This paper investigates the joint effects of academic self-efficacy and stress on the academic performance of 107 nontraditional, largely immigrant and minority, college freshmen at a large urban commuter institution. We developed a survey instrument to measure the level of academic self-efficacy and perceived stress associated with 27…

A study in which Filipino and American undergraduate students rated college instructor characteristics according to their perceived importance for effective teaching is discussed. Filipino students rated items pertaining to authoritarianism and personal appearance of the instructor as significantly more important for effective teaching than did…

Previously reported and analyzed data on the education deanship are expanded. Data were collected from national samples of deans, central administrators, department chairpersons, and faculty. New and unique factors, relationships, and group differences were found. Perceptions and acceptances of the dean's role were not uniform, with department…

Demonstrates how alumni research can be designed to focus program assessment on student outcomes and be responsive to program goals, administrators' policy concerns, faculty instructional values, and professional practice standards. Based on study of 347 teacher education master's degree recipients, the paper presents a conceptual framework and…

Students in a large lecture course were asked to complete the Notetaking Perceptions Survey, an instrument that assesses students' perceptions of the worth or value of notetaking, their perceived level of notetaking activity, and their degree of confidence about their own notetaking skill. (Author/MLW)

The extent to which a two-year college's effectiveness is linked to dominant organizational culture type (clan, adhocracy, hierarchy, or market) was examined. A survey of faculty and administrators in 30 representative colleges found that perceived effectiveness is strongly related to culture type, with adhocracy (characterized by employment of…

Norms of undergraduate teaching behavior were examined in a survey of 302 biology, history, mathematics, and psychology faculty in 2 institution types, research universities and comprehensive colleges. The study investigated the perceived impropriety of specific planning, in-class, interpersonal, curricular, and testing practices. The survey…

Students knowledge and skills cannot be fully understood without assessing the ways they are influenced by other aspects of postsecondary education. These aspects are described in a "map" consisting of points that depict the flow of students through institutions and experiences from precollege to adulthood. (Author/MLW)

An analysis of state college and university faculty salaries by region, rank, and discipline during a seven-year period is reported. It reveals that the ranges among salaries have been increasing. (MSE)

A study of 1,849 freshmen at York University (Ontario) found that traditional students enjoy a slight advantage over first-generation students in grade point average (GPA). While traditional students have higher levels of involvement than first-generation students, for both groups involvement in various university activities contributes to GPA.…

A study of families' means of paying for college using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study strongly indicates that part of the process of deciding how students should pay for college is the parents' college financing experience. These effects appear in patterns in parent contribution, amount of financial aid received, and use of…

Correlational and path analyses were used to examine the effects of four situations on self-reported ethical behaviors on four primary ethical dimensions among undergraduate communication students. The four situations are: students' ethical beliefs, students' perceptions of professors' ethical beliefs, and students' perceptions of ethical beliefs…

The effects of aid offers on enrollment decisions by college applicants from the classes of 1972, 1980, and 1982, and the effects the type of aid offered had on minority students are analyzed. All types of aid had a positive impact on decisions by college applicants including minority students. (Author/MLW)

A structural equation modeling approach was used to investigate general education achievement gains in 6,409 students at 34 colleges and universities. Results indicated gains were highest among students attending institutions where general education requirements were under 40% of overall requirements or were not equally distributed among…

Analysis of data from a national survey of about 1,000 college faculty found African-American faculty reported higher levels of occupational stress than white counterpart, especially in areas of research and service activities. Possible effects of extra-academic assignments given to African-American faculty are considered. (Author/MSE)