Background: Over the two last decades, the interest in personal and psychosocial youth development has been growing due to its engagement in sport activities. Furthermore, participation in sport has been referenced as a favourable mechanism and context for positive youth development (PYD). However, some studies and researchers continue to question…

The central concept of this review underscores the fact that the development of a feeling of belonging at school occurs because of different interactions between developing students and the school's ecological environment over time. This review argues that Bronfenbrenner's Bio-ecological Systems Theory can best explain the development of school…

This article reports on the co-curricular record program (CCR) that is created by colleges and universities in Canada to help students engage in activities which will enhance their academic performance, personal development and well-being. It examines the validation of the CCR experience in an official document, opportunity of the students to…

Surveys university students about their involvement in college and their employment experiences. Results indicate that students who worked 30 or more hours per week were less involved with campus activities than students who were not employed or were employed less than 30 hours. Students with larger work schedules also stated that they believed…

Some perspectives on the potential of undergraduates' formal and informal experiences outside of the classroom are detailed. The paper presents historical information beginning with the concern of inculcating good manners and habits of responsibility as learning objectives for the extracurriculum. It discusses the analogy of the extracurriculum…

Measures of social support, personality, and workload were related to psychological burnout among 149 college students. High levels of burnout were predicted by negative temperament and subjective workload, but actual workload (academic and vocational) had little to do with burnout. Low levels of burnout were predicted by positive temperament,…

Discusses the development of Carson-Newman College's Laboratory for Learning, a residential college model in which a team of faculty, students and staff implemented programming designed to focus students' attention on issues related to life and academics. Recounts how students that engaged in these co-curricular activities have received the…

Highlights different types of student involvement, summarizes key findings, and identifies significant gaps in research regarding how student involvement on college campuses impacts student development and learning. Suggests that student affairs administrators need to continue the exploration on the importance of college student involvement.…

The relationship between students' gender, personality traits, predicted first-year grades, and quality of effort put forth in academic and personal/social activities with academic achievement and critical thinking was examined. Results show that some personality traits influence the quality of effort expended with academic and personal/social…

Critical thinking is an important outcome of college. Current research in this area pertaining to Greek organizations is of importance to student-affairs administrators who want to create learning communities for and with students. Offers strategies for success to be used by Greek organizations, student affairs personnel, and college faculty. (MKA)

This paper estimates the relative importance of three, theoretically interrelated sets of variables on changes in students' intellectual curiosity and interest in learning for its own sake. Variables being analyzed are: (1) students' curricular experiences; (2) students' formal instructional experiences and classroom-related contacts with faculty…

Examines the benefits associated with involvement in campus governance. Discusses implications for enhancing student learning through participation in governance structures and processes. Asserts that participation in campus governance is linked to desirable outcomes for individual students and to positive contributions to the welfare of the…

Examines research that studies the effects of students' out-of-class experiences on academic, intellectual, or cognitive learning outcomes. Identifies the following aspects of student out-of-class experiences which student affairs professionals have control over through policy and program interventions: (1) residence; (2) fraternities and…

The Student Learning Imperative (SLI) was created to stimulate discussion on how student affairs professionals can enhance student learning and personal development. This paper outlines the antecedents and background of the SLI position paper. A member of the committee that developed the SLI discusses here student affairs' historical goal of…

Research reveals that high school students in small schools participate more in extracurricular activities than their peers in large schools; that a high degree of student participation provides opportunities for enhancing leadership, responsibility, and motivation; that students in small schools feel needed; and that the benefits of…