Mickey Fenzel

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• PhD
• Professor Emeritus at Loyola University Maryland

Two studies were undertaken, in part, to address some of the difficulties experienced by research on the effects of service learning to date and to address the benefits to students who perform service as part of their curricular studies. The first study utilized two groups of students--one that participated in a service experience as part of the co...

The present study examines the stress and coping process among a sample of emerging adults (ages 18–30) recruited though TurkPrime who completed at least some post-secondary education. Sources of stress and four positive personal coping resources, mindfulness, self-compassion, resilience, and spirituality, served as predictors, with all showing sig...

To date, there has been little conceptual study of clericalism in Roman Catholic priests. To add to the understanding of this issue, in a series of 3 studies, we investigated the reliability and validity of the Clericalism Observer Rating Scale (CORS), a psychological measure of clericalism in Roman Catholic Priests, and offered a theory to underst...

This study investigated the reliability and validity of a psychological measure of perceived clericalism in Roman Catholic Priests. The structure of the Clericalism Observer Rating Scale (CORS) was assessed through an EFA which identified a three-factor structure for the instrument. Items that loaded on the first factor, aloof/unaccountable, all po...

This study used a quantitative cross-sectional design to examine the relationship of spirituality, religiosity, and resilience to psychological distress and life satisfaction. Participants were 413 middle-aged Vietnamese-born American Catholics. Results from the zero-order correlation analyses indicated that depression and life satisfaction were si...

The persistent inequalities in urban public education in the U. S. that have left far too many Black and Hispanic male students behind with respect to academic skill development, high school graduation, and college success have led Catholic groups to provide alternative secondary school models to advance the academic and career success of urban stu...

The work presented in this volume attests to the innovative and successful educational alternatives designed and implemented by Catholic religious groups to improve educational, career, and life outcomes for urban children, adolescents, and adults placed at risk. These efforts have helped thousands of urban citizens break away from the chains of po...

The use of recent college graduates as uncertified classroom teachers has increased in recent years, with the growth of Teach for America, alternative certification routes for teachers, and alternative schools for urban children placed at risk. Few studies to date have investigated the effects of using these inexperienced teachers on the quality of...

Examined the impact that a personal, integrated spirituality has on well-being and its role in moderating the effects of stressors (both significant life events and hassles) on well-being among a sample of 120 undergraduates (aged 18–22 yrs) at a private religiously affiliated college. The hypotheses were as follows: 1st, stressors would have a neg...

Much continues to be written about the failure of U.S. schools to provide a quality education for at-risk urban students. Private Nativity model schools have been instituted in response to the need to provide quality education at the middle school level for such students. As the number of these and other alternative middle schools increases, a thor...

The present study examines the mediating effects of student intrinsic motivation and teacher ratings of student academic engagement on the relation between school climate perceptions and student academic performance among 282 urban African American middle school students. Results provided support for the hypothesized model and suggest the importanc...

Evidence is clear that urban high poverty public schools are failing to meet the educational needs of its students, particularly students of color. The present study examines the effectiveness of two types of high poverty parochial schools for 354 African American middle school students. Results show that alternative middle schools, known as Nativi...

The use of recent college graduates as volunteer teachers has increased in recent years with the growth of the Teach for America program and alternative middle schools for at-risk children from low income homes. Very few studies to date have investigated the effects of the use of such teachers on student learning and engagement in school. The prese...

The present study examines predictors of heavy drinking frequency and drinking-related problems among more than 600 college students. Controlling for high school drinking frequency, results of multiple regression analyses showed that more frequent heavy drinking was predicted by being male and risk factors of more frequent marijuana and tobacco use...

The present study is a pilot investigation of six alternative urban middle schools for students of color that follow the Nativity model. This model emphasizes small class and school size, extended instruction, and strong relationships with family. The six schools included in the study are found in five different urban locations in the United States...

Although several studies have documented the benefits to undergraduate college students of participating in service-learning and general community service, little research has examined the effects of such service participation on the service-related attitudes and behaviors of alumni. In this study, 481 alumni of a religious-affiliated liberal arts...

This study investigated the benefits of incorporating the pedagogy of service-learning in two first-year seminar courses by examining: (1) the unique ways service can be incorporated in freshman classes; (2) the extent of interpersonal connections made as a result of the service; and (3) the impact of service on future community service involvement...

This study examined the benefits of early involvement in co-curricular activities and first-year seminars among first-year college students with respect to alcohol and other drug use, self-worth perceptions, attitudes toward social justice, engagement in the academic process, and community service involvement approximately 6 weeks into the fall ter...

