Kathleen M. Goodman

College Student Binge Drinking and Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Replication and Extension

excessive alcohol consumption by college students is a ubiquitous problem with potentially negative consequences, both academic and otherwise, for many students. National samples of college students demonstrate that two thirds of all students report consuming alcohol within the past month (o’Malley & Johnston, 2002). of these students, more than half report heavy or binge drinking within the prior 2 weeks (o’Malley & Johnston). binge drinking is often defined as consuming five or more drinks in one setting for males and four or more drinks for females (Wechsler & isaac, 1992), although this may be somewhat arbitrary. According to harvard’s College Alcohol study (CAs), half of the students who binge drink, do so more than once a week (Wechsler, Nelson, & Weitzman, 2000). the evidence concerning the amount of binge drinking behavior that occurs based on year in college is inconclusive. in one study, 13.9% of first-year students reported having only one binge drinking episode in a 2-week period, whereas 14.8% of seniors reported the same behavior (presley, Meilman, Cashin, & lyerla, 1996). on the other end of the continuum, 3.8% of both first-year students and seniors reported having between six and nine binge drinking episodes in a 2-week period (presley et al.). engs, hanson, and diebold (1996) found, however, fewer binge drinkers among seniors than among first-year students. Although the studies with regard to the amount of binge drinking occurring during college are not conclusive, research is consistent on the negative results of this behavior. educational difficulties, psychosocial problems, physical harm including overdoses, sexual high-risk behaviors, and alcohol-impaired driving are some of the negative consequences of student drinking (Columbia University, the National Center on Addiction and substance Abuse [NCAsA], 1994; perkins, 2002; Wechsler et al., 2002). these consequences impact between 10% and one third of the college population (perkins), affecting both men and women and students across all class years (e.g., engs et al., 1996; presley et al., 1996).

Liberal Arts Colleges and Good Practices in Undergraduate Education: Additional Evidence

Liberal arts colleges have prided themselves on providing students with a quality undergraduate education among a scholarly community who are interested in their holistic development. Past research has found students who attended liberal arts colleges more frequently experienced Chickering and Gamson’s (1987, 1991) good practices in undergraduate education than their peers. This study examined if this experience differed based on students’ background or precollege characteristics. Overall, we found students at liberal arts colleges who enter college with lower levels of parental education, tested precollege academic preparation, academic motivation, and high school involvement experienced these good practices at levels greater than their peers.

Using Mixed Methods to Study First-Year College Impact on Liberal Arts Learning Outcomes.

This study details the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data from a national multi-institutional longitudinal mixed methods study of college impact and student development of liberal arts outcomes. The authors found three sets of practices in the quantitative data that corroborated with the themes that emerged from the qualitative data: academic challenge, diversity experiences, and supportive relationships aided the transition in the first year. The authors discuss these relationships and their mechanisms for fostering student learning in the first year of college.

Methods for Assessing Inner Development: Spirituality andBeyond

As practitioners and scholars of student affairs administration, we are committed to the development and growth of the whole student, a concept that has guided our profession since its inception (American Council on Education, 1937; American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, 2004). Likewise, accompanying students on their journey of developing meaning and purpose has long been a foundational pillar of liberal education (Astin, 2004). We believe creating environments and conditions that enable students to focus on existential issues in their lives and discuss the Big Questions (Who am I? What can I believe in? Will my life make a difference?) (Dalton, Eberhardt, Bracken, & Echols, 2006) is one of the central purposes of college. As such, we must find means to measure and assess the inner workings of students’ lives: How do they make meaning? How do they define themselves? What is the state of their psychological well-being? What role does spirituality or religion play in their lives? How do they relate to others? However, the instruments and methods used–and the concepts and language they engender–will affect how students react and respond to assessment efforts. In the past 10-15 years, spirituality has been the term used to signify this aspect of student development, garnering much attention by postsecondary educators and administrators alike; yet the use of the term spirituality may not be appropriate for all students.