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AN INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT WITH STUDENTS AND BURNOUT AMONG

RESIDENT ASSISTANTS

BY

Robert Lloyd Harris

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Administration and Curriculum

1983

ABSTRACT
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT WITH STUDENTS AND BURNOUT AMONG
RESIDENT ASSISTANTS

BY

Robert Lloyd Harris

Fifty-two resident assistants (RAs) at the University of
Georgia were included as subjects for an investigation of re-
lationships among three variables: personal involvement with
students, burnout, and subjects' perceptions of the residence
hall environment. Documented concern about the effectiveness
of paraprofessional staff in college and university residence
halls and the stress which accompanies the RA position indi-
cated a need for the investigation.

A review of the literature regarding paraprofessionals
in higher education, residence hall staff, environmental con-
cerns, and burnout provided the direction for the investigation.

Degree and quality of personal involvement were measured
with respect to the RA's preference for associating with cer-
tain individuals in the living unit. An individual interview
with each subject was taped, transcribed and analyzed according
to predetermined criteria, and personal involvement scores
were derived from the transcripts. A printed measurement

instrument revealed burnout scores among the population which

Robert Lloyd Harris

were similar to scores among other research populations.
The University Residence Environment Scale (URES) measured
the RAs' perceptions of the residence hall environments in
which they lived and worked.

Both degree and quality of personal involvement were
negatively correlated with burnout, indicating that RAs
who experience burnout are less effective in relationships
with students. RA perceptions of the environment as positive
with respect to student involvement and emotional support
were positively associated with both degree and quality of
personal involvement. Likewise, quality of personal in—
volvement was also positively correlated with perceived
Intellectuality. Student Involvement, Emotional Support and
Order and Organization environment scales were negatively
correlated with burnout.

Other findings in the investigation included the signi-
ficance of gender of subjects and perceived Competition in
the environment. Female RAs scored significantly higher than
males on the burnout measure and indicated a significantly
higher quality of personal involvement with students.

Perceived Competition in the residence hall environment
was inversely related to both degree and quality of personal

involvement.

Robert Lloyd Harris

All three primary variables were significantly related
to each other in several respects. Conclusions and recom-
mendations of the investigation were based on hypothesis
tests and post hoc analyses. Findings are relevant for

effective management of student housing programs.

Dedicated To

ANN WEBSTER

Director of Housing and Residence Life

The George Washington University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF TABLES V
CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Statement of the Problem and
Objectives of the Study . . . . . . . . 10

Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Research Questions and Hypotheses . . . 16
Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Significance of the Study . . . . . . . 20
Limitations of the Study . . . . . . . 21

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Student Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Resident Assistants as Paraprofessionals 27
The Role of the RA . . . . . . . . . 28
The Effectiveness of the RA . . . . . . 29

Environmental Considerations . . . . . 34
The Resident Assistant's Environment . 36
The Role of the Environment . . . . . . 41
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Burnout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

III. METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Subjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Hypotheses and Data Analysis . . . . . 75

iii

CHAPTER
IV. RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION . . . . . . .
The Research Population . . . . . . .
Results of the Research Instruments . .
Results of Tests of Hypotheses . . . .
Post Hoc Analyses . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional Analyses . . . . . . . . . .
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS

AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . .
Summary of Findings . . . . . . . . . .
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . .
LIST OF REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REFERENCE NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

APPENDICES

A. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE HOUSING
ORGANIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RA POSITION DESCRIPTIO . . . . . . . . .
B. LETTER TO SUBJECTS REGARDING PARTICIPATION
IN THE INVESTIGATION . . . . . . . . . . .
C. CONSENT STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . .
D. OUTLINE OF INTERVIEW PROCEDURES,
INSTRUCTIONS AND RECORD SHEET . . . . . .
E. COVER SHEET FOR BURNOUT MEASURE . . . . .
F. BURNOUT MEASURE . . . . . . . . . . . . .
G. LETTER OF REQUEST AND RESPONSE FROM
AYALA PINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
H. UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE ENVIRONMENT SCALE

(URES) o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
I. COVER LETTER FOR URES . . . . . . . . . .

iv

Page
80
81
87
92

102
107
111
114
115
119
134
140
143

157

159

160

164

165

166
170

171

172

174

178

LIST OF TABLES

Table

1

Summary of Selected Demographics of the
Research Population . . . . . . . . . . .

Academic Majors Represented by the Research
Popu1ation O O O O I O O I O O O O O O 0

Summary of Personal Involvement Scores
From Interview Transcripts . . . . . . .

Burnout Scores of the Population of Resident
Assistants and Comparison with Scores of
Other Research Populations . . . . . . .

Summary of Results of the University
Environment Scales Used in the
Investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Correlation Matrix for the Eight Primary
Variables of the Investigation . . . . .

Summary of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for
Hypotheses Eighteen and Nineteen . . . .

Summary of Statistically Significant
Unhypothesized Correlations . . . . . . .

Summary of Significance Tests Between
Females and Males for Three Factors . . .

Page

84

85

88

91

93

101

103

108

110

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

The housing of college students has been a major con-
cern for higher education administrators since the colonial
era. Two basic services -- room and board -- were provided
the aspiring Early American scholar in exchange for cutting
firewood, hauling water, and bearing a load of rules and
regulations. The moral and religious principles and objec-
tives underlying the colonial college inhabited the dormi-
tory as well (Earnest, 1953). The nineteenth century pre-
sented an interesting contrast. On the one hand, dormi-
tories were virtually eliminated on some campuses under
the leadership of German-educated administrators who gave
unqualified priority to the classroom; on the other hand,
women's colleges were established with housing being essen-
tial to the safety, security, and sanctity of the young
ladies (Earnest, 1953).

In the twentieth century the notion of housing accommo—
dations as integral to the education of the "whole person"
was pursued by prominent officials of higher education such
as University of Chicago President William Rainey Harper
and Princeton Dean Andrew West. Dormitories were truly
centers of learning, albeit extracurricular, in the 1920's
and 1930's (Rudolph, 1962). A sense of urgency to provide

bed spaces for the influx of World War II veterans in the

1940's and 1950's, however, compromised the educational
objective of housing and initiated a construction boom
which lasted until the mid 1960's.

During the last two decades housing facilities have
been dominant among campus structures and have provided
the arena for the greatest impact of college on students --
the peer group (Dressel and Lehman, 1965; Brown, 1971).

The changes in values, attitudes and interests which result
from association with other students have been clearly dem-
onstrated (Jacob, 1957; Chickering, 1967; Feldman and New-
comb, 1969; and Astin, 1977).

College and university housing has grown, like higher
education, from "simple beginnings to a full-blown bureau-
cratic venture" (Stroup, 1970). Housing organizations in-
corporate, though not to an extreme, the character of the
ideal-type form of bureaucracy, including rules, hierarchy,
specialization and offices as careers (Miller, 1963). Chief
housing officers delegate the responsibilities for carrying
out tasks to various levels of staff. Herbert Simon has
observed that the "the actual physical task of carrying out
an organization's objectives falls to the person at the
lowest level of the hierarchy" (in Merton, 1952). Such is
the case with the paraprofessionals in housing organizations.
These student/staff members work where they live and are
identified by titles such as resident advisor, student as-

sistant, and, most commonly, resident assistant (RA).

The RA position is quite complex from both an histor-
ical and organizational perspective. The counterpart in
the colonial college was the tutor, usually a faculty mem-
ber or recent graduate who lived in the dormitory (Powell,
et al, 1969). As student housing changed, the tutor role
changedas well, its evolution marked by such stages as
proctor, housemother, prefect, counselor, and RA. The
RA's role and status is now regarded as "paraprofessional"
(Delworth, 1974; Hutchins, et a1, 1976) in that the RA is
a student who is "specifically selected, trained and given
continuous supervision while performing tasks that other—
wise would be conducted by a professional" (Delworth and
Aulepp, 1976).

While occupying a low position in the bureaucracy and
engaging in almost constant contact with students, the RA
faces difficulties of role conflict and work overload.
Coping with the challenges of the RA position is a signifi-
cant task for a paraprofessional who is a full-time student.
Difficulties and challenges notwithstanding, the focus of
the RA as a paraprofessional is the clientele (students)
being served. Concern for students is central to the RA
role; therefore, indication of concern affords an important
measure of RA effectiveness. Insofar as personal involve-
ment with students is an indication of concern, a measure
of the degree and quality of personal involvement would

register the effectiveness of the resident assistant.

A current issue for many housing administrators is RA
effectiveness in the job and the effects of anxiety on per-
formance. In the forefront of research concerning stress
and anxiety is the topic of "burnout".

Amid the difficulties faced by the RA, work overload
and role conflict are primary contributors to the burnout
syndrome (Osipow and Spokane, 1981). Furthermore, the ex—
periences of exhaustion, helplessness, detachment and loss
of caring for students frequently reported by RAs are asso-
ciated with the burnout syndrome (Cherniss, 1980; Forney,
et a1, 1982). The type of person who expects and needs to
be helpful to others -- attributes not uncommon among para-
professionals in housing -- is often most susceptible to
burnout (Maslach, 1976, 1978; Mattingly, 1977; Edelwich,
1980).

The questions which emerge for both researcher and
practitioner are numerous: How is the phenomenon of burn-
out related to the effectiveness of the worker who must
demonstrate concern for his students? What is the rela-
tionship between involvement of the worker with students
and the degree of exhaustion experienced by the worker?
Does involvement with particular individuals in the work
setting seem to have any connection with reported burnout?
How are the characteristics of the residence hall environ-
ment associated with personal involvement and burnout?

In this chapter the investigator demonstrates the need

for investigation of the concept of "burnout" as it relates

to the involvement of resident assistants with students in
their charge and the environment in which the RA lives and
works. First, the investigator provides background per-

spective on the problem to be considered. Secondly, the

problem is presented in terms of the objectives of the in-
vestigation, the questions to be answered, and the hypoth-
eses to be tested. Finally, the procedures for conducting

the investigation are described.

Background

 

Work adjustment theory maintains that "the individual
responds to the requirements of the work environment and
the work environment responds to the requirements of the
individual" (Dawis, in Cull and Hardy, 1973). Balance or
mutuality of responsiveness of the individual and the work
environment is no simple accomplishment. Truly, the objec-
tive of most organizations which engage in employee selec-
tion, placement, supervision, and evaluation is to attain
a productive person/environment "fit".

"Individuals who come to work for an organization dif-
fer in their needs and personality traits as well as in
their capabilities" (Porter, Lawler, and Hackman, 1975).
Experiences in the job vary with the individual. For
example, "one worker is upset by a boss who closely super-
vises his work while another finds close supervision desir-
able" (Margolis and Kroes, 1974). Differences in job ex—
periences reflect both individual and environmental varia-

tions. Ecological and interactionist theories clearly

demonstrate the basic inseparability of the individual and
the environment (McGrath, 1970). The concept of "recipro-
cal causation" is represented by Pervin's (1968) use of the
term "transaction" to clarify the active relationship of
the individual and the environment.

Employee anxiety as a function of individual—environ-
ment transactions is as complex as it is common. "Job
stress implies so many events and processes," according to
Margolis, "that it is often conceived to be a nebulous con-
cept, difficult to study in a scientific manner" (in McLean,
1974). Investigation of the particular situation in which
the worker functions, however, can yield information perti-
nent to the study of job stress. Such investigation relies
heavily on the workers' reports of experiences in the job,
their perceptions of the environment, and their relation-
ships with the clientele of the organization. As workers
clarify the elements of the work situation which are rele—
vant to the investigation, conclusions can be drawn about
the worker, the environment and the transactions which
occur.

One area of research which deals with employee anxiety
is burnout research. Studies have been conducted in a
variety of human service organizations to explore burnout
as a phenomenon which results in debilitation of the worker
and disruption of the work environment. The sources of
burnout are very likely found in the environment of the

worker as well as within the worker himself. It has been

argued that certain individuals are more prone to burnout.
Freudenberger (1975) concludes that "some individuals are
driven to burnout and will always burn themselves out in
one way or another." Maslach (1979) asserts that "many of
the causes of burnout are located not in permanent traits
of the people involved, but in certain specific social and
situational factors." Like the causes, the characteristics
of burnout also vary with the individual and the situation.
Burnout is commonly viewed as "a subtle pattern of symptoms,
behaviors and attitudes that are unique for each person"
(Mattingly, 1977). Because the importance of situational
factors in determining behavior is established in social
science theory (Magnusson and Stattlin, 1982), burnout re-
search must reduce the work environment to its singular
components -- the individual worker situations -- in order
for data to prove meaningful. While collective perceptions
as a data source would verify environmental conditions rel-
evant to stress and burnout, burnout as an individual phe-
nomenon would not come into focus as clearly through such
methods. Nevertheless, "any investigation of burnout should
attend to both situational as well as personal variables“
(Vander Ven, 1982).

Literature on burnout consists of reports on research
and observations, as well as reflections and Opinions.
Whether the writers oquuch literature have engaged in

scientific research or personal reflection on their own

experiences, one conclusion about burnout usually emerges —-
for employees who are involved in continuous direct contact
with clients, burnout is almost inevitable (Freudenberger,
1975).

Burnout is anxiety to an extreme. The concept of
anxiety of staff members in college and university residence
halls was advanced by Dickson (1975), who stated that "in-
tense and/or prolonged stress creates anxiety that may de-
crease the effectiveness of the resident assistant (RA)."
This concept has been pursued in a variety of investigations
and is gaining attention from housing administrators. As
research in stress and burnout expands, the likelihood of
discovery of preventives of and remedies to this growing
phenomenon increases. As Daley (1979) concludes, "It is
important for both workers and supervisors to identify
sources of stress that may lead to burnout and together
commit their energies to the efficient management of such
factors."

The resident assistant is already a focal point of
considerable investigation in the field of college student
affairs work. For many college students across the nation
the primary contact with a student affairs worker occurs
with the RA. Exploration of the relationship of the worker
with the client -- the RA with the student -- is of para-
mount import in understanding the RA position and the envi-

ronment in which the job is carried out.

 

Increased understanding the the RA—student relationship
has implications for all dimensions of the position, parti—
cularly those aspects which are most frequently investigated
and reported in the literature, i.e., selection, education,
supervision, and evaluation of RAs.

The focus on the worker—client relationship is equally
important in the field of burnout research. Christina Mas-
1ach, a modern pioneer with respect to burnout as a field
of study, has asserted that "the quality of client contact
is so central to burnout that it is imperative that it be
clearly defined and well-measured" (Maslach, 1981). This
imperative, combined with the ever—present need for greater
understanding of the RA position, underlies the purpose of
this investigation.

Assessment of the worker-client relationship is a deli-
cate task. A key indicator of the nature of the relation—
ship is the concern which a worker demonstrates for and the
involvement the worker has with the client. When the con-
cern and involvement can be ascertained in a realistic man-
ner, the information which is gathered can prove beneficial
to research and practice.

Personal involvement and burnout are frequently linked
in the literature on burnout. While no causal relationship
has been empirically verified, researchers imply that the
degree and quality of personal involvement are related to

burnout as a source in some instances and as an outcome in

10

others. As an antecedent, personal involvement with clients
by overzealous helpers is so constant and so intense that
the helpers exhaust themselves in the process of helping.

As a consequence of burnout, personal involvement is with-
held or withdrawn by burned out workers as they seek relief
and protection through detachment (Maslach, 1974). Maslach
(1974) states that burned out workers spend less time with
clients who are problematic and more time with clients

where achievement or success is indicated.

Statement Of The Problem And Objectives Of The Study
The investigation described herein explored the rela—
tionships between personal involvement with students, burn-
out, and perceived characteristics of the environment in
which the resident assistant lives and works. Specifically,
four general questions were addressed as follows:

1. What is the degree and quality of personal involve-
ment of resident assistants with students who live
in their assigned areas of responsibility?

2. What is the extent of measured burnout among se-
lected resident assistants?

3. What are the characteristics of the residence hall
environment, i.e., the work and living situation,
as perceived by resident assistants?

4. What are the relationships among the three factors
of personal involvement, burnout, and the residence

hall environment?

11

The objectives of the investigation were as follows:

1. Investigate the degree and quality of personal in-
volvement of resident assistants with students;

2. Employ an established measurement instrument to
assess burnout among the research population;

3. Survey the RAs' perceptions of selected charac-
teristics of the residence hall environment in
which they live and work;

4. Examine the relationships of personal involvement
in its several dimensions, the extent of measured
burnout, and the residence hall environment as it
is perceived by RAs;

5. Discuss and clarify the relationships among the
measured variables;

6. Summarize and interpret the findings in light of
current research;

7. Develop questions and make recommendations for
further study and application for housing admin-

istrators.

Assumptions

 

For the purpose of this investigation there were seven
assumptions. First, it was assumed that the responses to
the burnout measure, the residence environment scales, and
the interview questions represented the truth about the sub-
jects. The methods of information collection were intended

to be realistic and to elicit honest responses.

12

Secondly, it was assumed that the RAs who comprised
the research population had similar role conceptions re—
garding the RA position.

The third assumption was that the population was rep—
resentative of most college students across the nation who
hold the position of resident assistant.

While normality of the population was assumed, there
was an attempt to establish a degree of homogeneity with
respect to certain external variables. The criteria for
selection of subjects were (a) time on the job, (b) train-
ing, and (c) type of assignment. It was assumed that the
criteria used for selection of subjects had similar effects
among the population without compromising the normality of
the population.

The fifth assumption was that personal involvement of
RAs with students implied concern for the students and that
it was therefore indicative of the relationship of the RA
with the students.

Sixth, the investigator assumed that the RAs' percep-
tions of the residence environment were legitimate as a
measure of the reality of the situation. The assumption is
based on the idea that "what people think is true is true
for them, and that is reality" (Conyne and Clack, 1981).

The seventh assumption was that "burnout" is a single
measurable construct which is distinct from yet related to

other variables in the work setting. This assumption was

13

substantiated by research conducted with the existing burn-

out measure in other settings (Pines and Aronson, 1981).

Definitions

 

Following are the operational definitions of terms
which were used extensively in both the conduct of the
study and the report of findings and implications:
Resident Assistant: A paraprofessional student-staff mem-

ber who lives and works in a residence hall and has

specific duties and functions of helping and adminis-
tration in an assigned area with a group of students.

Student: A college student who lives in a residence hall
and who is a member of the group in the charge of a
resident assistant.

Research Population: The group of subjects (RAs) selected
for this particular investigation from the total popu-
lation of resident assistants at the University of
Georgia. These subjects were selected on the basis of
three criteria, which served as controls:

(a) Time on the job: RAs who had less than one year

on the job and who began employment Fall Quarter
1982.

(b) Training: RAs who were enrolled in the initial
training program (an academic credit course en-
titled "Students Helping Students" in the College
of Education), and who attended the Fall, 1982,

staff workshop for RAs.

14

(c) Type of Assugnment: RAs who were assigned to a
single—sex floor (rather than a co-educational
floor).

Personal Involvement: An indicator of concern for students

 

represented in frequencies of statements about those
students in an interview setting. There are two di-
mensions of personal involvement described below.

Degree of Personal Involvement: When referring to a student,

 

the number of statements about that student which are
classifiable into predetermined categories of state-
ments which indicate involvement with that individual.

Quality of Personal Involvement: The emotional tone of the

 

statements made in reference to a student, either
positive or negative, and quantified by the ratio of
positive statements to the total number of classifiable
statements.

Preference for Association: The preference the RA has for

 

certain individuals within the living unit when asked
to identify those students with whom he or she most
prefers to associate and those students with whom he
or she least prefers to associate.

Interview: A research method which gathers information

 

through personal interaction with an individual and
which is structured, more or less, on the basis of a

prearranged format and questionnaire.

15

Burnout: A state of physical, emotional, and mental ex-
haustion which results from long-term involvement with
people in situations that are emotionally demanding
(Pines, 1981).

Burnout Measure: An instrument which measures a single
construct as defined above.

Residence Hall Environment: The social climate of the liv-
ing unit as perceived by the individuals who live in
a particular location within the residence hall.

Living Unit: The specific area of a college or university
residence hall or dormitory for which one resident
assistant is in charge. A living unit is referred to
as the "floor," the "neighborhood," or the "house."

Characteristics of the Residence Hall Environment: Descrip-
tors or items which describe a particular behavior or,
phenomenon which is perceived as exerting a press to-
ward a dimension of the residence hall environment.
The dimensions of the residence hall environment are
conceptualized by Moos and Gerst (1974) and are as
follows:

(1) Relationship Dimensions: "The types and intensity
of personal relationships among students and be-
tween students and staff."

(2) Personal Growth or Development Dimensions: "The
emphasis within the house environment upon matura-

tional processes."

16

(3) System Maintenance and System Change Dimensions:
"The structure of organization within the house
as well as the processes and potential for change
in its functioning.“
University Residence Environment Scale (URES): A one hun-
dred item form which “assesses the social climates of
university student living groups, such as dormitories,

fraternities, and sororities" (Moos and Gerst, 1974).

Research Questions and Hypotheses

The general purpose of the investigation was to seek
answers to the following questions:

What is the degree and quality of personal involvement

of RAs with students in their charge? What is the

extent of measured burnout among selected RAs? How
do the RAs perceive the residence hall environment in
which they live and work?

These three questions provided the foundation of the
investigation. The results of the three measures used to
answer these questions are presented in the "Demographics"
section of Chapter IV.

