A three-decade comparison of college faculty characteristics,satisfactions, activities,and attitudes

Information about personal background, professional activities, job satisfactions and dissatisfactions, and career appraisal was gathered by means of a questionnaire administered to a 25 percent random sample, stratified by rank, of full-time faculty in Minnesota's accredited, nontheological colleges and universities. Results of the survey are compared to results of earlier surveys in 1956 and 1968 using the same instrument with similar samples. Preliminary analysis suggests that the professoriate has remained relatively unchanged across the two and a half decades of the surveys, that the educational level of the faculties has risen sharply over the years, that Minnesota college teachers find their careers satisfying, and that most of them would make the same career selection again if given the opportunity.Presented at the Twenty-First Annual Forum of The Association for Institutional Research, Minneapolis, May 1981.     

Impact of degree program satisfaction on the persistence of college students

Many theories on college retention recognize the significance of student satisfaction as a positive factor in students’ persistence. Yet, there are few theories that address the relationship of degree program satisfaction to study behaviour and dropout. This paper explores the impact of degree program satisfaction on academic accomplishment and dropout. The impact of degree program satisfaction was studied within a multitheoretical framework. The results of the study show that student accomplishment not only depends on differences in academic ability but also on degree program satisfaction. Decreased degree program satisfaction appears to diminish both study motivation and study behaviour. The authors discuss some implications for current educational practice.     

The testing program for the general college of the state teachers college,Kirksville, Missouri

This article considers the role of private schools in an assessment of segregation in K-12 schools, with special reference to the South. It presents evidence to support two main conclusions. First, private schools have grown in importance in the South since 1960, in contrast to their declining importance in the rest of the country. This contrary trend can be attributed to the region's small proportion of Catholics, to its rising affluence, and to school desegregation. Because of the typically large areas covered by school districts in the South, private schools have offered White families an especially effective means of avoiding exposure to non-Whites in schools, particularly in counties with very high minority concentrations. In those counties the rate at which Whites enrolled in private schools tended to rise with the percentage of all students who were non-White, increasing sharply in counties about 55% non-White. Second, the article presents measures of the extent to which private schools contribute to segregation in schools in all regions. Using data on public and private enrollments in 1999-2000, the article shows that private schools accounted for only about 16% of such segregation in the nation's metropolitan areas, with the bulk of segregation attributed to racial disparities between public school districts. For the nation, segregation increased between 1995-1996 and 1999-2000, and a rise in White private enrollments had a role in this increase.     

Anticipating concerns of the adult learner: accelerated path to a degree and intrusive advising

The demographics of 21st century, community college students are changing. Success strategies are being developed with adult learners in mind, particularly for programs targeting students already in the workforce. While recognizing that such students may have been out of college for an extended time or have obligations differing from traditional college students, such as family and work commitments, programs designed for adult learners should provide clearly articulated pathways to success. Elements of this success strategy should provide instruction in a way that accommodates work schedules and prepares students for classroom challenges.

Degree programs should be designed to help students complete coursework quickly and provide greater access to educational opportunities. Gillette College’s accelerated Mining Technology Program combines a no-options pathway to completion. It is a course delivery system allowing students who otherwise might not have the opportunity to attend college the ability to earn a degree in their career field. To further increase student success, the program relies on strategic and intrusive advising to energize students who may not be used to academic demands.     

An effect of a mandatory counseling program for college students on academic probation: a preliminary study

This longitudinal study examined the effects of a mandatory counseling program for students placed on academic probation at a university in South Korea. The study compared longitudinal changes over three semesters in the grade point average (GPA) of students who were on academic probation. Two groups, 46 students with mandatory counseling and 49 students without, were used as comparison groups for testing the effects of counseling intervention on GPA improvement. The result suggested that the students who attended five or more counseling sessions beyond two mandatory sessions showed a significantly greater GPA improvement over three semesters in comparison with the students who did not receive the mandatory counseling sessions. Implications for counseling and suggestions for institutional action are discussed.     

