The Moderation of College Students' Subjective-Well Being in the Association between Daily Life Hassles and Cumulative Grade Point Average: A Top-Down Perspective

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College Students; Well Being; Correlation; Grade Point Average; Statistical Analysis; Community Colleges; Two Year College Students; Daily Living Skills; Student Surveys

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the buffering effect of subjective well-being (SWB) between community college students' levels of daily life hassles (DLH) and their grade point average (GPA) during the fall semester. The problem addressed looked at DLH having an effect on academics such as lowering GPAs, data from many studies relating to this have been inconsistent when studied from a bottom-up framework. A top-down framework supports SWB as a grounded foundation from which DLH and GPA can be reviewed. This should then show a more consistent set of data when studied. This consistency in the data when studied will show that the same students should have had higher GPAs if SWB were also higher thus negating the effects of DLH. This quantitative study utilized a survey method to gather data for SWB and DLH with a release of information being given to each Montgomery County Community College student. This release not only had them agree to the study but also an inquiry into their GPA from the college records system with all identifying data being removed after this point. A Spearman's rho correlation was used to allow for the determined of overall fit of the GPA and the relative contribution of each of the predictors SWB and DLH to the total variance explained. The data did not follow a normal distribution. The data did show a significant relationship between the Satisfaction with Life Survey (SLWS), which represented SWB, and DLH data groups combined at (r[subscript s](72) = -0.25, p = 0.029) two-tailed with Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient. No other groups showed a statistical significance. Statistical significance was only found when all the data sets were compared and not broken down by male or female for SWB and DLH. The inter-relationship suggests that SWB buffers the effects of DLH in a top-down framework. More research is needed with a larger data set and a larger randomized subject pool. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As Provided

2018

ED584727