Rodney A. Clifton

Faculty in Transition: A Longitudinal Analysis of Perceived Control and Type of Institution in the Research Productivity of Newly Hired Faculty.

The systemic changes facing postsecondary institutions today pose a threat to the quality of academic programs unless new faculty can be successfully attracted and retained. To be more competitive in the recruitment and retention of faculty, a better understanding is needed of the adjustment experiences of newly hired faculty. Our study examined the adjustment of new hires at the point of entry into their institutions using research productivity as one indicator of adaptation. It was expected that perceived personal control, age, gender, and type of institution would relate to research productivity. At the beginning of their first and second year, newly hired faculty in three different types of postsecondary institutions responded to a comprehensive questionnaire concerning their initial adjustment experiences. A path analysis indicated both direct and indirect linkages between the independent variables of interest and research productivity. Substantial direct paths were found between the institution type and research productivity, specifically for the research I and liberal arts/comprehensive institutions, and to a lesser degree, between age and research productivity. Age, the research I university, and the liberal arts/comprehensive universities had direct effects on two measures of perceived control and were linked indirectly to research productivity via perceived control. Perceived control resulting from the personal qualities of the faculty members was instrumental to research productivity, whereas perceived control resulting from activities initiated by faculty members were not related to productivity. Surprisingly, gender was not related to research productivity through either direct or indirect paths. If the adjustment of newly hired faculty is viewed in terms of research productivity, then these results suggest that perceived control, the milieu of research-oriented institutions, and age (to a limited extent), are important predictors of faculty performance.

Causal beliefs, social participation, and loneliness among older adults: A longitudinal study

Loneliness can be seen as a social failure subject to causal search: Why am I lonely? Why do I lack friends? According to attribution theory, answers to these questions can influence emotions, motivation, and behaviours. This study examined the relationships between various affiliative causal beliefs (i.e., beliefs about loneliness and friendship development), social participation, and loneliness among older adults (72+ years). Cross-sectional and longitudinal (over five years) results showed that more strongly endorsing internal/controllable causal beliefs (i.e., believing that making friends depends on effort) related to greater social participation. Moreover, greater social participation related to less loneliness. External/uncontrollable causal beliefs predicted greater loneliness. In fully addressing loneliness, it may be important to focus on peoples causal beliefs.

Measuring the affective quality of life of university students: The validation of an instrument

The purpose of this study is to develop an instrument for measuring the quality of life of university students, and to report its validity and reliability. The study used a representative sample of undergraduate and graduate students in the faculty of education at a major Canadian university. The construct validity of the scales was assessed by Piazzas technique for the analysis of attitude items. The findings supported conceptualizing the quality of life of university students in four dimensions including Positive Affect, Interaction with Students, Interaction with Professors, and Negative Affect. The alpha reliabilities of these scales ranged from 0.75 to 0.93. Some potential applications of this instrument for understanding educational attainment, as well as for the evaluation of university departments and faculties, are mentioned.

Measuring the cognitive domain of the quality of life of university students

The purpose of this study is to develop an instrument for measuring the cognitive domain of the quality of life of university students, and to report the validity and reliability of the scales that are created. The study uses a representative sample of undergraduate students from the faculty of education at a major Canadian university. The construct validity of the scales is assessed by Thomas Piazzas procedures for analyzing attitudinal items. The findings support conceptualizing the cognitive domain in terms of Structural and Functional dimensions. The Structural Dimension includes the Knowledge and Comprehension dimensions from Blooms taxonomy and the Functional Dimension includes the Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation dimensions. The alpha reliability coefficients of the two scales are 0.88 and 0.85, respectively. Some potential applications of these scales for understanding educational attainments, as well as for the evaluation of university departments and faculties, are suggested.

