Search

Social isolation among online college students may be a key contributor to the higher attrition rates reported by online universities relative to traditional institutions. This experiment investigated the effects of instructor-student communication on online students' self-reported social integration with faculty, institutional commitment, and perceived course quality. Participants were 242 students (26% men, 74% women) age 18 to 60 years (M = 30.00, SD = 9.26) attending a midsized private Christian university in Southern California. Participants received varying frequencies (never, once, and weekly) and types (none, e-mail, and text) of personalized instructor-student messages. Students who received weekly messages rated their courses more highly after 4 weeks, but this effect later disappeared. There was no effect on social integration with faculty or institutional commitment. Results provide some support for consistent instructor-student communication but discourage a formulaic approach to combating student isolation and attrition.

Abstract: There is currently no empirically supported consensus on what children's ministers need to know in order to effectively serve the children in their local congregations. To shed light on [...]

Given the importance of considering context in development, the goal of the present study was to develop and provide initial validity evidence for the Kids' Church Survey (KCS), a new measure of children's church-based social support. Data were collected from 1253 children ages 6-14 attending mainline Protestant, evangelical Protestant, and Catholic churches. Parallel and exploratory factor analyses supported a three-factor solution: received (emotional) church support, perceived church support from peers, and perceived church support from adults. Confirmatory models conducted with independent samples provided an excellent fit for the data. All three scales evidenced acceptable internal (.78-.92) and test-retest (.88-.95) reliability. Measurement invariance was demonstrated across genders and age groups, with the exception of the perceived peer support scale, which was not invariant across ages. The KCS was sensitive to between-church differences in children's programs and incrementally predicted self-esteem, prosocial behavior, and spirituality. Applications for researchers, mental health practitioners, and clergy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The church is commonly assumed to scaffold individuals' socially supportive relationships and prosocial behavior. If true, that would make the church an important support for individual development and community change, facilitating and fostering healthy relationships and positive interactions with others. In this study, we analyzed experimental data collected from 30 churches in three Latin American countries to assess the impact of an intervention targeting relational ministry practices on 6- to 14-year-old children's perceived support and prosocial behavior. Data were collected from children before ( n  = 710) and after ( n  = 612) the intervention in treatment ( n =  25 churches) and control ( n  = 5 churches) conditions. Results indicated that the introduction of socially supportive practices in church children's ministries increased children's prosocial behavior, an effect mediated by changes in perceived support. Implications for children's development and the church as a means of community change are discussed.