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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zm 4> Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48100 7 6 - 1 8 , 6 5 4 McKINNON, Richard Dean, 1943- A STUDY OF THE EXPECTED AND EXPERIENTIALLY PERCEIVED ENVIRONMENT OF A RESIDENCE HALL AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1976 Education, higher Xerox University Microfilms , Ann Arbor. Michigan 48106 Copyright by RICHARD DEAN MCKINNON 1976 A STUDY OF THE EXPECTED AND EXPERIENTIALLY PERCEIVED ENVIRONMENT OF A RESIDENCE HALL AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY By Richard Dean McKinnon A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State U n iv e rs ity in p a r t ia l f u l f i l l m e n t o f the requirements f o r the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department o f Adm inistration and Higher Education 1976 ABSTRACT A STUDY OF THE EXPECTED AND EXPERIENTIALLY PERCEIVED ENVIRONMENT OF A RESIDENCE HALL AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY By Richard Dean McKinnon The purpose o f th is study was to describe and evaluate the ex­ p e c ta tio n s , the experienced perceptions, and the change from expecta­ tion s to experienced perceptions th a t entering freshmen, returning upperclass re s id e n ts , and s t a f f members had of the psychological environment o f a coed residence h all a t Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . The o b jec tiv es were to determine (1) i f there were any d iffe re n c e s in the expectations these three groups had o f the residence h a ll environ­ ment, (2) i f there were any d iffe re n c e s in the experienced perceptions o f these three groups o f the l i v i n g environment a f t e r l i v i n g in i t fo r f i v e months, (3 ) i f there were any d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and experienced perceptions held by these three groups, and (4) i f there were any sex re la te d d iffe re n c e s in the expectations, experienced per­ ce p tio n s , and d iffe re n c e s between expectations and experienced percep­ tion s f o r the three groups. The instrument used to determine the subjects expectations ( f i r s t measure) and experienced perceptions (second measure) o f the residence h all environment was the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale (URES). The URES consisted o f 96 statements scaled into ten environmental dimensions. The respondents were asked to s ta te whether each statement was g e n e ra lly tru e or f a ls e with reference to t h e i r expectations of Richard Dean McKinnon the environment and to t h e ir experienced perceptions o f the 'a c t u a l' environment. The data were analyzed s t a t i s t i c a l l y using the Least-squares Analysis o f Variance to determine whether any differences existed among the three groups and between males and females fo r each o f the ten URES subscales. Following the analysis of variance, m u ltip le comparisons were computed using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) method to analyze areas where s ig n ific a n t differences existed. In g eneral, most of the s ig n if ic a n t d iffe ren c es found fo r ex­ pectations and experienced perceptions of the residence hall environment were between males and females ra th e r than among the three groups. The resu lts revealed th a t males experienced more coronitment to the flo o r and residents than did females. Females, on the other hand, had s ig ­ n if ic a n t ly higher expectations than experienced perceptions fo r th is environmental c h a ra c te r is tic . With regard to emotional support, females both expected and ex­ perienced greater emphasis than did males. These find in g s were reversed when independence was considered with males both expecting and experien­ cing g reater autonomy and freedom than females. Females reported greater expectations regarding tra d itio n a l heterosexual interaction s than did males. Both males and females reported experiencing s ig n if ic a n t ly less stress in th is area than they had expected with males expressing less of an emphasis than females. When the emphasis on c u l t u r a l , a r t i s t i c and other scholarly in te lle c tu a l a c t i v i t i e s on the flo o r was considered, females continued to express higher expectations than male residents. Females also r e ­ ported th a t they had fewer in te lle c t u a l experiences than they had ex pec te d . Richard Dean McKinnon With regard to the amount o f formal s tru c tu re or org an izatio n on the f l o o r s , females both expected and experienced more ru le s , schedules, and established procedures than did males. S ig n ific a n t group d iffe re n c e s were reported f o r three o f the ten URES subscales. Group d iffe re n c e s were found fo r the e x te n t to which s t r i c t l y classroom and academic accomplishments were stressed on the f l o o r . The s t a f f reported s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower expectations than r e ­ ported by the freshmen and upperclassmen. A ll three groups expressed t h e ir experienced perceptions o f the residence h all environment in the area o f academic accomplishments to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t than t h e i r expectations. The freshmen and upperclassmen reported experienced per­ ceptions which were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower than t h e i r expectations w hile the s t a f f reported the opposite. A fte r f i v e months l i v i n g in the residence hall environment, a l l three groups reported s im ila r e x p e r i­ enced perceptions o f academic achievement. However, the freshmen both expected and experienced a g re a te r emphasis than reported by the upper­ classmen and the s t a f f regarding non-classroom i n t e l l e c t u a l achievements. The study revealed th a t when considering the e x te n t to which student residents (not s t a f f or ad m in is tra tio n ) perceived they co n tro lled the running o f the f l o o r , the freshmen both expected and experienced more control than did the upperclassmen. The s t a f f scores in th is area f e l l between those of the freshmen and those o f the