Showing papers in "Research in Higher Education in 1983"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors extended earlier research based on Tinto's 1975 model of student college attrition by investigating patterns of student social and academic integration across institutional types, and found that different college types were characterized by different patterns of participation in the social/academic life of the college, and personal characteristics and overall climate associated with each institutional type explained statistically significant but modest amounts of the variance in student participation in specific campus activities.
Abstract: This study extended earlier research based on Tinto's 1975 model of student college attrition by investigating patterns of student social and academic integration across institutional types. This study found that different college types were characterized by different patterns of student participation in the social and academic life of the college. Personal characteristics and overall climate associated with each institutional type explained statistically significant but modest amounts of the variance in student participation in specific campus activities that help define campus life. Moreover, several personal characteristics were related to students' campus behavior differently across institutional types. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for student recruitment and retention.
182 citations
TL;DR: A review of relevant research shows that many studies have found the academic rank, age, and extent of instructional experience of college teachers to be unrelated to their students' global evaluation of them as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A review of relevant research shows that many studies have found the academic rank, age, and extent of instructional experience of college teachers to be unrelated to their students' global evaluation of them. Yet many other studies have found these indicators of the teacher's seniority and instructional experience to be related to the overall evaluation of teachers, and with a consistent pattern. In this latter group of studies, the teacher's academic rank is positively associated with the overall evaluation of the teacher, whereas both the teacher's age and extent of instructional experience are inversely associated with overall evaluation. Although these associations are generally weak in strength, they are robust enough to hold under a variety of controls (including the size of course enrollment and the gender of the teacher). Also, at least for extent of instructional experience, the number and strength of the associations may be underestimated by considering the relationship in question as linear when in fact it may be curvilinear. Just as the teachers' age and extent of instructional experience in general have been either not related or inversely related to the global evaluation of teachers, so they have been for more specific evaluations of teachers. When academic rank has been found to be related to specific evaluations, the relationships tend to be positive for only certain specific rating dimensions while being inverse for others. This being so, it is puzzling that the associations that have been found between academic rank and global evaluations have generally been positive only. A possible explanation for this is offered and supportive evidence marshaled. Finally, several reasons why associations between any of the indicators of seniority or instructional experience and either specific or overall evaluations may be inverse, positive, or curvilinear in the first place are advanced. These hinge on such factors as the teacher's motivation and career circumstances, the pedagogical training and abilities of different cohorts of teachers, as well as the criteria and practices of colleges in their recruitment of teachers, the extent of an age (or generation) gap between students and teachers, and students' expectations and perceptions of teachers and pedagogical characteristics attributed to them. Those reasons having the greater support empirically as well as those that seem the most plausible are noted.
165 citations
Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between research productivity and teaching effectiveness to shed light on the long-debated question of whether performance in one area enhances performance in the other. The academic field and the stage of a faculty member's career were both considered in the analyses. Two samples — one of 2,973 and the other of 1,623 faculty members from a variety of institutions — were studied. In considering results of both analyses, teachers of social science courses were the only group for which there were consistent though modest relationships between the number of published articles and student ratings of instructor effectiveness. Thus spillover effects, or a general ability factor, or other reasons for a possible link between research and teaching performance are not totally supported. The relationship between performance in the two areas is either nonexistent or, where it appears, too modest to conclude that one necessarily enhances the other.
128 citations
TL;DR: This paper investigated the validity of Tinto's (1975) model of college withdrawal in four different types of institutions: residential universities, liberal arts colleges, two-year commuter institutions, and four year commuter institutions.
Abstract: This study investigated the validity of Tinto's (1975) model of college withdrawal in four different types of institutions: residential universities, liberal arts colleges, two-year commuter institutions, and four-year commuter institutions. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 2,326 freshmen from 11 postsecondary institutions. The results generally supported the predictive validity of the model but suggested: (1) that the main-effects influence on persistence of measures of social and academic integration is modest, and (2) that the magnitude of the influence of particular aspects of social and academic integration depended to a significant degree on the characteristics of those students being considered. The theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.
123 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the nature of student college choice sets and found that students can be grouped according to their similarity in types of institutions to which they send their test scores.
Abstract: This study investigates the nature of student college choice sets. Data on 599 students from several different communities in one suburban Philadelphia county are examined by a mode, cluster analytic procedure. The results indicate that students can be grouped according to their similarity in types of institutions to which they send their test scores. Specifically, there appear to be no more than eight stable choice sets, dominated primarily by larger institutions of moderate quality and cost approximately 150 miles from the students' homes
75 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found significant differences between black and white student cohorts in terms of their attrition rates, overall progression rates (defined as length of time to graduate), and tendency to follow the prescribed progression pattern (sophomore in the second year, junior in the third year, senior in fourth year, and graduate after the fourth year).
