Undergraduate students (N = 150) participated in a study developing a 10-item scale (the Noctcaelador Inventory; NI) to measure noctcaelador: adoration and attachment to the night-sky. The NI demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, normality, and preliminary validity. The scale significantly correlated with self-reported…

The present investigation describes the manner in which a group of southern black college students structure their value preferences. Based upon prior research, especially among white college students, it was expected that our sampled respondents would embrace values associated with economic and materialistic success. However, results obtained…

The purpose of the article is to describe step by step procedures teachers can use to successfully engage their students in the development of science fair projects. The article further explains how the student should prepare their science fair project for science fair competition. It is expected that increasing student participation in science…

This exploratory study examines self-reported acts of academic dishonesty for a sample of 858 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on a small college campus (8,350 students). The study raises awareness to the occurrences, and challenges of academic dishonesty at small-sized institutions, somewhat overlooked in empirical research.…

One-hundred-and-ninety seven undergraduates at a large southeastern university completed a confidential anonymous 22-item questionnaire designed to assess the perception of various emotions in themselves and the other sex. The data revealed that men were significantly more likely to view themselves as competitive, sarcastic, and sexual than women…

This paper focused on three dominant psychological theories--Cognitive Dissonance, Relative Deprivation and Campus Ecology that have been evolved to explain student unrest, to determine their ability to account for the phenomenon in Nigerian universities. It found that none of the theories could all alone holistically account for all the causal…

Predicting MBA student performance for admission decisions is crucial for educational institutions. This paper evaluates the ability of three different models--neural networks, logit, and probit to predict MBA student performance in graduate programs. The neural network technique was used to classify applicants into successful and marginal student…

Problem: Higher education has seen dramatic increases in student enrollments, diversity and crime rates during the past 25 years. These changes have created the need for new approaches from campus law enforcement agencies. There has been a movement toward community oriented policing (COP) policies and practices by campus police departments to…

A survey of attendance motivators administered to 220 undergraduates enrolled in an introductory-level survey course at a large Midwestern university in fall 2002 and spring 2003 revealed, intuitively yet contrary to many earlier studies, that the most common situation in which students are motivated to attend class is if they consider the…

This article will introduce the Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE) Model. This model identifies eight (8) defense modes associated with behaviors individuals display when engaged in difficult dialogues about social justice issues. Implications for the model and ways it can be used to assist facilitators as they engage participants in…

This article reviews findings from a related study of 15 White racial justice allies, which highlighted the importance of re-articulating a sense of Whiteness. The author explores how the rearticulated sense of Whiteness demonstrated by these students may assist others to mitigate some of the defense mechanism discussed in the Watt (2007)…

This article defines racial microaggressions and discusses their role in instigating difficult dialogues concerning racial and ethnic issues in student affairs classroom settings. The authors present four reasons why dialogues on race are difficult for many White Americans.

The dynamics of resistance articulated by the Privileged Identity Exploration model highlight the need to acknowledge the role of socialization in the formation of attitudes and behaviors that can support identities of privilege. Exploring individual and group related socialization processes in the context of a difficult dialogue might facilitate…

In this article, four doctoral students--two White females, one African American female, a White male--an African American female assistant professor, and an African American male student affairs administrator reflect on the difficult dialogues that took place during a seminar on whiteness. Watt's (2007) Privilege Identity Model (PIE) was integral…

This case study explains varied perspectives on a difficult dialogue. It provides recommendations for student affairs professionals and faculty members who work with students and teach courses in content areas that are related to diversity, social justice, and privilege.