upperclassmen. A ll subjects reported expecting the residence hall environment to be s ig ­ n i f i c a n t l y more com petitive than they found i t to be a f t e r l i v i n g there fo r f i v e months. Richard Dean McKinnon The conclusions o f t h is study have im plications fo r s t a f f and students involved in r e s id e n tia l housing a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . The data provide a base o f inform ation f o r describing with g re a te r s p e c i f ic it y re s id e n t and s t a f f expectations and experienced percep­ tions o f the l i v i n g environment in a coed residence hall a t Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . Such a base o f inform ation could be added to each year to develop a p r o f i l e o f student and s t a f f expectations and experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll environment. The in s ig h t gained from th is study and a continuous program of d efin in g and re -d e fin in g student and s t a f f environmental needs using the URES could be helpful to the housing a d m in is tra tio n , the general a d m in is tra tio n , and the f a c u lt y as they attempt to provide s p e c ific services and educational programs. In a d d it io n , residence h a ll s t a f fs and students could use th is inform ation to control and/or in fluen ce the e f f e c t o f s p e c ific environmental v a ria b le s on t h e i r behavior. An analysis such as th is might help bring about the development o f a more e f f e c t i v e and supportive l iv i n g environment s ta ffe d with b e tte r tra in e d personnel, and characterized by programs and services appropriate to the developmental needs o f residence hall students. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The w r i t e r wishes to express his sincere ap preciation to his major a d v is o r, Dr. Louis C. Stamatakos. His continued encouragement, support, and assistance in w r it in g contributed in g rea t measure to the completion o f th is d is s e r t a tio n . Acknowledgment is also made of the assistance o f the other members o f the guidance committee: Dr. W alter F. Johnson, Dr. Samuel A. Moore, and Dr. Bruce P. Coleman. The w r i t e r is indebted to the students and s t a f f o f Hubbard Hall fo r the support and time they gave to the study. A special acknowledgment is made to the w r i t e r 's w ife , E lle n , fo r her support, encouragement, and assistance. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I . INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 1 The Impact o f the Residence H all Environment . Statement o f the P ro b le m ..................... 13 Purpose o f the S t u d y ............................................................................... 14 H y p o th ese s................................................................ 15 M e t h o d o lo g y ................................................................................................ 16 D e f in it io n o f T e r m s ...................................... 17 L im ita tio n s of the S t u d y ...................................................................... 20 Organization o f the S t u d y .................................................................. 21 . . . . . I I . REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE...........................................................................22 Measurement of College and Residence Environments Perceptions of Place o f Residence Expectations and Perceptions C la s s -le v e l Perceptions Personal C h a ra c te ris tic s and Perceptions o f the ........................................... ........................................................ . ............................................................. . . . E n v i r o n m e n t ......................... Student Development and Academic Achievement in 22 27 34 45 46 Residence Halls 49 S u m m a ry .........................................................................................................58 .............................................................................. I I I . METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................... 60 ................................................................................................60 Hypotheses 61 P o p u l a t i o n ................................................................ I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n ......................... 62 Use o f Instrument and C o lle c tio n of D a t a ....................................72 S t a t i s t i c a l Analysis .......................................................................... 74 IV. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF D A T A .....................................................77 I n t r o d u c t i o n ............................................... Review of Groups and the Procedures of the Study Hypotheses to be T e s t e d ...................................... D a t a ............................................................................. . . . . of Subscale 1, Involvement of Subscale 2, Emotional Support .................................... Analysis Analysis ...................... Analysis o f Subscale 3 , Independence ................................... Analysis o f Subscale 4, T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n . .................................. 77 77 78 79 79 84 85 87 i i i Chapter Analysis of Subscale 5, Competition ........................................ Analysis o f Subscale 6, Academic Achievement .................. Analysis of Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y ............................... Analysis o f Subscale 8, Order and Organization Analysis of Subscale 9, Student Influence ........................... Analysis of Subscale 10, Innovation ....................................... .................................................................................. . . . . . . . . Summary . 90 92 97 101 103 106 107 V. SUWARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS........................................ 109 . . . . . . Restatement o f the P u r p o s e ........................................................ . . .......................................................................... Methodology . . .......................................................................... . Conclusions ................................................................. Relationship Dimensions .......................... Personal Growth or Development Dimensions . System Maintenance and System Change Dimensions Im p lication s o f the S t u d y ................................................... Speculations Recommendations f o r Further Research Concluding Statement ........................................................................................... ....................................... .......................................................................... . . . 110 110 112 113 115 120 129 133 136 139 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 141 APPENDIX A ...................................................................................................................... 149 APPENDIX B ......................................................................................................................164 APPENDIX C ...................................................................................................................... 177 iv LIST OF TABLES URES Subscale Analysis o f Variance Across Thirteen Residence H alls ...................................................................................... URES Subscale Descriptions ................................................................. In te rn a l Consistencies, Average Item-Subscale C o rrelatio n s and T e s t - r e t e s t R e l i a b i l i t i e s fo r URES Form R Subscales ......................................................................... URES Form R Subscale In te r c o r r e la tio n s ....................................... Population ................................................................................................... Cell Means f o r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen by Sex f o r tne Ten URES Subscales f o r Expectations ( E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) ............................................................ Cell Means by Sex f o r the Ten URES Subscales f o r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) . . . . Group Means f o r the Ten URES Subscales f o r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions ( P ) ................. . ..................... Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 1, Involvement ............................................................................................... 64 67 69 70 75 80 80 81 81 Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 2 , Emotional Support .................................................................................. 84 Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 3, Independence ........................................................................................... 86 Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 4 , T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n .................................................... 88 Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 5, Competition ......................................................................... . . Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 6, Academic Achievement ......................................................................... Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 7 , I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y ...................... . . . . . . ................................... 91 93 97 v 4 .1 1 . Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 8 , Order and O r g a n iz a t i o n ............................................... 101 4.1 2 . Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 9, Student I n f l u e n c e .............................................................................. 103 4.1 3 . Least-squares Analysis of Variance f o r Subscale 10, I n n o v a t i o n ............................................................................................... 106 v i LIST OF FIGURES 4 .1 . M u ltip le Comparisons of Least-squares Means fo r Males and Females f o r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method f o r Subscale 1, Involvement . . . . 82 4 .2 . M u ltip le Comparisons of Least-squares Means f o r Males and Females f o r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 4 , T ra d itio n a l Social O rien tation .................................................................................... 89 4.3. M u ltip le Comparisons of Combined Least-squares Means (Expectations and Experienced Perceptions) fo r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method f o r Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement ............................................................ 94 4.4. M u ltip le Comparisons of Least-squares Means fo r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen fo r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 6, Academic Achievem ent................................................................................ 95 4.5 . M u ltip le Comparisons of Combined Least-squares Means (Expectations and Experienced Perceptions) fo r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y . . 98 4 .6 . M u ltip le Comparisons of Least-squares Means fo r Males and Females fo r Expectations (E) and Experienced Per­ ceptions (P) using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y .............................. 99 4.7. M u ltip le Comparisons of Combined Least-squares Means (Expectations and Experienced Perceptions) fo r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 9, Student Influence ..................................................................................... 104 5.1, Cell Means by Sex f o r the Ten URES Subscales fo r Expectations ( f i r s t measure) ............................................................... 123 v i i 5 .2 . Cell Means by Sex fo r the Ten URES Subscales fo r Experienced Perceptions (second measure) ................................... 124 5 .3 . Cell Means f o r Freshmen, Upperclassmen, and S t a f f f o r the Ten URES Subscales f o r Expectations ( f i r s t measure) ...................................................................................... 