Abstract: In this study of college student retention and progression, significant differences were found between black and white student cohorts in terms of their attrition rates, overall progression rates (defined as length of time to graduate), and tendency to follow the prescribed progression pattern (sophomore in the second year, junior in the third year, senior in the fourth year, and graduate after the fourth year). However, multiple regression analyses show that racial differences disappear when the effects of other student and institutional characteristics are statistically controlled. Therefore, colleges and universities would do well to rethink special retention and counseling programs designed especially to serve minority group students.
56 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a multi-attribute attitude model was used to determine whether a multicriteria scale can be used to predict student preferences for and attendance at universities, and the results indicated a high level of predictability, particularly for highly ranked universities.
Abstract: A multi-attribute attitude model, based on the efforts of Rosenberg and Fishbein, was used to determine whether a multicriteria scale can be used to predict student preferences for and attendance at universities. Data were gathered from 241 freshmen attending five state universities in Ohio. Responsents were asked to weight the importance of 18 selection criteria and evaluate seven universities using those criteria. These data were processed through the model, and the results were compared to the respondents' preference ordering of the universities. The results indicate a high level of predictability, particularly for highly ranked universities. Implications for the marketing of higher educational institutions are discussed.
51 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the determinants of student migration and the interrelationship of migration and tuition rates were examined and it was found that students are attracted to schools in states that are attractive to migrants in general, specifically those with favorable economic and environmental conditions.
Abstract: Policies toward nonresident students by public institutions of higher education are an increasingly important issue. This paper looks at the determinants of student migration and the interrelationship of student migration and tuition rates. Students are found to be attracted to schools in states that are attractive to migrants in general, specifically schools in states with favorable economic and environmental conditions, and high tuition rates are found to be a significant deterrent to nonresident students. Tuition rates for nonresident students are found to be largely determined by tradition, although states are found to have a tendency to increase nonresident tuition if they are strong net importers of students.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the decision problem is conceptualized as a hierarchy of factors and a mathematical procedure known as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used for successively weighting or prioritizing factors at each level of the hierarchy, in order to arrive at a final composite set of weights for each potential candidate.
Abstract: This paper proposes a novel evaluation approach for the selection of candidates for promotion and/or tenure. The decision problem is conceptualized as a hierarchy of factors and a mathematical procedure known as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used for successively “weighting” or prioritizing factors at each level of the hierarchy, in order to arrive at a final composite set of weights for each potential candidate, listed as alternatives at the final level of the hierarchy. The procedure and its mathematical basis are explained and illustrated using hypothetical data. It is argued that the AHP can aid university decision makers in arriving at objective and consistent decisions on faculty tenure, which at present appear to be largely subjective and informal.
47 citations
TL;DR: The take home test was compared with the conventional closed and open book tests at the college level as mentioned in this paper, and it was found that scores on knowledge items were significantly higher with the take-home test, and that additional time spent looking up answers was important.
Abstract: The take home test was compared with the conventional closed and open book tests at the college level. It was found that scores on knowledge items were significantly higher with the take home test, and that additional time spent looking up answers was important. An additional factor was the level of anxiety, perceived by students to be less with the take home test. Rampant cheating does not appear to be a problem with take home tests.
39 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors test participants' claim that the budget decision-making process at Stanford University during the 1970s was rational and provide evidence that rational decision making is feasible in higher education, and grounds for refusing to assume pure rationality without abandoning hope of any rationality.
Abstract: Many organizational functions, such as institutional research, assume that organizations make decisions rationally. The assumption is largely unjustified by empirical accounts of actual decision making. Higher education institutions are usually seen as political, collegial, or anarchic in their decision patterns. This study tests the participants' claim that the budget decision making process at Stanford University during the 1970s was rational. Although the study tends to support the claim, the results are neither conclusive nor comprehensive. The study provides (1) a rigorous and replicable procedure for testing the rational model, (2) evidence that rational decision making is feasible in higher education, and (3) grounds for refusing to assume pure rationality without abandoning hope of any rationality.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared the performance levels and promotion experiences of 371 faculty members under three different market conditions reflecting the supply and demand for university faculty (buyer's market, seller's market and stable market).