The hypotheses tested in this investigation concern
the relationship of the variables of personal involvement
of RAs with students, measured burnout, and perceptions of
the residence hall environment. The general hypotheses of

the investigation were as follows:

17

Burnout is associated with (a) lower degrees of
personal involvement with students, (b) lower
quality of personal involvement with students,

and (c) fewer reported environmental character—
istics indicative of involvement, emotional sup-
port, intellectuality, order and organization,

and innovation.

Degree of personal involvement of RAs with stu-
dents is associated with an increase in reported
environmental characteristics indicative of in-
volvement, emotional support, intellectuality,
order and organization, and innovation.

Quality of personal involvement of RAs with stu-
dents is associated with an increase in reported
environmental characteristics indicative of in-
volvement, emotional support, intellectuality,
order and organization, and innovation.

There are significant interaction effects of burn-
out and preference for students on degree of per-
sonal involvement; or, RAs with higher burnout
scores indicate a higher degree of personal in-
volvement with students with whom they most prefer
to associate than with students with whom they
least prefer to associate.

There are significant interaction effects of burn-

out and preference for students on quality of

18

personal involvement; or, RAs with higher burnout
scores indicate a higher quality of personal in-
volvement with students with whom they most prefer
to associate than with students with whom they

least prefer to associate.

Procedures

 

From the total population of RAs employed at the Uni-
versity of Georgia during the 1982-83 academic year, the
investigator identified a research population of resident
assistants on the basis of three criteria -- experience,
training, and assignment to a single-sex living unit. Homo-
geneity of the research population was established on the
basis of these criteria.

A key component of this investigation was defining and
measuring the degree and quality of personal involvement of
RAs with students. Derived from an approach implemented with
elementary school teachers, interviews served as the data
collection measure (Jackson, Silberman and Wolfson, 1969).
Development of a structure of classifying responses was
based on analysis of pilot interviews with RAs not included
in the research population. Individual interviews were con-
ducted by student affairs workers who were trained and
supervised by the investigator. The interviews were taped
and transcribed, and transcripts were analyzed and scored
by the investigator. Reliability of the scoring of inter—

view transcripts was established through matching scores

19

assigned by independent judges to randomly selected tran—
scripts.

"The Burnout Measure" (Pines and Aronson, 1980) was
selected as the most suitable instrument for the purposes
of this investigation. This instrument is a measure of
exhaustion in three dimensions -- physical, emotional, and
mental.

Measurement of burnout took place immediately follow-
ing the interview with each subject. All interviews were
completed during a designated period in the spring quarter,
1983. The time span was limited in order to reinforce the
homogeneity of the group. A time relatively late in the
year was selected to allow for maximum familiarity of RAs
with their students.

The manner in which RAs perceive their immediate envi-
ronment was the third variable incorporated in this investi-
gation. A standardized measure of the residence hall envi~
ronment -— The University Residence Environment Scale (URES:
Moos and Gerst, 1974) -- was administered in its entirety
to all subjects. Five of ten subscales were selected for
consideration in this investigation. The subscales used
were Involvement, Emotional Support, Intellectuality, Order
and Organization, and Innovation.

Analysis of the data employed statistical measures
appropriate for testing the hypotheses as stated, and is

detailed in Chapter III.

20

The research population was comprised of the total
group of RAs who met all three of the stated criteria at
the time approval for the investigation was granted. While
it was anticipated that some of the members of the research
population would be unable or possibly unwilling to partie
cipate, the estimated number of subjects was forty (40) to
fifty (50) from a total population of one hundred forty-
nine (149) RAs. The actual number of subjects who provided

complete and usable data was forty-seven (47).

Significance Of The Study

 

In the literature on resident assistants and burnout,
there are no reports on personal involvement of RAs with
students and RA burnout. The significance of the study,
however, lies not only in the uniqueness of the investiga-
tion, but also in the implications of such a study for many
dimensions of college student housing administration. RAs
occupy key positions in implementing the goals of the hous-
ing organization and in providing services to the clientele.
Significant, direct contact occurs between the RA and the
student, and it is in this relationship that burnout can be
critical. Environments vary from RA to RA, and it is imper-
ative that an established environmental measure be employed.

For those who seek greater understanding of personal
involvement and burnout in general and/or of the RA position

in particular, this investigation should be enlightening.

21

To those who manage, develop, and rely on the RA position,
this investigation may prove helpful.

Knowledge of RA involvement with students, of the RA's
work situation and RA burnout should enable the housing ad-
ministrator and the RA to work together toward individual
growth and improved effectiveness. Application of the find-
ings of this investigation could include (a) prevention and
remediation of burnout, (b) enhancement of the RA's personal
involvement with students, (c) improvement in initiating and
developing helping relationships with students, (d) develop-
ment of effectiveness in coping with the difficulties of the
job, (e) management of the residence hall environment toward
more effective outcomes, (f) contribution to housing organi-
zation development, and (g) improvement of student affairs
services.

Understanding of personal involvement, work environments
and burnout has implications for the investigator and the
practitioner in paraprofessional staff selection, assignment
of duties and responsibilities, placement, supervision, educa-

tion, and performance evaluation.

Limitations Of The Study

 

Parameters of the investigation were the research popula-
tion itself and the measures used. These were also the delimi-
tations of the findings and implications.

As stated above, subjects were regarded as representative

of a sample of a normal population of paraprofessional housing

22

staff but were selected in a manner which provided suffi-
cient homogeneity to avoid moderation of the findings of
the investigation. All three criteria by which subjects
were selected were external to the subjects and thereby
provided some degree of control by the investigator.

Personal involvement was measured through a personal
interview with each subject. The interview was brief and
structured, yet the setting was realistic, and the responses
were assumed to be natural and honest. Interview research
is time-consuming and is often criticized for its subjec-
tivity (Richardson, Dohrenwend and Klein, 1975; Kerlinger,
1973). This investigation utilized interviews in such a way
that a minimum amount of time was required of the subjects,
a realistic setting was fostered by the interviewer, and an
objective analysis of the data was utilized. Subjectivity
was minimized through interview consistency and reliability
testing (Jackson, Silberman and Wolfson, 1969). While the
limitations of interview research were acknowledged, the
investigator attempted, insofar as possible, to avoid those
potential liabilities. This method of interviewing and
measuring personal involvement was constructed with a con-
sideration for its replicability in both research and prac-
tice in both large and small scale efforts.

While there are four burnout instruments suitable for
research purposes, the instruments are quite different from

one another. This fact presented a limitation of a lack of

23

assurance that the instrument chosen for this investigation
was the best instrument. As outlined by Shinn (1981) burn-
out has been isolated as a measurable variable in four in-
struments which may be used for research purposes. These
instruments are briefly described below:

1. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI: Maslach and Jack-
son, 1982) addresses work-related factors of (a)
Emotional Exhaustion, (b) Personal Accomplishment,
and (c) Depersonalization.

2. The Burnout Measure by Pines and Aronson (1980)
which considers three dimensions of exhaustion --
physical, emotional, and mental -- but which is
not specific to the work setting in the wording
of the items.

3. The Staff Burnout Scale (SBS: Jones, 1980b) which
includes cognitive, emotional, behavioral and
physiological items and which is specific to the
work environment.

4. An untitled job alienation measure by Berkeley
Planning Associates (1977).

The burnout instrument used for this investigation --

The Burnout Measure by Pines and Aronson (1980) -- is not
work-related in that its items do not refer specifically to
the work setting. This instrument was selected for use be-
cause burnout, as it occurs, is not necessarily a function

of work only, nor is it manifested solely on the job. The

24

orientation of the instrument is particularly relevant to

a study concerning part-time paraprofessionals who are "on
call" whenever present in the residence hall and "on duty"
an average of twenty hours per week.

Another limitation was the lack of empirical verifica-
tion of a causal relationship between personal involvement
with clients and burnout. As mentioned above, these two
variables are consistently linked in the literature on burn—
out. Nevertheless, the strength of any relationship between
the variables neither substantiates nor demonstrates a
causal relationship.

If, as some theorists have proposed, burnout occurs in
stages, this consideration presents an additional limitation
of the study. Although reliability of the measure over a
period of time may be quite high, literature suggests that
burnout has neither a sudden onset nor is it a constant
state. Burnout is a syndrome in the sense that it is a
pattern of emotions and behaviors which has implications
for the individual and the environment. Edelwich and Brodsky
(1981) have identified four "states of disillusionment"
which, beginning with enthusiasm, include states of stag-
nation, frustration, and apathy. In this context apathy is
considered synonymous with burnout. Golembiewski has en-
gaged in considerable research to identify and specify the
stages of burnout syndrome and their respective implications

for the individual and the environment (Golembiewski and

25

Munzenrider, 1981; and Golembiewski, Munzenrider and Phelen,
1981). This progressive aspect of the burnout syndrome is
highlighted as a precaution that burnout is not to be seen
as an absolute condition or a final diagnosis. Viewing
burnout as a progressive phenomenon presents a limitation
for this investigation because the measurement was conducted
at a single point in time and reflected only the state of
the person at the time of measurement. By contrast, the
measurement of personal involvement with students was re-
garded as reflective of the ongoing concern for and involve—
ment with students. This difference is accounted for some-
what by the reliability of the burnout measure. (Test—
retest reliability: .89 for 1-month interval; .76 for 2-
month interval; .66 for 4-month interval).

The final limitation was that the investigation took
place in a large university environment. This environment
is considerably different from the milieu of many human
services agencies. Consequently application of the findings
will be limited somewhat to similar environments. This con-
sideration, however, is in essence the basis for exploring
personal involvement and burnout among staff in a new

territory.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

‘ Student Affairs

 

Changes in the American college and university have
been accompanied by parallel developments in the profession
of student affairs (Williamson, 1949; Miller and Prince,
1976) and major shifts in the role and function of college
student housing (Riker, 1966). The evolution of the stu-
dent affairs enterprise necessitates changes in the respon—
sibilities and priorities of staff who carry out the tasks
and objectives of the organizations in which they work. Of
particular significance in changing methods and approaches
to the student affairs endeavor is the paraprofessional
movement (Delworth, Sherwood and Casaburri, 1974).

Paraprofessionals have been reported working in the
"widest possible variety of helping relationships" (West-
brook and Smith, 1976; Zimpfer, 1974); however, by far the
most extensive use of paraprofessionals in higher education
is in college student housing programs (Bliming and Milten-
berger, 1981).

Developments in the housing paraprofessional role can
be linked to variations in student perceptions and expecta-
tions of the college and university (Berdie, 1966; King and

Walsh, 1972) and abandonment of in loco parentis (Pitts,

 

1980) in favor of student freedom and responsibility (White,
1969; Michael, 1972) and participation in the educational

26

27

process (McGrath, 1970).

Resident Assistants As Paraprofessionals

 

The Resident Assistant (RA) is regarded as serving
"the most comprehensive role in the entire student affairs
division" in a college or university (Bliming and Milten—
berger, 1981). RAs are paraprofessionals because they are
"selected, trained, and given continouous supervision while
performing tasks that otherwise would be conducted by a pro-
fessional" (Delworth and Aulepp, 1976).

It has been reported (McKee, et a1, 1977) that parapro-
fessionals are perceived as "having the potential for con-
tributing to all student service functions." Zunker's sur-
vey of the use of paraprofessionals revealed that "a majority
of the institutions ... reported that student paraprofession-
als make effective and positive contribution to their insti-
tution's student personnel program, and a clear majority re-
ported that they plan to continue using them" (Zunker, 1975).

Combined in the RA position are duties and responsibil—
ities which have historically been carried out by a host of
principals. Central to the RA position is the decided pur-
pose of promoting the growth and development of students
(Hurst and Ivey, 1971). As Jennings (1977) declares, "It is
the potential contribution of paraprofessionals to assist in
student development that makes their use more than simply an
economic expediency." Truly, paraprofessional resident as-

sistants are "a potent force for change ... to maximize

28

personal development among students" (Brown, 1972).

Hutchins, Yost and Hill (1976) concluded that "increas-
ing evidence of paraprofessional effectiveness ... appears
directly related to the future of college residence hall
operation, including staffing patterns." An examination of
the literature in the RA position will specify what the RA
actually does, and will clarify the criteria for assessing

the effectiveness of this paraprofessional position.

The Role Of The RA

 

"The resident assistant in the [residence] hall tradi—
tionally has been the primary paraprofessional [institutional
staff member] with whom students have contact. The RA has
assumed several roles including counselor, information-giver,
limit-setter, and administrator" (Delworth, 1974). A seemingly
endless list of descriptions of the RA role is available in
the literature. Of the two most recent exhaustive examinations
of the RA position, one identifies the following RA roles:
role model, counselor/advisor, teacher, and student (Bliming
and Miltenberger, 1981); the second outlines the primary expec-
tations of the RA:

1. provide personal help and assistance;

2. manage and facilitate groups;

3. facilitate social, recreational and educational
programs;

4. inform students or refer them to appropriate infor—
mational sources;

5. explain and enforce rules and regulations, and

29

6. maintain a safe, orderly, and relatively quiet
environment (Upcraft, 1982).

"The concept of resident assistant evolved to encom-
pass more than a person who merely monitors student behav-
ior" according to Layne, Layne and Schoch (1977). They
continue:

"Greenleaf's (1974) survey of residence hall objec-

tives on a number of campuses concluded that the

responsibilities of resident assistants range from
assisting residents in developing guidelines for

living in a group environment to balancing job re-

sponsibilities and personal life to encouraging

self-growth as well as growth for residents" (Layne,

et a1, 1977).

The common denominator which surfaces for all de-
scriptors, role definitions, and expectations of the RA is
the relationship of the RA with the student. This essential
function of the RA role is a reflection of the somewhat out—
dated but ever-true position of the "Student Personnel Point
of View" in which the personnel are regarded as "the most
important element in any organization and any enterprise"
(Williamson, 1961). Glick (1970) updates this notion by
pointing out that students wish to be treated as persons,

not personnel. The primary focus of the RA as student de-

velopment paraprofessional is the student resident.

The Effectiveness Of The RA

 

Building helpful and meaningful relationships is not a
simple task for the paraprofessional who must not only re—
spond to student needs but also initiate interactions, con-

front problems, and intervene in any variety of situations

30

in order to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.
The RA faces difficulties of role conflict, intense and
prolonged work-related association with students and envi-
ronmental ambiguity characteristic of residence halls
(Winkelpleck and Domke, 1977; Dickson, 1977). The RA must
also attempt to combine the contemporary role of "guidance
counselor" (Hipple, et a1, 1975) or "peer helper" (Ender,
et al,l979) with the more traditional "disciplinarian pos-
ture" (Packwood, 1975) while occupying the lowest position
within the unique bureaucracy of higher education.

These circumstances notwithstanding, a constant prin-
ciple -- and one which is reflective of the student affairs
profession -- is "helping." This helping relationship is
rooted in the earliest of student personnel work (Lloyd-
Jones, 1929, 1934, 1953), underlies the current theme of
student development (Miller and Prince, 1976), and seems to
be a common trend in the myriad of professional helping
models which inform and substantiate the paraprofessional
role. Burns Crookston (1975) characterized the student de-
velopment relationship as "collaborative," "developmental"
and "encountering."

A variety of approaches to assessing the RA's effec-
tiveness are described in the literature. Personal orien-
tation, as measured by the "Personal Orientation Inventory
(POI)" has been examined as a predictor in RA effectiveness

(Atkinson, Williams and Garb, 1973; Scott, 1975). The

31

authors concluded that the effectiveness of RAs in working
with students toward developmental objectives is enhanced

by the orientation of the RAs to associating with and caring
for others. Biggs (1971) further specified job viewpoints
and interpersonal attitudes as operative in the effective-
ness of residence hall staff. Zirkle and Hudson (1975)
found that "administrator-oriented RAs" had less productive
effects on students than did "counselor—oriented RAs."

Emphasizing the managerial roles of the RA, Frierman
and Frierman (1981) nonetheless cited human relationships
as the "bottom line" of the RA's effectiveness. Interper-
sonal communication skills are commonly regarded as the
vehicle necessary to achieve meaningful helping relation-
ships of RAs and students. Newton (1974) demonstrated the
positive effects of systematic communication skills train—
ing. Similarly, Schroeder (Schroeder, et a1, 1973) cites
positive outcomes of systematic human relations training
for RAs.

A training course on personal development (Schilling,
1977) implies that the passive, role model functioning of
the RA is enhanced by the growth and maturity of the indi-
vidual in the RA position. Similarly, Schroeder (1977)
has emphasized the importance of personal and interpersonal
effectiveness to the successful performance of the RA role.
Graff and Bradshaw (1970) found that dormitory assistant

effectiveness is related to self-actualization.

32

Empathy and warmth, two factors essential to the help-
ing professional's success with clients, have also been
linked to the effectiveness of the RA (Wyrick and Mitchell,
1971). .Other significant variables which have impact upon
the effectiveness of the RA include personality types
(Ponikvar, 1978; Wachowiak and Bauer, 1976), personality
variables (Thomas, 1979), personal preferences (Van Pelt,
1968), authoritarianism (Hefke, 1969), assertiveness (Layne,
et a1, 1977; Shelton and Mathis, 1976), and leadership
orientation (MacDonald, 1968). Carey and Schaening (1974)
developed a measure of RA Effectiveness in five dimensions:
Personal Involvement, Floor-Social Involvement, Sensitivity,
Self-Concept, and Communication Skills.

German (1979) concluded that "investigations seeking a
relationship between scales on personality inventories and
effective performance have not proved fruitful. Research,
however, can seek improved rating procedures for evaluating
effectiveness ..."

A common theme in the literature concerning paraprofes-
sional effectiveness is the involvement of the RA with the
students in his or her charge. Carey and Schaening (1974),
for example, identified two dimensions of effectiveness
which were explicit measures of involvement, two which im-
plied involvement, and one which concerned self—concept. Of
six dimensions of the RA role identified by Dickson (1975),

four focus directly on interactions with others, while two

33
deal with either internal or external conflicts.

The key to RA effectiveness lies in the ability of the
RA to interact meaningfully with others. Carl Rogers main—
tains that "it is the quality of the interpersonal encounter
with the client which is the most significant element in de-
termining effectiveness" (in Mosher, 1964).

While it is not assumed that the encounter of and in-
volvement with the student is the sole measure of effective-
ness, it is assumed that personal involvement of RAs with
students implies concern for the students (Jackson, et a1,
1969) and that personal involvement is, therefore, indica-
tive of the relationship of the RA with the students.

Involvement is, of course, a phenomenon which is not
easily measured in a qualitative sense. "Good quality" and
"poor quality" are difficult to measure; often the measure
used is a measure of quantity (Maslach, 1981). Maslach
(1981) acknowledges that "the problems involved in assess-
ing the quality of job performance are ones that people
have struggled with for years."

One noteworthy effort in measuring both the quantity
and quality of involvement is the investigation of Jackson,
Silberman, and Wolfson (1969). Their research, which is
used as a basis for one component of the present investiga-
tion, incorporated a realistic—type of interview of elemen-
tary school teachers in which the degree and quality of

personal involvement with students was measured and

34

evaluated. Most teachers would “probably concede," maintain
the authors, "that they are more personally involved with
some students than with others. Moreover, this involvement
may have either positive or negative overtones" (Jackson,

et a1, 1969). This method is presented in more detail in
the chapter on methodology (Chapter III). It is important
to reiterate, with reference to the concept of burnout
(discussed below) that "the quality of client contact is

so central to burnout that it is imperative that it be
clearly defined and well-measured" (Maslach, 1981).

In summary, the RA as paraprofessional is a key member
of the student affairs staff on most campuses. Many roles
and responsibilities are documented for the RA, but the
primary function is to develop helpful relationships with
student residents. Perceptions of the RA role sometimes
mitigate the student develOpment relationship between the RA
and the student; but the success of the paraprofessional is
based on personal and interpersonal effectiveness.

Many of the correlates of RA effectiveness are presumed,
and in some instances demonstrated, to be characteristics
attributed to the individual who occupies the RA role. There
is no dearth of literature, however, which acknowledges the
function of environmental perceptions and conditions which

influence the RA.

Environmental Considerations
The focus on the individual RA -- his or her personality,

values, motivations, and limitations -— offers only a partial

35

view of the realities of being a resident assistant. Equally
important is an understanding of the environment in which the
RA lives and works. It is possible that "properties of the
environment may account for more of the variance in behavior
than measures of trait qualities or even biographic and demo-
graphic background data" (Insel and Moos, 1974).

It is not the purpose here to establish that one or the
other -- the person or the environment -- is greater or more
influential; on the contrary, the objective of this review
is to demonstrate the reciprocity and the interdependence of
the two.

"An ecological perspective overcomes the one-sidedness

of ... other perspectives. The essence of the ecologi-

cal perspective is the transaction between the student
and his or her environment. This perspective, therefore,
incorporates the influence of environments on persons
and persons on environments. The focus of concern is
not solely on the student characteristics or environ-
mental characteristics but on the transactional rela-
tionship between students and their environments"

(Banning and Kaiser, 1974).

Lewin's (1935, 1936) theories of personality and of
topological psychology provided a sound basis for recogni-
tion of the interdependence of personal and environmental
variables, their interactions, and their reciprocal effects
on one another (Carroll and White, 1981). "Henry Murray
(1938) first conceptualized the dual process of personal
needs and environmental press ... Murray's model for study-

ing behavior thus consisted of the interaction between per-

sonality needs and environmental press" (Insel and Moos,

36

1974). Dewey and Bentley (1949) introduced the term "trans-
action" to describe this phenomenon of reciprocal causation.

