A survey of 2,990 students, 520 faculty, and 270 administrators at 1 university investigated gender role preferences for "ideal woman,""ideal man," and perceptions of "most women,""most men," and "self". All groups preferred an androgynous "ideal woman" and a largely masculine sex-typed "ideal man". All described sex-typed perceptions of "most…

Based on data on 8,203 high school graduates from the national High School and Beyond study, it was found that socioeconomically disadvantaged graduates have pursued nontraditional postsecondary enrollment options (part-time, delayed, and nondegree programs), even when data were controlled for differing academic characteristics. Theoretical,…

A survey of 466 students in a large, urban commuter college investigated the relationship of student finances to academic persistence. Results suggest that financial aid (1) equalizes opportunities for students, thus decreasing attractiveness of alternatives, (2) facilitates academic and social integration, and (3) increases student commitment to…

A survey of 436 faculty at one university concerning usefulness of student ratings of teaching found little resistance to ratings in general or their use in faculty evaluation. Usefulness of feedback was viewed differentially, with feedback on interaction with students seen as most useful, followed by feedback on grading practices, global ratings…

Drawing from a survey of 320 colleges, a study investigated the contribution of "institutional culture" variables on faculty/administrator perceptions of effectiveness, independent of institutional characteristics such as size, type, selectivity, and control is described. Independent effects were established for perceptions of student…

A faculty (n=347) survey at a research-oriented public university identified four major sources of faculty support: off-campus personal relationships; colleagues within the academic unit; professional support outside the academic unit; and an ethnic/minority network, on and off campus. Differences related to gender and rank were investigated.…

A study compared states' approaches to pricing and discounting, via student aid, of undergraduate education. Results suggest that region, social and economic resources, and postsecondary governance arrangements each have distinctive connections to the nature of state tuition and aid policies. Of particular interest were results relating to…

National longitudinal retention data on 52,898 students at 65 colleges and universities were used to generate formulas for estimating any institution's expected retention rate based on its students' high school grades, admission test scores, and racial and gender composition. Separate formulas were computed for estimating degree completion rates…

Data from a national faculty survey were used to calculate and suggest standards for lower-division class size to aid college planning. Factors considered included sector (public/private), Carnegie classification, institution size, discipline, student level, and instructional method. Results support formation of comparative distributions for class…

A national study of university economics faculty (n=343) examined the relationship between self-reported research output and teaching evaluation scores. Findings indicated a very weak relationship between research productivity and classroom performance, but institutional and individual characteristics seemed to explain some differences. Faculty…

A survey of 799 freshmen at a residential, public research university found perceived school quality had a significant effect on intent to persist for minorities but not for non-minorities, and academic achievement had a significant effect for non-minorities but not for minorities. However, similarities between the groups were more common than…

A study at the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) explored student (n=1,456) and faculty (n=357) views on whether course content develops skills that are transferable to work. While faculty and students ascribed equal importance to key generic skills, they differed in the extent to which they believed necessary skills are being developed…

A survey of 365 college students identified circumstances likely to increase both planned and spontaneous cheating behavior, those likely to discourage both kinds of cheating, factors underlying planned cheating, most common types of cheating, and student demographic characteristics associated with greater cheating behavior. (MSE)

A study investigated the relationship between job-related stress (reward satisfaction, institutional/departmental reputation, time commitment, departmental/institutional influence, student interaction) and intent to leave academia among 3,070 full-time tenure-track faculty nationwide. Interest in discipline, sense of community, academic…

Freshman satisfaction survey, enrollment, and academic achievement data were used by one college to develop a database providing a comprehensive set of outcome indicators and a model for the freshman experience, including institution-specific models of freshman satisfaction and retention. A longitudinal database is under construction. (Author/MSE)