Institutional characteristics and faculty/administrator perceptions of outcomes: An exploratory analysis

Linkages between faculty/administrator perceptions of student outcomes and selected institutional characteristics were examined using data drawn from a survey of 320 four-year institutions and the HEGIS database. A particular focus of the study was to investigate the contribution of institutional culture variables on perceptions of effectiveness, independent of more traditional institutional characteristics such as size, type, selectivity, and control. Independent effects were established for perceptions of student satisfaction and student personal development, but were not demonstrated for student academic development or student career development. The study also confirmed relationships between institutional culture and faculty/administrator perceptions of a number of educational process variables generally held to be linked to student outcomes, for example, the frequency of student/faculty contact and the degree to which information and feedback are valued in decision making. Results suggest that institutional culture may be a powerful determinant of perceived effectiveness regardless of its structural setting.     

Institutional correlates of faculty outlooks and professional behaviours: A study of Indian engineering faculty

This paper investigates the relationship between institutional affiliation and scholarly activities and outlooks for a sample of Indian engineering faculty. The research is based on a survey of Indian academics conducted in 1971–72.Respondents at various types of engineering institutions were compared in terms of their research productivity, professional involvement, attitudes toward professional life in India and job satisfaction. Significant differences were observed between faculty employed by affiliated colleges and those at other types of engineering institutions with respect to these measures. Affiliated college faculty are accorded a marginal role in India's system of technical education and much demoralisation is apparent. This has important implications for educational policy.     

University faculty and administrator responses to job strains

This study reports the relationships between job strain and several quality of life (QOL) indicators for a group of university faculty and administrators. The QOL indicators were in the domain of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and health. Variables presumed to moderate the relationship between job strain and QOL were tested for their ability to buffer the strain effects. Analyses were carried out on faculty's and administrators' responses. The strong correlations obtained have both theoretical and practical consequences. Intervention strategies are discussed.     

The demand for student loans in higher education: A study of preferences and attitudes

This empirical study examined postsecondary-student attitudes and preferences regarding five discrete student loan plans and loan plan features. Certain demographic variables were examined for their relationship to student attitudes toward the various loan plans. The study addressed the following questions: What debt ceiling do students identify as acceptable? Are students willing to indebt themselves over an extended time span? What percent of annual income do they feel reasonably can be applied to loan repayment? Will students alter their repayment plan choices given additional and more detailed information about loan options? A random sample of 218 recipients of federal higher education loans during the 1973–74 academic year was drawn from the population of 6,765 undergraduate borrowers at the University Park Campus of the Pennsylvania State University.     

Socialization to interdisciplinarity: faculty and student perspectives

Socialization has become a common framework through which to understand the doctoral student experience; however, the framework has predominately been used as a lens through which to understand traditional, single-discipline doctoral student experiences. Interdisciplinary doctoral programs are becoming increasingly common in both the United States and elsewhere but relatively little empirical research exists about this distinct experience. Through multiple interviews with 18 doctoral students and their 35 faculty members, we discuss differences in the socialization process for these students in regard to knowledge acquisition, investment, and involvement. Implications for practice and future research are included.     

Narrative understandings of a school policy: intersecting student,teacher, parent and administrator perspectives

In this article, we examine one school’s experience with policy, as a means of shedding light on the intersection of factors contributing to challenges of implementing policies to support the academic achievement and social adaptation of immigrant and minority students in their school context. We begin with the presentation of a ‘big fight’ between two students of different ethnic and racial backgrounds, and consider multiple perspectives of how the disagreement was addressed by teachers and administrators, to offer insight into how issues of race and policy might have been understood by members of the school community. We use a narrative inquiry approach to examine ways in which a policy designed to enhance student participation was interpreted by various members of this school community. This study reveals nuances of the intersection between culture and (hidden) curriculum as it relates to the implementation of policies aimed at creating and maintaining safe school communities.     

The severity of academic dishonesty: A comparison of faculty and student views

This study considers the severity of academic dishonesty as an important factor in dealing with academic integrity. The results indicate that although faculty generally consider specific dishonest behaviors as more severe than do students, the differences appear to lessen as students progress toward graduation.     