Abstract: This paper contrasts the performance levels and promotion experiences of 371 faculty members under three different market conditions reflecting the supply and demand for university faculty (buyer's market, seller's market, and stable market). The central questions examined are, What is the effect of market conditions upon (1) the length of time it takes for promotion; (2) the promotion rate; (3) the productivity of assistant and associate professors before each promotion; and (4) the productivity of full professors after attaining that rank? Findings are most consistent with a market model indicating that faculty promoted during a buyer's market remain in rank longer before being promoted and exhibit a greater rate of productivity than faculty promoted during other market conditions. There is also support for the elite model in that the impact of “tight” market conditions on productivity is greatest for faculty below the rank of full professor.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationships of perceived participation in decision making, communication with supervisor, employee characteristics, and employee job satisfaction, and found that job satisfaction was most strongly and positively related to communication satisfaction with supervisor and supervisor's receptivity to information.
Abstract: This study examined the relationships of (1) perceived participation in decision making, (2) communication with supervisor, (3) employee characteristics, and (4) employee job satisfaction. Classified employees in three administrative units at a comprehensive eastern university in the United States served as subjects. Results of canonical correlation andt-ratio tests demonstrated that job satisfaction was most strongly and positively related to communication satisfaction with supervisor and supervisor's receptivity to information. Implications are discussed in reference to personnel decisions and training, employee productivity, and the possible adverse effects of initiating a participative program of decision making for nonprofessional university employees.
TL;DR: In this paper, two studies were conducted to examine the effect of grade inflation on the piling up of grades in fewer grade categories and on the reliability of grade point averages (GPAs).
Abstract: Two studies were conducted to examine the effect of grade inflation on the piling up of grades in fewer grade categories and on the reliability of grade point averages (GPAs). In all comparisons, grades were more bunched after grade inflation, which in turn, was associated with only slight, nonsignificant decreases in GPA reliability. As expected, grades were more bunched when the traditional 5-point letter scale was used than when plus and minus grades were also allowed. In the latter case as well, grade inflation seemed to have had very little effect on the reliability of GPAs. GPA reliability began to suffer, however, for graduate programs in which almost all grades were placed into just two categories, A and B.
TL;DR: The authors found that the two leading goals of adult graduates when they returned to college had been to develop a new career and to gain the satisfaction of earning a degree, while large percentages noted several job-related changes that occurred directly as a result of having the degree.
Abstract: This follow-up study of adult graduates (aged 25 or more at college entry) sought their perceptions about the impact of their bachelor's degree, 3 to 5 years after graduation. A sample of 441 adult graduates of the University of Wisconsin System were surveyed, and a response rate of 64% was generated. Results revealed that the two leading goals of adult graduates when they returned to college had been to develop a new career and to gain the satisfaction of earning a degree. Large percentages noted several job-related changes that occurred directly as a result of having the degree. Notable personal gains were also reported, revealing high overall satisfaction with having acquired a degree, even at a later than average age.
TL;DR: The authors found a much weaker relationship between the citation rates and perceived quality of education journals than reported in studies of other disciplines, and this overall finding masks wide variation in the relationship for specific education specialty areas and between "core" and "allied" education journals.
Abstract: Citation rates have been shown to be positively related to the scholarly stature of individuals, academic departments, and scientific journals in a number of academic disciplines. The results of this study show a much weaker relationship between the citation rates and perceived quality of education journals than reported in studies of other disciplines. However, this overall finding masks wide variation in the relationship for specific education specialty areas and between “core” and “allied” education journals. The implications of these findings for subsequent research on the complex process of knowledge diffusion and utilization are discussed.
TL;DR: The Biglan model as mentioned in this paper is a three dimensional classification scheme wherein 35 academic subject areas are categorized into one of eight categories: soft-nonlife-pure; soft-life pure; soft non-life-applied; soft life-appended; hard life-active; hard non-live; or hard nonlife-active.
Abstract: The Biglan model is a three dimensional classification scheme wherein 35 academic subject areas are categorized into one of eight categories: soft-nonlife-pure; soft-life-pure; soft-nonlife-applied; soft-life-applied; hard-life-applied; hard-life-pure; hard-nonlife-pure; or hard-nonlife-applied. A basic assumption of the Biglan model research is that the types of faculty productivity differ in accord with academic subject areas. Though research studies report the importance of recognizing performance differences among faculty in different disciplines and subject areas during the faculty evaluation process, they do not present means by which this knowledge can be applied. This study discusses the practical implications of Biglan model research and the importance of university-level administrators recognizing differences in faculty productivity whenever faculty credentials are reviewed for advancement. This study also examines Biglan's original research and his model, as well as the major studies conducted to test the model. Also, the model is presented and explained as a conceptual framework for assisting administrators in the faculty evaluation process. Lastly, the reasons for employing subject area standards, as opposed to university-wide or single discipline standards, are argued.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a survey of journals falling in the areas of anthropology, economics, geography, history, philosophy, political science, and sociology in U.S. and Canadian universities.
