scholarly journals A latent profile analysis of first-year university students’ academic expectations

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra M. Araújo ◽  
Cristiano Mauro Assis Gomes ◽  
Leandro S. Almeida ◽  
Jose Carlos Núñez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
First Year ◽  
Academic Expectations ◽  
Social Pressures ◽  
Latent Profile

Academic expectations are an important variable in the explanation of adaptation and academic success in higher education. This paper uses latent profile analysis as a person-centered statistical approach to classify students into groups of similar types of expectations for higher education, at the beginning of the first year in university. Participants were 2,478 first-year Portuguese students. Based on the scores of seven dimensions of expectations, we identified six classes of students. Most students (84%) presented moderate levels of expectations, while 8% and 4%, respectively, reported very high and low expectations. One class represented a group of students (4%) with high expectations for the quality of education and for political engagement and citizenship and lower expectations for social interaction and attending to social pressures. Male and older students showed more positive expectations. Students from privileged family backgrounds are more likely to present higher expectations for political engagement and citizenship experiences, and lower expectations for social interaction and leisure and attending to social pressures. Keywords: latent profile analysis; person-centered; expectations; higher education; first-year students

Entrepreneurial academics: a taxonomy with Latent Profile Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 3346-3363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Gouveia Rodrigues ◽  
João J.M. Ferreira ◽  
Teresa Felgueira
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Latent Profile

Purpose The need for dynamic and innovative skills and the importance of resources and individuals in pursuit of new opportunities prove to be extremely vital for the higher education institutions (HEI). The purpose of this paper is to develop a taxonomy of academics from HEI, based on their individual entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Design/methodology/approach The population in study was composed of teachers and researchers from worldwide HEI. The data collection was conducted through a questionnaire sent by an e-mail and the authors used the I-ENTRE-U scale to identify entrepreneurial-oriented teachers and researchers from HEI. A Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was conducted to identify profiles of researchers with similar values in four EO dimensions. Findings The study allowed the authors to identify five profiles of researchers: downers, achievers, followers, defenders and rebels. Research limitations/implications The results can be an important starting point for other researchers and practitioners hoping to evaluate academics’ EO in a higher education sector. The taxonomy also allows wider predictions about the behaviour of the profile members of profiles and relates it with other variables such as performance. Further contributions may be added by extending the data gathering from different geographical areas and/or different academic contexts, such that future studies could apply other LPA techniques and compare the results. Originality/value Only few studies have focussed on individual EO of scientists/academics, considering different national and regional contexts. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study that develops a taxonomy of academics from HEI, based on their individual EO.

scholarly journals Identifying Distinct Patterns of Social Media Usage During the Transition into College as Predictors of First-Year Alcohol Use and Consequences: A Latent Profile Analysis

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Trager ◽  
Reed M Morgan ◽  
Sarah C Boyle ◽  
Francisco Montiel Ishino ◽  
Joseph LaBrie
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
College Transition ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
First Year ◽  
Risky Drinking ◽  
User Behaviors ◽  
Low Alcohol ◽  
Latent Profile

Social media (SM) users are a combination of several behaviors across platforms. Patterns of SM use across platforms may be a better indicator of risky drinking than individual behaviors or sets of behaviors examined previously. This longitudinal study addressed this gap in the literature using latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify subpopulations of SM users during the college transition (N=319). Indicators included in the LPA were general SM (checking, time spent, and posting to Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat; Finstagram ownership) and alcohol-related posting (alcohol, partying, and marijuana content) behaviors. LPA results revealed three SM user subpopulations at baseline: low general use with low alcohol-related posting (LGU+LAP), and high general use with low alcohol-related posting (HGU+LAP) or high alcohol-related posting (HGU+HAP). Baseline drinking, injunctive norms, and alcohol beliefs were associated with greater odds of HGU+HAP membership. Prospective analyses revealed that HGU+HAP was associated with greater alcohol use and consequences relative to HGU+LAP and LGU+LAP. Results suggest that there are distinct patterns of SM use during the college transition associated with risky drinking that can inform interventions combating SM-related alcohol risks. These findings also illustrate the importance of analyzing multiple SM user behaviors across multiple platforms simultaneously in future studies.

scholarly journals First-Year Students’ Time Use in College: A Latent Profile Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (7) ◽  
pp. 958-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Fosnacht ◽  
Alexander C. McCormick ◽  
Rosemarie Lerma
Keyword(s):  
Time Use ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Latent Profile

Using Latent Profile Analysis to Harness the Heterogeneity of Nonretained College Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-473
Author(s):  
Tracey N. Sulak ◽  
Jennifer Massey ◽  
David Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Private Research ◽  
Key Variables ◽  
The University ◽  
Latent Profile

