RECYCLING KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE AMONG STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITI PENDIDIKAN SULTAN IDRIS

Students in institutions of higher learning are those who can be nurtured with sustainable lifestyle practices during their study period on campus. Involvement in eco-friendly programs and practices on campus will be brought into their next community. An individual’s goal or motivation is a value that can drive the change from knowledge into action. This study was conducted to identify the level of knowledge and level of recycling practices among students of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). The relationship between recycling knowledge and practices among 376 UPSI students was studied using a quantitative approach using SPSS analysis. The instrument construct used has a reliability value of α = 0.750. A total of 256 female respondents and 120 male respondents answered the questionnaire provided. The respondents of this study consisted of UPSI students in the age range of 18 to 26 years. In addition, respondents have different educational backgrounds namely diploma (21.5%), bachelor's degree (73.4%), and master's degree (5.1%). The results of the study found that UPSI students’ level of knowledge on recycling is high with an overall mean of 4.344. Based on the standard deviation and mean score, the majority of respondents have a high level of recycling practices with an overall mean of 4.145. However, the association between recycling knowledge and practices among UPSI students showed a weak correlation with a value of 0.141. In conclusion, although UPSI students have a high level of knowledge of recycling, it is not the driving factor for recycling practices. This situation indicates the need to change the implementation strategy of the recycling program on campus through emphasizing other aspects such as self-motivation and social motivation as well as universal values for lifelihood wellbeing.

EXPLORING FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS AND ACTIONS DURING INTRAMURAL SPORTS

College graduates need to have specific leadership-related skills, behaviors, and traits when entering the workforce. Campus involvement is one way for students to develop such areas. Therefore, this qualitative study explored the self-reported leadership skills of first-generation college students who were actively participating in intramural sports. Twelve students from a 4-year public university in the Northeast were interviewed about the research-driven photographs they submitted depicting leadership skills they engaged in during intramural sports participation. Photograph captions and interviews were analyzed using Kouzes and Posner’s (2014) leadership model. Findings revealed that students reported engaging in behaviors and actions aligned with the leadership practices described by Kouzes and Posner (2014). These findings can help inform the decisions campus recreation professionals make about the role leadership development plays in program offerings.

Narcissism for Fun and Profit: An Empirical Examination of Narcissism and Its Determinants in a Sample of Generation Z Business College Students

The Millennial Generation is frequently identified with narcissistic behavior. However, less work has examined the narcissism of the subsequent generational cohort, Generation Z. In this article, we review the literature on the relationship between narcissism and undergraduate academic major in a college of business, campus involvement, and several demographic variables. We then conduct a study ( N = 660) to evaluate subclinical narcissism and its relationship to those choices and traits among contemporary undergraduate business college students using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and the Single Item Narcissism Scale (SINS). Results reveal one of the highest mean NPI scores in the literature, corroborating prior findings concerning elevated narcissism among business students and providing a piece of evidence concerning intergenerational narcissism. Then, using a set of regression models, we find that NPI scores are higher among finance majors, leaders of student organizations, males, younger students, extrinsically religious students, and non-White students. The SINS is supported as a valid measure of subclinical narcissism. We then discuss how these findings have influenced our approach to course policy and classroom management, and we outline directions for future research based on this exploratory study of Generation Z college students.

How Funding Sources Affect Academic Experiences and Involvement

Graduate students from Arab Gulf countries earning degrees abroad are often funded by their governments, employers, or private institutions in their home countries, often making this funding sources different from their peers. This qualitative case study of female international students from Arab Gulf countries in the US explores participants’ academic experiences in their graduate programs and focuses on how it was affected by their funding sources. Data was collected with participants during spring and summer semester in 2018 at a land-grant university in the Midwest US. Findings show that the interactions that participants had based on their funding (or lack thereof) affected their overall experience and involvement with campus and the extent to which they had access to campus involvement. The research finds that having an assistantship or not has some positive effects for some, has some negative effects for others, is a double-edged sword for some and quite unimportant to others. The degree to which participants’ funding affected their experience was affected by how much experience through assistantships was common in their programs, options for gaining experience in their fields and integration on campus outside of assistantships, departmental contexts, and their long-term goals. Additionally, the role of discrimination in the campus involvement of students from marginalized identities is discussed. Recommendations are made for considering funding sources when supporting students in order to promote their involvement in their departments and with the wider campus community while considering potential discrimination that increased involvement can have.