An integrative model of the stress process in early adolescence during the transition to middle school was examined in this prospective study. In the model, student role strain (both peer and school work strain) was hypothesized to predict changes in feelings of self-worth, with perceived competence (social and scholastic) and social support (from...

Examined whether self-efficacy would be predictive of future vocational outcomes for participants in a supported employment program. Participants were 86 18–54 yr olds associated with a private, non-profit agency located in Baltimore, Maryland, which provides supported employment services for persons with psychiatric disabilities. Stepwise logistic...

Fitting the environment of a school to the developmental needs of early adolescents is particularly important for inner-city African American students who tend to drop out of school in large numbers. The present study examined the person-environment fit in terms of the relation of school strain to self-worth and three indicators of school functioni...

Several states have conducted pilot projects to test the feasibility of using electronic banking techniques to deliver public assistance benefits. These systems establish electronic account balances which recipients access through the use of a debit card at terminals such as bank automatic teller machines or transaction authorization machines like...

Many colleges and universities are using a service-learning paradigm to structure service learning experiences for their students to reinforce and enhance the understanding of course material. Two studies were undertaken at a parochial college to address the benefits to students who perform service as part of their curricular studies. In the first...

This study evaluates an alternate model for middle school education, which was introduced into depressed urban settings in the 1970s by the Jesuit religious order, in two parochial middle schools, one coed and one all-male established in 1993 in an Eastern city. Comparisons of school structural characteristics, attendance figures, report card grade...

Subjects were participants in two self-help groups, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA; n = 45) and Rational Recovery (RR; n = 10). Two groups of AA participants were distinguished based on degree of AA involvement. RR participants constituted the third group. As predicted, the Surrender Instrument was able to discriminate between the High AA, Low AA, and RR...

This study was designed to determine if subjects participating more actively in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) were higher on surrender and lower on pathological narcissism than those less involved in AA or participating in Rational Recovery. Male subject groups scored as predicted on surrender. As hypothesized, surrender also correlated negatively with...

Being older rather than younger than most of one's classmates is presumed to provide benefits to students at least throughout elementary school. The present study investigated this relative age hypothesis among students before and after the transition to middle school with respect to self-esteem, school strain, grade point average (GPA), and anxiet...

This study examined two models of stress in early adolescence during the transition from elementary to middle school. One model suggested that role strain would predict self-esteem, with perceived competence and social support serving as moderators of strain. The second model predicted that self-esteem, perceived competence, and social support woul...

Little research has investigated the relationships among sources, outcomes, and moderators of stress. There is a particular lack of such work with children and adolescents, especially work describing how the process unfolds with respect to the influence of continuing everyday stressors, such as those associated with the demands of schooling. This s...

Maintaining an intrinsic motivation for school work is considered to be an important element in keeping adolescents in school and out of trouble. Recent research has begun to study factors that contribute to the development of an intrinsic interest in school learning. Two such important factors are self-esteem and the stressfulness of the school en...

The present longitudinal study responds to a need for new perspectives and research tools for studying school transition stress by identifying changes in student role strains and assessing sex differences in strain changes during the transition from elementary school to a sixth-through eighth-grade middle school Findings, consistent with prediction...

Although research on school transitions is growing, researchers continue to lack adequate models and tools for conceptualizing and assessing school transition stress. The present study uses the theoretical framework and research on occupational role strain in adulthood as such a model and suggests that early adolescents experience role strain in th...

This study examined school-related strains that elementary school students encountered during the transition to middle school. A total of 120 students from two elementary schools completed the Early Adolescent School Role Strain Inventory during pretransition in the elementary school fifth grade, during early transition at the beginning of the midd...

The Social and Personal Responsibility Scale was employed in a study of the Youth Volunteers program, involving 44 adolescents in 12 projects, equally divided between child care and community service. Participants showed statistically significant gains on the Social Responsibility subscale. Girls gained more than boys and volunteers in community im...

Previous research has shown that the transition into junior high school can be difficult for certain subgroups, particularly girls. Recent work has also examined the social support roles played by best friends during the transition and found that high quality friendships can ease the adjustment to the new environment. The present longitudinal study...

The present study was undertaken to examine student gains in attitudes related to cultural privilege and racism in three different undergraduate courses taught by three different instructors. Two of the courses are elective courses that fulfill a diversity course requirement at the College. The third course is required of all elementary education m...