About

Dr. Melissa A. Lucas is an Associate Clinical Professor and Co-Director of the Oral Communication Program (OCP) in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland. In her role as Co-Director, she oversees instructor training, assessment, and curriculum development for the course Oral Communication: Principles & Practices (COMM107), which is annually taught by over 50 instructors and taken by approximately 4,000 undergraduate students. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses focused on business communication, instructional communication, and data visualization. Her research explores questions related to learning outcomes assessment, feedback processes, and organizational rhetoric. Her work has been published in outlets such as Communication Teacher and the Journal of Communication in Healthcare. Additionally, Dr. Lucas serves as the ARHU Programs, Courses, and Curricula (PCC) Committee Chair and is the ARHU Representative for the Provost’s Commission on Learning Outcomes Assessment.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Medical education
• Applied psychology
• Clinical psychology

Selected publications

• Career Aspirations and the First Generation Student: Unraveling the Layers With Social Cognitive Career Theory

  Journal of college student development · 2016-04-01 · 67 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract: Undergraduate students who are the first in their immediate family to go to college represent a unique population on campus deserving special attention to their educational and career development needs. We explored career development characteristics of first-generation college students and compared them to those who are not first-generation, using Lent, Brown, and Hackett’s (1994) social cognitive career theory as a theoretical base. Findings indicated significant differences between the 2 groups, and the importance of college self-efficacy and college outcome expectations for the career aspirations of first-generation college students.

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• College Women: Perceived Career Barriers Due to Child Care and Career Adaptability

  PsycEXTRA Dataset · 2014-01-01

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• Psychosocial Predictors of Female Asian American College Students' Leadership Aspirations

  PsycEXTRA Dataset · 2014-01-01

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• SES and Perceived Barriers on College Students' Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy

  PsycEXTRA Dataset · 2014-01-01

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• Psychological Profile of University Students with Different Types of Disabilities

  Journal of college student development · 2014-07-01 · 16 citations

  articleSenior author

  Psychological Profile of University Students with Different Types of Disabilities Shengli Dong (bio) and Margaretha S. Lucas (bio) Increasing numbers of students with disabilities attend colleges and universities after graduation from high school (DaDeppo, 2009; U.S. Department of Education, 2002), but studies show that students with disabilities lag behind academically and fail to make progress and complete academic programs at a level and a timeframe comparable to their peers without disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). Studies are needed that explore variables related to the academic performance of university students with disabilities. According to Tinto (1993), multiple factors relate to university students' academic performance and persistence, including students' background, academic and social integration, and personal characteristics. His theoretical model highlights the role of personal attributes in relation to academic success and persistence in postsecondary education. Much of the research conducted in the area of personal characteristics of students with disabilities has focused on only academic or cognitive attributes (Hall & Webster, 2008), while neglecting psychological attributes such as self-esteem, life satisfaction, perceived support, and perceived control. As these psychological attributes have been found to play important roles in adjustment to one's disabilities and academic performance (LaBarbera, 2008), this area of study needs attention. In addition to a narrow focus on academic and cognitive attributes, research related to academic success and persistence of students with a disability has concentrated almost exclusively on students with a learning disability (LD; DaDeppo, 2009; LaBarbera, 2008). But, given advances in medical, educational, and environmental technologies and the fact that federal laws mandate improved access to postsecondary education (Newman, 2005; Skinner, 2004) to all, the scope of studies needs to be expanded to include those with other disabilities. The goal of the current study was to compare and contrast psychological attributes of students with different types of disabilities who enter college. Findings might suggest ways to make the academic environment more conducive to learning for students with different types of disabilities. METHOD Procedure Incoming first-year students at a large American mid-Atlantic university completed the University New Student Census (UNSC), a 230-item questionnaire given each year after students' summer orientation program. The survey is composed of both psychometrically developed scales and a variety of demographic items. The purpose of this annual survey is to gain an understanding of the attitudes and behaviors of incoming first-year students. Participants A total of 1,991 out of 3,915 first-year students [End Page 481] responded to the 2008-2009 UNSC. The sample used for the current study was the 1,226 students who responded to the question inquiring about their disability status. Of these, 51% were female, 49% were male; 61% were White, 14% were Asian, 13% were Black or African American, and 6% were Latino. Thirty seven students (3%) reported psychological disabilities, 25 (2%) reported cognitive disabilities, 21 (1.7%) reported physical disabilities, and 1,143 (93.3%) indicated no disability. Measures and Analyses Demographic variables included gender, ethnicity, and disability status. Disability status was measured by the following question on the survey: "Which of the following best describes your disability? Disability options include Learning Disabled, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Physical Disability, Psychological, Hard of Hearing, Visual Impairment, others and 'no disability'." We collapsed Learning Disabled, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder into one status and named it Cognitive Disorder, as these disabilities are known in the field to be related (Web Accessibility in Mind, 2010). We used only the Psychological, Cognitive, Physical, and No Disability statuses, as the frequencies in the other statuses were too low for comparison. Additionally, we examined five psychological attributes: life satisfaction, self-esteem, perceived constraints (perception of the extent to which an individual believes there are obstacles beyond one's control that interfere with reaching one's goals), social supports, and attitudes toward seeking help, and we compared participants' scores across types of disability, using ANOVA and Tukey's as a post hoc test. Life satisfaction was measured by the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Self-esteem was measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). Perceived constraints were measured by the Constraints Perception Scale...