Abstract: Names of journals falling in the areas of anthropology, economics, geography, history, philosophy, political science, and sociology were mailed to department chairpersons in these disciplines in U.S. and Canadian universities. Chairpersons were asked to assign numerical ratings using a 1–5 point scale in order to represent the quality of those journals they were familiar with. They were also asked to add journals which they thought should have been included in the original list. The resulting data provide (1) a basis for classifying journals into categories representing their visibility relative to other journals within a particular discipline, and (2) provide average rankings of quality for individual journals. The paper also reviews options generally available in assessing journal quality and describes possible use of such data in the context of the university, particularly in respect to personnel decisions.
TL;DR: An adapted model for understanding the role of academic areas in predicting instructional evaluation is proposed and supports the weak partial order model for all three criteria of instructional evaluation used in this research.
Abstract: This study examines the relationship between characteristics of academic areas and students' evaluation of instruction. Based on Biglan's model of subject matter and relevant studies of the role of instruction, a weak partial order model for classifying academic fields and predicting their relative ranking on instructional evaluation was tested. The findings of the study support the weak partial order model for all three criteria of instructional evaluation that are used in this research. Moreover, the major discriminant facet in this study is the knowledge base of the academic program (i.e., hard versus soft sciences). Based on the results of this research, an adapted model for understanding the role of academic areas in predicting instructional evaluation is proposed. The implications of this study are discussed and elaborated.
TL;DR: The authors examined the perceptions of a representative sample of GRE test takers who were asked to indicate their views of the importance of eight widely considered factors in graduate admissions, and found that candidates perceived undergraduate grades as the most important factor in graduate admission.
Abstract: This study examines the perceptions of a representative sample of GRE test takers who were asked to indicate their views of the importance of eight widely considered factors in graduate admissions. Overall, candidates perceived undergraduate grades as the most important factor in graduate admissions. Recommendations and one's undergraduate field were rated as somewhat less important than undergraduate grades, and GRE Aptitude Test scores were rated even less important. GRE Advanced (Subject) Test scores were perceived as considerably less important than any other factor. Analyses by subgroup revealed that candidates' perceptions differed markedly according to the graduate field they intended to enter. Perceptions also differed by ethnic group (blacks versus whites) but not by sex or age.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report on the development, characteristics, statistical findings, and utility of a faculty salary model employed over the period 1978−79 to 1980−81 for a higher education system containing 16 institutions ranging from a comprehensive university to a small rural community college in complexity and mission.
Abstract: Most of the earlier attempts to develop faculty salary models have been based on data from a single institution or from an undifferentiated group of institutions, without a data base adequate to support the design. The overall objective of this paper is to report on the development, characteristics, statistical findings, and utility of a faculty salary model employed over the period 1978–79 to 1980–81 for a higher education system containing 16 institutions ranging from a comprehensive university to a small rural community college in complexity and mission. The need for the model grew out of requirements for the governing board to: (1) deal with litigation and the issues of equity for minorities and females; (2) make interinstitutional salary comparisons as these relate to size, complexity, and mission; and (3) better understand the factors which “determine” faculty salaries.
TL;DR: The authors assesses the impact of college attendance on knowledge of vocabulary and mathematics and find that college attendance has a strong impact on improved performance on these tests, and these effects are similar for whites and blacks.
Abstract: This study assesses the impact of college on knowledge of vocabulary and mathematics. Unlike many previous studies, this one is able to control for precollege abilities in these academic areas, which presumably tend to select people into or out of college. The results indicate that college attendance has a strong impact on improved performance on these tests, and that these effects are similar for whites and blacks.
TL;DR: In this article, a new statistical methodology applied to three years of teaching load data from 21 major public universities has yielded an objective, broadly applicable set of student credit hours (SCH) weight factors.
Abstract: Teaching load formulas to provide for differential program productivity ratios are in wide use. However, the various sets of differential weights on student credit hours (SCH) in use tend to be the result of historical accident, negotiation, or limited cost studies. To bring a unity into these formulas, a new statistical methodology applied to three years of teaching load data from 21 major public universities has yielded an objective, broadly applicable set of SCH weight factors. Those weights give promise of providing comparison of instructional productivity via unobtrusive measures. A table of optimum weighting factors for upper division and graduate SCH (relative to lower division) is presented by NCES Code discipline division. The weights derived from analysis are then compared with those developed by more traditional means.
