Are Academically At-Risk College Students More Entitled Than Their Non-at-Risk Peers?

Academic Entitlement (AE) is a belief held by students that they deserve high grades in school despite a lack of effort put forth into their work (Chowning & Campbell, 2009). Although AE has become a major focus of conversation amongst higher education professionals, few studies have been published on this topic in relationship to student retention and success. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between academic performance and AE for two college student groups. Results included academically at-risk students scoring significantly higher on AE than the non-at-risk group, with AE being negatively correlated with GPA

The Relationship Between Academic Entitlement, Academic Performance And Satisfaction With Life In A College Student Population

Although academic entitlement (AE) has become a popular topic of discussion in the media, it has received very little scholarly focus in the higher education literature to date. AE has been defined as a belief held by students that they deserve high grades in school despite a lack of effort put forth into their work (Chowning & Campbell, 2009). AE has been linked to a variety of inappropriate behaviors in the classroom including sleeping during class or being rude to the instructor (Mellor, 2011). These uncivil behaviors pose as frustrating obstacles to the learning process for students and instructors. To date, few studies have yet been published that address the relationship between AE and other potentially relevant variables such as satisfaction with life and academic performance. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between AE, life satisfaction, and academic performance as measured by cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). Two college student groups were utilized—those who were considered to be academically at-risk, as defined by having a cumulative GPA less than 2.0; and those who were considered to be academically non-at-risk, as characterized by having a cumulative GPA above 2.0. Additionally, the researcher sought to examine the differences between academically at-risk and non-at-risk students for AE and life satisfaction as well as the relationships between AE, satisfaction with life, and GPA within both student groups. Using purposive sampling, the researcher acquired 146 non-at-risk student participants from an introductory psychology class and 165 at-risk students from a course that focused on academic success. Results included academically at-risk students scoring significantly higher on AE and lower on satisfaction with life than their non-at-risk peers. Additionally, no significant relationship was found between both AE and GPA and AE and satisfaction with life for either group. Last, a significant relationship was found between GPA and life satisfaction but only for the non-at-risk students. Both the implications and limitations of these findings are discussed, as well as suggestions for future studies

Intentional Worlds and Global Citizenship

We examine the influence of students' understanding of intentional worlds on antecedents, identification, and outcomes of global citizenship. The intentional worlds scale contains four dimensions (cultural grounding of psychological experience, culture as socially constructed, dynamic construction of culture, subjective experience of reality) that load on a higher-order latent construct representing a belief in intentional worlds. The belief in intentional worlds predicts antecedents (normative environment, global awareness), antecedents predict global citizenship identification, and identification with global citizens predicts prosocial outcomes (intergroup empathy, valuing diversity, social justice, environmental sustainability, intergroup helping, responsibility to act). Overall, the results show that a greater understanding of culture as fluid and dynamic leads to greater global citizenship identification

Inclusive Global Citizenship Education: Measuring Types of Global Citizens

In three studies, we constructed and provided initial evidence of validity for a measure of types of global citizenship. Oxley and Morris (2013) proposed eight different types of global citizens based on prior theory (e.g., moral, economic). We constructed and examined the factor structure of a measure of these different types (Study 1). With the exception of a social dimension of global citizenship, all of the proposed types appeared to be distinct factors. In Study 2, we found the same factor structure in a different sample of participants and examined associations between the dimensions and prosocial values related to global citizenship (e.g., social justice, intergroup helping). Lastly, in Study 3 we examined the associations between the seven different types of global citizenship, different types of intended activist behaviors, and various values (e.g., moral foundations, core political values). Together, the results suggest that the measure of global citizen types is a valid and reliable measure

Effect of Framing of Reentry Program on Perceptions of Ex-Offenders

We examine the effect of the framing of reentry programs on participants’ perceptions of ex-offenders. Across four studies, participants expressed more favorable attitudes toward an ex-offender who completed a global citizen reentry program than an ex-offender who did not complete a reentry program. The results show that ex-offenders who complete a global citizen reentry program (vs. no program) are viewed as more likeable and similar to oneself, which then predicts reduced prejudice and greater endorsement to hire the ex-offender. The results are discussed in relation to the crossed categorization model of prejudice reduction

Gender Pay Gap in Sports on a Fan-Request Celebrity Video Site

The internet is often thought of as a democratizer, enabling equality in aspects such as pay, as well as a tool introducing novel communication and monetization opportunities. In this study we examine athletes on Cameo, a website that enables bi-directional fancelebrity interactions, questioning whether the well-documented gender pay gaps in sports persist in this digital setting. Traditional studies into gender pay gaps in sports are mostly in a centralized setting where an organization decides the pay for the players, while Cameo facilitates grass-roots fan engagement where fans pay for video messages from their preferred athletes. The results showed that even on such a platform gender pay gaps persist, both in terms of cost-per-message, and in the number of requests, proxied by number of ratings. For instance, we find that female athletes have a median pay of 30$per-video, while the same statistic is 40$ for men. The results also contribute to the study of parasocial relationships and personalized fan engagements over a distance. Something that has become more relevant during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, where in-person fan engagement has often been limited

Smashing back Doors in: Negative Attitudes toward Bottoms within the Gay Community

In the current study, we examined the relationship between hegemonic masculinity and negative attitudes toward effeminacy with prejudice toward sex-role identities in the gay community. Participants recruited from LGBTQA+ student groups from across the United States, completed measures related to their adherence toward hegemonic masculinity, attitudes toward effeminacy, and opinions about bottoms (men who prefer to be penetrated during anal intercourse). The results showed, first, established evidence that a prejudice toward bottoms does exist. Second, anti-effeminacy attitudes, hostile and benevolent sexism, and male toughness norms predicted prejudice toward bottoms. Taken together, the results illuminate both the importance of sex-role identities within the gay community, and marginalization within the community directed toward men who identify as bottoms

Identity Theft: Moral Antecedents, Moral Anger, and Impression Management

In two experiments (N = 162; N = 192) participants' reactions to identity theft are examined. Identity theft is defined as a situation in which a person intentionally appropriates distinctive characteristics of another person's identity. Identity theft represents a moral violation against an individual's claim to display a public identity. Participants reported greater negative reactions when imagining another person appropriating many, but not one, self-characteristics. Moral appraisals of the theft (i.e., illegitimacy, intention to harm) mediated the relationship between the increase in number of self-characteristics copied and anger expressed by participants (Experiment 1). When the thief acknowledged the theft, anger was attenuated. The perception that the harm was not intentional and the perceived honesty of the copier mediated the relationship between the thief acknowledging the theft and participants' anger (Experiment 2). The implications of the present findings for past identity theft research and impression management is discussed

Not So Soft Skills: The Importance of Grit to College Student Success

According to the American College Testing organization (2012), fewer than 35% of students attending public institutions graduate within five years of enrolling. This figure increases to just over fifty percent for private attendees. Clearly, the idea of a “four-year degree” is more elusive for the majority of undergraduate students than it has ever been. These facts have led researchers to consider the factors that delay, or even prevent, graduation. The concept of “grit” (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007) is defined as passion and perseverance for very long-term goals and has become a popular topic in the education literature. Duckworth et al. (2007) found that grit positively associates with academic success. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationships between grit, academic performance, and educational attainment, as measured by number of attempted credit hours at the collegiate level. We also aimed to ascertain whether academically at-risk students (those with less than a 2.0 GPA) had lower grit scores than their non-at-risk peers. We discuss our findings in the context of potential interventions and future directions for research in this area