"Stern, Stein, and Bloom (1956) amplified Murray's con-
tribution. They demonstrated that behavior could be predict-
ed much better when the setting in which the behavior occurred
was clearly defined so as to include the social demands of the
situation" (Insel and Moos, 1974). Pervin and Lewis (1978)
further clarify and define the concept of "transactions" as
regarding objects as being in a continuous state of influenc-
ing and being influenced by other objects. The authors de-
scribe three essential properties of the "transactional View":

(a) Each part of the system has no independence outside

the other parts of the system or the system as a whole.

In other words, no one constituent of a relationship

can be adequately specified without specification of

the other constituents. (b) One part of the system is

not acted upon by another part, but instead there is

a constant reciprocal relationship. There are not

cause-effect relationships but transactions that oc-

cur over time. (c) Action in any part of the system

has consequences for other parts of the system"

(Pervin and Lewis, 1978).

The Resident Assistant's Environment

Both the residence hall environment and the work envi-
ronment are operative for the RA as student—staff member.
"Residence halls provide an optimum type of housing arrange-
ment for some types of students while they have little ap-
peal for other students" (Duvall, 1969). The RA apparently
finds the housing accommodations of residence halls suffi-

ciently appealing to seek a paraprofessional position. A

required qualification of every RA applicant is experience

37

residing on campus in a residence hall. The effects of the
residence hall environment are significant to the RA as well
as to the students, and often the effects are quite similar.

The developmental issues encountered by students in a
co-ed residence hall (Brown, et a1, 1973) or in a single-
sex residence hall are issues for the RA as well. Findings
indicate that living in co-ed residence hall units may be
more stressful than living in single sex units (Moos and
Otto, 1975) and the RA is by no means immune from stress.

The RA experiences the various impacts of the residence
hall (Chickering, 1967) no less than the resident who is not
a staff member. High-rise residence halls may impede the
focus upon the individual student due to their layout and
structure (Gores, 1963; Sinnett, et al, 1972), and the RA
who lives and works in this type of facility is not protected
from such a liability.

Likewise the benefits which accrue from living in the
residence community (Greenleaf, 1965) are available to the
RA as well as to the resident. Self-actualization of stu-
dents is enhanced by living in co-ed residence halls (Schroe-
der and LeMay, 1973) for the RA as well as for the residents
in his or her charge. The residence hall is a "locus for
learning" (Hardee, 1964; Brunson, 1963) for the RA, too.
Dressell and Lehman (1965) cite association with different
peOple in the residence hall as "the most significant expe-

ience in the college lives of students" and noted that

38

"informal interaction within living groups was a potent
factor in shaping the attitudes and values of students."
The RA must be counted among the many students who benefit
from the educational (Riker and DeCoster, 1971) and deve-
lopmental (Montgomery, et a1, 1975) benefits of living in
residence halls.

Issues of person-environment "fit" or congruence ad-
dressed in other employment settings may have implications
for the RA as a paraprofessional staff member (Argyris, 1954,
1957; Porter, Lawler, and Hackman, 1975; Pervin, 1968; Stern,
1970). The objective of the ecological model described by
Banning and Kaiser (1974) is "to produce more optimal person-
environment fits." Some historical background may clarify
this issue for the reader.

The human relations approach, in reaction to the mech-
anistic view of organization exemplified in scientific man-
agement, attempted to take into account the psychological
and social needs of the persons who make up an organization
(Roethlisberger and Dickson, 1939). This approach incorpo-
rated an effort toward balancing the focus on the organiza-
tion with a focus on man. Theorists such as Likert (1955),
McGregor (1960), and McMurry (1958) cast the problem into a
more traditional, practical view of the organization and of
man and provided a basis for the optimistic views articulated
by Argyris (1957).

Residence hall environments can very likely pose bar—

riers to the "self-actualization" of the RA by accentuating

39

phenomena and circumstances which are debilitating (Gores,
1963; Sinnett, et a1, 1972). Likewise, the needs of the
group (organization) may be so opposed to the needs of the
RA that the situation is counter-productive rather than
"optimizing" (Argyris, 1957, 1962; Gerst and Moos, 1972).

Discussion and measurement of the environment neces-
sitates a definition. Defining "environment" is almost as
elusive a task as defining "reality." The basic problem
which is addressed by most literature reviewed is the pro-
blem of subjective environment versus objective environment,
sometimes regarded as psychological environment versus phys-
ical environment. 'The investigator does not presume to re-
solve the issue; rather, the assumption that the behavioral
environment is defined "according to the individual's per-
ceptions of it and his reactions to these perceptions" (Per-
vin, 1968a and Stern, 1970, as cited by Walsh, 1973) will
hold sway in this discussion.

"Pervin operationally defined the environment in terms
of each individual's self-reported perception. The environ-
ment is defined as it is individually perceived" (Walsh,
1973). Conyne and Clark (1981) emphasize that "what people
think is true is true for them, and that is reality." The
environmental variables which comprise the situation in
which the RA is located are identified in the University
Residence Environment Scale (URES) by Moos and Gerst (1974).

The URES consists of three dimensions -- relationship,

40

personal development, and system maintenance and system
change -- which "must all be accounted for in order for an
adequate and reasonable complex picture of the environment
to emerge" (Insel and Moos, 1974). A general principle
posited by Insel and Moos (1974) is that "the way one per—
ceives his surroundings or environment influences the way
one will behave in that environment." The URES is discussed
in greater detail in the chapter which describes the method—
ology of this investigation.

As mentioned previously, the RA also must Operate
within the work environment in which he or she is employed.
With respect to the organization in which RAs are employed,
Schroeder (1979) claims that

"All too often staff are expected to adjust and accom-

modate themselves to the prevailing social environment,

and they are rarely provided opportunities to change
or redesign the student affairs environment in order
to make it more responsive to their own needs and per-
sonal growth goals. For staff, the results may be low
morale, marginal productivity, and, in some cases,

high attrition."

In another article Schroeder (1979) describes a staff-
oriented approach implementing democratic principles as a
means of managing the environment to achieve ideal environ-
ments for staff and ultimately for students.

The orientation of the administrator in charge of RAs
is a dominant factor in the type of work environment which
exists (Eberle and Muston, 1969). Murphy (1964) held that

the principal function of residence hall staff was to main~

tain order and control. The effects of such a position on

41

staff attitudes and actions may be quite different from,
for example, the impact of an administrator who sought
self-actualization of RA as a priority of the residence
hall program (Graff and Bradshaw, 1970).

While RA perceptions of the organizational environment
are not included in this investigation, a description of
the explicit objectives of the organization for the RA is
presented in Appendix A. Clearly, an open systems approach
(Katz and Kahn, 1966) which characterizes the university
housing organization does not allow for measurement of all
relevant environments; it is the judgment of the investiga—
tor that the preponderance of environmental press derives
in the living unit, and it is this environment which is the

concern of the URES.

The Role Of The Environment

 

"The organism which adapts well under one condition
would not survive under another. If for each environment
there is a best organism, for every organism there is a best
environment" (Cronbach, 1960). The organism is usually de-
fined in terms of needs and behaviors of the individual
while the environment is normally regarded as the prOperties
or characteristics -- the press -— which exert a directional
influence on the participants. "Just as needs are inferred
from the characteristic modes of response of an individual
... so press are the characteristic demands or features as

perceived by those who live in the particular environment"

42

(Pace and Stern, 1958).

The interpersonal environment can be defined in terms
of the characteristics or perceptions of its members. Stern
(1970) used a method of aggregating the perceptions reported
by participants and deriving a consensus, thereby producing
a "reasonable estimate of the psychological interpersonal
environment" (Walsh, 1973). For Pervin, however -- and like-
wise for this investigation -- "the environment is defined
as it is individually perceived" (Walsh, 1973).

The spectrum of evaluating person-environment fit is
one of congruence-dissonance, which is interpreted in terms
of complementarity of the needs-press combination (Stern,
1970). According to Walsh (1973) "the distance from needs
to press serves as a quantitative measure of dissonance."
While the distance is not quantified in this investigation,
other variables may be regarded as ramifications of disso-
nance. "The press of [the] ... environment represents what
must be faced and dealt with by the student" (Pace and
Stern, 1958).

Dissonance might "stimulate a modification of the press,
withdrawal of the participants, or tolerance of it" (Walsh,
1973). Likewise efforts to modify the environmental press,
withdrawal, or tolerance might imply dissonance. Wilkenson
(1960) suggests that subjects may respond to the environmental
press as a challenge or that "unpleasant environmental effects

may occur together ... What may provoke one stress may evoke

43

another." The complications of sorting out the nature of
stress is reflected in the statement, "Stress, in addition
to being itself, and the result of itself, is also the
cause of itself" (Wallis, 1983).

Just as environmental press may prove debilitating,
so may it be growth-producing. "The climate of environ-
ments in which people function relates to their satisfac-
tion, mood and self-esteem and to their personal growth.
Environments shape adaptive potentials as well as facili-
tate or inhibit initiatives and coping behavior" (Insel
and Moos, 1974). Pervin (1967) acknowledges the role of
individual differences in assessing the environment by
speculating that "it may be that some individuals are more
tolerant of differences and are more flexible in adapting
to them than others." Banning and Kaiser (1974) emphasize
that the ecological perspective "assumes that different
people respond differently in different types of environ-
ments and that there should be an optimum fit between people
and their environment for growth and development." Pervin
originally stated that for each individual there are environ-
ments which tend to match or fit the individual's personality"
(Walsh, 1973).

It is clear that the objectives of the ecological per-
spective are colored by certain values. "Social ecology
has an explicit value orientation in that it is concerned

with promoting maximally effective human functioning" (Insel

44

and Moos, 1974). Pace and Stern (1958) suggest that "it is
possible that the total pattern ochongruence between per—
sonal needs and environmental press will be more predictive
of achievement, growth and change than any single aspect of
either the person or the environment."

In their study of college and university residences,
Gerst and Moos (1972) proposed that "it may be that the im-
mediate living environment ... may have significant impacts
on students in areas such as ... changes in subjective mood
state, and the development of psychiatric symptomatology."
Gerst and Moos continue:

"The press of the external environment (including the

behavior of other persons and ecological variables)

suggests the direction a resident's behavior must take

if he is to function with a minimum of stress and a

maximum of satisfaction with his particular living

group ... When the environmental regulators of behav-
ior are more fully documented it may be possible ...
to enhance an individual's coping skills necessary

for acceptable behavior in particular interactive
domains" (Gerst and Moos, 1972).

Summary

Environmental considerations in this review acknowledge
the influence of the environment on the RA, but the emphasis
is placed on the transactional relationships between the
person and the environment. The residence hall environment
is more complex from the point of view of the RA than from
the perspective of the resident because it is the RA's work
environment as well as a place to live. RAs are affected by

the environment in much the same manner as residents, but

45

the RA must also function within the environment as a
worker. Residence hall environments should be self—
actualizing.

Defining "environment" is no small task. The living
unit is identified as the primary enVironment on which
this investigation focuSes. In this particular environ-
ment (as in any other environment) stressors may be either
debilitating or growth-producing. The concern of the
ecological perspective is to attain an optimum "fit" be—
tween the RA and the environment.

This investigation is in part a type of social ecolog-
ical study. Social ecology has a "special emphasis on the
identification of maladaptive responses and their relation—
ship to environmental variables" (Gerst and Moos, 1972).
According to an ecological perspective, "burnout is viewed
as a form of ecological dysfunction" (Carroll, 1980; Car-
roll and White, 1981). "Signs of burnout may appear any-
where within the ecological system or life space, including
the person and the various component parts of the indivi—
dual's environment" (Carroll and White, 1981). Burnout is

explored in depth in the following section.

Burnout
A review of the literature concerning burnout reveals
many settings and manifestations of the phenomenon. Most of
the work environments in which burnout has been investigated

are human service organizations, the type of organization

46

in which the concept originated (Freudenberger, 1974).
"Burnout" was coined to describe the experience of emo-
tional exhaustion and depletion of personal resources of
the helping professional by Freudenberger and his asso-
ciates (1974) in the free clinic movement.

Freudenberger (1975) acknowledged from the beginning
that the phenomenon was not restricted to helping and human
services professionals; but he emphasized that the effects
of burnout were more readily apparent and accelerated in
the type of environment where the worker seeks to benefit
others in a highly visible organization with constant re-
quirements for sacrifice.

Some of the more common settings in which burnout has
been noticed and investigated include public welfare agencies
(social security administrators, social workers, police,
security officers, protective services agents, and prison
staff), education (school teachers, college teachers, spe-
cial education teachers, librarians, child care/day care
workers, death educators), health services (nurses, psycho-
therapists, mental health workers, hospital administrators,
physicians), counseling (rehabilitation counselors, drug
counselors, youth counselors, geriatric counselors, career
development specialists), and other professions such as
clergy, lawyers, and business executives.

Shinn (1981) admonishes students and researchers of

burnout to "be wary of over generalizing from one occupation,

47

work place, or role to another." As the brief listing of
settings above suggests, this caution has been heeded quite
well by investigators concerned about the nature of the
burnout phenomenon in a specialized type of work setting;

a majority of the articles studied by this investigator
were descriptive or prescriptive treatises on the state of
burnout in a particular situation or type of work. Never-
theless, generalizations are made, and many of the more
prevalent ideas form the foundation for significant pro-
gress in the development of the theories of burnout.

While burnout is regarded as "a subtle pattern of symp-
toms, behaviors, and attitudes that are unique for each
person" (Mattingly, 1977), there is ample evidence to draw
some conclusions as to what the burnout syndrome entails.
The literature reviewed below is organized into four cate—
gories: Sources of burnout, symptoms of burnout, character-
istics of burnout, and implications of burnout.

Sources of Burnout

 

Like stress and anxiety in general, burnout has its
origins within the individual who experiences burnout and
in the environment in which he or she lives and works.
"Assume that there is a continuum of variables that contri-
bute to job stress and burnout. At one extreme there are
individual variables such as personality characteristics,
job skills, and job expectation. At the opposite extreme

are organization variables such as working conditions,

48

workload, and time pressures. In the middle of the con—
tinuum there are interactions between the factors at the
two extremes" (Wilder and Plutchik, 1981).

Lazarus and Launier (1978) state that stress refers
to events "in which environmental or internal demands (or
both) tax or exceed the adaptive resources of an individual."
The implications of stress are not exclusively negative,
however. "The word stress has to be understood as some-
thing that can bring out the potentialities in people. The
experience of stress is itself a sign of growth“ (Katz, 1975).
Burnout is negative, however, and it is pervasive, both in
its origins and in its manifestations. "Both causes and
effects occur at all levels from the biological through the
societal" (Paine, 1981).

Among the psychological models of stress that seem most
relevant to burnout, according to Sweeney (1981), is that of
"Learned Helplessness" (Abramson, et a1, 1978; Seligman,
1975; Diener and Dweck, 1978; Dweck, 1975). "Learned help-
lessness" refers to the individual's perceptions and expec—
tations of failure and their subsequent changes in perform-
ance and achievement, which result in self attribution of
helplessness or perception of loss of control. The indivi-
dual no longer perceives the connection between his own be-
havior and outcomes within his environment.

Some personal characteristics which are regarded by

Mattingly (1977) as potential sources of burnout are the

49

need to be successful, the need to give combined with the
sense that one cannot give enough, and a variety of role
conflicts which seem to derive in personal needs. Another
personal source of burnout is likely to be "inadequate
training and education needed to do the job. This is es-
pecially true among paraprofessionals who, more often than
not, have the greatest amount of direct contact" (Carroll
and White, 1981). One of the more descriptive terms used
by Mattingly (1977) to identify environmental conditions
which are sources of burnout is "pressure cooker." This
source may include such factors as having to process enor-
mous amounts of information with great speed, having to
make many decisions, and engaging in interactions which
are extremely intense.

Other environmental factors which operate as sources
of burnout include visibility to supervisors, colleagues,
and/or clients, awareness of one's function as a role model,

exposure to harm, not being allowed to cope with one task
at a time, and terminations of association with clients
(Mattingly, 1977).

The quantity of work alone is not regarded as a source
of burnout. "Longer work hours are correlated with more
stress and negative staff attitudes only when they involve
continuous direct contact with patients or clients" (Mas-

lach, 1978).

50

Freudenberger (1974) identifies unfulfilled expecta~
tions as a source. "A Burn—Out,“ he says, referring to
someone who is experiencing burnout, is “in a state of
fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a
cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce
the expected reward. Whenever the expectation level is
dramatically opposed to reality and the person persists in
trying to reach that expectation, trouble is on the way."
Maslach (1976) asserts that "many of the causes of burnout
are located not in permanent traits of the people involved,
but in certain social and situational factors."

One situational factor which has many implications for
the worker is ambiguity. Kahn (1974) defines ambiguity as
"discrepancy between the amount of information a person has
and the amount required to perform." Of course ambiguity
occurs at more levels than just that which concerns infor-
mation. White's (1981b) twelve role conditions which are
believed to contribute to burnout make the concept of ambi-
guity much more explicit, and the nature of the ambiguity
is presented as affective as well as cognitive.

According to Shinn (1981), many aspects of the work
environment can contribute to burnout. The fact that they
are interdependent makes patterns of causality difficult to
determine. Wilder and Plutchik (1981) recognize that "many
factors in the job situation can make burnout more likely

or less likely to occur." "Cherniss (1980) found eight

51

workplace factors which distinguished between the most and
least burned-out workers," and "Kafry (1981) reports thirty-
seven relationships of environmental conditions and burndut"
(Shinn, 1981).

Sweeney (1981) advises that "with chronic stress as
the common environmental element, the etiological chain pro-
ducing burnout is multi-factorial. For this reason, each
situation should be examined, at some point, on an indivi—
dual basis."

"Typically burnout occurs whenever a person with in-
adequate stress management and need-gratifying skills must
work in a stressful and need-frustrating work environment"
(Carroll and White, 1981). Carroll and White (1981) con-
tinue by emphasizing the "dynamic, complex interaction of
personal and environmental sources of stress and frustration."
The end result is that these interacting factors "detract
from the person's ability to do his or her work" (Carroll
and White, 1981).

Selye (1980) indicated that "stress at some level is
necessary for adequate adaptive functioning." Because "in—
dividuals ... vary in the level of stress that is optimal
for them," Sweeney (1981) asserts, "chronic stress may be
necessary, but it is not always sufficient, to produce the
signs and symptoms of burnout." "Burnout must be seen as a
result of a complex interplay between environmental influ-

ences and individual susceptibility to them" (Sweeney, 1981).

52

Two final factors which are identified as sources of
burnout in human services work are clients and peers. The
role of the client is central to staff burnout (Maslach,
1978). Shinn (1981) describes work in human services as
different from work in profit—making organizations "because
of the emotional demands posed by clients" (Maslach, 1978),
"the giving of oneself required in a helping relationship"
(Berkeley Planning Associates, 1977) and "the constellations
of unrealistic expectations ... held by workers and clients
alike" (Cherniss, 1980b). "Being close enough to help, in
short, implies the possibility of hurting and being hurt"
(Golembiewski, 1981).

"Primary among situational factors suggested as medi-
ators of the effects of life stress is a broad range of
social relationships conceptualized as providing social
support" (Sandler, 1979). Peers of the helpers can either
provide or withhold support of the worker; likewise the
worker can choose whether or not he will seek support from
his peers. While "social support includes but refers to
more than the mere presence of others“ (Golembiewski, 1981),
empirical data has been reported on the negative relation-
ship of social support with burnout (Pines and Aronson,
1981; Shinn, et a1, 1981). This idea is explored more fully

in the section concerning implications of burnout.

53

Symptoms of Burnout

 

"The person who is burning out is usually aware of
only a vague and inarticulated personal distress for which
he has no name" (Mattingly, 1977). A more specific defini—
tion of burnout is provided by Pines and Maslach (1978):
"Burnout can be defined as a syndrome of physical and emo—
tional exhaustion, involving the development of negative
self-concept, negative job attitudes, and loss of concern
and feeling for clients." Specific physical symptoms which
have been cited in various articles on the burnout syndrome
range from insomnia to fatigue and include such problems as
headaches, gastro-intestinal disturbances, inability to
"shake" a cold, and loss of weight. Freudenberger regards
these types of symptoms as "psychosomatic complaints" (1978).

Emotional exhaustion is a more pervasive yet elusive
category of burnout symptoms. Depression, anger (temper
flare-ups), and irritability are some of the more familiar
symptoms, as are feelings of hopelessness and feeling
trapped. Emotional exhaustion is also manifested in loneli-
ness, negative self-concept, suspicious attitudes, rigidity,
cynicism, "craziness," and feelings of omnipotence. Some
of these symptoms may result in behavior such as sudden
changes in verbosity and extraordinary risk-taking (Freu-
denberger, 1975; Maslach, 1978).

Pines (1981) has expanded the definition of burnout

to include mental exhaustion in addition to physical and

54

emotional exhaustion. Corresponding symptoms include self—
perception of worthlessness, disillusionment and resentment.
Sweeney (1981) points out that "there is major overlap of
the symptoms of burnout and the symptoms of depressive dis-
order." Freudenberger (1981) considers it "difficult to

draw a composite sketch of a burned out human being."

Characteristics of Burnout

 

"There is general agreement that burnout occurs at an
individual level. Second, there is general agreement
that burnout is an internal experience that is usually
psychological in nature (feelings, attitudes, motives,
expectations). Third, there is general agreement that
burnout is a negative experience for the individual,
in that it involves problems, distress, discomfort,
dysfunction, and/or negative consequences" (Maslach,
1981).

To identify all of the characteristics would be not
only impossible, but also misleading. Sweeney (1981) iden-
tifies some of the more general characteristics of burnout
as

"lowered motivation, decreased gratification and ful—

fillment in the work setting, pervasive apathy, and

the self-perception of being ineffectual. Decreased
energy, greater irritability, and growing cynicism

are also often associated with burnout."

