"I'M JUST TEXTING TO SAY HELLO": EXAMINING HOW PARENTS' ACCESS TO AND USE OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES INFLUENCES SATISFACTION AMONG ADULT CHILDREN

Advancements in technology have altered how and when communication occurs between individuals in a relationship. Although research has investigated how new information communication technologies (ICTs) affect peer relationships (Yoon, 2003) and parents' communication with their young children (Devitt & Roker, 2009), how information communication technologies influence parent-adult child relationships is less clear. By examining contradictory premises of media multiplexity theory (Haythornthwaite, 2005) and the theory of electronic propinquity (Korzenny, 1978), this study tested whether parental access to ICTs influences communication and relationship satisfaction for adult children and to what extent. This study also examined a new use of ICTs - connectedness - and analyzed how parents' reported connectedness influences parent-adult child relationships. The results indicate that the number of media parents and adult children utilize to maintain their relationship does modestly influence satisfaction. In addition, satisfaction is greater when parents act more in line with a connected mode of communicating and when they are more communicatively competent. These results provide families, therapists, researchers, and educators with a better understanding of how ICTs influence family relationships

Women Enrollment at Northwestern College

This project observes the enrollment rate of women at Northwestern College and why it is inconsistent. Data is used from satisfaction surveys of 2020 and 2021 enrollees, with the data being analyzed using R Studio. Types of data observed include type of visits students went on, types of scholarships, and interest in a Christian college atmosphere

Factors that Influence Graduation Rates at Northwestern College

This project examines factors that influence graduation rates regarding behaviors and choices made in college as opposed to exogenous factors such as family income, race, etc. These factors also included responses from first-year students who took the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) survey. Using data from 2013 - 2016 freshman admissions and combining this with CIRP responses from 2014 and 2016, there were found to be five factors related to behavior at college that influenced graduation rates. Completion of registered hours, campus involvement, and high tuition discount rates had strong, positive correlations with whether the student graduated. Student participation in remedial reading programs and having grades below a C- in their first year were strongly, negatively correlated with whether they graduated. It was found that factors such as Expected Family Contribution (EFC), Conditional Admission status, and ACT score did not have a statistically significant impact on whether someone graduated. Based on these findings, it is advisable that colleges closely monitor students who have had previous remedial work in reading, encourage campus involvement, and advise students to avoid dropping classes

Predicting Student Graduation at a Private College

The purpose of this project was to accurately predict which students attending Northwestern will graduate based on information we collect on incoming students, as well as information we gain from students during their time at NWC. Through use of the programming language Python and its machine learning libraries, I was able to develop a machine learning model that can accurately predict if a student would graduate 85% of the time

Physics Attitude in Pre-Health Professions Students Upon Connecting Physics to the Medical Field

Collegiate physics professors have long been familiar with the issue of students’ attitudes towards the subject material. This is especially prevalent in pre-health professional students - non-majors - who are often required to take the introductory physics sequence as a part of entrance into a medical graduate program. This pilot study used a modified version of the Physics Attitude Scale (PAS) and modified questions from the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) to examine the attitudes of students going into a health-professions career. The objective of this study was to investigate if connecting physics to medical fields would result in a better attitude for pre-health professional students. The students were given the PAS survey to determine baseline attitude towards physics. One month later, a follow up was conducted. The students were given medical scenarios connecting physics with the medical field. Immediately after, the PAS survey was repeated to see if their attitudes would be different in pre- and post-survey. The findings indicate improvement in student attitudes towards physics upon connecting the discipline of physics to health professions

Out of Pocket Pay at Northwestern College

In this research project, we observe several factors that affect how much families pay out of pocket for their students to attend Northwestern College. In addition, we compare this to the amount of institutional aid students expect to receive upon enrollment. We run multiple regression models to see if a student’s first semester major affects how much money they are paying out of pocket, or if this is affected by a type of scholarship they receive. These scholarships include athletic scholarships, music scholarships, theater scholarships, and the Pell Grant. We show that the only grouping of majors to pay a significant amount less out of pocket are those within natural sciences. We also explore reasonings as to why natural science majors are paying less money out of pocket by looking at their academic standing and financial based scholarships. Based on our findings, we believe that natural science majors are more likely to pay less money than other majors due to their academic standings, leading them to receive greater scholarships

