DeDonno, Michael

The challenges inherent in pursuing a medical education can leave many students at risk of experiencing stress and burnout. Premedical and medical students have been found to experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression (Fang et al., 2010; Niemi & Vainiomaki, 2006; Vitaliano, Russo, Carr, & Heerwagen, 1984). The sources of stress for premedical and medical students include academic obligations, the financial burden of paying for medical school, and family relationships. If excessive stress is left untreated it can result in negative health risks such as depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, and other physiological distress disorders.
There are proven ways to reduce the stress levels of students, including eating well, exercise, and peer support. Mindfulness meditation is also known to be a useful method for lowering perceived stress and improve academic performance. This study investigated how participation in a 7-week mindfulness meditation intervention impacts the perceived stress, depression, and anxiety levels of premedical and medical students. Self-regulation theory (Fiske & Taylor, 1991; McClelland et al., 2018) was used as the theoretical framework for this study to indirectly discover if mindfulness meditation is a practice that can improve students’ ability to calm themselves when facing high stress situations and to focus their thoughts on a goal.

The purpose of this study was to develop a methodological approach using
secondary data that researchers, faculty, and staff can utilize to assess student course
performance and to identify the input and course environment factors that best predict
student course success in an undergraduate lecture capture quantitative methods course.
Using Astin and antonio (2012)’s Input Environment and Outcome (IEO) Model as a
framework, this quantitative study examined both input variables that students bring to a
course as well as the course environment factors that students experience in the course.
Three secondary data sources were utilized and analyzed using descriptive and multivariate
statistics.
The findings revealed that students with higher levels of student course
engagement and academic self-concept were more likely to achieve student course
success in this lecture capture quantitative methods course. In addition, prior University GPA along with live-class attendance, discussion board posts, and course quiz and exam
scores were the strongest predictors of student course success.
The largest implication from this study was the methodological approach
developed to identify factors that predicted student course success. This approach can be
used to help faculty identify course-embedded measures for assessment as well as
develop Keys for Success to help future students succeed in difficult courses. While this
study added significantly to the limited research on lecture capture courses, future
research should further explore qualitative aspects of the course, such as motivation and
student video-viewing behaviors, as well as additional impacts on physical attendance in
lecture capture courses.

Current literature confirms that self-efficacy, academic self-concept, and
participation in undergraduate research influence the academic performance and
aspirations of students. However, a gap in the literature remains as research has yet to
explore whether students who have participated in research have a higher sense of
research self-efficacy and academic self-concept than students who have not participated
in these activities. In addition, it is unknown whether undergraduate researchers pursuing
STEM degrees differ from students pursuing non-STEM degrees, nor if they vary by
gender.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the research self-efficacy and
academic self-concept of undergraduate researchers, compare these beliefs to nonresearchers,
and to examine how these measures differ by gender and field of study (i.e.
STEM and non-STEM fields) among undergraduate researchers. Additionally, this research identified various factors that predict research self-efficacy and academic selfconcept.
This quantitative study was conducted at a public university located in the
Southeast region of the United States. Using survey methods participants’ background
information, academic self-concept, and research self-efficacy was collected.
Participants were students who had participated in undergraduate research as well as
students who had not participated in research activities. Both groups completed the same
survey. This study gained insight into the research self-efficacy, academic self-concept,
field of study, and gender differences among undergraduate researchers and how they
compare to non-researchers. Research findings may assist colleges, universities, and
offices that promote undergraduate research in recruiting students to participate in
research activities. Findings also contribute to literature supporting undergraduate
research as an element that contributes to student success in undergraduate education.