The characteristics of burnout are a function of the traits
of the individual experiencing burnout combined with the
characteristics and requirements of the environment in which
burnOut occurs. Four general categories (Maslach and Pines,

1979), however, will provide a framework for identifying

some of the possible characteristics of burnout.

55

Detached Concern

 

For the worker engaged in a helping relationship and
experiencing burnout, a loss of concern can be quite detri-
mental. Loss of emotional feelings can be detected in a
worker's detachment or distancing from clients. The more
common expressions and behaviors associated with helping
may continue on a superficial level, and the concern for
the client may seem to continue; but the worker is not in—
vested in the relationship when he is experiencing burnout.

The burnout phenomenon is apparent "across a wide
variety of work settings" (Maslach, 1974). Techniques of
detachment are verbal and nonverbal ploys "to make the client
seem less human, more like an object or a number" (Maslach,
1974).

Actual behaviors which are cited as ways of physically
distancing oneself include standing farther away, avoiding
eye contact, and keeping a hand on the door knob while con—
tinuing minimal conversation.

Intellectualization

 

The use of descriptive terms or labels is evidence of
either intellectualization or detached concern. Pines and
Maslach (1978) discuss the recasting of "a volatile situa-
tion in more intellectual and less personal tones“ as a
characteristic of burnout. "Describing things as precisely
and scientifically as possible" is'a means of intellectu-

alizing a situation and "serves.the purpose of distancing

56

the person from a client who is emotionally upsetting in
some way" (Pines and Maslach, 1978).

Compartmentalization

 

According to Maslach (1974) compartmentalization en-
tails making a sharp distinction between one's job and
personal life. For example, the worker neither discusses
personal affairs with coworkers nor discusses experiences
on the job with family and friends. Generalizing about
one's job or even refusing to tell people what one's job
is is characteristic of burnout. An even more subtle yet
common indicator of compartmentalization is the person's
thoughts which arise and the feelings of anxiety when the
telephone rings at home.

Withdrawal

 

Each of the characteristics discussed above may be
means of attempting to withdraw from an anxiety—producing
or anxiety-provoking situation. Yet withdrawal is in some
ways a distinct characteristic of burnout. The worker ex-
periencing burnout may withdraw by "communicating with
clients in impersonal ways" such as use of superficial gen-
eralities, stereotypical responses, or even form letters.
Key indicators of the characteristic of withdrawal are
"spending less time with clients who are problematic” and
"spending more time with clients where achievement or suc-
cess is indicated" (Maslach, 1974). Another method, parti—

cularly in bureaucratic organizations which may lend

57

themselves to this type of withdrawal, is "going by the
book (to short-circuit personal involvement)" (Maslach,
1974). In some work settings burnout can result in the
"transformation of a person with original thought and
creativity into a mechanical, petty bureaucrat" (Maslach,
1978). Finally, the use of humor can be a dehumanizing
indicator of withdrawal as the worker jokes or laughs
about a stressful event. Maslach (1978) emphasizes that
"Opportunities for withdrawing from a stressful situation
are critically important ... However, the type of with-
drawal that is available may spell the difference between
burnout and c0ping." In summary, burnout results in
"emotional self-protection" of the worker "at the expense

of clients" (Maslach, 1978).

Implications of Burnout

 

What are the implications of burnout? Christina Mas-
lach (1981) identifies the most frequently addressed impli-
cation:

"Most conceptualizations of burnout have hypothesized
a direct link between experienced burnout and a dete—
rioration in the quality of service or care provided
to clients. Presumably, the person who is burned out
and has negative feelings and attitudes about clients
will not be inspired to try harder for them, and will
provide a minimal level of care at best (and probably
even poor care).“

Most literature on burnout, however, is not based on
empirical research; therefore, links between experienced

burnout and deterioration of quality of service or care

58

remain hypothetical (Maslach, 1981).

The potential effects upon the clients -- students in
this investigation —- can be linked with many of the char—
acteristics already noted. Ranging from impersonal treat-
ment to dehumanizing service and attitudes, the effects of
a helper experiencing burnout can be considerably damaging
to the client.

Implications for the worker, of course, are more imme-
diate but are also more elusive. The worker may not realize
that he or she is experiencing burnout until altered percep-
tions of clients or the job have already had a negative ef-
fect on someone else (Cherniss, 1980; Maslach and Jackson,
1978). Obviously some of the physiological symptoms of
burnout would be noticed by the worker; however, the worker
may not associate the complaint or problem with burnout.
Disillusionment, frustration, and a sense of failure or in-
competence (Cherniss, 1980; Edelwich and Brodsky, 1980) are
some of the effects which may be diagnosed and addressed
more readily; these symptoms, however, are also personal
concerns which the worker is least likely to acknowledge
(Mattingly, 1977).

Not only the worker and the client, but also the orga-
nization at large (as a unit as well as in its various com—
ponents) is affected by burnout. The worker who does not
go to work may avoid having negative effects on the clients,

but it is the organization which must fill the gap.

59

Absenteeism and job turnover are the two most obvious ef-
fects on the organization; but neither of these problems
occur suddenly, and the circumstances which precede them
are probably as pervasive as their actual effects. The
drain on other workers is also an area of organizational
impact, as is the role of burnout on morale.

Probably the single most noticeable effect of burnout
on the client, the worker, and the organization is the
quality of the contact with clients (Maslach, 1981). The
worker who inadequately serves the clients contributes to
his or her own sense of failure and frustration while neg-
lecting his or her responsibility to the organization. The
process is so cyclical and the effects so interconnected that
it is difficult to specify a single, most important effect
or a definite origin. One descriptive scenario may offer
some insight, but that same situation would also suggest a
myriad of other possibilities. The term "ecological dys—
function" (Carroll and White, 1981) sums up the scope of
burnout, its origins, and its effects, in a graphic manner.
"Both causes and effects occur at all levels from the bio-
logical through the societal" (Paine, 1981).

It is important to note that the implications may be
realized in a manner similar to that manner in which burnout
is thought to occur, i.e., in stages (Golembiewski and Mun-
zenrider, 1981). The more advanced the burnout, the more

advanced the implications. This aspect brings into focus

60

the final implication to be reviewed in this chapter --
the challenge of burnout for the researcher and the prac-
titioner.

Most burnout research is directed, ultimately, toward
treating, moderating, or preventing burnout. Efforts are
made in a variety of dimensions to help reduce, eliminate
or avoid burnout. The most comprehensive summary of ef—
forts to deal effectively with the burnout stress syndrome
is found in the "Proceedings of the First National Confer-
ence on Burnout" (Paine, 1981). The conference presenters
approached the issue by first examining the burnout stress
syndrome in its historical and political (Cherniss, 1981)
and economic and legal (Minnehan and Paine, 1981) contexts.
An obvious key to effectiveness in dealing with burnout is
to attain a greater understanding of the phenomenon in the
context in which it occurs.

The presenters at the conference -- all experts in
their own fields and leaders in the study of burnout --
dealt with the ongoing difficulties of taking burnout seri-
ously as a stress syndrome (Sweeney, 1981). Burnout is
recognized as a popular term in an era of popular psychology
(Maslach, 1981) and it has the potential of being disregarded
as a new name for old conditions unless examined in the con-
text in which it occurs (Carroll and White, 1981). One pro-
blem which continues to plague the efforts to understand

burnout is the lack of empirical research on the phenomenon.

61

Warnings about using information on burnout are wellvfounded
due to the abundance of descriptive articles which are based
on informal observations and which are usually quite specif—
ic to the settings in which the study occurred (Shinn, 1981).

Coping strategies range from prevention to therapy. An
emphasis on adequate preparation of workers whose occupation
is burnout-prone as well as on training in dealing with some
of the potential sources of burnout in the work setting are
likely preventives. Wilder and Plutchik (1981) assume that

"there is a continuum of variables that contribute to

job stress and burnout. At one extreme there are in-

dividual variables such as personality characteristics,
job skills, and job expectations. At the opposite ex-
treme are organizational variables such as working con-
ditions, workload, and time pressures. In the middle
of the continuum, there are interactions between the
factors at the two extremes."

Methods of helping the individual range from training
the individual in the skills which best suit the individual
and the situation (Tubesing and Tubesing, 1981) to designing
interventions which may be implemented both on and off the
job (Edelwich and Brodsky, 1981). The coping skills play a
significant part in the quality of help a worker experiencing
burnout is able to provide (Freudenberger, 1981). Edelwich
and Brodsky (1980) note that burnout is a "natural process
of adaptation to experience" and therefore believe that it
is "unrealistic to think in terms of preventing it."

Golembiewski (1981) identifies the potential of Organi-

zation Development (OD) interventions in dealing with the

burnout stress syndrome while "creative supervision" is

62

posited as an "antidote for burnout" (Shapiro, 1981).
Paine (1981) suggests interventions which may focus on
or be targeted to specific sites or levels. "The four
most important sites are: (1) Individual; (2) Interper-
sonal; (3) Workplace; and (4) Organizational“ (Paine,
1981).

Ayala Pines (1981) concludes that a work environment
without burnout is an impossible goal. She identifies
psychological, physical, social, and organizational fea-
tures of the work environment which may be managed in ways
to prevent and/or counteract burnout.

In summary, the literature reveals that burnout is a
function of the person, the environment, and the inter-
action of the two. Likewise, any strategies of prevention
or intervention must take into account all relevant factors

in order to prove helpful.

CHAPTER I I I
METHODOLOGY

This chapter delineates the methods employed in de—
signing and conducting the investigation. A description
of the subjects who comprised the research population is
the first topic. Second is a description-of the data col—
lection procedures and research instruments, including the
development and implementation of the interview, the Burn-
out Measure, and the University Residence Environment Scale
(URES). The chapter closes with an explanation of the meth-

ods of data analysis.

Subjects

A total of one hundred forty-nine (149) resident assist-
ants (RAs) are employed at the University of Georgia. All
RAs are employed based on a comprehensive selection process
which includes statements of interests and qualifications,
personal references, and a series of interviews. RAs are
trained through a combination of methods including a College
of Education academic course, a workshop held prior to the
beginning of the school year in the fall, and in-service
training programs. RAs are the staff who are directly re-
sponsible for a residence hall living unit which accommo-
dates approximately forty college students. The RA posi-
tion requires twenty hours of work per week, yet the RA is

considered "on call" at any time. A position description

63

64

may be found in Appendix A.

The subjects for this investigation were selected from
the total resident assistant staff employed during the 1982-
83 academic year. Selection of subjects for this investiga—
tion was based on three criteria which served as controls:

(a) Time on the job: RAs who began their employment
at the start of fall quarter, 1982. At the time of
the first step of the investigation the subjects
had been in their positions for eight months.

(b) Training: RAs who were enrolled in the initial
training program (a College of Education academic
credit course entitled "Students Helping Students")
in the spring quarter, 1982, and who attended the
fall, 1982, staff workshop for RAs.

(c) Type of Assignment: RAs who were assigned to a
single-sex living unit rather than a coeducational
unit.

The criteria for selecting subjects and the timing pro-
cedures of the investigation combined to provide for maximum
homogeneity of the population without detracting from the
representativeness of the population of students who hold the
RA position in general.

The data collection commenced at the beginning of the
third week of spring quarter. Interviewers were given three
weeks to complete all components of the data collection. A

time relatively late in the school year was selected in order

65

to allow for maximum familiarity of RAs with students. The
particular time of the quarter was selected because it was
regarded by the investigator as a period without any ex—
treme academic or work-related pressures for staff (e.g.,
mid-term examinations, check-in/check-out of residents).

A total of fifty-seven (57) subjects were identified
and invited by the investigator to participate voluntarily
(Appendix B). Each subject was then contacted by a trained
assistant and arrangements for participation in the inves-
tigation were made. Before data collection began, the pur-
poses of the investigation and the rights and responsibil—
ities of the investigator and the subjects were explained.
Each subject who agreed to participate signed a statement
of consent in accordance with the research on human sub-

jects regulations of the University of Georgia (Appendix C).

Data Collection

 

The data collection procedures consisted of three com-
ponents in which each subject participated. Explanation of
the investigation and consent to participate (described
above) provided an introduction to the first component. The
first component of data collection was a personal interview
with an interviewer who was selected, trained and supervised
by the investigator. Second was a printed measurement instru-
ment administered by the interviewer immediately following
the interview. Several demographic items were included on

the cover sheet of the measurement instrument, primarily to

66

verify that each subject met the criteria of selection and
to provide for accurate records. Finally each subject com-
pleted a printed survey instrument which was mailed to him
or her one week after the interview. Each of these compo-

nents is described in detail below.

The Interview

 

A personal interview with each subject was employed as
the measure of "personal involvement" of the RA with the
students in his or her charge. The interview was based on
an investigation conducted by Jackson, Silberman and Wolfson
(1969) in which the authors measured the personal involve-
ment of elementary school teachers with their students.
Three dimensions of "personal involvement" were adapted for
use in this investigation and are defined below:

1. Preference: The RA's choice of students with
whom he or she "most prefers to associate," and
those with whom he or she "least prefers to asso-
ciate." Two students were identified for each
category.

2. Degree of Involvement: The evidence of personal
inVolvement reflected in the frequency of certain
descriptive comments about individuals; and

3. Quality of Involvement: The evidence of personal
involvement reflected in the emotional tone of

the descriptive comments about individuals.

67

The interview procedures were developed through pilot
interviews conducted by the investigator with resident as-
sistants who were not included in the research population.
These pilot interviews allowed the investigator to refine
the interview procedures and resulted in the development
of the standard procedures for conducting the interviews
and evaluating the responses of the subjects (Richardson,
et a1, 1965).

The interview consisted of two steps, as follows:

Step One: Identifying individual students: this step

provided for each subject to identify the
two students with whom he or she most pre-
ferred to associate and the two students
with whom he or she least preferred to as-
sociate from among the students living in
the group in his or her charge.

Step Two: Describing individual students: this step
was designed to provide a realistic situa—
tion in which the RA described each of the
four individuals previously identified.

Appendix D outlines the interview procedures in greater
detail.

Interviews were conducted by six student affairs workers
who were selected, trained, and supervised by the investiga-
tor. All interviews were audio tape recorded and then tran-

scribed for scoring by the investigator. The investigator

68

also listened to the tapes of each interviewer to determine

if appropriate interview techniques were used and protocol

was followed. Each transcript was rated using the follow-

ing classification of statements.

1.

Admiration or disdain: a statement in which the
RA clearly expressed admiration or disdain for
some aspect of the individual's behavior. For
example, "He is one of the most creative and witty
peOple that I've been associated with," and "She
couldn't understand why she couldn't scream at
four o'clock in the morning and be drunk and beat
on doors."

Judgment: a statement which contained a judgment
of worth -- positive or negative -- of the trait
identified or described. Examples are, "She's not
a real outgoing person, but she gets to know every-
body," and "She's very wealthy which I have nothing
against, but she's never had to learn to respect
other people."

Pleasure or frustration: a statement in which the
RA indicated personal pleasure or frustration in
working with the student. For example, "I just
find her an excellent type person to be around,"
and "He's pretty easy to get along with, except
that he does smoke pot and I can't ever catch him

at it."

69

Statements which were judged to be in any one of these
three classifications were identified and were then evaluated
to determine if the emotional tone expressed was positive
or negative. Statements which were not counted were state-
ments which reiterated or repeated statements already made,
statements which were used as fillers in the conversation
(e.g., "She's a nice person" or "He's a great guy"), and
statements which were descriptive of a group. The tense of
all interviewers was not the same. Because of the nature
of the interview and the differences among individuals, some
responses were in the past tense, some in present tense, and
some in future tense.

After all statements were classified and evaluated, the
total number of statements made about the most preferred stu-
dents indicated the degree of involvement with those students;
likewise the total number of classifiable statements made
about least preferred students indicated the degree of in-
volvement with those students. Both figures combined to in-
dicate the degree of involvement of the RA with students in
his or her charge.

Quality of involvement was determined by computing the
ratio or proportion of positive statements to the total num-
ber of classifiable statements. This computation yielded a
quality score ranging from 0 to 1.0. Three scores -- for
most preferred students, least preferred students, and com-
bined students —- were derived to indicate quality of in-

volvement.

70

Independent scoring of randomly selected transcripts
by additional judges established the reliability of the
scoring procedures. The percentage of agreement between
two independent raters scoring the same randomly selected
transcripts was 81.7%. This figure represents the average
of the percentages of agreement of the judges in identify-
ing and categorizing the indicators of personal involvement

for each description.

Burnout Measure

 

Burnout was measured by a paper and pencil question-
naire which measures "a state of physical, emotional, and
mental exhaustion which results from long-term involvement
with people in situations which are emotionally demanding"
(Pines, 1981). The "Burnout Measure" (Pines and Aronson,
1980) is a twenty—one item questionnaire in which respond-
ents indicate on a seven-point frequency scale their expe-
rience of a particular feeling or condition (Appendix F).
Permission to use the instrument was granted to the inves-
tigator by Ayala Pines, Ph.D, of the University of Cali-
fornia, Berkeley (Appendix G).

The items of the ”Burnout Measure" may be clustered
into three specific components which were integral to the
construction of the measure. These components are not used
separately in the analysis of the data because they are not

regarded as factors in their own right and because burnout

71

as a total score is particularly appropriate for this in-
vestigation. It may be of interest to note, however, that
burnout as measured by the “Burnout Measure“ represents
physical exhaustion (i.e., feeling weak, tired, rundown),
emotional exhaustion (i.e., feeling depressed, trapped,
hopeless), and mental exhaustion (i.e., self perception of
worthlessness, disillusionment, and resentment) (Pines,
1980). As defined by the author, a score of four (4) or
more on a scale of l - 7 represents a state of burnout.

In research with over five thousand (5000) subjects of
various ethnic backgrounds and in numerous work settings,
the "Burnout Measure" was found to have test-retest reli-
ability of .89 for a one-month interval, .76 for a two-
month interval, .66 for a four-month interval. Alpha coef-
ficients of internal consistency ranged from .91 to .93.
All of the twenty-one (21) individual items correlated with
the composite score at the .001 level of significance
(Pines, 1981).

Construct validity examinations revealed significant
correlations between burnout as measured by the "Burnout
Measure" and several measures of satisfaction (e.g., with
life, work, oneself), job turnover, hopelessness, and a
variety of health problems.

The cover sheet for the "Burnout Measure" contained
several demographic items. These items were included as a

means of verifying that each subject met the criteria of

72

selection. Four items from the cover sheet were regarded
as additional data for use in the investigation, including
"sex," "academic classification," "number of students in

the living unit," and "intentions to return as a resident

student" (Appendix E).

The University Residence Environment Scale

The University Residence Environment Scale (URES: Moos
and Gerst, 1974, Appendix H) was the standardized instrument
used to measure the environment in which the RA lives and
works. The URES is a one hundred item survey of the resi-
dence hall environment. The respondent reads each item
which describes a particular aspect of the residence hall
environment and then responds on a separate answer sheet
indicating whether the description is "true" or "false"
for his or her living unit.

The URES measures the social climate of the residence
hall living unit. Each item identifies a characteristic of
the environment which exerts a press toward three categories
of dimensions of the living unit of "house" -- Relationship
dimensions, Personal Growth or Development dimensions, and
System Maintenance and System Change dimensions (Moos and
Gerst, 1974).

There are ten (10) subscales of the URES, five of which

were included in this investigation.

73

Relationship Dimensions

Involvement Degree of commitment to the
house and residents; amount of
interaction and feeling of
friendship in the house.

Emotional Support Extent of manifest concern for
others in the house; efforts
to aid one another with academic
and personal problems; emphasis
on open and honest communica-
tion.

Personal Growth or Development Dimensions

Intellectuality Emphasis on cultural, artistic
and other scholarly intellec-
tual activities in the house,
as distinguished from strictly
classroom achievements.

System Maintenance and System Change Dimensions

Order and Organization Amount of formal structure or
organization (e.g., rules, sche-
dules, following established
procedures, etc.) in the house;
neatness.

Innovation Organizational and individual
spontaneity of behaviors and
ideas; number and variety of
activities; new activities.

Temporal stability of the instrument was measured and

reported in two ways. Test-retest correlations yielded aver-
age reliability coefficients (for the ten subscales) of .72
for a one-week interval and .68 for a four-week interval
(Moos and Gerst, 1974). Intraclass correlation (Haggard,
1958) coefficients were .96 after one week and .86 after

one month for men, and .96 after one week and .98 after one

month for women (Moos and Gerst, 1974).

A /_- -1

74

Subscale internal consistencies were deemed acceptable
(range: .77 to .88) and the average subscale intercorrela-
tions were measured at around .20, "indicating that the sub-
scales measure distinct, albeit somewhat related, aspects
of university living group environments" (Moos and Gerst,
1974).

Administration of the URES was by mail. Each subject
received the survey one week after he or she completed the
interview and the "Burnout Measure." A cover letter
(Appendix J) contained instructions for completing and re-
turning the instrument. Instructions are also included in
the test booklet.

A lapse of one week between the first two and the third
components of the investigation was arranged to avoid the
association of particular individuals and/or difficulties
with the descriptions of the environment. It was the inves-
tigator's view that this procedure would minimize bias in
data collection for any of the three components.

Surveys were returned to the investigator via cam-
pus mail and were scored by the investigator using the trans-
parent score key provided by the publisher.

The scores for all three components - Personal Involve—
ment, Burnout, and Residence Environment -- were then compiled

on a master chart in preparation for data analysis.