126 5.4. Cell Means f o r Freshmen, Upperclassmen, and S t a f f f o r the Ten URES Subscales fo r Experienced Perceptions (second measure) ............................................................. 127 v i i i CHAPTER INTRODUCTION The Impact of the Residence H all Environment In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on the con­ cept of student development as a primary goal of American higher educa­ tio n . A tte n tio n has been focused upon the t o ta l learn in g process o f college students and has emphasized the need f o r increased response to the n o n in t e lle c t iv e dimensions o f human development. 1 2 3 ' * A statement by the Committee on the Student in Higher Education expresses th is concern: Despite our lim ite d behavioral knowledge, the co lleg e must recognize th a t even i t s in s tru c tio n a l goals cannot be e f f e c t i v e l y achieved unless i t assumes some r e s p o n s ib ilit y fo r f a c i l i t a t i n g the development of the to ta l human person­ a l i t y . A student is not a passive d ig e s te r o f knowledge e le g a n tly arranged fo r him by superior a r t i s t s o f c u r r ic u ­ lum design. He l is t e n s , reads, th in k s , s tu d ie s , and w rites a t the same time th a t he f e e l s , w o rries , hopes, loves, and hates. He engages in a l l these a c t i v i t i e s not as an is o ­ lated in d iv id u a l but as a member of overlapping communities which g r e a t ly influence his reactions to the classroom experience. To teach the subject matter and ignore the r e a l i t i e s o f the stu d e n t’ s l i f e and the social system o f the college is hopelessly n a iv e .4 ^K. A. Feldman and T. M. Newcomb, The Impact o f College on Students, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1969). 2 A. W. C h ickering, Education and I d e n t i t y , (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1969). 3 R. D. Brown, Student Development in Tomorrow's Higher Education: A Return to the Academy, (Washington, D. C.: American College Personnel Association, 1972). 4 Committee on the Student in Higher Education, The Student in Higher Education, (New Haven: Hazen Foundation, 19 68 ), p. 5. 2 One of the overlapping communities which can be id e n t if ie d and which performs a v i t a l function f o r the in te g r a tio n of the to t a l co lleg e learning experience is the on-campus l iv i n g u n i t . The on-campus l iv i n g residence is where students spend much o f t h e i r nonclassroom time and where a larg e proportion o f interpersonal learn in g and peer in fluen ce occurs. * 1 2 3 ’ In order to discuss the impact of the residence h a ll environment upon student behavior, the broader context o f student d e v e l­ opment and the o v e ra ll environmental impact should also be examined. Riker recognized the impact o f n o n in t e lle c t iv e education ten years ago when he presented the concept th a t "learnin g is a to ta l pro­ cess" as one o f the fundamental assumptions underlying residence h a lls as learning cen ters. Riker paraphrased one o f the basic tenants o f the student personnel p o in t of view when he maintained th a t the student " . . . operates as a t o ta l organism, not a disembodied mind d elivered fo r nurture to the c o lle g e or u n iv e r s it y . He is a l iv i n g human being with a physique, emotions, and a stage o f developm ent--all o f which influence his mind and le a rn in g ."^ Assuming student housing as a v i t a l p art o f the to ta l educational process, Riker states t h a t , "Student achievement probably involves not only the in d ivid u al and his environment, but also his re la tio n s h ip s to his environment." More r e c e n tly , in 1972, Brown presented a more 5 ^Feldman and Newcomb, 0£ . c i t . 2 Chickering, 0£ . c i t . 3 4 Brown, ojk c i t . C. R ik e r, College Housing as Learning C enters, (Washington, D. C.: American College Personnel A ssociation, 1965 ), p. 6. ^I b i d . , p. 5. 3 sophisticated summary of several basic concepts of student development th a t included the stu d en t, his environment, and the in te r a c tio n of student and environment: 1. Student c h a r a c te r is tic s when they enter college have a s i g n i f i c a n t impact on how students are a ffe c te d by t h e i r college experience. 2. The c o lle g ia t e years are the period fo r many ind ividu al students when s ig n i f i c a n t developmental changes occur. 3. There are o p p o rtu n itie s w ith in the c o lle g ia t e program fo r i t to have a s i g n if ic a n t impact on student development. 4. The environmental fa c to rs th a t hold most promise fo r a ff e c tin g student developmental patterns include peer groups, the liv in g u n i t , the f a c u lt y , and the class­ room experience. 5. Developmental changes in students are the r e s u lt o f the in te r a c tio n o f i n i t i a l c h a r a c te r is tic s and the press of the environment.^ Brown goes on to s ta te t h a t , "An undeniably important dimension o f every student's environment is where he l iv e s . The lo c a tio n and physical makeup o f the l iv i n g environment are important as determiners of the amount and kinds of in te ra c tio n s th a t take place with other students. A rc h ite c tu ra l designs, r u le s , and regu lation s c e r ta in ly have an impact, mostly in providing an atmosphere th a t may r e f l e c t warmth and community or coldness and s t e r i l i t y . " 2 The impact o f the residence environment has also been id e n t i f i e d by Chickering in his book, Education and I d e n t i t y , as one o f the six major sources o f influen ce on the co lleg e campus which can ac celerate or re tard student development. The other f i v e sources o f influence suggested by Chickering are: (1) c l a r i t y of o b jectives and in te rn a l consistency, (2) in s t it u t io n a l s iz e , (3) curriculum , teaching, and e v a lu a tio n , ^Brown, of>. c i t . , pp. 33-35. 2I b i d . , p. 31. 4 (4) f a c u lty and a d m in is tra tio n , and (5) frie n d s , groups, and student cu ltu re.