Relational Maintenance Tactics within Romantic Relationships During the Transition from High School to College
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The Symposium provides undergraduates from all academic disciplines with an opportunity to share their research with the university community and other guests through conference-style oral presentations. The Symposium represents part of a larger effort of Iowa State University to enhance, support, and celebrate undergraduate research activity.
Though coordinated by the University Honors Program, all undergraduate students are eligible and encouraged to participate in the Symposium. Undergraduates conducting research but not yet ready to present their work are encouraged to attend the Symposium to learn about the presentation process and students not currently involved in research are encouraged to attend the Symposium to learn about the broad range of undergraduate research activities that are taking place at ISU.
The first Symposium was held in April 2007. The 39 students who presented research and their mentors collectively represented all of ISU's Colleges: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate College. The event has grown to regularly include more than 100 students presenting on topics that span the broad range of disciplines studied at ISU.
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Does the transition between high school and college affect our interpersonal romantic relationships? How does the use of relational maintenance tactics change during this transition period? Researchers (e.g., Stafford & Merolla, 2007) have investigated long distance relationships and factors that predict their stability, mostly among young college students. However, further knowledge is needed regarding how couples negotiate their romantic relationship when moving from high school to college. Using an in-depth interview design, relational maintenance tactics used in both long distance and geographically close relationships occurring during this transition period will be studied to learn more about how this major life transition affects interpersonal romantic relationships. Canary and Stafford (1993) identified five relational maintenance tactics: Positivity, openness, assurance, networks and shared tasks. Participants will be asked about the maintenance tactics used in their relationship to further understand how life transitions affect the way relationships are maintained. College students, limited to those who began a romantic relationship in high school that continued into college, will be interviewed; both long distance and geographically close relationship are to be included. These interviews will be used to further understand relational maintenance tactics and the role major life transitions play in the maintenance of romantic relationships.