75

Hypotheses and Data Analysis
There were nineteen null hypotheses to be tested through
the data analysis. Each of these NULL hypotheses is stated
below. The data analysis procedures are described in the
section following the statement of the hypotheses.

Hypothesis 1: There is no relationship between the

 

degree of personal involvement of RAs with students
and measured burnout.

Hypothesis 2: There is no relationship between the

 

quality of personal involvement of RAs with students
and measured burnout.

Hypothesis 3: There is no relationship between an

 

RA's perception of the involvement characteristics of
the living unit and measured burnout.

Hypothesis 4: There is no relationship between the

 

RA's perception of the emotional support characteristics
of the living unit and measured burnout.

Hypothesis 5: There is no relationship between the

 

RA's perception of the intellectuality characteristics
of the living unit and measured burnout.

Hypothesis 6: There is no relationship between the

 

RA's perception of the order and organization charac-
teristics of the living unit and measured burnout.

Hypothesis 7: There is no relationship between the

 

RA's perception of the innovation characteristics of

the living unit and measured burnout.

76

Hypothesis 8: There is no relationship between the

 

degree of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of involvement characteristics
of the living unit.

Hypothesis 9: There is no relationship between the

 

degree of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of emotional support charac-
teristics of the living unit.

Hypothesis 10: There is no relationship between the

 

degree of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of intellectuality character-
istics of the living unit.

Hypothesis 11: There is no relationship between the

 

degree of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of order and organization
characteristics of the living unit.

Hypothesis 12: There is no relationship between the

 

degree of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of innovation of the living
unit.

Hypothesis 13: There is no relationship between the

 

quality of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of the involvement character-
istics of the living unit.

Hypothesis 14: There is no relationship between the

 

quality of personal involvement of RAs with students

77

and the RA's perception of the emotional support
characteristics of the living unit.

Hypothesis 15: There is no relationship between the

 

quality of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of the intellectuality charac-

teristics of the living unit.

 

Hypothesis 16: There is no relationship between the
quality of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of the order and organization
characteristics of the living unit.

Hypothesis 1?: There is no relationship between the

 

quality of personal involvement of RAs with students
and the RA's perception of the innovation character—
istics of the living unit.

Hypothesis 18: There is no significant interaction

 

effect of burnout and preference for students on the
degree of personal involvement of the RAs with stu-
dents; the variables are not related.

Independent Variable: Burnout

Moderator Variable: Preference

Dependent Variable: Degree of Personal Involvement

Hypothesis 19: There is no significant interaction

 

effect of burnout and preference for students on the
quality of personal involvement of RAs with students;
Independent Variable: Burnout

Moderator Variable: Preference

Dependent Variable: Quality of Personal Involvement

78

Hypotheses one through seventeen each involve two
variables which are reported in interval measures. Each
of these hypotheses was tested with the Pearson Product-
Moment Correlation (Tuckman, 1978). The investigator
sought the predictability of either variable given the
other for each hypothesis. Indication of covariation was
provided quantitatively as well as with scattergrams. The
latter enabled the investigator to visually evaluate the
degree of relationship and to identify any outlyers and
evaluate them apprpriately.

The significance level of each correlation was obtain-
ed and reported. Because the population was assumed to be
representative, the confidence level was set at 90 per cent;
any null hypothesis was rejected at the .10 level of signi-
ficance (Tuckman, 1978). The basic formula for calculating
the correlation coefficient is r = 2:. (X - i) (Y - Y)

X Y

Hypothesis eighteen and nineteen were tested with a
two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the inter-
action effects of the independent and moderator variables
on the dependent variable. The independent variable --
Burnout -- was an interval measure which was split at the
median to give two levels: high and low. The median-split
technique was required as a prerequisite to the ANOVA (Tuck—
man, 1978). The moderator variable -— Preference —— was al—

ready a nominal measure: most and least. Hypothesis

79

eighteen stated that the variables were not related in
their effect on the degree of personal involvement of RAs
with students. Hypothesis nineteen concerned the quality
of involvement of RAs with students. Either hypothesis
was to be rejected if the F value for the two-way ANOVA
exceeded the value for the appropriate degrees of freedom
(Tuckman, 1978). The level of significance was set at the
.05 level for rejection of the null hypothesis.

All statistical tests were completed using the Statis-
tical Package for Social Sciences software package (SPSS)
at the University of Georgia. A detailed descriptive ac-
count of all data regarding personal involvement, burnout,
and the residence hall environment is presented in the

first section of the next chapter.

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION

This investigation measured three general categories
of variables among a population of fifty-two (52) resident
assistants selected from the total RA staff (N=l49) at the
University of Georgia. In this chapter the investigator
delineates some demographics of the subjects, summarizes
the results of the research instruments and the interviews
of the subjects, and presents the results of each of the
nineteen null hypotheses. The results of the post hoc
analyses of the data conclude the chapter.

From the total population of one hundred forty-nine
resident assistants at the University of Georgia for 1982—
83, a research population was selected on the basis of three
criteria which served as controls for the investigation.
The three criteria were as follows:

1. Time on the job: RAs who began their employment
at the start of the fall quarter, 1982. At the
time of the first step of the investigation the
subjects had been in their positions for eight
months and were in their third quarter of employ-
ment as RAs.

2. Training: RAs who were enrolled in the initial
training program (a College of Education academic

credit course entitled "Students Helping Students")

80

81

in the spring quarter, 1982, and who attended the
fall, 1982, staff workshop for RAs.

3. Type of Assignment: RAs who were assigned to a
single-sex living unit rather than a coeducational

unit.

The Research Population

 

Fifty-seven (57) RAs met all three criteria and were
identified by the investigator. Five of the subjects either
refused to participate or were not contacted by interviewers
in time to be included in the investigation; therefore, the
actual number of subjects in the investigation was fifty-
two (52). As a part of the investigation several demographic
factors were specified, including gender, academic classifi-
cation, academic major, number of residents for whom the RA
was responsible, grade point average for the quarter prior
to the investigation, cumulative grade point average, and in—
tent to return in 1983-84 as a resident assistant. These
factors were included in order to provide a basis for de-
scribing the population and to offer some additional considera-

tion for possible analysis.

Gender of Subjects

Among the total RA staff at the University of Georgia
there were eighty-seven females (58%) and sixty-two males
(42%). The research population consisted of thirty-two

women (62%) and twenty men (38%). (Table l)

82

Academic Classification of Subjects

 

A student must be a sophomore or above in order to be
appointed as a resident assistant. Because of the criterion
that subjects would be in their first year of employment,
it was expected that a majority of the population would be
sophomores. Twenty-seven of the RAs (52%) included in the
research population were sophomores. There were thirteen

juniors (25%) and twelve seniors (23%). (Table 1)

Academic Majors of Subjects

 

The RA position is commonly regarded as a job which
offers skills and opportunities applicable to a variety of
future careers. The administrative and interpersonal
training and experiences combine with the responsibility
entailed in the position to afford the RA with competencies
which enhance his or her qualifications for future employ-
ment. A wide range of academic interests and majors are
represented within the research population. Table 2
summarizes the categories of academic majors represented

among the population.

Number of Students in the RA's Charge

At the outset of this investigation the number of resi-
dents for whom the RA was responsible was identified as a
criterion for inclusion in the research population and was
intended to serve as a control variable. This factor was

originally selected as a control variable because it was

83

assumed to represent "workload,“ a factor which is sometimes
considered to be associated with burnout. Because RAs do not
have a workload, per se, based on numbers of students (except
at certain times of the year like check-in or check-out of
residents) the investigator reconsidered this factor as a
control and elected to disregard it as a criterion for selec-
tion. This decision allowed for a greater number of subjects
to be included in the research population.

In addition, the number of residents was not determined
to have any statistically significant relationship to any of
the variables included in the investigation. RAs were divided
into two groups with respect to number of residents in their
charge using the median-split technique (median = 36 residents
per RA). A series of t-tests revealed no statistically signi-
ficant differences in mean scores of the eight primary vari-
ables between the two groups. The numbers of students for
whom RAs are responsible are reported as another demographic
variable for descriptive purposes (Table l).

The number of residents in the living units supervised
by the RAs in the research population ranged from twenty (20)
to fifty-four (54), and the average number of residents per

RA was thirty-eight (38).

Grade Point Averages
Grade point averages were available for the RAs in the
research population because records are kept as a means of

verifying that each RA maintains the minimum GPA required

84

TABLE 1

SUMMARY OF SELECTED DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE RESEARCH POPULATION

 

Gender of Subjects

 

Females n=32

Males n=20

Academic Classification of Students

 

Sophomores n=27
Juniors n=13
Seniors n=12

Distribution of
Number of Students in the RA's Charge

 

Students n= Students n= Students n=
20 l 32 5 42 2
24 l 34 3 44 3
26 1 35 2 45 l
27 2 36 4 46 l
28 l 38 4 48 5
29 3 39 l 50 3
30 4 40 2 54 3

x = 38 Median = 36

 

85

TABLE 2

ACADEMIC MAJORS REPRESENTED BY THE RESEARCH POPULATION

 

Business Administration 16
Journalism/Communications 8
Agriculture 4
Education 4
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Veterinary 3
Art 3
Psychology 3
Biology 1
Criminal Justice 1
Economics 1
English 1
Home Economics 1
Political Science 1
Social-Work 1

Undecided 2

86

for employment. The minimum GPA required for RAs is 2.2 on
a 4.0 scale. For the quarter immediately prior to the in-
vestigation the averages for the RAs ranged from 1.5 to 4.0
and the mean quarterly GPA for the pOpulation was 3.04.
Cumulative GPAs ranged from 2.04 to 4.0, and the mean was
3.03. GPAs lower than the minimum allowed normally result
in a probationary status for the RA involved, and this was
the case with the two individuals whose GPAs were in the
range below the minimum allowed.

Pearson Product—Moment Correlations resulted in no
statistically significant correlation coefficients of GPA
with burnout, degree of personal involvement, or quality

of personal involvement.

Intent to Return

 

Each subject was asked to indicate whether or not he
or she planned to return as a resident assistant for the
1983-84 academic year. Forty of the fifty-two subjects in-
dicated that they did in fact intend to return. Of the
twelve RAs who indicated that they did not plan to return,
ten were seniors who were about to graduate. The number of
subjects (two) who were eligible to return and who indicated
that they did not intend to return as RAs was insufficient
for any meaningful analysis; therefore, there were no impli-
cations for any of the three primary variables with respect

to intent to return.

87

Results of the Research Instruments
There were three measures used in this investigation
to assess personal involvement of RAs with students in their
charge, burnout, and RA perceptions of the residence hall
environment. The results of each of these measures are pre-

sented below.

Personal Involvement of RAs with Students in Their Charge

 

The personal involvement of the RAs with students in
their charge was measured through analysis of transcripts of
individual interviews with each subject. Each RA was asked
to identify four individuals who resided on his or her
floor -- two residents with whom the RA most preferred to
associate and two residents with whom the RA least preferred
to associate. Once the four students were identified, the
interviewer asked the RA to describe each of the four indi—
viduals. The descriptions were tape-recorded, and the re-
cordings were transcribed and analyzed by the investigator.
Each transcript was assigned six scores, as follows:

Degree of Personal Involvement with Most Preferred
Students

Degree of Personal Involvement with Least Preferred
Students

Degree of Personal Involvement with All Students
Described

Quality of Personal Involvement with Most Preferred
Students

Quality of Personal Involvement with Least Preferred
Students

Quality of Personal Involvement with All Students
Described

88

TABLE 3

SUMMARY OF PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT SCORES
FROM INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS

 

DEGREE OF PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT

 

RANGE MEAN MEDIAN S.D.
MOst Preferred Students 2.0-28.0 12.08 11.25 5.74
Least Preferred Students 0-21.0 10.12 10.00 4.49
ALL Students 5.0-45.o 22.21 21.75 8.72

QUALITY OF PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT

RANGE MEAN MEDIAN S.D.
Most Preferred Students .66—1.0 .964 .998 .068
Least Preferred Students 0- .60 .150 .082 .025

ALL STUDENTS .18—1.0 .591 .610 .162

 

.89

Table 3 summarizes the scores of the transcripts. The
degree of personal involvement score reflects the number of
classifiable statements made about the individuals being
described. Each classifiable statement was analyzed to de-
termine whether or not it was positive or negative in its
emotional tone. Quality of personal involvement scores were
derived from the proportion of positive classifiable state-
ments to the total number of classifiable statements. A
score of degree of involvement represents the sum of state-
ments made about both students in the two categories (most
and least preferred). The quality of involvement score rep-
resents the average quality score of the two descriptions
in each category.

Five transcripts were not available due to technical
difficulties; therefore, the number of subjects included in

the personal involvement measure was forty—seven (47).

Burnout

The "Burnout Measure" (Pines and Aronson, 1980) meas-
ures "a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion
which results from long-term involvement with people in
situations that are emotionally demanding" (Pines, 1981).
Administration of this twenty-one item instrument requires
the respondent to indicate, on a seven-point frequency scale,
his or her experience of the particular experience of condi-
tion mentioned. The authors of the instrument consider a

total score of "4" or above to indicate a state of burnout.

90

The scores of the research population ranged from 1.86 to
5.81, and the mean score was 2.92. The scores were distri-
buted in a manner similar to the scores of other populations
with which this instrument has been used, including teachers,
police officers, and nurses. Table 4 summarizes the burnout
scores of the resident assistant population and presents the
comparisons with scores of the three groups of workers men-
tioned.

The importance of the similarity of measured burnout
among the population of resident assistants with results
among other populations is that RAs experience burnout with
a similar intensity to that of workers who are frequently
discussed in burnout literature. Burnout is an actual ex-
perience for RAs and is therefore regarded in this investiga-

tion as a phenomenon which merits extensive investigation.

University Residence Environment Scale (URES)

The social climate of the living unit within the resi-
dence hall was measured with the University Residence Envi-
ronment Scale (URES). The one hundred items are divided
into ten subscales which each measure one of three dimen-
sions of the residence hall environments, including "Rela-
tionship" dimensions, "Personal Growth or Development" di-
mensions, and "System Maintenance and System Change" dimen-
sions. The respondent indicates whether each item included
in the instrument is "true" or "false" for the living unit

in which he or she resides.

91

TABLE 4

BURNOUT SCORES OF THE POPULATION OF RESIDENT ASSISTANTS AND
COMPARISON WITH SCORES OF OTHER RESEARCH POPULATIONS

 

Resident Assistants' Burnout Scores

 

 

 

n-52
Range 1.86 to 5.81
Mean 2.92
VARIABLE RAs TEACHERS POLICE NURSES
OFFICERS
n=52 n=110 n=267 n=352
Tired 4.2 4.4 4.2 4.6
Depressed 3.1 3.4 3.0 3.5
Good Day 5.5 3.0 2.8 3.1
Physical Exhaustion 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.7
Emotional Exhaustion 3.7 3.9 3.2 3.8
Happy 5.7 2.8 2.6 2.8
Wiped Out 2.9 3.1 2.7 3.3
Burned Out 3.1 3.2 2.7 3.0
Unhappy 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.2
Rundown 3.3 3.5 3.1 3.7
Trapped 2.3 3.2 2.4 2.7
Worthless 1.9 2.4 1.8 2.7
Weary 3.1 3.8 2.7 3.5
Troubled 3.5 3.4 2.7 3.2
Resentful 2.7 3.0 2.9 3.2
Weak 2.2 2.6 2.2 2.5
Hopeless 1.8 2.4 1.8 2.2
Rejected 2.4 2.6 1.9 2.4
Optimistic 5.4 3.2 3.4 3.2
Energetic 5.1 3.2 3.2 3.4
Anxious 4.6 3.6 4.0 3.6
Overall Mean Score 2.9 3.2 2.9 3.2

 

Columns 2, 3 and 4 reprinted from Pines, A. "The Burnout
Measure," Paper Presented at the National Converence on
Burnout in the Human Services, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
November, 1981.

92

Results of this instrument among the research population
indicate a wide range of perspectives about the residence hall
environments in which the subjects live and work. Table 5
summarizes the results of the five subscales which were in-

cluded in this investigation.

Results of Tests of Hypotheses

 

There were five general hypotheses made at the outset
of this investigation. Each of these hypotheses is restated
below.

Hypotheses one through seventeen each concerned a rela-
tionship between two interval variables. The Pearson Product-
Moment Correlation was used as the indication of covariation
(Tuckman, 1978). Both correlation matrices and scatter dia-
grams were prepared in the data analysis. A significance
level of .10 was selected for testing each null hypothesis.
The likelihood of a Type I error was greater with this level
of significance; the investigator, however, regarded the bene-
fits of identifying trends to both research and practice as
greater than the liabilities of a possible Type I error (Ary,
et a1, 1972; Tuckman, 1978).

Hypotheses eighteen and nineteen were investigated in
order to evaluate the interaction of burnout and preference
for association with students on degree and quality of per—
sonal involvement, respectively. A two-factor ANOVA was
selected for analysis of these two hypotheses (Tuckman, 1978).
A .05 level of significance of the F—ratio was set for rejec-

tion of the null hypothesis regarding interaction effects.

 

93

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94

First General Hypothesis

 

Burnout is associated with (a) lower degrees of personal
involvement with students (b) lower quality of involvement
with students, and (c) fewer reported environmental charac-
teristics indicative of involvement, emotional support, intel-
lectuality, order and organization, and innovation. Table 6
summarizes the coefficients of these correlations.

Hypothesis 1: It was hypothesized that burnout would

 

be associated with lower degrees of personal involve-
ment of the RA with students. The results of the cor—
relation analysis were significant (r=-.2504, df=45,

p 4.10), indicating that there is an inverse relation-
ship between burnout and degree of personal involvement.
RAs who have a higher burnout score exhibit a lower de-
gree of personal involvement with the students in their
charge. The null hypothesis can be rejected at the .10
level of significance.

Hypothesis 2: The second hypothesis -- that burnout

 

would be associated with a lower quality of personal in-
volvement of the RA with students -- was also confirmed
(r=-.2733, df=45, p‘<.lO). The inverse relationship
between these two variables indicates that RAs who have
a higher burnout score also exhibit a lower quality of
personal involvement with students. The null hypothesis,
therefore, can be rejected at the .10 level of signifi-

cance .

95

Hypothesis 3: This hypothesis predicted that there

 

would be an inverse relationship between burnout and

the RA's perception of the involvement characteristics
of the environment. The correlation coefficient
(r=-.43l4, df=50, p<C.OOl) allows for rejection of the
null hypothesis and indicates that as RAs perceive

their environment as having more characteristics of
involvement, their burnout scores are lower. Conversely,
as RAs report higher burnout scores, they identify fewer
involvement characteristics in their living unit.

Hypothesis 4: Burnout is also associated with fewer

 

reported environmental characteristics indicative of
emotional support. The correlation coefficient (r=-.307l,
df=50, p'<.05) allows the investigator to reject the null
hypothesis at the .05 level of significance. Lower burn-
out scores are associated with perceptions of more char-
acteristics indicative of emotional support in the envi-
ronment. Likewise, higher burnout scores are associated
with fewer emotional support characteristics of the
living unit.

Hypothesis 5: Hypothesis five stated, in the null for-

 

mat, that there was no relationship between the RA's
perception of the intellectuality characteristics of

the living unit and measured burnout. The correlation
coefficient was too small to reject the null hypothesis
(r=—.l826, df=50). A negative correlation had been pre-

dicted by the investigator.

96

Hypothesis 6: Burnout and Order and Organization in

 

the living unit were the variables of hypothesis six.

A relatively high level of significance of the corre—
lation coefficient (r=-.3509, df=52, p (.05) allowed

for rejection of the null hypothesis that there was no
relationship between Burnout and Order and Organization.
This finding indicates that the fewer characteristics

of an orderly, organized environment are associated with
higher degrees of measured burnout. Likewise, lower
burnout scores are associated with perceptions of the
environment as more orderly and organized.

Hypothesis 7: The seventh null hypothesis was retained.

 

The correlation coefficient of burnout and environmental
characteristics of innovation was not statistically sig-
nificant (r=-.1563, df=50); therefore, the inverse rela-

tionship anticipated by the investigator is not supported.

Second General Hypothesis

 

Degree of personal involvement of RAs with students is
associated with an increase in reported environmental char—
acteristics indicative of involvement, emotional support,
intellectuality, order and organization, and innovation.

Hypothesis 8: Degree of personal involvement of RAs

 

with students is, as was hypothesized in number eight,
associated with involvement characteristics of the
living unit (r=.2557, df=47, p‘<.10). The null hypo-

thesis that there would be no relationship is rejected

97

at the .10 level of significance. RAs who demonstrate
a higher degree of personal involvement with students

characterize their environment as having higher degrees
of commitment, interaction, and feelings of friendship.

Hypothesis 9: The ninth null hypothesis is also rejected

 

at the .10 level of significance. A correlation coeffi-
cient of .2630 (df=47, p<1.10) indicates a positive re-
lationship between the degree of personal involvement

of RAs with students and environmental characteristics
indicative of emotional support. RAs who perceive fewer
indicators of emotional support in the living unit indi-
cate lower degrees of personal involvement with students.

Hypothesis 10: The investigator predicted a positive

 

association between degree of personal involvement and
environmental characteristics indicative of intellec-
tuality. A low correlation of .067 (df=47), however was
the basis for retaining the null hypothesis that there
would be no relationship between the two variables.