“It’s the Person, but Then the Environment, Too”: Black and Latino Males’ Narratives about Their College Successes

This study relies on in-depth interviews with 30 Black and Latino males to explore how they narrate and make meaning from their college experiences at a Hispanic Serving Institution. A good deal of public and educational discourse often supposes these students’ lack of care and concern about their educational outcomes without understanding a larger context for their experiences. In this study, I explore these Black and Latino male students’ transitions to college and their success narratives. First, investigating their transition experiences allows for an opportunity to understand the strategies they deployed upon entering college and how these early experiences matter in their aspirations and sense of self. In their transitions, I find that students primarily relied on strategies and behaviors that are focused almost solely on academic effort while also isolating themselves from the college community and precluding themselves from developing social and cultural capital on campus. Second, analyzing their narratives of success allows for understanding the various networks and resources that students call upon in their college career. My findings show that students rely on a family–community nexus, including their on-campus involvement to support their college efforts. In addition to showing how social and cultural capital matter in Black and Latino males’ college experiences, this study extends our understanding of how students strive for and achieve success in college.

Club Rugby, the University Student Collegiate Experience, and Perceived Gains

To examine the relationship between club rugby participation, collegiate experiences, and perceived gains, 37 rugby players and 33 nonathlete students completed the Student-Athlete Experiences Inventory–Revised, Student-Athlete Gains Inventory, and Perceived Stress Scale at the start of a Spring semester. Linear regressions were used to determine the relationship between rugby participation, stress, participation in experiences, and perceived gains of students. The two gains modeled were practical and liberal arts gains. Practical arts gains were predicted positively by the experiences of active campus involvement and social interaction, while rugby was a negative predictor, adjusted R 2 = .280, F(3, 65) = 10.90, p < .0001. Liberal arts gains were predicted by social interaction, academic pursuits, and active involvement, adjusted R 2 = .22, F(4, 64) = 6.06, p = .0005. This study confirms how experiences predict different perceived gains. Club rugby players should be encouraged to take advantage of support services on campus to prepare them for their careers.

Parents, Peers, and Campus Involvement in the Transition to College

The purpose of this research was to examine factors that contribute to a successful transition into college. It acknowledges the importance of parents, peers, and campus involvement during this developmental period. Ninety-six college freshmen were given a series of questionnaires that assessed parental support, friendship quality and friendship satisfaction, and campus involvement. The following outcome variables were examined: loneliness, sense of belongingness, and drug/alcohol use. The results suggest that higher quality friendships and higher satisfaction with friendships were significantly related to lower levels of loneliness. In addition, higher involvement in campus activities was significantly related to lower levels of loneliness. The results also show that higher levels of campus involvement were significantly related to higher levels of school belongingness, alcohol use, and binge drinking. Findings from this study suggest that there are multiple contexts related to adjustment during the transition to college.

Intensity of activity involvement and psychosocial well-being among students

The transition to university, while a time of growth, can also be difficult for many students, with declines in psychosocial well-being common. Specific stressors can include both those related to academics and those related to life transitions during this time, like moving out or being away from one’s family. Understanding the factors that can bolster well-being, such as campus activity participation (e.g. in sports or social organizations), is likely to be especially important to student success. The study examined linear and curvilinear associations of campus activity intensity and psychosocial well-being. Results suggested the greatest benefits to belongingness, loneliness, and social anxiety at the highest levels of activity intensity, over 10 hours a week spent in activities. An interaction tested by ethnicity showed that effects of activity intensity on belongingness differed for underrepresented minority students versus non-underrepresented students. Findings suggest that students may benefit from getting involved as much as they can, and that universities may highlight the importance of engaging in activities outside of the classroom through messaging or in-class presentations about the utility of campus involvement.