Authors:Benjamin Phillips et al. Abstract: Colleges and universities across the United States face continual pressure to meet enrollment and retention goals, as budgets in this performance-based environment continue to become more important. On-campus student involvement, such as in undergraduate leadership development programs, has been shown to have a positive influence on both student retention and success. A survey was utilized to examine leadership self-efficacy and engagement of undergraduate students that participated in campus-based leadership development programs and explore some motivators (contributing factors) and barriers (detracting factors) to involvement in those programs. One emergent theme within contributing factors to participation was alignment with personal goals (74.7%), whereas, a theme for detracting factors was lack of time to invest in the leadership opportunity (51.1%). Exploration of which factors contributed to and detracted from leadership development participation showed that contributing factors were a positive and significant predictor of leadership self-efficacy. For every one unit increase in contributing factors, leadership self-efficacy score increased by β - = .38 standard deviations. This study encourages leadership educators to examine their own leadership development programs and build recruitment strategies to increase engagement among student demographics such as male students, non-White students, and first-generation college students. In the future, researchers could consider including students that did not participate in leadership programs to gain more valuable insights on the motivators and the barriers that students face to participation in these programs. PubDate: Wed, 09 Aug 2023 08:11:27 PDT
Authors:Matthew J. Smith et al. Abstract: While there has been significant research on both how academic struggles impact college students, as well as factors that impact the sense of belonging for college students, there has been little research examining how a significant academic struggle impacts a students’ perception of sense of belonging at that institution. This qualitative study explores how an academic struggle impacts students’ sense of belonging at that institution, as well as other findings from this study. PubDate: Wed, 09 Aug 2023 08:11:26 PDT
Authors:Meghan Grace et al. Abstract: Leadership development experiences have long been touted as necessary and positive for promoting the practice of effective leadership. Yet, little has been presented about the effectiveness of leadership development programs sponsored, designed, and implemented by membership-based organizations, like fraternities and sororities. This study examines the efficacy of a national fraternity sponsored leadership development program for chapter presidents in facilitating a meaningful developmental experience and encouraging long-term learning gains. Data collected at three intervals throughout the year in which program attendees were in office were analyzed using ANOVA and t-tests to identify the specific areas in which students reported learning gains and then measured examining the extent to which learning was retained. PubDate: Wed, 05 Jul 2023 11:05:56 PDT
Authors:Jennifer Syno et al. Abstract: Collaboration between academic and student affairs professionals is an important means of increasing student success; however, historical divides between these units have made implementation of these efforts challenging. This quantitative study sought to evaluate the perceptions of faculty and student affairs staff towards collaborative efforts and toward one another within a single campus of a comprehensive regional university within the southeast. Findings show that while both faculty and staff value collaborations and believe they positively impact student success, these units do not experience equitable voice and responsibility within collaborative efforts when conducted. Additionally, differences were found in enjoyment of collaborative efforts and how various traits impacted willingness to collaborate. Significant differences were also found in the perceptions faculty and staff hold toward one another, both in perceptions of the roles and within relational descriptors. Finally, this study identified that interpersonal relationships and perceptions do in fact relate to willingness to collaborate, but do so in differing ways for the two employee classifications. Implications for institutional leadership and recommendations for future research are provided. PubDate: Fri, 09 Jun 2023 08:59:18 PDT
Authors:Jennifer R. Curry et al. Abstract: We report findings from an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) participants’ perceptions of their on-campus experiences. Participants reported their lived experiences of campus culture in the Deep South. The data was viewed through a minority stress framework. Four major themes emerged: a) supports for students; b) barriers for students; c) undergoing personal change; and d) influencing systemic change. PubDate: Tue, 21 Mar 2023 10:35:54 PDT
Authors:Benjamin S. Selznick et al. Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how mid-level student conduct professionals (SCPs) made meaning of their professional and mid-level leadership experiences during their institutions’ immediate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study draws on sensemaking as a theoretical lens and literature related to mid-level professionals and student conduct practice to ground its inquiry. Interview data was collected and analyzed from four senior-level student conduct professionals within a single State within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation region. Findings center on three key themes voiced by the participants: the importance of maintaining operational processes, feelings of middleness, and reflections on student and personal wellbeing. Discussion and implications for professionals and postsecondary organizations confronting the short- and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are offered. Here, we highlight the valuable roles student conduct professionals play within postsecondary organizational life and the need for greater attention to these practitioners in both research and practice. PubDate: Wed, 01 Feb 2023 07:10:41 PST