Hypothesis 11: The eleventh null hypothesis -- that

 

there is no relationship between the degree of personal
involvement of RAs with students and the RA's percep-

tion of order and organization characteristics of the
living unit -- was also retained on the basis of a very
low correlation coefficient of .045 (df=47). The investi—
gator had anticipated a positive relationship between

these two variables.

98

Hypothesis 12: The final hypothesis concerning degree
of personal involvement predicted a relationship with
environmental characteristics of innovation. This null
hypothesis was retained, however, with a coefficient of
.07 (df=47), indicating that the association is not

significant.

Third General Hypothesis

 

Quality of personal involvement of RAs with students is
associated with an increase in reported environmental charac-
teristics indicative of involvement, emotional support, intel-
lectuality, order and organization, and innovation.

Hypothesis 13: In null format hypothesis thirteen stated

that there is no relationship between the quality of per—

sonal involvement of RAs with students and the RA's per—
ception of the involvement characteristics of the living
unit. The correlation coefficient (r=.2813, df=47, p41.05)

allows for rejection of the null hypothesis at the .05

level of significance. There is an association of quality

of personal involvement and environmental characteristics
indicative of involvement.

Hypothesis 14: This hypothesis predicted that the quality

 

of personal involvement of RAs with students would be

associated with an increase in emotional support charac-
teristics of the living unit. A highly significant cor-
relation (r=.5189, df=47, p‘1.0001) allowed the investi-

gator to reject the null hypothesis. The RA's perception

99

of emotional support in the environment is directly cor-
related with the quality of his or her personal involve-
ment with students.

Hypothesis 15: Intellectuality in the living unit is

 

positively associated with the quality of personal in—
volvement of RAs with students (r=.4022, df=47, p‘<.005).
The null hypothesis was rejected, indicating that either
quality of personal involvement or intellectuality may
be predicted based on the status of the other variable.
This correlation is highly significant.

Hypothesis 16: The null hypothesis concerning the rela-

 

tionship of quality of personal involvement of RAs with
students and order and organization characteristics of
the environment was retained with an insignificant cor-
relation coefficient of .1509 (df=47). The relationship
predicted by the investigator was not supported.

Hypothesis 17: Quality of personal involvement of RAs

 

with students is not associated with environmental
characteristics of innovation as evidenced in the low
correlation coefficient of .217 (df=47). The null hypo—

thesis, therefore, was retained.

Fourth General Hypothesis

 

There are significant interaction effects of burnout and
preference for students on degree of personal involvement.
Hypothesis 18: The investigator predicted that RAs with

higher burnout scores would indicate a higher degree of

100

personal involvement with most preferred students than
with least preferred students. The null hypothesis
stated that "there is no significant interaction effect
of burnout and preference for students on degree of
personal involvement of RAs with students.“ A two-way
analysis of variance (ANOVA) was run (burnout X prefer-
ence for association) for the dependent variable degree
of personal involvement. The results of the ANOVA did
confirm the main effect of burnout on degree of involve-
ment (F=8.9648, p‘<.01) demonstrated in hypothesis one.
No interaction effect of burnout and preference for
association was demonstrated (see Table 6), however,

and the null hypothesis was retained.

Fifth General Hypothesis

 

There are significant interaction effects of burnout and
preference for students on quality of personal involvement.

Hypothesis 19: It was predicted that RAs with higher

 

burnout scores would indicate a higher quality of per-
sonal involvement with students with whom they most pre-
ferred to associate than with least preferred students.
In null format the hypothesis stated that "there is no
significant interaction effect of burnout and preference
for students on quality of personal involvement of RAs
with students." With burnout as the independent variable
and preference for association as the moderator variable,

a two-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of preference

101

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102

on quality of involvement (F=12.9l7, p<:.01) but no
interaction effect was demonstrated (see Table 7).

Consequently the null hypothesis was retained.

Post Hoc Analyses

 

Preparation of a correlation matrix containing all six
variables of personal involvement, all ten subscales of the
URES, and the single variable of burnout provided a concise
picture of any significant relationships for which no hypo—
theses were formulated. This section of post hoc analysis
summarizes all of the statistically significant correlations
which were determined. The level of significance for in-
cluding unhypothesized relationships was set at .10. Although
.10 is a relatively low level of statistical significance, the
investigator set this level as a means of isolating trends in
relationships among the variables. The reader is urged to
interpret the findings accordingly.

Item One: Degree of Personal Involvement with Most Preferred
Students and URES Involvement

 

A correlation coefficient of .366 (df=45) is statisti-
cally significant at the .025 level. This rather high level
of significance indicated that the perception of the environ-
ment as having a high "degree of commitment to the house and
residents; amount of interaction and feeling of friendship
in the house," or Involvement, is associated with the RA's
degree of involvement with students with whom he or she most

prefers to associate. Item one differs from hypothesis eight

103

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104

by specifying "most preferred students" rather than
students in general and in yielding a higher correla-
tion coefficient.

Item Two: Degree of Personal Involvement with Most,
Preferred Students and URES EmotiOnal Support

These two variables are correlated at a very significant
.005 level (r=.4l, df=45), indicating that Emotional Support
is associated with degree of personal involvement with most
preferred students. Emotional Support is described as
"extent of manifest concern for others in the house; efforts
to aid one another with academic and personal problems;
emphasis on open and honest communication."

It should be noted that, like URES data available for
other populations, this investigation reVealed a significantly
high correlation (.62) between Involvement and Emotional Sup-
port subscales of the URES. This is exactly the same correla-
tion coefficient as was found among the original population
of students with whom the URES was developed. The investiga-
tor highlights this point because of the similarity of corre-
lation of both of the URES subscales with the degree of per-
sonal involvement with most preferred students.

Item two is also similar to the original hypothesis
nine in that it correlates degree of involvement with Emo-
tional Support. The distinguishing element is that "most
preferred students" are specified, whereas hypothesis nine

concerned students in general.

105

Item Three: Quality of Personal Involvement with Most
Preferred Students and URES Student Influence

 

 

Student influence refers to the "extent to which student
residents (not staff or administration) perceive they control
the running of the house; formulate and enforce the rules,
control use of the money, selection of staff, food, room—
mates, policies, etc." A correlation coefficient of —.28
(df=45, p'<.10) indicates an inverse association of quality
of personal involvement with most preferred students and
student influence in the living unit.

Item Four: Quality of Personal Involvement with Most
Preferred Students and URES Innovation

 

 

Innovation refers to "organizational and individual
spontaneity of behaviors and ideas; number of and variety
of activities; new activities." The negative correlation
between these two variables is very significant (r=-.32,
df=45, p4L.05), and indicates an inverse relationship be-
tween these two variables. Hypothesis seventeen revealed
no significant relationship between these variables with
respect to students in general. Quality of involvement with
most preferred students, however, introduced an element which
resulted in a significant finding.

Item Five:guality of Personal Involvement with All
Students and URES Student Influence

 

As indicated in item three, there is an inverse relation-
ship between student influence and quality of personal in-

volvement of RAs with most preferred students. When personal

106

involvement with all students is considered, however, with
respect to student influence, the correlation is positive,

and it is highly significant (r=35, df=45, p<:.025). As
there is an increase in the "extent to which student resi-
dents (not staff or administration) perceive they control

the running of the house; formulate and enforce rules, con-
trol use of the money, selection of staff, food, roommates,
policies, etc." there is also a significant increase in the
positive quality of personal involvement of RAs with students.

Item Six: Quality of Personal Involvement with All Students
and URES Traditional Social Orientation

 

Traditional Social Orientation reflects the "stress on
dating, going to parties, and other 'traditional' hetero-
sexual interaction." A correlation of .25 (df=45, p<1.10)
indicates a positive association between the perceived tradi-
tional social orientation of the living unit and the quality
of personal involvement of the RA with students.

Item Seven: Quality of Personal Involvement with All
Students and URES Independence

 

The quality of personal involvement of RAs with students
increases systematically with the RA's perception of the en—
vironment as characterized by "diversity of residents' beha-
viors allowed without social sanction, versus socially proper
and conformist behavior," or "Independence." The correlation

is quite significant (r=.39, df=45, p<L.025).

107

Item Eight: URES Competition and Four Factors of Personal
Involvement with Students

 

 

Competition is "the degree to which a wide variety of
activities such as dating, grades, etc. are cast into a com-
petitive framework." There is a systematic negative asso—
ciation of competition in the living unit and four specific

factors of personal involvement, as follows:

Correlation with Degree of Personal Involvement of RAs

with Most Preferred Students (r=-.38, df=45, p<:.025)

Correlation with Quality of Personal Involvement of RAs

with Least Preferred Students (r=-.27, df=45, p<:.10)

Correlation with Degree of Personal Involvement of RAs

with All Students (r=-.33, df=45, p‘L.05)

Correlation with Quality of Personal Involvement of RAs

with All Students (r=—.3l, df=45, p<L.05)

It could be hypothesized that perceived competition in
the environment exerts a negative effect on these variables
of degree and quality of personal involvement. One might also
hypothesize that the lower degree and lower quality of involve-
ment of RAs with students results in a perception of the envi-

ronment as competitive.

Additional Analyses
The final set of post hoc analyses attempted to account

for gender of subjects as a meaningful variable for burnout,

108

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109

degree of personal involvement, and quality of personal involve-
ment. A t—test was conducted for each of these three variables
to measure the difference between mean scores of men and women

for each of the three factors (Table 9).

Burnout and Gender of Subjects

For women RAs the mean score on the Burnout Measure was
3.10. The mean score for men RAs was 2.63. A t-test was con-
ducted to ascertain if this apparent difference in means was
statistically significant. With fifty degrees of freedom,
the t-value of 2.73 was statistically significant at the .01
level, indicating that women RAs' burnout scores were signifi-

cantly higher than the scores of the male RAs.

Degree of Personal Involvement with Students and Gender of RA
Forty-seven cases -- twenty-eight women and nineteen men
-- were available for analysis of the difference between mean
scores of degree of personal involvement with students. The
t-value computed was not statistically significant, indicating
that there is no significant difference in the degree of per-
sonal involvement with students between male RAs and female

RAs in the population.

Quality of Personal Involvement with Students and Gender of RA

 

A t-value of 2.0 (df=45) indicates that the difference
in the mean quality score of personal involvement of RAs with
students is statistically significant between male RAs and

female RAs. The quality of personal involvement of women RAs

110

TABLE 9

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANCE TESTS BETWEEN FEMALES AND MALES
FOR THREE FACTORS

 

FACTOR t

 

Burnout: Females vs. Males 2.73 **

Degree of Personal Involvement:
Females vs. Males -.53

Quality of Personal Involvement
Females vs. Males 2.00 *

 

* p‘:.lO
** pc. .01

111

is significantly greater than the quality of personal involve-

ment of men RAs at the .10 level of significance.

Summary

An analysis of nineteen hypotheses derived from variables
measured through individual interviews and two printed measures
resulted in a number of statistically significant findings.
Additional analyses of the available data revealed thirteen
statistically significant findings which were relevant to the
investigation.

The research population was representative in several re-
spects to other populations, although three criteria were used
in controlling the homogeneity of the population. The male:
female ratio was quite similar to the male:fema1e ratio of the
population from which the subjects were selected, i.e., approxi-
mately 40% male and 60% female. A diversity of academic majors
and a wide range of grade point averages suggest that the sub-
jects are not atypical of college students in both of those
respects. The Burnout scores of the research population were
found to be similar to the measured scores of other research
populations. More than one half of the subjects were college
SOphomores, a factor which resulted from the criteria of se-
lection which specified that subjects would be in their first
year of employment.

The measure of "Personal Involvement" was found to be a
measure which differentiated subjects from one another. De-

gree and quality of involvement were the two basic concerns,

112

and both were measured in terms of most preferred students,
least preferred students, and combined scores reflecting in-
volvement with students in general.

Burnout also discriminated among the subjects. The
scores reported indicate a wide range of experienced burnout
among the subjects. The presence of the burnout phenomenon
within the population was clearly established in this inves—
tigation, and the relationship of burnout with other vari-
ables confirms that the condition of burnout among resident
assistants merits study.

Environmental conditions affect the RA as a student, a
resident, and a worker. The University Residence Environment
Scale (URES) provided a basis for having each RA characterize
his or her own particular environment -- the living unit.
The subjects' descriptions of their environments varied in a
manner similar to reports of other research populations, and
significant correlations with other variables were detected.

Of the nineteen null hypotheses in this investigation
ten hypotheses were rejected. Seventeen of the hypotheses
were tested using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation,
and a two-way ANOVA was used for testing the last two null
hypotheses.

Burnout was found to be significantly correlated with
five other variables. Burnout is associated with both degree
of personal involvement and quality of personal involvement

at the .10 level of significance. Both of the correlations

113

were negative, as predicted by the investigator. URES sub-
scales correlated with burnout included Involvement, Emotional
Support, and Order and Organization, all three of which were
negative correlations.

The degree of personal involvement of RAs with students
was found to be significantly correlated with URES subscales
of Involvement and Emotional Support. Both of these positive
correlations were significant at the .10 level.

Quality of personal involvement of RAs with students was
found to be positively correlated with the URES subscales
Involvement (p44.05), Emotional Support (p¢<.0001), and Intel-
lectuality (p 4.005) .

Post hoc analyses revealed eleven relevant and signifi-
cant items of correlation. In addition, the gender of the RA
was found to be a statistically significant factor in both
burnout and quality of personal involvement of RAs with stu-
dents. Females scored significantly higher (p<L.01) than
males on the burnout measure. Furthermore, it was found that
the quality of personal involvement with students was statis-
tically significantly greater (more positive) among women RAs
than among men RAs.

In the final chapter the investigator draws conclusions
from these results and makes recommendations for research and

practice.

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS
AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This investigation was conducted to explore the relation-
ships between personal involvement of RAs with students, burn-
out, and the perceived characteristics of the residence hall
environment. From the total population (N=l49) of Resident
Assistants (RAs) at the University of Georgia, fifty-two (52)
RAs were selected on the basis of their time on the job (eight
months), their training, and their type of assignment. Data
collection involved individual interviews with each subject
and the administration of two measurement instruments.

Nineteen null hypotheses were formulated and tested.

Nine were retained while ten hypotheses resulted in findings
which were statistically significant. An additional thirteen
findings which were not hypothesized were also statistically
significant.

The specific purpose of this investigation was to answer
the following questions: What is the degree and quality of
personal involvement of Resident Assistants with students in
their charge? What is the extent of measured burnout among
selected RAs? How do RAs perceive the residence hall environ-
ment in which they live and work? What are the relationships
among the variables of personal involvement, burnout, and

environmental characteristics?

114

115

Each of these four questions is answered below through
delineation of the results of the interviews, the measurement
instruments, the hypothesis tests, and the post hoc analyses.
Conclusions based on the findings are discussed, implications
for practice are identified, and recommendations for further

study are made.

Summary of Findings

 

Personal Involvement of RAs with Students

 

Resident assistants vary considerably in their degree of
personal involvement with students. An inspection of the
interview transcripts confirms the interviewers' reports that
the length of the interviews ranged from as short as five
minutes to as long as thirty minutes. In general, the shorter
interviews indicated a lower degree of involvement score simply
because there were fewer statements made about individuals;
however, there were some rather lengthy interviews which were
of little substance in terms of classifiable statements. For
example, some RAs responded to the request to describe a stu-
dent with long descriptions of a particular incident which
served as background for their descriptions of an individual.

The degree of personal involvement of RAs with students
ranged from 5 to 45. The mean involvement score was 22.2.
These scores indicate the total score of the subjects, i.e.,
the combined number of classifiable statements made regarding

both most preferred and least preferred students.

116

Quality of personal involvement scores reflect the pro—
portion of positive classifiable statements to the total
number of classifiable statements. Correlation coefficients
indicated no statistically significant relationship between
quality of personal involvement and degree of personal in-
volvement.

The quality of involvement scores ranged from .18 to
1.0. The average quality of involvement score for all four
students described by each RA was .59.

A review of the interview transcripts suggests that
positive statements reveal perceived similarity of the stu—
dent to the RA, helpfulness in the living unit, involvement
of the student with the floor, and orderliness and approach-
ability of the individual. Negative statements seem to
focus on behavior problems such as alcohol—related behavior
and incidents, noise and anti-social or non-involvement be-

haviors.

Burnout

Burnout exists in varying degrees among the RA population.
A score of "4" or above on the seven-point scale indicates a
condition of "burnout." The scores of the subjects in this
investigation ranged from 1.86 to 5.81, and the average score
was 2.92. Similar scores have been found among other, more
extensively researched populations of workers.

The extent of RA burnout, therefore, is regarded as simi-

lar to the extent of burnout among other populations and is

117

demonstrated to be a viable construct for investigation among

resident assistants.

The Residence Hall Environment

 

Five subscales of the University Residence Environment
Scale (URES) were used in this investigation, although all
ten subscales were administered. The results from the five
URES subscales indicate that the subjects' perceptions of
the living unit environments span almost the entire range of
possible scores for each subscale. Involvement scores were
from 2 to 10 (i = 7.9), Emotional Support ranged from 0 to 10
(x = 7.2), Intellectuality measured from 0 to 8 (R = 3.5),
Order and Organization scores were from 2 to 10 (i = 6.5),
and Innovation ranged from 0 to 9 (x = 5.4). The variations
indicated by these ranges provided a useful basis for conducting
the correlational studies which were a major component of the

investigation.

Results of Hypothesis Tests

 

The first general research hypothesis was confirmed in
five of its seven components. Burnout was found to be signifi«
cantly and inversely associated with degree of personal in—
volvement, quality of personal involvement, and the URES sub»
scales of Involvement, Emotional Support. and Order and Organi~
zation. The two variables which were not found to correlate
with burnout were Intellectuality and Innovation.

The second general hypothesis predicted relationships

between degree of personal involvement and each of the five

118

URES subscales. Two of the five subscales were significantly
associated with degree of personal involvement: Involvement
and Emotional Support. Order and Organization, Intellectuality,
and Innovation were not correlated with degree of involvement
at a significant level.

Quality of personal involvement was expected to be corre~
lated with each of the five URES subscales in the third general
hypothesis. Significant correlations were measured between
quality of involvement and three of the subscales: Involvement,
Emotional Support, and Intellectuality.

Interaction effect of burnout and preference for associa-
tion on degree of personal involvement was measured in the
fourth general hypothesis. While the main effect of burnout
on degree of involvement was confirmed, no interaction effect
was determined.

The fifth general hypothesis considered the interaction
effect of burnout and preference for association on quality
of personal involvement. While preference for association
was significant as a single effect, there was not a signifi~

cant F value to demonstrate an interaction effect.

Post Hoc Analysis

 

Analysis of available data revealed thirteen additional
relevant findings which were incorporated into the conclusions.
In most instances these findings reflected the effect of pre~
ference for association on degree and quality of involvement
with respect to a number of the URES subscales. The effect

of the gender of the subject was also explored.

119

The following section contains the conclusions drawn

from both original and post hoc analysis of the data.

Conclusions

 

It was apparent in this investigation that RAs vary in
their degree and quality of personal involvement with the
students with whom they work. Although the degree and quality
of involvement were not significantly related to each other,
variation in the quality of their involvement with students
is related to the RA's preference for associating or not asso-
ciating with the student.

The range of measured burnout scores indicates not only
that a meaningful construct is being assessed, but also that
the experience of burnout among RAs is evident to greater and
lesser degrees among the population. Likewise, variations in
perceptions of the residence hall environment suggest that
environments differ and/or RAs' perceptions of environments

differ greatly from one living unit to another.

Conclusion 1:. RAs who are experiencing burnout are more

 

detached from students in their charge.

This conclusion is based on the finding that RAs who
are experiencing burnout indicate a lower degree of personal
involvement with students. Degree of personal involvement
of RAs with students declines as burnout increases. This
finding is consistent with the view expressed in much of the

burnout literature and is the basis for the first conclusion.

120

While neither burnout nor degree of personal involvement
is regarded as a cause of the other, both causeuand—effect
possibilities are plausible. Burnout may result in the de—
tachment from students which is reflected in lower personal
involvement of the RA. Similarly, a low degree of personal
involvement with students may be an origin of burnout due to
lack of emotional support from others, frustrations with re—
lationships, and, possibly, concommitant criticism from peers

or supervisors for unacceptable performance in the RA role.

Conclusion 2: RAs experiencing burnout are less effective

 

in their relationships with students.

Based on the finding that RAs who are experiencing burn~
out indicate a lower quality of personal involvement with
students, this conclusion links quality of involvement with
effectiveness in the RA role.

Whereas degree of personal involvement may be a manifesta~
tion of burnout which might go undetected for a time, quality
of involvement would more likely affect the RA and/or the stu-
dents in the living unit. Lack of involvement may be disguised
and may even go unnoticed for some time, but negative or poor
quality of involvement is much more likely to have a direct
and obvious impact on all parties concerned. Feelings and
attitudes are the substance of the qualitative measure, and
are therefore less likely to be subtle aspects of the RA's

effectiveness or ineffectiveness, as the case may be.

121

In summary, degree and quality of personal involvement
with students are either origins or consequences of burnout,
and both factors are central to the effectiveness of resi-

dence hall staff.

Conclusion 3: RA burnout is lower in residence hall environ-

 

ments characterized by involvement, emotional support, and
order and organization.

Tests of hypotheses three, four and five revealed that
RAs who are experiencing burnout perceive fewer environmental
characteristics indicative of involvement, emotional support,
and order and organization in the living unit.