^ The student development vectors which he i d e n t i f i e s and de­ scribes as confronting students as they experience t h e i r college educa­ tion are: (1) achieving competence, (2) managing emotions, (3) becoming autonomous, (4 ) e s tab lis h in g i d e n t i t y , (5) fre e in g interpersonal r e l a - tio n sh ip s , (6 ) c l a r i f y i n g purposes, and (7) developing i n t e g r i t y . o These developmental concepts create a broad base fo r the learning process th a t occurs w ith in the re s id e n tia l s e ttin g as well as w ith in the classroom and the to ta l educational environment. Chickering e t a l . maintain th a t both a f f e c t i v e and c o g n itiv e education are required f o r the in te g ra tio n o f the to ta l co lleg e learning experience. In discussing co lleg e residence as an important influence fo r student development, Newcomb sums up the s ig n ific a n c e o f peer r e l a t i o n ­ ships and propinquity as fo llo w s : For any ind ividu al th ere are many o th e rs , p o t e n t i a l l y , w ith whom he might form s i g n i f i c a n t r e la tio n s h ip s . Those w ith whom he does in f a c t develop them are lim it e d by o p p ortun ities fo r contact and reciprocal e x p lo ra tio n , which in turn are influenced by physical p ro p in q u ity . And, other things equ al, he is most apt to maintain close re latio n sh ip s w ith those w ith whom he f i r s t develops them.3 Dressel and Lehmann make i t c le a r th at these friendships and peer re la tio n s h ip s have an important impact on students. They found th a t: ^Chickering, o£. c i t . , p. 144. ^1 b id . , pp. 8-1 9. 3 T. M. Newcomb, ’’Student Peer-group In fluen ce and In te lle c t u a l In R. L. Sutherland, W. H, Holtzman, Outcomes of College Experience," E. A. K o il, and B. K. Smith ( E d s .) , Personal i ty Factors on the Col lege Campus, (Austin: Hogg Foundation fo r Mental H e a lth , 19 62 ), p. 76. 5 The most s ig n if ic a n t reported experience in the c o lle g ia t e liv e s o f these (Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity ) students was t h e i r association w ith d i f f e r e n t p e rs o n a litie s in t h e i r liv in g u n i t . The an alysis o f in te rv ie w and questionnaire data suggested th a t discussions and bull sessions were a potent fa c to r in shaping the a t t itu d e s and values o f these stu d en ts.' On the basis o f research a t Haverford, Heath f u r t h e r reported that fo r both undergraduates and alumni t h e i r r e la tio n s w ith roommates and frien d s were the p r in c ip le experiences th at transformed ethno- centrism in to g reater acceptance and a f f e c t io n fo r o th e rs . 2 An increasing number o f educators have turned t h e i r a tte n tio n d ir e c tly to the college residence h all environment as an object of research and to the changes which take place in students affected by that environment. A s tin , in re p o rtin g lo n g itu d in a l data co lle cte d from 25,455 freshmen from some 213 i n s t it u t io n s in f a l l 1966 and four years la te r in 1970, indicates th a t l iv i n g in a residence h a l l , compared to liv in g a t home, had p o s itiv e b en efits on the student's educational progress. He states t h a t , " . . . dormitory residents were less l i k e l y to drop out and more l i k e l y than commuters to a t t a in the baccalaureate in four y e a rs , to apply f o r admission to graduate school, and to earn a high grade point average." 3 Astin also reported th a t l iv i n g in a residence h all increased the chances th a t the student would major in education or social science, plan to become an elementary teacher or a performing a r t i s t , or be V . L. Dressel and I . J. Lehmann, "The Impact o f Higher Education on Student Values and C r i t i c a l Thinking A b i l i t i e s , " Educational Record, 46 (Summer, 1965), p. 245. 1968). 2 3 D. Heath, Growing Up in C o lle g e , (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A. W. A s tin , "The Impact of Dormitory Living on Students," Educational Record, 54 (Summer, 19 73 ), pp. 206-207. 6 undecided about a ca re er. Students who liv e d a t home were more l i k e l y to major in business or engineering.^ A d d itio n al analyses of A s tin 's data also support g e n e ra liz in g the p o s itiv e e ffe c ts o f residence h all liv in g to d i f f e r e n t types o f students, i . e . , those from d i f f e r e n t income groups, m in o rity groups, and w ith d i f f e r e n t a b i l i t i e s . o When considering student behaviors, l i v i n g in a dormitory seemed to increase the ra te of student d rin k in g , smoking, and d a tin g . There was also an increase in the number o f residence h a ll students who o v e rs le p t and missed classes. At the same tim e, dormitory student attendance a t 3 Sunday school and church decreased. A s tin 's fin d in g s also revealed th a t l i v i n g in a residence h all had a c o n s is te n tly p o s itiv e e f f e c t on students' perceptions o f t h e i r own interpersonal competency, s e lf-c o n fid e n c e , and public speaking as i n d i ­ cated by a s e l f - r a t i n g o f p o p u la rity . Residence h a ll l i v i n g also had a p o s itive e f f e c t on s e l f - r a t i n g s o f p o l i t i c a l lib e r a lis m , but a negative e f fe c t on s e l f - r a t i n g s of p o l i t i c a l conservatism. 4 One o f the most valuable co n trib u tio n s o f A s tin 's data is in the ratings o f the o v e ra ll c o lle g e environment. Here, again, the consequences of liv in g in a residence h all were p o s itiv e as he states t h a t , " . . . o v e ra ll student s a t is f a c t io n w ith the co lle g e was l i k e l y to be higher. There was probably more personal contact between students and ] I b i d . , p. 207. 2I b i d . , p. 209. 3I b i d . , p. 207. 4,Loc. c i t . 