Exploring the complexities of the relationship between K-12 and college faculty in a nontraditional professional development program

In this collaborative research project, we used qualitative methods to explore the complexities of the relationship between K-12 and college faculty, both in the context of graduate school (to improve professional development), and as colleagues whose goal it is to improve education for children through collaborative partnership. Ultimately, we wanted to understand what constitutes a transformative relationship. The research team found that through a collaborative and reciprocal process of struggling together to understand the inconsistencies created as we work to transform teacher education and K-12 education, we could foster intellectual development for both faculty and students.     

Reward systems,faculty alienation,and militancy: Academic dilemmas in the middle of the academic procession

The study examines the effect of alienation resulting from discrepancies between departmental goals and reward policies on faculty attitudes toward collective bargaining. Analysis of structural data derived from official records of a large, public university and of attitudinal data consisting of faculty responses to a survey, shows that alienation from reward systems has a significant independent influence on faculty attitudes towards collective action. The observed trends in militancy are interpreted in terms of institutional context and framework of unionization movement.     

Examining interactive whiteboard-based instruction on the academic self-efficacy,academic press and achievement of college students*

Abstract

The study reported here examined college students’ academic self-efficacy, ‘academic press’ and learning achievement, as well as the association between these three variables within learning contexts using interactive whiteboard-based instruction. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a sample (n = 103) of first-year college students in China. Participants were taught English by either an interactive whiteboard-based or traditional lecture-based instructional approach for three months. The results showed that the interactive whiteboard-based instructional intervention cultivated higher levels of academic press and academic self-efficacy among students and a significant, positive correlation was identified between these two variables. Students’ learning achievement was not affected by the instructional intervention. These results indicate that interactive whiteboard-based instruction offers some distinct benefits. In future work, additional research is needed to clarify how the instructional model relates to understanding learning achievement.     

Effect of flipped classroom model on academic achievement,academic satisfaction and general belongingness

Learning Environments Research - The effect of the flipped classroom model on students’ academic achievement, academic satisfaction, and general belongingness was investigated using an...     

Recommendations of transgender students,staff, and faculty in the USA for improving college campuses

Research indicates that transgender individuals frequently experience marginalisation and interpersonal victimisation within college and university settings. Missing from the literature is a discussion of what can be done to address such patterns in higher education, based upon empirical data gathered from transgender and gender non-conforming students, staff, and faculty. The present study aimed to fill this gap by reporting on solutions offered by a sample of 30 individuals in one US state while integrating a lens of intersectionality. Five resulting themes include (a) offer education, campus programming, and support for trans individuals; (b) improve university systems and procedures for recording one's name and gender; (c) encourage greater inclusivity and recruitment of diverse groups; (d) make physical changes to facilities; and (e) hold people accountable. These findings suggest institutional actions and policy changes for higher education administrators and others committed to improving campuses for transgender and gender non-conforming people.     

Beyond mentoring and advising: Toward understanding the role of faculty “developers” in student success

It is old news that interactions between students and faculty enhance student learning. In this article, Vicki Baker and Kimberly Griffin offer another role for faculty in their relationships with students—that of developer.     

Testing the three-way interaction effect of academic stress,academic self-efficacy,and task value on persistence in learning among Korean college students

Persistence is an important indicator of academic success in higher education. Academic stress, which influences individuals’ learning motivation and behaviors, is inevitable in college life; however, individuals handle it differently based on their expectancy and value beliefs. In this study, academic stress, academic self-efficacy, and task value were chosen as predictors of persistence in learning, and the joint relationship between them was examined. The sample comprised 483 Korean college students. A multiple regression analysis was performed. The results revealed significant main and interaction effects, including a three-way interaction effect of academic stress, academic self-efficacy, and task value on persistence in learning. Particularly, students with strong motivation were less affected by a stressful and demanding environment. Furthermore, academic stress did not appear to be an exclusively negative factor and could be a catalyst to boost persistence in some conditions. Implications of the findings for promoting persistence in learning are discussed.     

