Gary D. Malaney

Assessing the Transition of Transfer Students from Community Colleges to a University

The purpose of this study was to examine how pretransfer experiences and preparation, along with posttransfer experiences, influence the adjustment of community college transfer students (as measured by academic achievement and satisfaction with various aspects of the university experience) to life on a four-year university campus. A survey of 372 community college transfer students attending a large, public four-year university provides empirical evidence that those students who are best informed and who have most actively prepared for transfer are most likely to achieve higher grades and be more satisfied in the university environment. The findings from this study also suggested that patterns of academic and social involvement shift as students move from two-year college settings to a four-year university. The article concludes with a discussion of strategies that can be instituted at both two and four-year institutions to assist community college transfer students in making a successful transition to a four-year college or university.

Differentiation in graduate education

This study investigates differentiation in graduate education at a large public research university, and all 114 academic units are categorized by Biglans dimensions and by size, which is operationally defined as the number of students in the academic units. This paper represents the first effort to study the opinions of departmental managers regarding an integrating device before its implementation. Departmental and graduate studies committee chairpersons were surveyed regarding their opinions on the need for and potential use of a database system which would provide the departments with easier access to data regarding graduate education and would provide the graduate school with an easier means of monitoring departmental activities pertaining to graduate education. The results show overwhelming support for the system, and the size of the academic unit is the best predictor of support, with the larger units voicing more support.

Asian American Students' Perceptions of Racism, Reporting Behaviors, and Awareness of Legal Rights and Procedures.

The study investigated Asian American students’ perceptions of racial climate in comparison with those of White counterparts at a large public university. It also examined students’ reporting behaviors upon encountering incidents of racial harassment as well as their awareness of reporting procedures, the Student Code of Conduct, and civil rights. The results indicated that Asian American students were more likely to report negative perceptions and were found to be less aware of their rights and procedures. The study included several implications for student affairs practitioners in order to better understand and serve this population of students.

Academic and Social Expectations and Experiences of First-Year Students of Color.

The authors present a study examining: (a) changes in students’ social and academic expectations from beginning to end of their first year of college, (b) how consistent the expectations are with actual experiences, and (c) whether students of different racial or ethnic categories differ in their expectations and experiences.

Scholarship in Student Affairs through Teaching and Research

This essay examines the meaning of scholarship in student affairs from teaching and research perspectives. It suggests that the scholarship of teaching needs more emphasis within the field of student affairs. Several concerns related to what is taught, how it is taught, and to whom it is taught are addressed. The essay also suggests that the scholarship of research should not be limited to empiricism and the generation and testing of theories. It argues that various notions of research should be considered as scholarship as long as rigorous, traditional, methodological standards are practiced.

Parental educational level, gender differences, and seniors' aspirations for advanced study

Many factors affect an undergraduate students postbaccalaureate plans. Academic interests, career-related factors, finances, and various psychological and sociological factors all have been found to be related to interest in advanced education. Few studies, however, are gender-specific in examining the relation of parental educational attainment to their childrens aspirations. Such data would be helpful in the attempts to understand the continued underrepresentation of women in most fields requiring advanced degrees. All seniors at a large Midwestern university with at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average planning to graduate in spring or summer of 1986 were sent questionnaires dealing with their postgraduation plans. Of these 1900 surveys, 791 (42%) were returned. Results reported here examine the relation of future educational plans to gender of student, educational level of parent, and field of study. A modeling effect not noted in previous literature is discussed.

Perceived Value of a Special Interest Residential Program for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Students

The article discusses a research study that examined the perceived value of a residence hall space for students interested in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender concerns at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It provides information for the other campuses as they debate the need for and the value of special interest residential areas on college campuses.

Characteristics of graduate students in Biglan areas of study

This paper discusses certain characteristics of graduate students in relation to their chosen areas of study, as defined by the three dimensions developed by Biglan to classify academic departments. The Biglan dimensions are used as dependent variables in three separate linear regression models, and each of the following student characteristics is analyzed for its explanatory impact: age, citizenship, gender, Graduate Record Examination scores, level of degree being pursued, and undergraduate gradepoint average. The amount of variance explained in each dimension ranges from 10% in the pure/applied research dimension to 37% in the hard/soft dimension. The validity of the dimensions is also verified using discriminant function analysis.

FACTORS RELATED TO DOCTORAL DISSERTATION TOPIC SELECTION

Although the completed doctoral dissertation represents the culmination of a doctoral program, is often published in journal articles, and serves as the foundation of the early research career of the author, the dissertation has received relatively little attention as a subject of research in its own right. To learn more about how students select their dissertation topics, all doctoral graduates of a major midwestern research university over the one year period from spring quarter, 1986, through winter quarter, 1987, were surveyed. Results indicate that a number of factors influence the selection of a dissertation topic, but not surprisingly the most important is the students own preference. The factors affecting the choice of topics include the preference of the adviser, trends in the field, the likelihood that the research will be published, and the projected benefit of the research on the students job prospects. The importance of the factors vary by field and in some cases by gender. When students select their topic and the extent to which the adviser and dissertation committees are responsive to the student also vary by field.

Continuous Quality Improvement in Student Affairs: A Survey of Staff Opinions on the Work Environment.

As part of a continuous quality improvement initiative, student affairs staff members at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst were asked to provide opinions on the importance of and satisfaction with certain aspects of their work environments. The data were analyzed based on sex, race, length of service, and employment status (classified or professional), with most reported differences being based on employment status. Results of the survey are discussed, and efforts to improve the climate addressed.