7 f a c u lty , in te ra c tio n among students, and o p p o rtu n itie s to receive advice and guidance from f a c u lt y and s t a f f . Several other s tu d ie s , which w i l l be discussed in more d e t a i l in Chapter I I , have also demonstrated th a t l i v i n g environments can have considerable impact on several student developmental v a ria b le s . * * * 2 3 4 5 Ryan, f o r example, in attempting to demonstrate a p o s itiv e and d ir e c tio n a l c o rre la tio n between housing and academic achievement, found th a t residence h all students studied more than students who l i v e off-cam pus.6 Hountras and Brandt also conducted research on various types o f student residences as c o rre la te d with academic performance. T h e ir find in g s indicate th a t the impact o f environmental surroundings on co lle g e students produce a s ig n if ic a n t e f f e c t on classroom performance as measured by grade-poi n t-a ve ra g e. ^ A l f e r t contends t h a t , " . . . students spend a great deal o f time at the place where they l i v e and t h e i r immediate surroundings can be a source o f s a tis fa c t io n or discontent t h a t could a f f e c t t h e i r academic 1T b id ., p. 210. 2 R. S. Vreelan and C. E. B id w e ll, "Organizational E ffec ts on Student A ttitu d e s : A Study o f the Harvard Houses," Sociology o f Educa­ tion , 38 (Spring, 1965 ), pp. 233-250. 3 R. D. Brown, "Manipulation of the Environmental Press in a College Residence H a l l , " Personnel and Guidance Jo u rn al, 46 (February, 1968), pp. 555-560. " 4 D. A. DeCoster, "Housing Assignments fo r H ig h -A b ilit y Students," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 7 (January, 1 9 6 6 ), pp. 19-22. 5 H. C. S e lv in , "The Impact o f U n iv e rs ity Experience on Occupation­ al Plans," School Review, 71 (Autumn, 1 9 6 3 ), pp. 317-329. g J. L. Ryan, "College Freshmen and Living Arrangements," NASPA Journal, 8 (October, 1970 ), p. 129. ^P. T. Hountras and K. R. Brandt, "Relation o f Student Residence to Academic Performance in C o lle g e ," Journal of Educational Research, 63 ( A p r i l , 1970), p. 353. 8 success or t h e i r overall fe e lin g about being in c o lle g e ." 1 Students new to the college se ttin g sometimes have erroneous concepts o f s e lf and of th e ir expected environment. Anxiety, u n c e rta in ty , ambiguity, problems of confidence are experienced. Thus, the impact o f a student's residence may be instrumental in e it h e r easing the various adjustment factors or may re in fo rc e behavior and a t t it u d in a l factors negative to s a tis fa c to ry performance. A l f e r t indicates th a t residences which do l i t t l e to aid students in fe e lin g competent and a t ease may e x h ib it a higher dropout rate than residences where the environment is supportive. 2 From these studies i t can be inferred th a t a student's residence can have e ith e r a p o s itive or negative impact on his college experience. Such studies support residence h alls as d ir e c t ly contributing to the edu­ cational process o f the t o t a l i n s t it u t io n and to the development o f the individual student. An important part of the p o s itive or negative impact of the residence hall environment is the residence hall s t a f f . 3 4 5 ’ ’ The r e s p o n s ib ilitie s o f a professional residence hall s t a f f are basic to the creation of an environment which is an educationally contributing p art of the to ta l college community. The residence hall program and s t a f f at many in s titu tio n s are committed to the creation of student housing th at e x is ts , " . . . to express the philosophy and 1E. A l f e r t , "Housing S election , Need S a tis fa c tio n , and Dropout From College," Psychology Reports, 19 (August, 1966), p. 185. 2I b i d . , p. 186. 3 R iker, oj3. c i t . 4 S. P l y l e r , J. R. Powell, B. A. Dickson and S. D. McClellan, The Personnel Assistant in Colleqe Residence H a lls , (Boston: Houqhton M i f f l i n , 1969).----------------- ---------- ------------------------------- 5 B. Barger and A. Q. Lynch, "University Housing: A Healthy Learning Laboratory," In J. Katz (E d .), Service fo r Students, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1973). 9 o bjectives o f the t o t a l U n iv e rs ity community. The program is dedicated to provide many o p p o rtu n itie s f o r le a rn in g f o r in d iv id u a l students, while a t the same tim e , meeting t h e i r p h y s ic a l, s o c ia l, and psychological n e e d s . T o accomplish th is broad educational o b je c t iv e , the residence hall program is viewed as an in te g r a l p a rt o f the t o ta l curriculum . Statements o f the philosophy and o b je c tiv e s o f the Housing O f f ic e a t several u n iv e r s it ie s are included in appendix A. The general d uties performed by a professional residence h all s t a f f to meet these o b jec tiv es include: policy form ulation and imple­ mentation; personal guidance and r e f e r r a l ; food service and physical maintenance; development o f educational programs and learn in g opportuni­ t i e s ; q u a lity and q u a n tity o f communication; and supervision and re g u la tio n . The s t a f f is responsible fo r the c rea tio n o f a humane environment th a t is supportive o f the development o f interpersonal re la tio n s h ip s , personal growth, in t e ll e c t u a l growth, and an understanding o f the system in which the student liv e s and lea rn s. Barger and Lynch re ce n tly emphasized th is p oint: With proper s t a f f i n g , residence h a lls can be learning la b o ra to rie s f o r developing academic and interpersonal competence as well as social e ff e c tiv e n e s s .2 P ly le r e t a l . also support the b e l i e f th a t the residence h a ll s t a f f members are in a p osition to have a personal and s ig n i f i c a n t e f f e c t upon the development o f students who l i v e in the residence h a lls . ^O ffice o f Residence Hall Programs, Overview o f Residence Hall Programs a t Michigan S ta te U n iv e r s it y , (East Lansing, Michigan: 1973-1974), p. 1. 2 3 Barger and Lynch, 0£ . c i t . , p. 5. P l y l e r , op. c i t . , p. x i . 