Authors:Kendra OoNorasak et al. Abstract: College food insecurity (FI) and poor psychosocial health are prevalent public health issues in the U.S., yet often overlooked. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, repercussions on these critical inequity issues remain unclear. During the summer months of 2020, this cross-sectional survey examined associations between students’ self-reported FI and perceived stress (PSS-10), one aspect of poor psychosocial health. An anonymous online survey was distributed to a convenience sample of college students at a land grant institution of higher education in the southeastern U.S., and $10 e-gift card was provided to survey respondents. The survey response rate was 26.2% (n=235) and participants were predominantly female, White, and from upper-division including junior and senior students. Among respondents, 31.3% were food insecure and 37.8% were laid off or temporarily furloughed. Students who worked before the pandemic were 3.49 times more likely to continue working despite the pandemic; however, employment status was not significantly associated with since-PSS-10 scores or FI. In multiple linear regression models, pre-PSS-10 scores, age, and lower division were significant predictors of since-PSS-10 scores. Additionally, students experiencing FI and having higher pre-PSS-10 scores were predicted of having higher since-PSS-10 scores. This study adds important findings about college FI and perceived stress to the limited literature regarding college student health during the pandemic. A more rigorous study design with a larger, nationally or regionally representative sample is recommended for future studies. To address both complex issues of college FI and poor psychosocial health, a multi-faceted interdisciplinary approach, well-supported by college administrators, would be warranted. PubDate: Wed, 11 Jan 2023 12:11:02 PST
Authors:Elise J. Cain et al. Abstract: Rural students graduate high school at a rate comparable to their urban and suburban peers; however, people from rural areas attend college at the lowest rate. Due to this discrepancy and the ever-growing importance of postsecondary education, this article summarizes and synthesizes works on the college enrollment of students from rural areas. The article begins with background information on the benefits of postsecondary education, definitions of rurality, the educational attainment of rural people, as well as institutional type and attendance patterns of rural students. Next, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development as a guiding framework, literature about the individual, family, and school factors associated with the college enrollment of rural people is reviewed. Based upon these discussions, recommendations for educational practices are explored, providing ways to promote the postsecondary enrollment of people from rural areas. These sections are then summarized within one table as a quick guide and resource for student affairs and higher education practitioner-scholars. Recommendations for educational research are also included towards the end of the article. PubDate: Wed, 11 Jan 2023 12:10:54 PST
Authors:Georgia College Personnel Association (GCPA Abstract: Complete issue of Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs, v.38, iss. 1 PubDate: Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:01:04 PST
Authors:Pietro Antonio Sasso et al. Abstract: There has been a continued increase in antisemitic activities at colleges and universities over the last decade. Media reports and research about perceptions of Jewish college students add face validity that student organizations are often targets of Anti-Jewish rhetoric. In particular, Jewish fraternities and sororities have been targeted by antisemitism as sites of violence but have also been spaces of resistance. Through a literature review of Jewish fraternities and sororities, the authors present their organizational saga to demonstrate a pattern of exclusion and antisemitism and summarize current initiatives by Jewish fraternities and sororities as spaces of resistance in combating antisemitism. PubDate: Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:00:53 PST
Authors:Ryan Campen et al. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to better understand how LGBT+ college students find a safe space on college and university campuses when there is not one already provided for them. Strange and Banning’s (2015) four environments served as the theoretical framework. Data were collected through individual interviews with six college students who identify within the LGBT+ community and attend a mid-sized institution in South Georgia which does not have an established safe space. Students indicated locations like the library, front lawn, and individuals such as faculty, staff, and student organizations offered safe spaces. The results can better inform student affairs educators or any professional who works with LGBT+ populations on how to better support these students while they are under their guise. It also supports the trend of colleges and universities establishing safe spaces for their LGBT+ students. PubDate: Tue, 23 Aug 2022 08:11:42 PDT
Authors:Christiana Olaleye et al. Abstract: This study examined the grief effects college students experience when losing a loved one and whether grief effects vary based on gender. Grief effects were outlined by the Holistic Impact of Bereavement and included emotional, cognitive, physical, behavioral, interpersonal, and spiritual effects. The researchers hypothesized that college students would experience all six grief effects, primarily emotional and cognitive effects. The researchers also hypothesized that female students would experience statistically significantly greater grief effects than male students, specifically emotional and cognitive effects. Results indicated a statistically significant difference in the emotional, physical, cognitive, and behavioral grief effects experienced between female and male students with female students experiencing greater effects than male students. Implications for these findings are addressed. Future research recommendations are also provided. PubDate: Tue, 17 May 2022 09:06:10 PDT
Authors:Graham F. Hunter Abstract: Graduate preparation programs serve as a primary site for training new student affairs practitioners. However, scholars perennially raise concerns about the effectiveness of such graduate training and the readiness of new student affairs practitioners for the field. Whereas existing graduate preparation scholarship relies almost exclusively on a socialization framework, alternative theoretical frameworks oriented toward student learning can offer new insight into training individuals to do student affairs work. Utilizing existing literature on student affairs graduate preparation and cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), this article offers a conceptual model of student affairs graduate preparation as sociocultural activity systems. This model maps dimensions of the coursework and fieldwork environments that graduate student navigate during their training and highlights the sociocultural contradictions that emerge within and between each of these environments. Finally, the article provides discussion of how the conceptual model can guide future research on graduate training and strengthen student learning and development within training programs. PubDate: Tue, 17 May 2022 09:06:01 PDT