While causes cannot be ascertained in this investigation,
it may be concluded that either the environment has served as
a cause of the degree of burnout of the RA, or that the RA's
perception of the environment is in part a function of the
extent of burnout. Because there are seven other social cli-
mate subscales of the URES for which data was available and
which were found to be unrelated to burnout, and among which
there is no systematic variation, it would seem that burnout
could more likely be a function of the circumstances of the
living unit rather than perceptions being a function of burn-
out. The only conclusion of which the investigator is certain,
however, is that relationships exist and that there are highly
significant relationships between burnout and the three URES

subscales cited.

122

Conclusion 4: Personal involvement of RAs with students is

 

higher in both degree and quality in residence hall environ—
ments characterized by positive interaction and support.

The results of tests of hypotheses six, seven, eight,
nine, and ten combined with a number of the findings of the
post hoc analyses support this conclusion.

Personal involvement with students can be discussed more
extensively than burnout with regard to the social climate
of the living unit. Degree of personal involvement is directly
related to two URES subscales, namely, Involvement and Emo—
tional Support. Negative correlations of degree and quality
of personal involvement with the subscale of Competition lend
support to the finding since Competition as defined here is
counteruproductive to interaction and support.

The type of environment which is supportive of persons,
in which interaction and friendship are evident, and where
cooperation is the norm, appears to be conducive to greater
involvement of the RA with students. From a different per-
spective, the situation may be that the RA who is involved-
with residents to a greater degree perceives the environment
as supportive and nonucompetitive. Conversely, a competi—
tive environment in which interaction is either negative or
limited is the type of environment in which RAs demonstrate
lower degrees of personal involvement.

The RA's perception of the social climate of his or her

living unit is significantly related, in many respects, to

123

both burnout and personal involvement with students. Charac-
teristics of the environment which are directly related to
personal involvement are usually inversely related to burnout.
Conclusions three and four could be summarized by acknow-
ledging that the relationship between the RA and the residence
hall environment is "transactional" with respect to burnout,
degree of personal involvement, and quality of personal in-
volvement. The environment does not "make or break" the RA,
in terms of his or her degree of involvement; neither does
the RA have absolute impact on the environment with students.
Both aspects of the relationship between the variables are
operative at all times. Furthermore, once a negative condition
is established in the RA's environment, a vicious circle may
become operative and, like other factors related to stress

syndromes, may never be comprehended with total clarity.

Conclusion 5: Quality of personal involvement of RAs with

 

students is integrally linked to the characteristics of the
residence hall environment.

The most extensive array of results of this investigation
is based on findings concerning the quality of personal in-
volvement of RAs with students. When involvement with all
students is considered, significant correlations exist between
quality of personal involvement and seven URES subscales.
Quality of personal involvement is negatively related to per-
ceived Competition in the living unit. Any conclusions re-

garding the quality of personal involvement suggest that it

124

is a variable which is either influenced by the environment,
influential in the RA's perceptions, potent as a source of
variation within the environment, or all three of these possi-
bilities combined in some manner.

Eight significantly correlated subscales out of the
total of ten subscales evaluated imply that for students in
general the quality of personal involvement of the RA with
students is heavily rooted in the environment of the living
unit.

Pace and Stern (1958) offer the general principle that
"the way one perceives his surroundings or environment influ-
ences the way one will behave in that environment." The RAs
in this investigation perceive their environments in ways
which are highly significant in relation to their quality of
personal involvement with the students with whom they work.
Following is a summary of each of the eight URES subscales
which were found to be statistically significant in relation
to quality of personal involvement.

1. URES: Involvement. The "degree of commitment to the house

 

and residents" and the "amount of interaction and feeling of
friendship in the house" (i.e., Involvement) is very signifi-
cant as a correlate of quality of personal involvement of the
RA with students. RAs perceive the environment in a certain
way and respond by developing a certain quality of involvement
with students, or RAs develop a perception of and/of influence

the environment in a certain way as a result of their quality

125

of personal involvement. Once again, the origin and the
outcome are elusive.

2. URES: Emotional Support. A similar situation exists with
the variable Emotional Support of the URES. "Social support
includes but refers to more than the mere presence of others.
Not every collectivity is a support group, and some collec-
tivities can be socioemotional millstones" (Handy, 1980).
Emotional Support is the "extent of manifest concern for others
in the house" and includes "emphasis on open and honest com-
munication." The RA needs emotional support, and one may
conclude that in order to realize or attain such support, an
RA may seek to establish a high quality of involvement with
his or her residents. Reliance on emotional support when it
exists may also contribute to the quality of involvement of
the RA with students. Clearly the RA who does not perceive
the environment as supportive will be less likely to engage in
"quality" relationships; likewise the RA who avoids the risk
of getting close enough for positive relationships may never
perceive support within his or her environment.

3. URES: Independence. The "Independence" subscale is also

 

associated with quality of personal involvement. "Independence"
refers to "diversity" versus "conformity." A reasonable ex-
planation is that "Independence" characteristics of the envi-
ronment offer more opportunities for meaningful interactions
which lead to better quality of relationships between the RA
and residents. Diversity also offers a much-needed outlet for

expressive and creative contacts for the RA to have with students.

126

4. URES: Traditional Social Orientation. "Traditional
Social Orientation" is seemingly out of place among the
variables related to quality of involvement. A possible
interpretation is that "stress on dating, going to parties,
and other 'traditional' heterosexual activities" affords a
degree of security for the RA while offering a medium (a
context) for the conversations which are essential to the
RA in building and maintaining involvement with floor
members.

5. URES: Intellectuality. "Emphasis on cultural, artistic,

 

and other scholarly intellectual activities" or "Intellec-
tuality" is a variable associated with quality of RA involve—
ment with students. This type of emphasis in the living unit
would encourage expressiveness on the part of students and
would focus on elements such as increasing awareness, under-
standing, and cooperation among floor members. These are
characteristics which are growth-producing and which may
therefore contribute to the quality of involvement, not only
between RA and students but also among students themselves.

6. URES: Order and Organization. Order and Organization

 

refers to the "amount of formal structure or organization in
the house." and "neatness." Certain unwritten "rules" for
RAs emphasize a clean and orderly environment and student
involvement in organizing the floor as criteria for success
as an RA. This correlation between Order and Organization

and quality of personal involvement suggests that the RA can

127

better afford to engage in relationships which are positive
and of high quality once the floor is established and
"running smoothly," whereas the RA who is struggling with

a "difficult" floor may either lack the time or the iniative
for high quality involvement.

7. URES: Student Influence. "Student Influence" is the ex-

 

tent to which student residents perceive they control the
running of the house, and may be regarded as a phenomenon
which frees the RA to establish and maintain positive in-
volvement with residents. Similarly, when Student Influence
is low or absent, so may quality of involvement also be
lacking, because the RA may be cast into a more authori-
tarian, controlling role.

8. URES: Competition. The eighth URES variable which is

 

significantly related -- though the correlation is negative -—
is Competition. Competition refers to "the degree to which

a wide variety of activities ... are cast into a competitive
framework." This finding is certainly consistent with those
seven described above. The conclusion is that Competition

is counter-productive to quality of personal involvement and/
or quality of personal involvement determines, as it decreases,
the perception of increase in competitiveness in the living

unit.

Conclusion 6: Quality of personal involvement with students

 

changes with the RA's preference for association with students.

128

Although null hypothesis nineteen was retained, the
two factor ANOVA did reveal that preference for associating
with students was statistically significant in its effect
on quality of personal involvement with students.

The RA's preference for associating with certain indi-
viduals plays a definite role in the quality of involvement
with students. This conclusion suggests that the RA experi-
encing burnout who also demonstrates relatively high positive
involvement is probably associating with a more exclusive
group, namely those students with whom he or she most prefers
to associate. Sandler (1979) maintains that "primary among
situational factors suggested as mediators of the effects of
life stress is a broad range of social relationships concep-
tualized as providing social support." For the RA, those
one or two persons with whom he or she most prefers to asso-
ciate may provide the basis for his or her social support in
the living unit. A result of this phenomenon could be with-
drawal or detachment from other students, an outcome which
also has significant implications for the RA's effectiveness
in the position.

Some examples from interviews may exemplify the relation-
ship between personal involvement and preference for associa-
tion:

RA with low burnout score describing a most preferred

 

student: He definitely knows the ropes; he knows what

it's like to be in charge of a group of people, and

129

because of that he's a great asset to the hall." (Note:
this description represents an appreciation of the in-
dividual due to his contribution to the group rather
than due to direct, personal support of the RA).

RA with low burnout score describing a least preferred
student: "She is really active and most of the people
like her. We're just really different. She‘s very
artistic and she's involved in most of the things that
the floor does, and she's a hard worker."

RA with high burnout score describing a most preferred
student: "As I got to know her well she opened up to
me. She's in my area of study which makes it neat. So
we started studying together and started going out to—
gether. We had a lot of things in common. She's become
one of my best friends." (Note: this description repre—
sents a progressive and multi—faceted attachment to the
student which is more personally significant than a
typical RA-student relationship).

RA with high burnoutscore describing a least preferred
-student: "She's the biggest two-face I ever met in my
life. She's going to act real sweet to everybody and
everybody's going to love her, but don‘t take anything
she says seriously. She's probably going to drive you
crazy, expect you to be 'Miss Perfect,l do nothing
wrong, and every time you do something wrong she's

going to let you know." (Note: this description

130

represents considerable detachment from the individual
and also reflects an undermining of the social support

system of the RA, i.e., "everybody's going to love her.")

When preference for association is brought into the
scheme of quality of personal involvement, there are also
several statistically significant variations in the RA's per-
ception of the environment. The URES subscale of Student In-
fluence, while positively associated with quality of personal
involvement with all students, is inversely related to qual-
ity of personal involvement with most preferred students.

An explanation could be that the RA perceives Student Influ-
ence as a factor which improves the residence hall environ-
ment when exerted by students in general, but the RA views
Student Influence as compromising personal relationships when
exerted by his or her most preferred residents.

Innovation is significantly correlated with quality of
involvement with most preferred students only. This finding
appears to contradict the correlation concerning Student In-
fluence. The Innovation subscale, however, is characterized
more by creativity than by influence or power, and thus may
actually enhance the RA's personal relationship with most
preferred students.

Least preferred students appear as a significant factor
in the negative relationship of Competition and quality of
personal involvement. The quality of personal involvement

with least preferred students decreases significantly as

131

perceived Competition increases. The implication is either
that Competition further alienates the RA from least pre-
ferred students, or that declining quality of involvement
of RAs with least preferred students results in perceptions

of Competition.

Conclusion 7: Women RAs are more likely to experience burn-

 

out than men RAs.

Post hoc analysis of the difference between burnout
scores of male RAs and female RAs indicated a statistically
significant t-value.

This conclusion is consistent with Ryerson and Marks'
(n.d.) suggestion that burnout "may especially characterize
women, who are said to be more likely to have idealistic
motives and hence are more vulnerable to acute disappoint-
ment." If women do in fact have more idealistic motives than
men then the dissonance created by the environments may con-
tribute to burnout. RA expectations were not measured expli—
citly in this investigation, but the interviews do provide
some direction in identifying the expectations held by the
subjects.

The comments made about most preferred students suggest
that female RAs have a tendency to emphasize personal support
and friendship in their descriptions of students. Male RAs,
on the other hand, seem to emphasize support of the hall and

support of their jobs.

Some examples from the interviews will demonstrate some
of the differences of emphasis in RAs' descriptions of stu~
dents.

Example (female RA): "We've gotten to be real good

 

friends, but she's also a very caring person and...
easy to talk to."

Example (male RA): "He's the kind of guy you like to

 

have around to help you out if you ever have a problem.
He can sort of take up the slack if there's ever any
trouble."

Example (female RAL: ”She's just great. She walks in

 

the door and she'll give you a hug in the morning and
you'll feel good all day long."

Example (male RA): "He's real involved with everybody.

 

He gets along good with everybody on the hall. He's
our intramural representative, and he's done a real
good job with that. He goes to all the meetings...

He would do a lot for your hall, or any hall, really."

Conclusion 8: Quality of personal involvement with students

 

is higher for women RAs than for men RAs.

A twtest for differences between quality of personal in—
volvement scores revealed a significant difference between
men's scores and women's scores.

Quality of involvement implies closeness. Insofar as
burnout is a function of closeness to others ~~ as suggested

in conclusion number seven ~~ women may be inclined to

133

value their interpersonal relationships with students more
than men value theirs. Consequently the risk of closeness
may result in greater stress manifested in higher burnout
scores, and this would be consistent with the seventh con-
clusion.

The eighth conclusion is actually based on the number
of positive statements in proportion to the total number of
statements. Therefore this conclusion may only reflect that
women make fewer negative classifiable statements or more
positive classifiable statements, or both, than men make.

It should be noted that there was no significant difference
found between women and men in degree of personal involvement
with students.

One of the more significant variables included in this
investigation was the gender of the subjects. Male and female
RAs were selected from singlelsex floors only because of the
difficulty in controlling some of the more complex variables
associated with coeducational units. Nevertheless, all other
variables being equal, female RAs scored significantly higher
on the burnout measure and demonstrated a higher quality of

personal involvement with students than did male RAs.

Summary

The statistically significant relationships among the
variables measured are indicative of the complexity of the
RA position. This investigation brought into focus some of

the more fundamental relationships between persons in the

134

RA role and their perceptions of the residence hall environ-
ment. The variation among the constructs which were con—
sidered in this investigation are even more complex. Con-
clusions which have been reached are all subject to recon-
sideration and to more detailed analysis. Particular atten-
tion should be given to the following implications and recom-

mendations.

Implications

 

Implications of this investigation can be summarized
in terms of the three general dimensions which comprise the
study -- the RA's personal involvement and effectiveness
with students, the phenomenon of burnout as manifested among
residence hall staff, and the conditions or social climate

of the residence hall environment as it is perceived by RAs.

Personal Involvement of RAs with Students

 

The first issue addressed is the RA's personal involve-
ment with students. RAs differ in their approach to their job,
and each RA has his or her own "style" as a paraprofessional
staff member. Similarly each environment into which RAs are
assigned differs from every other living unit and has a "per-
sonality" all its own.

Individuals who are inclined to invest their energy in
the living unit and take the initiative to build and maintain
relationships may be more likely to exhibit a greater degree
and quality of personal involvement, not because they are
gregarious, but because they contribute to the involvement

characteristics of the living unit. This investigation did

135

not measure variables of personality or personal orientation
at the individual level; nevertheless the findings demonstrate
a clear, direct relationship between personal involvement
variables and the type of environments in which people inter—
act with one another. In this regard the RA is viewed in his
or her role as a member of the living unit rather than as a
staff member. Insofar as the RA influences the hall environ-
ment, the RA as a role model could increase his or her likeli-
hood of higher degree and quality of involvement. The RA can,
through his or her example, effect behaviors which are charac-
teristic of the type of environment which is related to higher
degree and quality of involvement. The RA who does not model
these behaviors may not actually demonstrate lower degree and
quality of involvement; but he or she will not have an active

role in making the environment one in which involvement and

emotional support exist.

Enhancing Personal Involvement of RAs with Students

RA selection processes attempt to identify individuals
who have the most potential to be successful in the role.
If a measure of "personal involvement potential" were used in
the selection of RAs, administrators could choose to hire in-
dividuals who are more likely to engage in personal involve-
ment with students at higher levels of degree and quality.
Individuals who are selected could be assigned specific duties
and responsibilities which increase the likelihood of personal

involvement with students. Placement of RAs in certain living

136

units could be done in a manner which would balance their own
characteristics with characteristics of the living unit in
such a way that personal involvement could occur at an optimum
level.

The supervisor of the RA could also monitor the personal
involvement of the RA to ensure that the RA is keeping his or
her involvement with students high in both degree and quality.
In this respect the interview method used in this investigam
tion could be particularly useful. During encounters with
individual RAs a supervisor could analyze the comments of a
resident assistant for degree and quality of personal involve—
ment.

Personal involvement may be an elusive quality which
cannot be taught; nevertheless behaviors which characterize
personal involvement could be identified, and emphasized and
reinforced by a supervisor. Once the RA begins to actually
engage in personal involvement with students at a high degree
and high level of quality, other factors -- such as stress or
burnout and/or counternproductive environmental conditions —-

may come into focus.

Resident Assistant Burnout

 

RA burnout is a real phenomenon. Whether or not it is
detected is the responsibility of the housing administrator.
Once detected, the only alternatives are to intervene with
appropriate remedies or to ignore. Even better, however is

an approach which acknowledges the potential problem for the

137

paraprofessional and endeavors to prevent and/or minimize
the effects of RA burnout.

Because burnout is a process, burnout remediation is
essentially the application of preventive measures to an
existing condition which might have been avoided. Therefore
preventive measures only will be discussed; when and where
these and other approaches to prevention are used is left
up to the practitioner.

It is essential to recognize that burnout prevention is
the responsibility of both the RA and the organization in
which the RA lives and works. One measure which is implied
in this investigation and which may result in lower burnout
is to increase the RA's concern for and interaction with stu-
dents. The support available within the living unit is a
resource for the RA who builds and maintains effective inter—
personal relationships. Risk, however, is a factor of close
interpersonal encounter, and the RA must not be encouraged to
enter such relationships unaware of the risk involved. An
equally important support group which is not addressed in
this investigation is the staff in a residence hall. RAs
cannot and should not attempt to find all of the support they
need in their jobs within the living unit, and this is where
their RA peers can play a crucial role.

Stress management techniques could be helpful for RAs
from the beginning of their tenure in the job. Skills train-
ing is a normal part of most RA education programs, and in-

struction in stress management could easily be incorporated

138

into existing programs. Continuing education programs may
also focus on difficulties faced by RAs throughout the year
and on coping with the many pressures which result in disil—
lusionment and exhaustion.

Prevention of burnout also derives from effective,
productive management of the environment in which the RA
lives and works. Environmental characteristics of involve-
ment, emotional support, and order and organization are
negatively correlated with burnout. While the direction
of the environment is a primary concern of the RA, hall—
wide programs and administrative policies and procedures
can have impact on the environment of each particular living
unit. Efforts which facilitate the growth of an involved,
supportive, and organized environment should be identified
and implemented by parties who have more extensive influence
than the RA. This is the topic of the third dimension for
which implications are identified, i.e., the conditions or

social climate of the residence hall environment.

The Residence Hall Environment and the RA

How the RA perceives the environment is often the basis
of numerous decisions which directly affect that environment.
Housing administrators listen to their staff and respect
their viewpoints. There must be some acknowledgement, how-
ever, that RAs' perceptions are sometimes colored by their
expectations, and their reactions to incidents and situations

can sometimes be extreme.

139

As emphasized at the beginning of this investigation,
an RA is usually the type of person who expects and needs
to be helpful to others. Furthermore the RA is usually a
student who has derived sufficient satisfaction from resi-
dence hall living to choose to become a resident assistant.
This choice alone reflects an interest and a commitment
which often surpasses that of the typical undergraduate
student.

The presence of burnout also suggests that the RA may
be more susceptible in some cases to overreaction to stress
in the environment. Therefore, in addressing the environ-
mental issues identified in this investigation, one must
regard the information as viable insofar as it is reported
by RAs while recognizing the unique point of view of the RA.

Residence hall environments, like other physical and
social environments, can be monitored, evaluated and managed.
Changes can be made, although not always with great ease.
The first step is environmental assessment. Through the
assessment conducted in this investigation, the object of
change and intervention is apparent, i.e., the perceived en-
vironmental conditions of involvement, emotional support,
independence, traditional social orientation, competition,
intellectuality, order and organization, student influence,
and innovation. The influence of these characteristics in
the individual RA can be moderated to some degree through

increased understanding of the environment and its various

140

components. Teaching and supervision are two effective means
of accomplishing this objective of increasing RA understanding.

Perceptions also change as the actual conditions change,
and intervention with the environment could be most productive.
Numerous resources in environmental assessment and management
are available to the researcher and practitioner.

The findings, conclusions and implications discussed above
suggest several areas of this investigation which merit fur-
ther, more specific analysis. Five recommendations are made

in concluding this investigation.

Recommendations for Future Research

 

Probably the most conspicuous and frustrating problem to
which a recommendation could be addressed is the issue of
cause-and-effect. An experimental study in which sources of
personal involvement and burnout could be identified would re-
solve many of the either-or dilemmas of the present investi—
gation. Certainly this investigation may serve as a beginning
for experimental research designs. Furthermore this investi-
gation could also be used as the foundation for longitudinal
research which could also identify causes of personal involve-
ment and burnout, as well as effects of selected interventions.

Secondly the investigator recommends that further research
of these variables employ a measure of the involvement which
taps the consensus of the residence hall population as addi-
tional information concerning the environment. While the RA's

perceptions of the environment are valid for him or her, the

141

perceptions of others who live in the residence hall would
contribute to greater understanding not only of the environ-
ment but also of the RA's perceptions and experiences.

A third recommendation concerns the measurement of burn-
out. The Burnout Measure is not work-related in its language
and was selected for this investigation because burnout is
not necessarily a function of work only, nor is it manifested
solely on the job. Validation of the burnout score for the
RA as worker, however, could be accomplished by either employ-
ing an additional measure or by having someone familiar with
the RA in his or her staff role rate the RA's work behavior
on a burnout scale. Such a measure would help to ensure, with
greater certainty, that the condition of burnout is being
assessed in the context of the work environment. This consid-
eration is very important in light of the complexity of the
environment in which the RA functions in so many different
roles.

RAs' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities
were assumed to be similar within the population. A fourth
recommendation is to control for this assumption through the
use of a measure of RA understanding of their function as a
staff member. Expectations are very important in the experi-
ence of stress and burnout; likewise the RA's concept of his
or her role has some bearing on the degree of involvement he
or she may engage in with students. This recommendation

would take into consideration this variable which would very

142

likely have an impact on personal involvement and burnout.
Finally the investigator recommends that further atten-

tion be given to the issues of this investigation in both

research and practice. RA burnout reduces effectiveness.