Institutional and departmental satisfaction of women faculty

Using the exploratory data analysis method of median polishing, this study examined the institutional and departmental satisfaction of women who relatively recently entered the academic profession. Results indicated that women's satisfaction with both department and institution differed by institutional type (Carnegie classifications) and discipline type (pure versus applied). Women in applied fields in Research II and Doctoral-Granting II institutions were much less satisfied with both their departments and their institutions than would be expected given their institutional and discipline types. Similarly, the institutional satisfaction of those women at Research I institutions and the departmental satisfaction of women in pure fields at Doctoral-Granting I's was lower than would be expected. Higher levels of departmental satisfaction were shown by women in pure fields at Liberal Arts I institutions.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, St. Louis, November 1988.     

Gender role preferences and perceptions of university students,faculty, and administrators

Gender role preferences for Ideal Woman and Ideal Man and perceptions of Most Women, Most Men, and Self were surveyed among women and men students, faculty, and administrators at a large state university. All groups preferred an androgynous Ideal Woman, but preferences for the Ideal Man were largely masculine sex-typed. All groups described sex-typed perceptions of Most Women and Most Men. Women's groups largely defined themselves as androgynous, while most men's groups saw themselves as masculine sex-typed. A general trend toward expression of higher levels of masculine gender was noted in university professionals when compared to student groups.     

Team-taught versus individually taught undergraduate education: a qualitative study of student experiences and preferences

Team teaching is becoming more common in undergraduate programmes of study although the relative merits to the more traditional individually taught courses have not been determined for best practice. For this study, 15 final-year undergraduate computer science students were interviewed to gain insight into their learning experiences. A thematic analysis of the interview data identified the perceived advantages and disadvantages of each mode of teaching. The advantages of individually taught courses included: consistency of content delivery and advice, familiarity with the lecturer’s teaching style and better continuity of the subject content. The disadvantage of individually taught modules included missing knowledge, compared to a team approach. Advantages of team-taught modules included: greater insight into a topic delivered by multiple team members. Disadvantages included: content overlap, conflicting messages relating to assessment, team members not taking ownership of their roles and responsibilities and a belief that overall team failure is worse than individual failure to deliver a module well. The results revealed that individually taught modules were generally preferred to team-taught modules. A set of best practice recommendations are proposed to address the challenges when delivering team-taught teaching and become more student focused.     

Institutional goals and faculty attitudes toward collective negotiations

This article reports on research investigating the relationship between university faculty and administrators' perceptions of institutional goals and functions and faculty attitudes toward collective negotiations. Faculty and administrators of a large state university were sampled. Those sampled were divided into three groups: administrators, faculty with favorable attitudes toward collective negotiations, and faculty with unfavorable attitudes toward collective negotiations. The three test groups were compared on the basis of their perception of the importance the institution accorded goals and the emphasis given institutional functions. The findings indicated that faculty with favorable attitudes toward collective negotiations differed significantly from the other test groups in their perceptions of the importance the institution accorded goals and functions. The findings support March and Simon's theory of formal organization.     

Cognitive preferences: A validation study

In 1964 Health introduced the cognitive preference construct and used it to evaluate a new science curriculum. Since then the construct, adapted from research on cognitive styles, has been used in many research and evaluation studies. More recently, however, a number of questions have been raised concerning the validity of findings and analytical techniques employed in these studies. Ultimately the validity of the cognitive preference construct itself is being questioned.In this article a framework for examining validity evidence for the cognitive preference construct is developed; the literature on cognitive preferences in the context of this framework is reviewed, and the validity evidence developed in one recent study is presented and discussed.     

Students with learning disabilities in the university environment: a study of faculty and student perceptions.

This study examines faculty and student perceptions regarding university students with learning disabilities, sensitivity to such students' special needs, accommodations, and the perceived impact of a learning disability. Results reveal a general sensitivity to the special needs of students with learning disabilities; however, group differences suggest several areas warranting further attention.     

Informing Institutional Management: institutional strategies and student retention

European universities are facing demands for better student retention, especially in countries where state funding is no longer based on the number of students, but on the number of graduates. An extensive literature on retention focuses on the characteristics of students who leave higher education without a degree. Much less is known about the measures taken by higher education institutions to encourage study progress. This article examines whether retention strategies are incorporated into the institutions’ overall strategies and the policies and activities developed by universities to foster study progress and enhance retention rates. The results suggest that the universities’ overall strategies and retention activities are loosely coupled and that the universities tend to use blanket measures addressing retention, regardless of why students are leaving.