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• Career‐Related Parent Support and Career Barriers: An Investigation of Contextual Variables

  The Career Development Quarterly · 2013-12-01 · 79 citations

  articleSenior author

  The authors used social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, ) as the basis for examining the person and contextual variables of gender, ethnicity, educational and career barriers, and career‐related parent support for incoming 1st‐year African American, Asian, Latino, and White college students. Women, as compared to men, perceived significantly higher levels of career barriers but similar levels of coping efficacy in dealing with these barriers. Women also reported receiving more career‐related emotional support from parents than did men. For all participants, career‐related parent support accounted for a significant portion of the variance for perceptions of educational and career barriers and coping efficacy with educational and career barriers.

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• An Analysis of Disability, Academic Performance, and Seeking Support in One University Setting

  Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals · 2013-03-04 · 55 citations

  articleSenior author

  This study focused on the academic performance and use of disability support services (DSS) of students with different types of disabilities who attend a postsecondary education institution. Findings show different patterns of academic success over four semesters as well as different patterns of DSS usage. Students who requested support from DSS were more likely to demonstrate improved academic performance, but relatively few students sought such support. The authors discussed the implications for professionals in working with this population.

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• Roles of Personal, Contextual, and Cognitive Factors in the Career Aspirations of Women

  PsycEXTRA Dataset · 2013-01-01

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• Counseling on Campus: Client Persistence and Progress

  Journal of College Student Psychotherapy · 2012-06-21 · 8 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Two related studies addressed college students' persistence and progress in psychotherapy. In Study 1, using emotional health variables assessed at intake, students who persisted in counseling and demonstrated clinical improvement were compared with those who either did not return for their first session or who did return but stopped before improvement. Findings showed that those counseling completers, compared with the other two groups, reported at intake significantly higher levels of confidence that therapy will help, degree of well-being, and levels of life functioning. Study 2, focusing on students who received at least eight counseling sessions, found improvement on variables reflecting distress and life functioning, with students who rated themselves highly distressed at intake reporting the most benefit. The findings suggest approaches to improve realistic expectations for and engagement in counseling. Keywords: college studentsemotional healthlife functioningpersistenceprogress

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• Importance of Career-Related Parental Support for the Educational and Vocational Development of Incoming College Students

  PsycEXTRA Dataset · 2011-01-01

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Frequent coauthors

• Elizabeth A. Klingaman

  Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers

  7 shared

• Douglas L. Epperson

  California Polytechnic State University

  4 shared

• Patricia F. Hunt

  Waterford Institute

  4 shared

• LaVerne A. Berkel

  University of Missouri–Kansas City

  3 shared

• H Martı́n

  3 shared

• Trisha L. Raque‐Bogdan

  University of Denver

  3 shared

• Kayi Hui

  University of Maryland, College Park

  2 shared

• Cheri Timko Skokowski

  2 shared

Labs

• Center for Political Communication & Civic LeadershipPI

Education

• Ph.D.

  University of Maryland