10 Many researchers of the co lleg e environment have taken the approach th a t d i f f e r e n t kinds o f students w ill perform a t t h e i r optimal level in d i f f e r e n t kinds o f college environments. Pace and S t e r n J 2 3 4 5 Stern, T h is t le th w a ite , A s tin , and Standing support the sociopsycho- logical theory th at e f f o r t should be d irec ted toward promoting student development e it h e r (1) by matching the in d ivid u al to the co lleg e en­ vironment th a t w ill maximize the r e a l i z a t i o n o f his p o te n tia l or (2 ) by arranging the college environment to meet the d i f f e r e n t expectations of d if f e r e n t groups of students. McConnell set f o r t h the hypothesis t h a t , " . . . the e ff ic a c y of a college is the product o f the fo rtu n a te conjunction o f student c h a ra c te ris tic s and exp ectation s, and the demands, sanctions, and opportunities o f the c o lle g e environment and i t s subcultures." Eddy studied twenty American colleges and attempted to describe and d e lin e a te influences which affected student c h a rac ter. He found t h a t , " . . . par­ t ic u la r aspects of the environment have the power to e ith e r r e in fo r c e or ^C. R. Pace and G. S tern , "An Approach to the Measurement o f Psychological C h a ra c te ris tic s o f College Environments," Journal o f Educational Psychology, 49 (October, 19 58 ), pp. 269-277. 2 G. S tern , "C h a ra c te ris tic s o f the I n t e ll e c t u a l Climate in College Environments," Harvard Educational Review, 33 (W in te r, 1963), pp. 5-4 1. 3D. C. T h is tle th w a ite and H. Wheeler, " E ffe c ts o f Teacher and Peer Subcultures Upon Student A s p ira tio n ," Journal o f Educational Psychology, 57 (February, 19 66 ), pp. 35-47. 4 A. Astin and J. L. Holland, "The Environmental Assessment Technique: A Way to Measure College Environments," Journal o f Educational Psychology, 52 (December, 1961), pp. 308-316. 5 J. R. Standing and C. A. Parker, "The College C h a ra c te ris tic Index as a Measure of Entering Students Preconceptions o f College L i f e , " Journal o f College Student Personnel, 6 (October, 19 64 ), pp. 2-6. ®T, R. McConnell and P. H e is t, "The Diverse College Student Popu­ la t io n ," 1964), pp. 73-80. In N e v itt Sanford ( E d . ) , Colleqe and C h aracter, (New York: W ile y , 11 to negate th a t which happens. The a t t i t u d e s , the surroundings, the extra a c t i v i t i e s , the manners and morals o f a campus, f o r example, can e it h e r stim ulate or s t u l t i f y the purely academic endeavor."^ This l i n e of reasoning was c a rrie d fu r t h e r by Becker's d e f i n i t i o n o f student c u ltu r e as "a set of understandings shared by students and a set o f actions con­ gruent with these understandings," th a t i s , a set o f perceptions o f one's s itu a tio n . 2 Building on the th e o re tic a l c o n trib u tio n o f Henry Murray and 3 5 his conceptu alization of environmental press, Pace and Stern and Stern 4 hypothesized th a t the extent of agreement (congruence) between one's internal forces (needs) and the external environmental forces (press) a student encounters is p o s itiv e ly re la te d to his adaption to th a t environment. The lo g ic of th is approach is th a t the consensus o f i n ­ d ividuals c h a ra c te riz in g t h e i r environmental clim a te exerts a d ir e c tio n a l influence on behavior.^ Lauterbach and Vielhaber fu r th e r hypothesized th at i t is not necessarily so much the congruence o f his needs and the press as i t is the congruence o f what he expects (expectations) and the ^E. J. Eddy, The College In flu e n ce on Student Character, (Washing­ ton, D. C.: American Council on Education, 1959). 2 H. S. Becker, Boys in W hite, (Chicago: U n iv e rs ity o f Chicago Press, 1961). 3 H. A. Murray, Exploration in P e r s o n a lity , (New York: Oxford U niversity Press, 1938)T 4 Pace and S tern , ojj. c i t . , p p . 269-277. 5 Stern, o|). c i t . , pp. 5-41. ^R. H. Moos, A. J. DeYoung, and M. M. P. Smail, "The U n iv e rs ity Residence Hall Scale: A Method f o r Describing U n iv e rs ity Student Living Groups," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 15 (September, 1974), p. 358. 12 press he subsequently encounters th a t more strongly influences his adaptation.^ This is referred to as the expectation-press hypothesis. Lauterbach and Vielhaber demonstrated support fo r such a hypothesis in th e ir study a t West Point. 2 Assuming th a t the residence hall environment, as p art o f a to ta l u niversity environment, has an impact on various student development va ria b les , the problem o f how to best u t i l i z e th is sub-environment merits in v e s tig a tio n . A major lim it a t io n to the effe ctiven ess of educa­ tional experiences, including those o f a u n iv e rs ity housing program, is the lack of evaluation and research. Brown and Chickering both 3 4 emphasize the need fo r more research on the developmental aspects of the student l iv i n g environment. And, as Dressel states: The worth o f an experience may be judged by i t s educational impact - th a t i s , by the extent to which i t , in i t s e l f or in comparison w ith other possible experiences, re s u lts in ce rta in desired changes in those having the experience. Education is a complex process involving the selection of ideas (concepts, values, s k i l l s ) and the planning of experiences designed to fo s te r mastery of these ideas in the people subjected to the educational process. Choices must be made in planning an educational program, and the effectiveness of the program must also be s tu d ie d .5 In supporting the need fo r fu rth e r research, A stin indicates th at i f , " . . . dormitory liv in g is o f l i t t l e or no educational value, C. G. Lauterbach and D. P. Vielhaber, "Need Press and Expecta­ tion: Press Indices as Predictors of College Achievement," Educational and Psychological Measurement, 26 (Winter, 1966), pp. 965-972. 2I b i d . 3 Brown, ojd, c i t . , p. 32. 