The Cognitive Domain of the Quality of Life of University Students: A Re-Analyses of an Instrument

This paper presents the re-analysis of a previouslypublished instrument, based on Blooms taxonomy,developed to measure the cognitive domain of thequality of life of university students. The items inthis instrument were assessed using Guttmans SmallestSpace Analysis. The findings generally supportBlooms conceptualization, identifying 5 of 6dimensions in the taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension,Application, Analysis, and Evaluation. The findingsprovide support for the enduring utility of Bloomstaxonomy, and reinforce the ongoing need to testtheoretically informed instruments using sophisticatedstatistical techniques.

Recent social trends in Canada, 1960-2000

An encyclopaedic reference work on Canadian society that charts changes to the social landscape.

Attributional Retraining: A Motivation Treatment With Differential Psychosocial and Performance Benefits for Failure Prone Individuals in Competitive Achievement Settings

Our quasi-experimental, longitudinal treatment study examined whether Attributional Retraining (AR) facilitated adjustment among young adults (n = 324) making the challenging school-to-university transition. An AR by performance orientation group 2 × 4 design showed AR primarily benefited high-risk students: Failure-ruminators (high failure preoccupation, low perceived control) receiving AR reported higher intrinsic motivation and more adaptive attribution-related emotions than their no-AR peers. Failure-acceptors (low failure preoccupation, low perceived control) receiving AR had higher intrinsic motivation, higher grade point averages, and fewer course withdrawals than their no-AR counterparts. Thus, AR had differential benefits (emotions, achievement) for vulnerable students who were psychologically distinct.

Sustaining Primary Control Striving for Achievement Goals During Challenging Developmental Transitions: The Role of Secondary Control Strategies

Developmental transitions are imbued with ubiquitous uncertainties that undermine goal striving in many otherwise committed individuals. Our seven-month study examined whether cognitive selective secondary control strategies (motivation-focused thinking) facilitate the enactment of achievement goals among young adults experiencing the landmark school to university transition. Sequential regression analyses demonstrated that (a) achievement goals predicted selective secondary control, (b) selective secondary control predicted behavioral selective primary control striving, and (c) selective primary control predicted final course grades. Findings support Heckhausen et al.s (2010) proposition that selective secondary control bolsters selective primary control striving and enables goal attainment during difficult transitions.

Measuring the Cognitive Domain of the Quality of Student Life: An Instrument for Faculties of Education

This study presents an instrument for measuring the cognitive domain of the quality of student life in faculties of education, developed using a representative sample of undergraduate and graduate students at a major Canadian university. The findings suggest there are three dimensions of the cognitive domain of the quality of student life: Development of Pupils, Subject Expertise, and the Methodology of Teaching. Alpha reliability coefficients for these scales ranged from 0.72 to 0.75. Cette etude presente un instrument servant a evaluer la facette cognitive de la qualite de la vie etudiante dans les facultes de sciences de l’education, instrument mis au point a l’aide d’un echantillon representatif d’etudiants des premier, deuxieme et troisieme cycles dans une grande universite canadienne. Les conclu- sions semblent indiquer que la facette cognitive de la qualite de la vie etudiante comprend trois dimensions: le developpement des etudiants, la maitrise du sujet d’etude et la methodologie pedagogique. Les coefficients de fidelite alpha pour ces echelles variaient entre 0,72 et 0,75.

Socioeconomic Status and Educational Performances: A Comparison of Students in England and New Zealand

THIS STUDY EXAMINES the effects of socioeconomic status upon educational performances of students in two countries, England and New Zealand. A very limited view of the importance of socioeconomic status variables in affecting performances of students is obtained from examining only relationships in one country. In fact, this may have already occurred because much of the past research has been conducted in the United States (see Coleman et al., 1966; Jencks et al., 1972) although there have been a few international comparisons (see Broom and Jones, 1969; Garnier and Hout, 1976). Nevertheless, it seems that some scholars have assumed that a number of countries are similar to the United States without actually testing this hypothesis (see Husen, 1975: 135-57). It has also been argued that many studies in comparative sociology of education have been limited in their analytical strategies and theoretical perspectives. In the majority of studies, comparisons have been made between the organization of school systems, pupil selection processes, and teacher supply and demand characteristics (Dahllöf, 1971: 102). The concern with these simplistic types of comparisons has been decried by a number of