Research productivity of foreign- and US-born faculty: differences by time on task

Similar to trends in postsecondary education across the world, today’s US universities are an increasing mix of native and foreign-born scholars. US institutions are experiencing a growing number of international faculty members, but there is limited literature examining foreign-born faculty who work in US institutions and how outputs from foreign-born faculty compare to US-born natives. Using data from the 2004 National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04), this study examines difference in faculty members’ research productivity at doctoral-granting institutions by foreign/US-born status controlling for select individual and institutional characteristics. Findings show that foreign-born faculty members spend more time on research and less time on undergraduate instruction than US-born peers, and this may contribute to their higher levels of production. Implications are discussed that consider how to ensure diverse faculty communities that lead to strong research and knowledge production.     

Analysis of the relation between academic procrastination, academic rational/irrational beliefs, time preferences to study for exams, and academic achievement: a structural model

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between academic rational/irrational beliefs, academic procrastination, and time preferences to study for exams and academic achievement by using the structural equation model. The sample consisted of 281 undergraduate students who filled in questionnaires at the 7-week-long summer course. Students responded to questionnaires assessing their levels of (a) academic procrastination, (b) academic rational/irrational beliefs, and (c) time preferences to study for exams and demographic information sheet. In general, the results showed that rational academic beliefs have a direct impact on academic procrastination and time preferences to study for exams. Academic rational beliefs also have an impact on academic achievement indirectly by mediation of academic procrastination and time preferences to study for exams. The results also showed that academic procrastination has an impact on academic achievement both directly and by mediation of time preferences to study for exams. This study suggested that there is a relation between academic procrastination and rational academic beliefs, which should be addressed further in counseling intervention. Knowledge about the role of irrational academic beliefs and their relations with academic procrastination may assist school/ college counselors to develop interventions for students that suffer from delaying behaviors that negatively affect academic success.     

Motivation in college: Understanding Norwegian college students' performance on the LASSI Motivation Subscale and their beliefs about academic motivation

Norwegian college students have been found to score remarkably low on the Motivation subscale of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) in relation to American norms. In this study, we first administered the LASSI Motivation subscale to a sample of 15 Norwegian college students and then interviewed the students about their responses to the scale items and their beliefs about academic motivation. Only the students having the highest scores on the Motivation scale seemed to wholeheartedly value the activities described by the scale items and conceive of motivation in the self-discipline and duty-oriented way reflected by the scale. In contrast, the students having the lowest scores did not seem to value the activities described by the scale items and clearly defined academic motivation in terms of interest, enjoyment, and excitement. It is suggested that one important reason why so many Norwegian students score low on the LASSI Motivation scale might be that they have a strong sense of autonomy and are intrinsically rather than extrinsically motivated. In conclusion, possible contextual differences between American students and our Norwegian participants are also discussed.     

The effects of students' academic,financial, and demographic variables on time to the doctorate

The time taken to earn doctorates is of major importance to administrators and faculty. By using stepwise multiple regression techniques, this study predicted time to doctorate from the available demographic, academic, and financial variables and determined the significance of each variable on time to the doctorate. The data for this study came from the National Research Council's Doctorate Records File extract prepared for UCLA. This institution is particularly appropriate for a study of this kind, since it annually awards over 400 doctorates in over 75 different majors. Its doctoral recipients represent the range of academic fields of study. The results of this study indicated that source of support was the most important variable in predicting time to doctorate. Following source of support were postdoctoral plans, number of dependents, sex, and field of study. Together these variables explained a significant amount of variation in the criterion variable.     

Gender Differences on Research: The perceptions and use of academic time

In the last years, the increasing pressure over higher education institutions to promote alternative non‐state funding sources has lead to an increasing importance given to research and, more specifically to applied research. The notion that women dedicate less time to research may be seen in the new context, as a prominent threat for women to reach universities top positions. In this article, which draws from an exploratory study case of two public universities in Portugal, we examine whether there are gender differences on perceptions about time dedicated to different academic activities. Findings reveal no significant gender differences in the academics' perceptions about their work.