-taking patterns emerged: (a) those who took courses which closely followed the program requirements of other curricula at the college; (b) those who organized their studies around a core set of courses shared with others, but not formally recognized by any of the other curricula of the college; and (c) those with no apparent pattern in their course-taking. The institutional implications of each course-taking pattern are examined, and recommendations for reform are put forth

Using cluster analysis for transcript analysis of course-taking patterns of General Studies graduates at Community College of Philadelphia

Many community colleges offer an Associate in General Studies (A.G.S.) degree. This degree is characterized by its flexibility in accommodating the individual transfer and career goals of students. The requirements for this degree tend to be less demanding and less rigorous than the requirements for other degrees. Students graduate without taking courses in specific fields and without acquiring specific skills. Community colleges are being called upon to demonstrate that students are enrolled in well-defined curricula with explicitly stated learning outcomes. In order to improve the delivery of services to its students, community colleges must examine the curricular experiences of their A.G.S. graduates. Typically this would call for a transcript analysis, a costly and time-consuming process. This study makes use of cluster analysis to identify discrete groups of A.G.S. graduates from the Community College of Philadelphia. The course-taking patterns of the eighteen clusters identified are examined to determine if they represent some sort of informal curricular structure. The patterns of course-taking are similar in many clusters. Three general types of course-taking patterns emerged: (a) those who took courses which closely followed the program requirements of other curricula at the college; (b) those who organized their studies around a core set of courses shared with others, but not formally recognized by any of the other curricula of the college; and (c) those with no apparent pattern in their course-taking. The institutional implications of each course-taking pattern are examined, and recommendations for reform are put forth