Education Commons^™

A Soft Place To Land: The Importance Of Otherparenting At Pwis., Stephanie Renae Mayberry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the importance of otherparenting performed by Black student affairs professionals at a predominantly White research-intensive institution in the mid-South. Otherparenting is a U.S. tradition that has West African roots in chattel slavery. Otherparenting is defined as those that assist blood mothers and fathers by sharing parenting responsibilities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants across various functional units at the institution. The examination illustrated the commitment Black staff have in assisting Black students through the college campus rife with structural barriers, while also accounting for the level of taxation the commitment to otherparenting places on Black …

Academic Advisors’ Experience With Academic Entitlement: A Phenomenological Study, Felicia A King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic entitlement is on the rise in higher education. Research on academic entitlement typically focuses on faculty and behavior inside the classroom. Academic entitlement affects the college as a whole, both inside and outside of the classroom. This phenomenological study explored academic entitlement within student affairs, specifically, academic advisors' experience with academic entitlement. Additionally, the study focused on a large community college, whereas previous studies were situated within 4-year colleges and universities. The phenomenological study aimed to determine what academic entitlement behaviors were present in academic advising and examine how academic advisors reacted to the academic entitlement behaviors. Twelve academic …

An Educator Out Of Water: A Phenomenological Study Into Identity-As-Educator For Student Affairs Professionals, David Mccoy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The work of student affairs professionals has been happening since the inception of western higher education. The profession has shifted a great deal since that time, with an emphasis now on student affairs professionals as ‘educators’ alongside their faculty counterparts. Regardless of change, research has consistently demonstrated the impact student affairs can have on the experiences of students and colleges as a whole. Given the emergence of identity-as-educator, for these professionals to best continue their work, it is imperative to understand how they understand and make sense of this professional identity. This research was a phenomenological study to understand how …

"Is It Even Possible?": Student Affairs And Practitioner Preparation For More Racially Diverse College Campuses, Kristin Lee Deal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years student activism on college campuses has called for new and more equitable racial policies, practices, and pedagogies. Both fueled by and fertile ground for social movements, colleges and universities have mirrored national protests and calls for action toward the democratic imperative of higher education. However, often student affairs administrators have struggled in conceptualizing their roles in engaging students. How were they prepared for this? This research seeks the answer this question - how, if at all, are student affairs practitioners being prepared to work on more racially diverse college campuses?

Grounded in cultural-historical activity theory (Engeström, 2001) …

Amenities Provided As Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among Entry-Level, Live-On/Live-In Housing And Residence Life Professionals, Kristen Getka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Job satisfaction of entry-level student affairs professionals has been an issue of interest to researchers and practitioners alike since at least the 1980s. A high turnover of housing and residence life live-on and live-in (LO/LI) professionals has led to a curiosity for the reason. Investigation into job satisfaction of these professionals is an ideal way to determine ways to help retain LO/LI professionals and enhance their overall job satisfaction. In this study, the personal demographics, institutional demographics, and amenities provided to entry-level housing and residence life professionals holding LO/LI positions, and what impact, if any, they had on job satisfaction …

A Study Of Competencies Perceived To Be Important By Professionals In Entry-Level Positions Within College Student Affairs, Christa Coffey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher utilized the 2007 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Steering Committee on Professional Competencies report, Professional Competencies, to determine the importance of a set of competencies for work in entry-level student affairs positions. The researcher also studied whether there were any differences in importance of these competencies based on functional area (e.g., residence life/housing, student activities) and institutional type (i.e., four-year public and four-year private). Via an online questionnaire, the researcher sent the list of competencies to a sample of 970 members of ACPA who were self-selected as entry-level members and received 224 usable responses. Of the 75 individual …

Staffing Patterns In Campus Activities Departments, Tony R. Warner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the organizational structures and staffing patterns in campus activities offices or operations within selected institutions. These institutions were selected from the membership of the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) during the 1994-95 academic year which are also public, Master's (Comprehensive) Universities and Colleges I and II institutions. Focus was placed on identifying the sizes and types of the campus activities departments at the institutions surveyed. A survey was developed and administered to a population of 355 institutions. The data from 269 (76%) responses were then carefully analyzed. Frequency analysis produced a …