English 101 - Fall 2010

A study to be released today by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum [cites] improvements in a range of literacy skills among students who took part in a program in which the Guggenheim sends artists into schools. The study, now in its second year, interviewed hundreds of New York City third graders, some of whom had participated in the Guggenheim program, called Learning Through Art, and others who did not.\n\n

This article does a good job of explaining why supporting the arts may do more than just enrich our souls, it may enrich our wallets too.

Center For Science in the Public Interest. "Alcohol Advertising, Televised Sports, and Underage Youth." Cspinet.org. Aug. 2007. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. Televising alcohol during sporting games is highly effective to market your product to a large group of minors. It explains how many younger athletes and fans watch college sporting events and alcoholic companies spent over fifty two million dollars on advertising on commercial breaks. This doesnt mean its only appeals to underage viewers, many legal consumers also watch college sports which makes a good argument for the people who are trying to get thier product advertised during these games. This site also talks about other ways ads reach minors and what effects and influences are given based of a number of statistics.

Article about the intersection of arts and "core subjects."

Roscoe, Rod D., and Michellene T.H. Chi. "Understanding Tutor Learning: Knowledge-Building and Knowledge-Telling in Peer Tutors' Explanations and Questions." JSTOR. Review of Educational Resource 77.4 Dec. 2007: 534-574. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. < >< stable www.jstor.org http: > > Peer tutoring is more effective in college due to the brain being more developed. Though peer tutors have their own learning method, they take what the tutee is good at and combine it with their own way of learning. Thus having more of an effective learning style than in the classroom. This article also states that peer tutoring at all ages is effective and can only benefit the students. Tutors can help determine new learning methods for the tutees.

This paper investigates gender differences in academic performance among university athletes at an NCAA Division I school. Using regression analysis, the findings suggest that background scholastic achievement variables and race influence university academic performance for student athletes, but sport participation measures and race are negatively related to university academic performance for males only. The consequences of inequalities between men's and women's athletic programs are explored. Implications for academic programs are discussed. (Abstract from author as it appears on EBSCO.)

Kicklighter, Jana Regina, et al. "College Freshmen Perceptions of Effective and Ineffective Aspects of Nutrition Education." Journal of American College Health 59.2 (2010): 98-104. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. Research was done to see how college freshman viewed their eating habbits while they have been at college. They did they by having 5 focus groups. They came to find that most of all the nutritional needs per day, based on the food pyramid, were not met. They realized that freshman have a high rate of going for food that is fast, affordable, and therefore tend to not be very healthy.

The article discusses financial-literacy programs at universities and colleges in the United States. Programs like Texas Tech University's help its students master the basics of budgeting, saving, and not buying what they can't afford. These programs are especially important as colleges grapple with rising costs and an economic downturn in the country. The author states that financial literacy affects student retention, productivity, and mental health, and may also generate good will in a time when colleges are being criticized for repeatedly raising tuition, fees, and housing costs. (From the EBSCO abstract.)\n

The latest NCAA graduation success rate report shows UD in the top 10 nationally with Notre Dame, Duke and Northwestern, among others.\n

The investigation by the attorney general appears to be focused on the adequacy of disclosure of policy terms and costs to students.

Stonerock, Krista H. "From Training to Practice: the Writing Center as a Setting for Learning to Tutor." OhioLINK. Ohio State University, 2005: 1-251. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. . This article is about first year college students going to writing programs to better on their first papers. Studies have shown that tutor strategies are more effective during first year of college. These studies also show that tutor's transfer their teaching skills to their peers. This study was done with an education yet personal role throughout all tutors in the case study.

College men report that they want women to drink less. I suggest that, if this article is of interest to you, you seek out the original study from Loyola Marymount University.

Would lowering the legal age help colleges curb alcohol abuse?

Boden, Joseph M., David M. Fergusson, and L. John Horwood. "Experience of Sexual Abuse in Childhood and Abortion in Adolescence and Early Adulthood." Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal 33.12 (2009): 870-876. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. The study looks at how child sexual abuse can tie in with adolescent abortions to influence adulthood. The study that was done was a 25-year study of the heath, development and adjustment of 1,265 New Zealand children. Studies showed that if higher rates of abuse were shown, then high rates of pregnancy and abortion developed.

Budgetball is a new sport being played on college campuses with the aim of making financial literacy accessible in a very physical way.

Earlier studies associated the first year of college with a dramatic increase in body weight, termed the "freshman 15". However, recent studies showed that weight gain might be smaller. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the extent of observed weight/body composition changes, including factors associated with them, among students entering university. Searches were conducted for studies examining weight/body composition changes during freshman semesters. Most studies were not comprehensive in assessing numerous potential causative factors for weight gain. Methods for assessing diet, physical activity, and behavioral factors varied among studies. Weight changes were often not quantified by measures of body composition (lean/fat) to ascertain that changes were limited just to gains in fat mass. Overall, weight changes ranged from 0.7-3.1 kg, but among individuals who gained weight, the range was narrower, 3.1-3.4 kg. There may be specific groups of students with a greater predisposition for weight gain and future research should focus on identifying those groups.

Objective: The aims of the study were to assess whether women during the first year of college experience (1) significant weight gain; (2) a prospective relation between dietary restraint and weight gain; (3) an increase in disordered eating; and (4) a prospective relation between dietary restraint or concern about the Freshmen 15 (i.e., weight gain of 15 lbs during the freshman year of college) and disordered eating.\n\nMethod\nParticipants were 336 female students in their first year of college who completed questionnaire measures of Body Mass Index (BMI), eating disorder pathology, dietary restraint, body image, and self-esteem.\n\nResults\nParticipants' mean weight gain was approximately 3 lbs (1.5 kg), and among those who gained weight, the mean gain was 7.32 lbs (3.3 kg). Dietary restraint in September did not predict weight change in April, but participants who lost weight reported significantly greater dietary restraint than those participants who gained weight. Eating disorder symptoms increased significantly from September to April. Dietary restraint, concern about the "Freshman 15", and self-esteem in September uniquely predicted EDE-Q Weight and Shape Concern subscale scores in April.\n\nDiscussion\nFemale students in their first year of college gain a small but significant amount of weight, and weight gain was mostly unrelated to dietary restraint. Disordered eating increases during the first year of college and, is predicted by prospective dietary restraint and concerns about weight gain.

Shaver, James P., and Dee Nuhn. "The Effectiveness of Tutoring Underachievers in Reading and Writing." JSTOR. The Journal of Educational Research 65.3 Nov. 1971: 107-112. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. . This article is about tutoring those who are having literacy troubles in reading and writing. This shows statistics between fourth, seventh, tenth, and college students on their reading and writing skills. It shows that peer tutoring can improve everyone's overall grades and gpa's. The two tests between what students were tutored and who weren't show the difference. The effects were clearcut.

Good for background information.

Hanushek, Eric A., John F. Kain, Jacob M. Markman, and Steven G. Rivkin. "Does Peer Ability Affect Student Achievement?" JSTOR. Journal of Applied Econometrics, Sept.-Oct. 2003: 527-544. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. . This article is about the analysis of peer tutoring. The peer interaction of student tutoring shows that the one on one attention helps the tutee pay attention more. In college, the distractions of a roommate are gone and the student can concentrate on their studies. Peer groups have a positive effect as well with more participation if the student does not feel comfortable speaking in class. Peer groups and peer tutoring also help with parents minds as they know their child is getting more help.