TL;DR: The Penn State Budget Process (PBP) as discussed by the authors is a rolling 5-year planning and budget process, which was designed to provide for more selective budgetary decisions based on careful analysis of university priorities.
Abstract: Higher education worldwide is beset by rigid budgetary constraints. Increases in governmental and student support have been insufficient to offset the severe inflationary spiral of recent years, and many institutions have been confronted by yearly gaps between estimated revenues and projected expenditures. Following 6 years of across-the-board internal budget reallocations amounting to $11.1 million, Penn State initiated a rolling 5-year planning and budget process in 1977. The new process, resulting in an additional $16.6 million in internal reductions and reallocations through 1982–83, was designed to provide for more selective budgetary decisions based on careful analysis of university priorities. As the process has evolved, it has reoriented budget decisions toward university planning issues and qualitative concerns.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use examples of common myths and rituals to illustrate the importance of myth and ritual in understanding the use of computer simulators in higher education, and a brief review of widely used cost simulation models and a discussion of their evaluation follows.
Abstract: Evaluations of widely used computer simulators identify a number of technical and organizational factors that are related to the simulator's success. But investigations have ignored two unobtrusive aspects of organizational behavior — myth and ritual. Myths are commonly held beliefs that maintain social solidarity and reduce ambiguity. Rituals serve a similar function, but they involve actions in addition to words. This paper uses examples of common myths and rituals to illustrate the concepts. A brief review of widely used cost simulation models and a discussion of their evaluation follows. The discussion demonstrates the importance of myth and ritual in understanding the use of computer simulators in higher education.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that the presence of multicollinearity among the independent variables can cause misleading interpretations of the resulting regression weight for sex coded as a dummy variable.
Abstract: Multiple regression is being used by some investigators to determine the unique statistical relevance of potential sex bias for various groups of individuals. The following article shows that the presence of multicollinearity among the independent variables can cause misleading interpretations of the resulting regression weight for sex coded as a dummy variable. An alternative approach is proposed with an example to demonstrate the interpretation of the results. Questions are raised concerning the interpretation of some previous research.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors demonstrate rather high levels of stability for selected journal characteristics and the stability of the relationships among the characteristics over a 4-year period, compared to similar results obtained in an earlier study of psychology journals.
Abstract: Growing interest in the study of the roles of scientific journals in the diffusion and utilization of knowledge has preceded fundamental research on the stability of journal characteristics frequently used in such studies. The results of the current study demonstrate rather high levels of stability for selected journal characteristics and the stability of the relationships among the characteristics over a 4-year period. These findings for education journals are compared to similar results obtained in an earlier study of psychology journals.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report the rationale, procedures, and outcomes of an attempt to identify institutions that were comparable to specific universities operating under the Kansas Board of Regents (BOE).
Abstract: To be most useful in the resource acquisition and resource allocation processes, cost studies require the collection of detailed information from “comparable” institutions. This investigation reports the rationale, procedures, and outcomes of an attempt to identify institutions that were comparable to specific universities operating under the Kansas Board of Regents. The three-phase study involved (1) selecting states that were similar to Kansas on several key variables, (2) using information about breadth of academic programs and locale to identify public universities in those states that resembled a given Kansas institution on these features, and (3) using detailed information about enrollment, expenditure pattern, and academic emphases to measure the similarity of universities in each pool to a given Regents university. The system produced results that proved to be credible by three different tests and responded effectively to some issues involving the Kansas formula funding process. It is sufficiently flexible that it could be adapted to other states or universities whose rationale or assumptions differed from those employed in Kansas.
TL;DR: In this article, a case study of a large department at a midwestern research university examined the relationship between faculty performance in research, teaching, and service and faculty rewards, finding that teaching quality was a significant determinant of salary, though teaching quantity was not.
Abstract: Previous research that tested the relationships between faculty performance in research, teaching, and service and faculty rewards has been inconclusive for several reasons. This case study of a large department at a midwestern research university examines these relationships. In this department, teaching quality was found to be a significant determinant of salary, though teaching quantity was not. While research, as measured by publications and presentations, had a significant effect on one year's salary increment, it did not affect salaries over several years. Administrative service was found to be significantly related to salary, as was public service. Implications of the study for research and practical applications of the methodology are examined.