Determinants of Well-being: Impacts of Adversity and Resilience Across the Lifespan

Adversity and resilience have both been consistently shown to impart holistic, cumulative, and life-long effects on well-being. However, the relationship between experiencing adversity and developing resilience has shown to be complex and interactive. While the independent effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), adversity in adulthood, and protective factors in both childhood and adulthood have been previously studied and consistently supported, there has not been adequate research looking into the complex relationships between these variables as they relate to determining overall well-being. The current study attempts to parse out the relative predictive power of these four factors in determining overall well-being in adulthood as well as to demonstrate and clarify the presence and nature of their interactive relationships. Of the factors utilized in this study, childhood protective factors appear to be the greatest predictor of well-being, followed by adulthood protective factors, ACEs, and finally, recent stress, which may not significantly impact well-being at all. Childhood protective factors and adulthood protective factors both appear to buffer the negative impacts of ACEs and recent stress on well-being. Furthermore, recent stress appears to moderate the effects of ACEs on well-being, through both buffering against negative effects when ACEs are high, and exacerbating negative effects when ACEs are low. Finally, the influence of childhood protective factors on well-being appears to be so salient that no other factors make a significant impact on well-being over and above that of childhood protective factors, regardless of their magnitude

Young Adults' Relationship Satisfaction with Parents: The Effects of Overparenting and Relational Maintenance Behaviors Performed Via ICTs

A growing body of scholarship finds that information communication technologies (ICTs) influence parent-young adult child relationships (Gentzler et al., 2011; Ramsey et al., 2013; Schon, 2014). Few studies have examined explanatory mechanisms for this relationship. Based on the Basic Psychological Needs Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000a) and the Cues-Filtered-In Perspective (Walther & Parks, 2002), this study examined perceptions of parents’ relational maintenance and overparenting as potential mediators of this relationship for three ICTs: voice calls, text messages, and Facebook. The results from a survey of 491 overparented young adults suggest that it is perceptions of behaviors performed through ICTs (perceptions of overparenting and parents’ relational maintenance) that best predict young adults’ relationship satisfaction. These results support other recent findings (e.g., Kelly et al., 2017) that suggest that overparenting has a positive influence in parent-young adult child relationships. These results also reaffirm the importance of relational maintenance for effective relational functioning

Survey on Traditional Mangrove Crab Identification Methods of Filipino Fishermen

The Philippines is one of the largest producers of mangrove crabs in the industry, but only three of the four Scylla species exist in the country. As one of the largest mangrove crab exporters, Filipino crab farmers must distinguish their harvest before catching them for crab farming since the growth and needs of crabs depend heavily on their species group. To determine the accuracy of widely used local traditional methods, survey questions were distributed to 34 respondents around the Philippines through selected online platforms. Data gathered included local methods for identifying mangrove crabs based on traditional ecological knowledge and experiences of the local fishers interviewed. The study found that 70.58% of those polled identify the species of crabs by looking at their claws and 55.88% observe the color of the crabs. Furthermore, 41.17% of respondents consider the width and size of the shell, while 11.76% examine the crabs\u27 carapace. Unique methods to certain regions were reported, including observation of minor features and behavior of the crabs and reliance on texture, weight, and season. Difficulty in species identification of juvenile crabs has been reported but was also possible when the crabs turn 2-3 months old or grow to the size of a 5-peso coin or 5 centimeters. Feeding schedules and consistent pond management are also said as crucial tasks in growing mangrove crabs. The fishermen voiced out concerns and opinions regarding the technology development and government policies in the crab industry

Students' attitudes towards the introduction of a Personal and Professional Development portfolio: potential barriers and facilitators

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