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We study how the achievements of university students are influenced by the characteristics and achievements of peers in individuals' social networks. Defining peer group in terms of friendship and study partner ties enables us to apply a network regression model and thereby disentangle the influence of peers' performance from that of peers' background. We find significant positive peer effects via the academic achievements of friends and study partners. Students' grades increase with the abilities of study partners, who may or may not also be friends; no such effect is observed for friends who are not also study partners. Additionally, the effects of the abilities of other classmates are found to be insignificant. The results support the claim that peer influence acts mainly through knowledge-sharing channels between students who are connected by social ties.

The match between a student's academic ability and the academic ability of the student's peers has been found to exert influence on student educational aspirations. Research on this has garnered mixed results with some finding that students whose peers have higher ability are more likely to develop a poor self-concept and lower their academic aspirations and others finding the opposite, that more able peer increase motivation and aspirations overall. While the effects of peer and student ability match on the educational aspirations of elementary and secondary students have received attention in recent years, these effects have largely been neglected in postsecondary education. In this study, I use recent postsecondary student data to see how the difference between the student's SAT score and the mean institutional SAT affects the likelihood of the student experiencing a decrease in educational aspirations post college entry. Findings indicate that students whose scores are below the mean institutional SAT and who are attending less selective institutions are more likely to experience a decrease in future educational aspirations post college entry than students whose SAT scores are above the mean. However, students attending more selective institutions are protected from this effect, likely because of greater selection in admissions at more selective postsecondary institutions.

Using structural equation modeling, this study examined the effects of peer environments on collegiate interracial friendship and how such effects vary by students' race. The results show that the peer environment of Greek life mediated the relationship between structural diversity and interracial friendship in college, in that students attending institutions with greater structural diversity were less likely to frequently interact with peers from Greek life, which had a positive effect on interracial friendship. This mediation effect was consistent for all four racial groups of the study. This study also uncovers unique findings related to Latino/as and interracial friendship: that structural diversity has an indirect effect on interracial friendship via participation in ethnic student organizations for Latino/a students and that participation in ethnic student organizations is also directly and positively linked to interracial friendship for this group. The study discusses implications for understanding intergroup relations and patterns of interracial friendship.

This paper examines student attitudes towards affirmative action over 4 years of college. Asian American and Latino/a students were more likely than White students to disagree strongly or somewhat with abolishing affirmative action after 4 years of college. A student's attitude towards the policy as a first-year student, peer group influence, and political orientation were significant predictors of student attitudes of affirmative action during the fourth year of college. The findings suggest that while college plays some role in shaping affirmative action attitudes, its influence is somewhat limited in comparison to the background traits and attitudes that students bring to college.

Explains the institutional research process used by the Oregon University System to identify peer comparators for the state's seven diverse public universities. The process combined detailed statistical information with a sensitivity to the political dynamics and judgments of campus presidents and staff. Identifies 10 conditions that contribute to the creation of peer groups on a systemwide basis. (DB)

The assessments of faculty performance for the determination of salary increases are analyzed to estimate interrater reliability. Using the independent ratings by six elected members of the faculty, correlations between the ratings were calculated and estimates of the reliability of the composite ratings were generated. (Author/MLW)

A study to determine whether faculty conformity to the four norms of science identified by Merton are integrating mechanisms or whether they are forces of fragmentation is discussed. The four norms are identified: universalism, communality, disinterestedness, and organized skepticism. (Author/MLW)

Correlational and path analyses were used to examine the effects of four situations on self-reported ethical behaviors on four primary ethical dimensions among undergraduate communication students. The four situations are: students' ethical beliefs, students' perceptions of professors' ethical beliefs, and students' perceptions of ethical beliefs of their peers. (Author/MLW)

A methodology developed as an alternative to conventional institutional classification structures, intended to reduce the limitations of those models, is described. Ways in which the methodology can be used for planning, administrative, and research purposes are discussed, as are the dangers in using "peer groups" for institutional planning and analysis. (Author/MLW)

While numerous studies have highlighted the consequences of exclusion in STEM, fewer studies have empirically tested the benefits of inclusion in peer relationships. We focus on the impact of having cross-racial or cross-gender study partners among one's close friends in a national sample of 408 STEM majors. Using structural equation modeling, we examined the direct and indirect relationships between having diverse study partners, key background and college experience variables, and college GPA. We identified a significant positive relationship, both direct and indirect, between studying with a close friend of a different race and GPA. We also found that having a cross-gender study partner is positively linked to organizing study groups and study-faculty interaction, which in turn improves GPA. However, Black students were less likely to have either cross-racial or cross-gender study partners among their close friends. We discuss implications for equity and the need to encourage positive intergroup relations in STEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]