RA effectiveness is essential to the success of every housing

program, and attention to the conditions which enhance suc—

cess reflects responsible, conscientious management.

LIST OF REFERENCES

LIST OF REFERENCES

Abramson, L.Y., Seligman, M.E.P., and Teasdale, J. D. Learned
Helplessness in Humans: Critique and Reformulation.
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Argyris, Chris. Integrating the Individual and the Organiza-
tion. New York: Wiley, 1964.

 

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Shinn, M., Rosario, M., March, H., and Chestnut, D. "Coping
With Job Stress and Burnout." Unpublished MS, 1981.

Vander Ven, M. "An Exploratory Study of the Presence, Degree,
and Nature of Burnout in Community College Faculty."
Ph.D. Dissertation. Michigan State University, 1982.

White, W.L. "Organizational Responses to Victims of Pro-
fessional Burnout: A Conceptual Schema." Potomac, Md.:
Unpublished MS, n.d.

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX A

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE HOUSING ORGANIZATION

Purpose

The Department of University Housing provides residence hall accommo-
dations for approximately 6300 undergraduate and graduate students
and family housing units for 545 families. In addition to providing
residential accommodations, a variety of social, educational, and
recreational programs are provided to promote individual growth and
development.

The overall goal of the Department is to provide the best possible
housing for students at the least possible cost. This goal is
realized by effectively integrating services to students, sound
financial management, and educational/developmental student oriented
programs and activities.

Objectives

 

- To provide residence hall accommodations.

- To provide a variety of social and educational programs to promote
individual development in residence students.

- To provide opportunities for leadership through residence activities
and student staff positions.

- To provide student and professional staff to advise, counsel, and
interact with individuals, and groups of students.

- To maintain residence facilities through daily custodial care,
routine maintenance, and renovation.

- To complement the instructional and cultural programs of the Univer-
sity by offering additional opportunities for educational, social,

and recreational experiences.

- To encourage and promote out-of-class contact between and among
faculty, students, and administrators.

- To stimulate and cultivate friendships among students.

159

“95‘" Op DEPARTMENT OF UNIVERSITY HOUSING

«8 QR
S 0, THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
g 6;) RUSSELL HALL
’2 . ATHENS. GEORGIA 30602
O
A 1785 a? .
009,, M" (404) 5421421

RESIDENT ASSISTANT
Job Description

 

The Resident Assistant (RA) is an integral, vital member of the
Department of University Housing Staff. A student too, the RA lives and
works with a group of 30 to 70 other students in one of six residential
communities. '

The specific qualifications, requirements and responsibilities for
the Resident Assistant position are outlined below.

QUALIFICATIONS

 

1. Interest in working with students in an advisory capacity in a
residential community.

2. Academic classification of sophomore or above at the time of employment.
3. Minimum cumulative average of 2.2 at the time of employment.

4. Resident of University of Georgia residential community for at least
one quarter preferred.

REQUIREMENTS

 

I. An RA may carry an academic course load maximum of 16 hours during the
first quarter of employment. After the first quarter, the RA may carry
a maximum of 18 hours. No exceptions will be granted during the first
quarter. Any exception for subsequent quarters must be approved in
writing by the Graduate Resident and Residence Life Coordinator prior
to registration.

2. An RA must maintain a cumulative and quarterly grade point average of 2.2
during the period of employment.

3. An RA must not engage in part-time work (including work/study) or hold
an assistantship while serving as an RA. Participation in student
teaching responsibilities or extracurricular activities must be discussed
and approved in writing by the Graduate Resident and the Residence Life
Coordinator prior to involvement.

4. An RA must limit his/her time away from campus and the community to one
weekend per month.

160

161

5. An RA must successfully complete the three hour credit course for
Resident Assistants (ECP- 400) and participate in the on- going training
activities scheduled throughout the term of employment.

6. An RA must remain in the community until all students have left for a
vacation period (Thanksgiving, Christmas. Spring Break, Summer Closing)
and return to open the community after a vacation period. Requests to
leave early or return late must be approved in advance by the Graduate
Resident and the Residence Life Coordinator. Resident Assistants will
be expected to provide staff supervision when communities remain open
during vacations or quarterly breaks. Staff responsibilities begin
prior to the opening of the communities for Fall Workshop and continue
through the closing of the communities.

7. An RA must remain on his/her floor or neighborhood in the residence hall
or colony one or more nights per week and assigned weekends according
to the duty schedule.

8. An RA is expected to support and enforce University Policies and Regula-
tions.

9. An RA is expected to participate in and support departmental staff re-
cruitment, selection, and evaluation processes.
RESPONSIBILITIES
A. TIME COMMITMENT

The RA position is the RA's principal non-academic activity. Extra-
curricular activities should not conflict with the time needed to perform
effectively as an RA throughout the entire year. The RA is expected to be
available and accessible to students on the floor or neighborhood throughout
the year.

8. ADVISING

The RA should be aware of students' needs and provide appropriate con-
sultation and referral. The RA is expected to:

I. Listen to others with an attitude of concern and support.

2. Discuss potential referrals with the Graduate Resident and/or Residence
Life Coordinator.

3. Explain the various referral options within the University to the student
seeking help. Whenever appropriate, the RA should utilize the full time
Housing staff as a referral option.

4. Recognize the limits of his/her training and experience as a counselor.

162

C. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

 

The RA is expected to promote an atmosphere for individual and group
development by encouraging programs in the residential community. In
providing a learning atmosphere, the RA is expected to:

l." Encourage student interaction with faculty, campus ministers and other
members of the University Community by involving them in programs
within the halls or colonies.

2. Encourage residents to contact resource people and assist in developing
special interest programs.

3. Attend scheduled floor and neighborhood activities including intramural
sports, social events, meetings and educational activities.

4. Actively participate in and support residence hall government by
encouraging qualified students to volunteer for office.

5. Communicate regularly with community officers and interest groups con-
cerning their activities.

D. STAFF EDUCATION PROGRAM

 

The RA is expected to participate in the staff educational program which
is designed to develop skills to meet the job expectations. Therefore the
RA is expected to:

l. Complete the Spring Quarter staff training program.

2. Complete the staff training workshop held prior to the beginning of the
Fall Quarter.

3. Read and study the Resident Assistant Manual.
4. Attend all staff meetings in your hall or colony.
E. UNIVERSITY POLICY: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

The RA is expected to support and enforce University Policies and Regula-
tions. The RA will serve with other staff members in evaluating and estab-
lishing departmental policies. The RA serves as a model for others which in-
cludes assuming responsibility for creating an environment in which optimum
personal and social growth may occur. In order to maximize the effects of
the hall environment upon student development. the RA is expected to:

1. Encourage, by example, the principles of individual responsibility and
respect for others' development.

163

2. Explain, support and follow the regulations, and policies outlined in
the University Student Handbook and Community: A Guide to Residence
Hall‘Living.

3. Respond in a positive and helpful manner when confronted with behavior
or infractions which disrupt the environment. All University violations
and all infractions reviewed by the RA must be discussed with the
Graduate Resident.

REMUNERATION

 

Resident Assistant appointments are made on an academic year basis subject
to quarterly evaluations. Remuneration for the Resident Assistant position
is based upon quarters of service. The salary for the academic year (September
to June) is $2,465.60 for RAs with one to three quarters of service and
$2,539.20 for RAs with four or more quarters of service. A limited number
of RA positions are available for Summer Quarter. The Summer Quarter RA
salary is proportional depending on length of previous service. The RA is

responsible for payment of housing rent and normally will occupy a room with
a roommate.

APPENDIX B

4996‘” on ' DEPARTMENT OF UNIVERSITY HOUSING

8‘ QR
S g) THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
g g RUSSELL HALL
_ . ATHENS, GEORGIA 30602
d‘
2‘ 1785 9‘? 404 542-1421

During the month of April I will be conducting a research project
with a group of Resident Assistants who are in their first year Of
employment. I am writing to request your cooperation and assistance.

You will be contacted by an interviewer (named below) who will
arrange a meeting with you at your convenience. In this meeting you
will complete a brief questionnaire followed by an interview. A tape
recording of the interview will be made. Within one week after your
interview you will receive a survey to complete and return to me.

This research project is strictly confidential and is designed
to provide information which will be used to improve the RA position.
You will not be identified for any purpose other than to ensure that
I can match your responses on the questionnaire, the interview, and
the survey. Your responses will be destroyed once converted to

statistical data and you will not be associated by name with the
results.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Once
again, thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Bob Harris
Assistant Director of Housing
542-7295

/so

164

APPENDIX C

II
project entitled "Personal Involvement and Burnout Among Resident Assistants

APPENDIX C

CONSENT STATEMENT

 

, agree to participate in the research

 

which is being conducted by Bob Harris. I understand that my participation
is voluntary.

The following points have been explained to me:

1.

The purpose of this research is to measure the relationship of
the personal involvement of RAs with students, burnout of RAs,
and the residence hall environment. While there are no direct
benefits which I will receive by participating in the project,
my participation will provide information which may prove useful
to future RAs in college and university housing.

There are three components in which I will participate - an inter-
view, a questionnaire, and a survey. The first two components
will be completed today. The survey will be completed within two
weeks.

There are no potential discomforts or stresses which I will ex-
perience by participating in this research.

There are no risks to me whatsoever as a result Of my participa-
tion in this research.

The results of my participation will be confidential and will not
be released in any individually identifiable form. My name is
used only to ensure accurate records. A11 identifiers will be
removed from the questionnaire and the survey by June 1, 1983.
The audio tape of the interview will be erased by June 1, 1983.
Only the investigator, Bob Harris, will have access to any Of the
research materials, and said materials will be used exclusively
for the purposes Of the investigation.

The investigator, Bob Harris, will answer any further questions
about the investigation either now or during the course of the
investigation.

 

 

(Signature Of Investigator) (Signature of Participant)

 

 

(Date)

(Date)

Please sign two copies. Retain one copy and give one copy to the interviewer.

Investigator: Bob Harris, Department of University Housing, 542-7295.

165

APPENDIX D

Purpose:

Variables:

STEP ONE:

STEP TWO:

STEP THREE:

APPENDIX D

Interview‘Procedures

 

The purpose of the interview is to measure the personal
involvement of the subject (RA) with the students in his
Of her charge.

Degree of Personal Involvement — The evidence Of personal
involvement indicated by the frequency of certain descrip-
tive statements about a student.

Quality Of Personal Involvement — The evidence of personal
involvement indicated by the emotional tone of the descrip—
tive comments about a student.

Targeted individuals - Individuals identified as most pre-
ferred and least preferred by the RA.

Briefly explain the purpose of the investigation. Highlight
the six points of the consent form. Ask the RA to read the
consent form and sign two copies. Keep one copy and give
the other copy to the RA.

Note: Introduction of the investigation and use of the con-
sent form should be sufficient to set the stage for the
interview.

The interview consists of two parts - (a) targeting indivi-
dual students and (b) describing individual students. Only
part (b) is tape recorded.

Targeting Individual Students: "For most RAs there are always
students on the floor/neighborhood with whom the RA prefers
to associate while there are others with whom the RA may not
choose to associate. Think about the students who live on
your floor/neighborhood. (Pause). I would like for you to
identify the two students you most prefer to associate with
and give me their first names. (Pause; write the names on
your interview record sheet.) Now, identify the two students
you least prefer to associate with and give me their names."
(Enter these names).

Describing Individual Students (Begin tape recording):
"Assume that I am the RA on another floor/neighborhood and
(name of one student) is moving to my floor.

 

Tell me about him/her."

The interviewer gives these instructions for all four students
identified above. Alternately, from one interview to the next,
interviewers shall name "most preferred students" first and
"least preferred students" last, and vice versa.

166

STEP FOUR:

167

NOTE: This interview requires a minimum amount of active
interviewing. It is essential, however, that interviewers
employ their best attending skills in order for the setting
to be as realistic as possible. You might regard this
process as role-playing. Once the RA begins to describe

an individual, however, you are E25.t° prompt, respond, or
clarify.

Closing the Interview begins when you turn Off the tape
recorder following the description of student number four.
Explain that the interview is completed and that there is
a brief questionnaire to be completed. Give the question-
naire to the RA and ask him or her to complete it and seal
it in the envelope provided.

When the RA completes the questionnaire, thank him or her
for participating in the investigation. Remind him or her
of the following:

1. Any questions or concerns should be directed to Bob
Harris as noted on the consent forms;

2. In about a week a survey will be sent in the mail.
This survey should be completed as soon as possible
and returned to Bob Harris.

168

Information for Interviewers

The purpose of this investigation is to measure the relationship
of personal involvement of RAs with students, burnout, and environmental
conditions. As an interviewer you are responsible for arranging an ap-
pointment with each subject assigned to you. In this meeting, you will
secure the RA's consent to participate, conduct an interview, and admin-
ister a questionnaire.

Each RA has already been contacted by letter (attached) and is anti—
cipating a telephone call from you. A list of names, addresses, and
phone numbers is attached. Please contact each RA on the list and, with
reference to the letter from me, ask to arrange an appointment. After
you agree to a time (allow one hour, although less than an hour will be
required), suggest that the interview could be conducted in their room
if that setting would provide for confidential conversation; otherwise,
another location may be selected (study room, office, apartment, etc.)

Because participation is voluntary, anyone who refuses to partici-
pate should be thanked and this should be noted on the interview record
sheet. 22.22E EEK the RA if she or he is willing to participate --
refusal to participate is also voluntary!

The interview is introduced with the explanation of the investiga-
tion and the consent statement. Explanation of the project and the pro-
cedures should provide sufficient casual conversation for you to become
familiar with one another and to create a relaxed atmosphere. Use the
consent statement as an outline for explaining the investigation. You
need not read the statement word for word; simply highlight the six
points on the statement and build the confidence of the subject in you
as an interviewer.

Interviewer procedures are outlined on another sheet. Please note
that the interview is relatively passive as far as you are concerned.
Your role is to attend to their responses and to listen. Please use
the interview record sheet during the interview as a guide for completing
all the necessary steps.

The maximum time for the responses of the RA is 45 minutes (one
side of a cassette tape). The anticipated length of the total interview
is 25 minutes, and only part 8_is tape recorded. Please remember to test
the tape recorder to be certain it is working properly. Your cue to
activate the recorder is the instruction, "Assume that I am the RA on
another floor/neighborhood ..." The recorder should run continuously
through the remainder of the interview.

Finally as you administer the questionnaire, your instruction
should be, "Now I would like for you to complete this brief question-
naire and seal it in the envelope. When you finish, I will be happy
to respond to any of your questions."

169

INTERVIEW RECORD SHEET

Interviewer's Name:

 

Subject's Name: Phone

 

 

Subject's Address: (Hall and Room#)

 

Date Contacted:

 

Date and Time of Interview

 

Location of Interview

 

Investigation and Consent Procedure Explained:

 

Consent Forms Completed: (one copy to RA)

 

Individual Students' Names

Most Preferred Least Preferred

 

 

 

 

In this interview, which students were described first?

 

Tape Number: Side:

 

 

Comments and Notes:

Approximate Time Required:

 

Questionnaire Returned:

 

Survey Returned:

 

Please return this form with the tape, consent form, and completed
questionnaire to Bob Harris. Thank you.

APPENDIX E

APPENDIX E

QUESTIONNAIRE

Please respond to each item. When you have completed both pages of
the questionnaire, seal it in the envelope provided and return it to

the interviewer.

Your Name Sex: M F

 

Campus Address Phone

 

 

Date of Birth

 

Academic Classification: Sophomore Junior Senior Graduate

Academic Major:

 

Expected Date of Graduation Degree

 

 

Number of Students Living on your Floor/Neighborhood

 

Did you take ECP 400 (RA Course) during Spring Quarter, 1982? Yes No
Did you attend the Fall, 1982, RA Staff WOrkshop? Yes No

What quarter did you begin working as a Resident Assistant?

 

Do you plan to return as a Resident Assistant for 1983-84? Yes No

PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT PAGE

170

APPENDIX F

APPENDIX F

How often do you have any of the following experiences? Please use the
scale.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Never Once in a Rarely Sometimes Often Usually Always
great while
1. Being tired
2. Feeling depressed
3. Having a good day
4. Being physically exhausted
5. Being emotionally exhausted
6. Being happy
7. Being "wiped out"

8. Feeling "burned out"

9. Being unhappy

 

10. Feeling rundown

11. Feeling trapped

 

12. Feeling worthless

 

13. Being weary

 

14. Being troubled

 

15. Feeling disillusioned and resentful about people

 

16. Feeling weak

 

17. Feeling hopeless

 

18. Feeling rejected

 

19. Feeling Optimistic

 

20. Feeling energetic

 

21. Feeling anxious

 

Copyright 1980 Ayala Pines, Ph.D. and Elliott Aronson, Ph.D.
(Permission granted by Ayala Pines for use in this investigation)

171

APPENDIX G

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OENTASV

DEPARTMENT OF UNIVERSITY HOUSING

9% THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
6; RUSSELL HALL
. ATHENS. GEORGIA 30602

89 (404) 542-1421

November 2, 1982

Dr. Ayala Pines
University of California
Berkeley, California

Dear Dr. Pines:

I am writing in regard to your paper "The Burnout Measure"
which was presented at the National Conference on Burnout, November
1981. In particular, I am interested in the self diagnosis instrument
as a research tool.

My objective is to use this instrument and the supporting statistical
data in my research on burnout among para-professional student personnel
workers on a college campus. The purpose of my research is to investigate
the relationship between personal involvement with clients and measured
burnout. I am engaged in research as a Ph.D. Candidate at Michigan State
University, and I am conducting the research at the University of Georgia.

Your assistance in this matter by granting me permission to use the
instrument for the stated purpose, with whatever conditions and/or costs
required, will be most appreciated. Let me clarify that the only
publication of this instrument of which I am aware is the example
included in the aforementioned paper. If the instrument is already
published and available for purchase, then I need only information
about obtaining copies.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Bob Harris

Assistant Director of Housing
University of Georgia

Russell Hall

Athens, Georgia 30602

172

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. BERKELEY

 

 

BERKELEY ° DAVIS ' IRVINE ' LOS ANCELES ' RIVERSIDE ' SAN DIEGO ' SAN FRANCISCO SANTA BARBARA ° SANTA CRUZ

 

 

 

DEPARTRIENT OF PSYCHOLOGY BERKELEY. CALIFORNIA 94720

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DIRECTIONS

Look at your test booklet and check the Form printed on it here:
Form R E l

Please provide the information requested below.

 

 

Name Age______..Sex M F
. (circle)
Living group Corridor] floor Room

 

 

 

Are you a (circle one) student? staff? Title

 

Year in college (circleone) Fr. So. Jr. Sr. Grad.

Did you choose this living lst 2nd 3rd 4th or No
group as your (circle one) choice choice choice lower choice

Circle all quarters/semesters. This yearzv Fall Winter Spring Summer

 

 

you have lived here Last year: Fall Winter Spring Summer
Would you like to live 1. Yes 2. Probably 3. Neutral
here again next year? 4. Probably not 5. No

Today’s Date Other

Now, please read each statement in your booklet and then, in the boxes on the
other side of this sheet, mark T.(true) if you think the statement is true of your
living group, and F (false) if the statement is not true of your living group.

EXAMPLE ONLY

 

Use a heavy X, as in the example: Please use a pencil with T X
an eraser, not a pen. Be sure to match each number in the l 2
booklet with each one on this sheet. F Xfi

 

 

 

 

Designed by Rudolf H. Moos

0 Copyright, 1974, by Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc. Reproduction of this form is illegal
without written permission.

176

 

 

 

ll~ ~12- -l3- ~141 ~15‘ -l6~ 47* *18- 49* -20-

 

 

 

2r--22) ~234 -24~ ~25) ~26< ~27- ~28« ~29- ~30-

 

 

31‘ ~32j ~33) ~34« ~351 -36‘ .37. -38- ~394 r40-

 

44- :42« ~434 -44‘ -451 ~46? -47- .43. -49« .50-

 

 

 

51~ #52- -53« L541 ~55< ~55- .57. ~58- -59. #60

 

644 »62~ )63- »64« -654 ~66- ~67- ~68- -69« -7o-

 

 

 

 

~81~ ~82« ~83- r841 ~85- -86~ b87« r88- -89- +90-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T.
T
'T
T
‘r
T
‘T
T
‘T
T
‘T
T
'r
T
71« ~72~ ~73- ~74) -75. ~76« ~77J L7,8« -79- b80-—;E—
.T
T
'T
(.—

 

do not mark below this line

Invi S Ind TSOi C AA Int 00 SI Inn

 

177

APPENDIX I

395‘” 0,1: ° DEPARTMENT OF UNIVERSITY HOUSING

8* 9%

Q 0‘9 THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
3i.” 2 RUSSELL HALL
v: . ATHENS. GEORGIA 30602

d~

) 1785 & -
0 (404) 542 1421

Enclosed is a questionnaire about your floor. This is the third
and final step of my research project.

Please complete the questionnaire according to the instructions
and return both the answer sheet and the booklet to me as soon as
possible. Affix the enclosed mailing label over your name on the
envelope and return via campus mail at your community office.

NOTE: The questionnaire uses the term "house" to describe a
living unit. House refers to the specific area (floor or floors)
for which you are directly responsible as the RA.

Thank you for your continued cooperation.

Sincerely,

Bob Harris

178