At a Canadian university, 177 students completed a baseline questionnaire and six monthly Web-based questionnaires about their sexual behavior and positive and negative affect. The results revealed that psychosocial maturity, attitudes toward sex, prior sexual experience, and living arrangements influenced the relationship between sex and affect. When sexual behavior was reported, the more psychosocially mature students reported more positive affect than did the less mature students. The students with more permissive attitudes toward sex also experienced more positive affect in the months when they had sex than did the students with less permissive attitudes. The students who had oral sex reported more positive affect than did the students who had intercourse, and living away from home was associated with more positive affect for the students who had sex. (58 ref)-Department of Psychology, University of Alberta. Lindgren, K. P., et al. Sexual Communication, Sexual Goals, and Students' Transition to College: Implications for Sexual Assault, Decision-Making, and Risky Behaviors. Journal of College Student Development, 2009, 50 (September-October) pp. 491-503.At a large public university in the Pacific Northwest, 29 heterosexual undergraduate students participated in focus groups about their experiences and perceptions of sexual communication and sexual goals. The men and the women agreed on many of the ways in which sexual interest is communicated, including sexual conversation, talking about values, agreeing to go somewhere private, and body language and touching. Disinterest was usually expressed through body language and other indirect forms of communication, although verbal communication was used as last resort. The women expressed a preference for indirect means of showing disinterest, even though the men reported that they often disregarded indirect forms of communication. In terms of sexual goals, the women determined how far sexual relations would go and were more likely than the men to seek long-term relationships rather than casual sex. The men always wanted sex, with or without a relationship. They described casual sex as an enjoyable challenge, while they view relationships as work to be endured. In making the transition from high school to college, the students discussed the greater physical freedom and privacy in college as increasing the accessibility of sex. (37 ref)-Department of Psychology, University of Richmond.

A systematic review was conducted to produce an up-to-date and comprehensive summary of qualitative and quantitative evidence specific to the factors related to undergraduate Latina/o student academic success outcomes during college. The purpose of the study was to make sense of and provide critique to this rapidly growing body of research, as well as to direct future research efforts. Findings indicate that a combination

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This study examined the impact of discriminatory experiences on Hispanic students’ decisions concerning postsecondary enrollment. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with Hispanic students’ decisions to attend either a 2- or a 4-year institution within the context of theory concerning college choice/success. Data were drawn from a nationally representative sample ( n = 2,210) of Hispanic students from the ELS:2002 data set. Results indicated that Hispanic students were less likely to attend a 4-year institution if they personally experienced or perceived others being discriminated against during high school. Findings suggest that discriminatory high school experiences may contribute to “tracking” Hispanic students to the community college level.

The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive synthesis and analysis of the empirical evidence to date on the factors related to Latina/o student academic achievement in the country's increasingly Latina/o K-12 schools. Factors found to be related to academic achievement outcomes (e.g., grades, test scores, high school completion, college enrollment) for Latina/o students include a combination of (1) demographic variables, (2) sociocultural variables, (3) academic experiences, (4) psychological variables, and (5) school/institutional variables. In addition, this research synthesis identified several methodological trends in the research on Latina/o student success.

This study examined the impact of cultural discontinuity on the academic outcomes of Latina/o high school students. Hierarchical multiple regression was utilized to (a) investigate the significant differences between the characteristics and academic outcomes of high school students who do and do not experience cultural discontinuity between their home-and schoolbased learning and social experiences based on Eurocentric cultural values, and (b) examine the contribution of demographic variables, socio-cultural variables, academic experiences, and cultural discontinuity to students' cumulative grade point average (GPA) and standardized test scores. Data were collected from two high schools in South Central Texas. Findings revealed that cultural discontinuity had an inverse relationship with GPA; therefore, the more cultural discontinuity based on Eurocentric cultural values that a student experienced, the lower was the student's GPA.

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This study examined the influence of mathematics course-taking on Latina/o science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major persistence utilizing data from first-year STEM majors at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Findings indicated that students who passed a first-term college-level mathematics course had significantly greater odds of persisting in STEM majors than those who did not, demonstrating the importance of early mathematics support to increased STEM major persistence.