Faculty Engagement in Mentoring Undergraduate Students: How Institutional Environments Regulate and Promote Extra-Role Behavior

Faculty-student interaction is critical for quality undergraduate education. Faculty mentorship provides concrete benefits for students, faculty members, and institutions. However, little is known about the effect of institutional context on mentorship. Using data from interviews of 98 faculty at five different California State University institutions, we examined faculty motivations and institutional supports and barriers to mentoring as it occurs outside of formalized programs. We argue that this type of mentoring is distinct from advising and teaching and constitutes extra-role behavior. Further, institutional norms and the culture of the academic profession often hinder mentorship. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Reflections on research on reading disability with special attention to gender issues

This commentary reviews some of the issues involved in the definition of reading disability and demonstrates how definitions can influence the conclusions reached by a review. In particular, the discrepancy definition of reading disability is shown to be logically flawed. Data from a large unbiased sample show that there are no significant differences between boys and girls in the incidence of reading difficulties.     

Exploring mentoring in the context of team science

Despite increased research into team science and collaboration, little is known about postdoctoral scholars’ pathways to becoming independent researchers, particularly as it relates to the mentoring relationship. The purpose of our study was to explore if and how the team science framework promotes collaboration and the development of independent researchers from mentees’ and mentors’ perspectives. A convenience sample of faculty mentors and postdoctoral mentees, participated in semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed three themes for the mentees: working with others, evaluating mentoring, exploring resources, and five themes for the mentors: elaborating on scholarly productivity, mentoring style, setting team culture, strategies to develop T32 scholars, and evaluating program qualities. The findings showed that scholars were engaged in an atmosphere of collaboration fostered by their mentors and that mentors encouraged scholars’ capacity for scientific thinking. Future studies should acquire the perspectives of all team members to examine how teams function.     

Mathematical self-concept: How college reinforces the gender gap

Research in the past decade suggests that persistent gender gaps in math achievement may be rooted in gender differences in math self-concept. Yet, limited research exists on how students' math self-concept develops, and whether this differs between men and women. Using a sample of 8,997 women and 6,053 men, this study examines the factors associated with the development of women's and men's mathematical self-concept during college. Findings reveal a number of student background characteristics and college environments and experiences that contribute to an overall decline in math self-concept during college, and show how college reinforces the gender gap in math confidence. Additionally, in an attempt to answer the perennial question of whether it is “better to be a big frog in a small pond or a small frog in a big pond,” the study pays special attention to the relationship between institutional selectivity and math self-concept. Although institutional selectivity is correlated with declines in math self-concept, results show that specific aspects of selective environments, rather than selectivity itself, are more important predictors of math self-concept. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1992 Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education in Minneapolis.     

Korean academic women: Multiple roles,multiple challenges

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of Korean academic women regarding their faculty careers within Korean universities. Personal interviews were conducted with thirteen female faculty members as well other informants (administrators, male faculty and graduate students) at three large private universities in the Republic of Korea: Yonsei University, Ewha Women's University and Dankook University. The study focuses on 1) the experience of Western-trained academic women in securing faculty positions in Korean universities, 2) the work load and responsibilities of women faculty within the academy, and 3) the impact of their personal lives and social roles on their professional achievement and satisfaction. Comparisons are drawn between the experiences of these Korean academic women and what we have learned about the experiences of academic women in Western institutions.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society, Annapolis.     

“I’d be expecting caviar in lectures”: the impact of the new fee regime on undergraduate students’ expectations of Higher Education

The introduction of the new tuition fee regime in the UK has resulted in growing concerns about the impact on students’ expectations of their university experiences (e.g. Jones in Perspectives 14(2):44–48, 2010). This is coupled with reports from those such as the OIA (Office of the Independent Adjudicator (2012) Annual Report. Accessed on July 22, 2013. Retrieved from, http://oiahe.org.uk/media/88650/oia-annual-report-2012.pdf) which detailed the rise in the number of student complaints year on year. The current study explored undergraduate psychology students’ (N = 62) expectations and derived experiences of Higher Education through a series of focus groups. In particular, a focus on students’ perceptions of level of support, contact time, and resources were explored. These were undertaken both before (n = 21) and after (n = 41) the introduction of the fee rise, to provide a cross-sectional comparison of the potential changes. Thematic analysis of the narratives indicated minimal support for the idea that increased tuition fees had heightened expectations in Higher Education. Additionally, although there were some discrepancies between students’ expectations and experiences, particularly in relation to level of support and contact time, this did not have a detrimental impact on satisfaction of their University experiences. This was related to the fact that these experiences exceeded their original expectations. One noteworthy finding however, suggested that higher tuition fees were related to greater expectations of graduate employability. The implications of this are discussed, as well as the implications of student satisfaction (using models such as the Student Satisfaction Index Model; Zhang et al. in Int J Bus Manag 3(9):46–51, 2008), for institutional policies of recruitment and retention.     

Understanding teacher morale and job satisfaction

This article contributes to the study of teacher morale and job satisfaction. It presents, as a case study, findings of the author's research into staff morale and job satisfaction at an English Primary school. The effects on individual teachers of prevailing, context-specific circumstances and of specific events are described, highlighting the importance, as morale and job satisfaction determinants, of factors such as leadership and individuals' professionality orientations, relative perspectives and realistic expectations.