Authors:Ginny J. Boss et al. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to provide more insight into the skills and support systems needed to encourage scholarship among student affairs practitioners. We used topical life history to examine the scholarly lives of eight student affairs practitioners. To guide that examination, we leveraged the questions posed by Jablonski et al. (2006) as our research questions: “What skills and knowledge [did] practitioners need to develop a scholarship agenda'" and "What support, coaching, and job modifications create[d] environments for practitioners to be successful” (p. 197). Participant life histories revealed a variety of direct and indirect influences, such as institutional context, mentorship, personal characteristics, and significant others on the participants' work as student affairs practitioners. The findings highlighted the following as major influences on the professionals’ decision to engage and sustain scholarship: community, intrinsic motivation, and cultural change. What these findings also suggest is practitioners are willing and desirous to make an impact on the broader field through scholarly engagement; they just need support and compelling reasons to do so. PubDate: Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:27:47 PST
Authors:Michelle L. Boettcher Abstract: As student affairs graduate students finish their academic work and begin their job searches, they must navigate a number of competing priorities including position, title, work responsibilities, functional area, salary, benefits and other aspects of the position. For some graduates, the most important consideration is geographical location – they want to be close to family, partners, or located in specific communities. As a result, they often have to be very flexible on other work considerations. They also sometimes feel isolated in their searches and get messages from peers that they are not doing their searches in the “right” way. This study examined the experiences of these students as they engaged in their job searches. While there is a vast amount of anecdotal information on the role of location in the student affairs job search, there is limited scholarship on the topic until now. This study begins to fill the scholarly gap on the role of location in the student affairs job search process. PubDate: Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:27:40 PST
Authors:Darren E. Pierre et al. Abstract: Development occurs over the lifespan, and student affairs educators are not exempt from that life-long process. This article examined the coming out experiences of gay men within student affairs master’s preparation programs. The study was comprised of 11 participants representing seven different higher education/student affairs administration programs. The findings of this study offer the following: first, the study offers insight on the coming out experiences of gay men in graduate preparation programs. Second, the findings showcase the role that student affairs programs, curriculum, and instruction play in the identity exploration process for gay men. Finally, findings from this study offer implications for pedagogical approaches and frameworks within student affairs/higher education administration programs. PubDate: Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:27:33 PST
Authors:Carlie L. Cooper Abstract: In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. It prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Institutions of higher education are included under Title III of the ADA, and as such are required to provide the same access to services and education to qualified individuals with disabilities as individuals without. A review of the literature of accessibility of online programs and courses in higher education shows that compliance to the ADA is sporadic due to several challenges. In Spring 2020, all institutions of higher education transitioned to some form of online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This created even more challenges in complying to the law. This paper reviews the challenges to compliance to the ADA in online courses both in normal operations and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers recommendations and resources for improving compliance. PubDate: Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:27:24 PST
Authors:Maria R. Sarmiento et al. Abstract: As special-mission institutions, Catholic higher education institutions pursue similar goals of American higher education to develop graduates who are civically engaged and ready to address contemporary challenges. However, these institutions are often challenged to integrate their religious mission within the classroom through faculty pedagogy, which buttresses academic freedom and student consumerism issues. This descriptive phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Catholic university faculty members as they described their pedagogical experiences and Catholic identity perspectives. Findings from this study suggested a connection with Catholic identity, but that their relationship with institutional mission related to teaching was ambiguous. Participants had little professional development and called for their institutional leaders to better help them integrate Catholic mission and identity into their teaching approaches. Implications for practice include new ways of thinking to better support faculty teaching connection to institutional Catholic mission and identity. PubDate: Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:27:18 PST
Authors:Damon Andrews et al. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of community college student academic success in corequisite English and mathematics courses. Academic success was defined dichotomously on a pass or fail basis. The population included 1,934 students enrolled in at least one corequisite English and/or mathematics course at a community college between the fall semester of 2015 and summer semester of 2018. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the fol- lowing predictors: a student’s sex, race, age at time of enrollment, Pell Grant recipient status, first-generation college student status, high school grade point average (HSGPA), placement test scores, academic major, time spent receiving academic tutoring; and corequisite course faculty employment status. The two strongest predictors of student academic success in corequisite English courses were: (1) HSGPA and (2) being female. The three strongest predictors of student academic success in corequisite mathematics courses were: (1) HSGPA, (2) corequisite course faculty employment status, and (3) mathematics course based on major. The strongest predictor in both logistic regression analyses was HSGPA. It is recommended that educational leaders use HSGPA as a metric for placing students in the corequisite model. Additionally, it is recommended that institutions continue to invest in faculty professional development opportunities as it relates to teaching students who are non-female, minority, economically-disadvantaged, or first-generation. PubDate: Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:27:12 PST
Open Access journal
[10 journals]
