Understanding the Successful University Student: Constructing the Measure of Student Success (MOSS)

The purpose of this thesis was to identify some of the more salient factors that contribute to university student success and to construct the Measure of Student Success (MOSS) as an alternative option to the instruments that are currently available to measure student success. Two manuscripts are presented. In the first, undergraduate participants at a Canadian university were recruited and asked to identify factors they believe contribute to their success while enrolled in an undergraduate program. The second manuscript uses the results from the first and a review of the literature to create and pilot test a new scale to measure university student success based on GPA. An exploratory factor analysis identified three primary factors (Future Perspectives, Student Well-Being, and Competency), with a number of subcomponents for each factor. Overall, the preliminary results evaluating the MOSS are encouraging. Finally, a model of university success is presented to assist in the conceptualization of the complex construct of student success.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Applied Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Stelnicki, Andrea

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Nordstokke, David

• Education--Higher

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/28576

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/797