Universities struggle to raise retention rates among first-year students. Traditional analyses have not only focused on large-scale issues and addressed the needs of the majority but also done little to change overall retention numbers. The current study demonstrates the benefit of using a person-centered approach to retention research. Latent profile analysis was used to examine all nonretained, first-year students ( n = 515) from the 2011 cohort at a private, research-intensive university. The larger population of nonretained first-year students appeared to contain several smaller, subpopulations, and these smaller groups differed on key variables collected by the university. The differences in the subpopulations indicate a need for greater specificity in retention programming.

scholarly journals Profiles of Academic Procrastination in Higher Education: A Cross-Cultural Study Using Latent Profile Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 150-160
Author(s):  
Eren Halil ÖZBERK ◽  
Tuğba TÜRK KURTÇA
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Academic Procrastination ◽  
Academic Tasks ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Latent Profiles ◽  
Latent Profile

Procrastination behaviour occurs when the person is obligated to do an activity, even they are not motivated to carry out the activity within the expected time frame. Literature studies define four types of procrastination: academic, decisional, life routines, and neurotic. This study focuses on academic procrastination in higher education. Academic procrastination is mainly related to delaying academic tasks such as handing in assignments and term papers or preparing for the exams at the last moment. This study compares Turkish and international students' academic and general procrastination profiles using latent profile analysis. For this purpose, latent profiles were estimated to reveal how students from different cultures are grouped according to academic and general procrastination behaviour. A total of 691 undergraduate students, 52.4% (361) Turkish and 47.6% (330) of international students registered for an academic program in higher education participated in the study. Results indicated that while Turkish students for three latent profiles defined as Tending to enjoyable Works, Neither Lessons nor Other Works and Ambition for Academic Success. On the other hand, International students only fit two latent profiles, which are defined as Academic Procrastination Tending to Enjoyable Works and Prioritizing Academic Tasks.

scholarly journals GRIEF EXPERIENCE PATTERNS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN RURAL CHINA: A LATENT PROFILE ANALYSIS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S630-S630
Author(s):  
Haimin Pan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Functioning ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Latent Profile

Abstract Grief experiences among older adults in China are understudied, though a variety of negative bereavement outcomes have been delineated. The present work sought to explore grief patterns among Chinese older people in rural areas, as well as the factors influencing the bereavement results. Participants were 352 older residents who responded to a face-to-face interview and lived in rural areas in Zhejiang Province of China. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify subtypes of class membership in combing complicated grief (CG), depression, anxiety, and meaning in life. Afterwards, these subgroups were compared on demographic characteristics and meaning making variable. The LPA model best fitting the data was a three-class solution comprised of “adaptive” (n=235; 66.8% of the sample), “moderate maladaptive” (n=83; 23.6% of the sample), and “severe maladaptive” groups (n=34; 9.7% of the sample). Compared to the “severe maladaptive” group, participants in the “adaptive” group had better physical functioning, higher education and incomes levels, and less meaning making engagement, while participants in the “moderate maladaptive” group had longer bereavement duration, better physical functioning, and less meaning making activities. Relative to the “moderate maladaptive” group, participants who were adaptive to the loss possessed longer bereavement duration better physical functioning, higher education and incomes levels, and less meaning making engagement. Findings suggest three distinct patterns of bereavement outcomes among Chinese older adults. Multiple factors impacting the results were taken into consideration. Future replication is necessary to validate these subgroups, and professional services should be provided to bereaved older Chinese in need.

scholarly journals The interplay of personal and contextual diversity during the first year at Higher Education: Combining a quantitative and a qualitative approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-77
Author(s):  
Tobias Jenert ◽  
Taiga Brahm
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
First Year ◽  
Contextual Diversity ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Contextual Differences

Research on student transition into Higher Education (HE) has taken different theoretical perspectives. First, studies investigated personal variables such as students´ self-efficacy, emotions and motivation regarding the transition from school to HE. A second strand of research focused on contextual variables, for instance college effectiveness research. With this paper, we combine both the personal and the contextual approach. We aim to investigate the interaction between personal and contextual diversity during the transition into HE, taking into account students’ diversity in particular with regard to gender and individual characteristics, such as self-efficacy. We explored the heterogeneity in students’ personal characteristics by conducting a latent profile analysis (LPA) based on students’ intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy and anxiety before entering Higher Education. LPA resulted in three distinct profiles, with significant differences in how students perceived the first year. This finding suggests that students’ personal characteristics when entering Higher Education influence how they experience the study environment. To investigate the interplay between individual and contextual differences in more detail, we conducted a qualitative longitudinal study with 14 first-year students in parallel with the panel survey. We found that individual students react very differently to specific characteristics and events of the first-year environment. Our study adds to the growing body of research that aims to grasp the complexity of interactions between individual and contextual differences. Specifically, we illustrate how combining quantitative and qualitative methods can provide new insights into person-context interactions.

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