4 5 Chickering, o£. c i t . , p. 231. P. L. Dressel and Associates, Evaluation in Higher Education, (Boston: Houghton M i f f l i n Company, 1961), p. 6. continuing support o f f a c i l i t i e s and a d d itio n a l construction may represent a needless squandering of lim ite d educational re so u rce s.11^ Statement o f the Problem I d e a l l y , the residence h a ll should provide entering students with the opportunity f o r the p o s itiv e experience they expect from t h e i r environment. Although not an easy task to accomplish, an e f f o r t must be made to: (1 ) determine what the new resid en ts expect o f t h e i r l i v i n g environment; (2 ) determine and evaluate the actual l i v i n g environment as e x p e r ie n t ia lly perceived by the new re s id e n ts ; and (3) evalu ate the d iffe re n c e s , i f any, between the expectations and the experienced per­ ceptions of the residence h a ll environment as held by the new re s id e n ts . And, since the residence h a ll s t a f f and the upperclass student peer group have a major impact on the l iv in g environment, i t is necessary to also understand and evaluate t h e i r expectations and experienced percep­ tions o f the residence h all environment. The impact o f expectations held by these s ig n if ic a n t reference groups upon a residence h a ll environment has never been studied in depth. A study o f th is nature could have im plications f o r a l l members o f the student personnel profession and fo r members o f the academic community who hold d i f f e r e n t points o f view about the developmental aspects o f residence hall l i v i n g or who do not understand the p o te n tia l impact of the residence h all environment. In a d d itio n , a study o f th is type is an important step toward building a more systematic body o f knowledge about residence h all en­ vironmental expectations and experienced perceptions. I t could p o in t out s p e c ific areas o f c o n f l i c t between students and s t a f f and between 14 expectations and experienced perceptions. I t could also p in -p o in t more s p e c ific a lly the lo c atio n and nature of such c o n f l i c t . This type of information could be o f assistance in helping s t a f f members and students mutually d e fin e , understand, and c l a r i f y points o f c o n f lic t so th a t the c o n flic t might be resolved. I f the liv in g environment o f a p a rtic u la r residence h all on a p a rtic u la r campus can be characterized ac cu ra tely, i t might be possible to modify or preserve those environmental c h a ra c te ris tic s deemed beneficial to the college experience by the f a c u lt y , a d m in is tra tio n , residence hall s t a f f s , and students. A knowledge of the expectations and e x p e rie n tia lly perceived environment of a campus liv in g u n it could p o te n tia lly be useful fo r both the in s tit u tio n and fo r the student who w ill l iv e there. Purpose of the Study The author’ s purpose in th is study was to describe and evaluate the expectations { f i r s t measure), the experienced perceptions (second measure), and the change from expectations to perceptions (d iffe re n c e ) that entering freshmen, returning upperclass re sid en ts, and s t a f f mem­ bers had o f the psychological environment o f a co-ed residence hall a t Michigan State U n iversity. The objectives were to determine (1) i f there were any differences in the expectations these three groups had of the residence hall environment, (2) i f there were any differences in the experienced perceptions of these three groups o f the l iv in g environment a ft e r liv in g in i t fo r f i v e months, (3) i f there were any d ifferen ces between the expectations and the experienced perceptions held by these three groups, and (4) i f there were any sex re la te d d ifferences in the expectations, perceptions, and differences between expectations and 15 perceptions f o r the three groups. The th ree dimensions of the l i v i n g environment under consideratio n were: (1 ) interpersonal r e la tio n s h ip s , (2) personal growth or development, and (3 ) system maintenance and change. Hypotheses The research hypotheses of the study were: 1. There are s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the h a ll environment, ( f i r s t measure) residence 2. There are s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence hall environment, measure) ( f i r s t 3. There are s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environment, ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced perceptions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) 5. There are s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced perceptions held by males and females o f the residence h all environment, (second measure) 6 . There are s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced perceptions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclass­ men, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence h all environment, (second measure) 7. There are s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h all en­ vironment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe r e n c e ) 8 . There are s ig n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll en­ vironment held by males and females, (d iffe re n c e ) 9. There are s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all en­ vironment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe r e n c e ) The hypotheses were restated as null hypotheses in Chapter I I I to allow them to be o p e ra tio n a lize d and tested s t a t i s t i c a l l y . 16 Methodology To obtain the necessary data fo r the study, the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale, or URES,^ was administered twice to groups of freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members— once a t the beginning o f the 1973-74 academic year and again f i v e months l a t e r . A sample o f 177 {115 females and 62 males) September, 1973, en terin g freshmen, 66 (31 females and 35 males) returning upperclassmen, and 30 (15 females and 15 males) residence h a ll advisory s t a f f members l i v i n g in Hubbard Hall at Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity were used in t h is study. The URES (appendix C) consists of 96 statements scaled in to ten environmental dimensions on which residents describe t h e i r expecta­ tions and perceptions of the residence hall environment. The respond­ ents were asked to s ta te whether each statement was g e n e ra lly tru e or fa ls e w ith reference to t h e ir expectations ( f i r s t measure) of the en­ vironment and to t h e i r experienced perceptions (second measure) o f the 'a c t u a l1 environment. The ten subscales a re: (1) Involvement, (2) Emo­ tional Support, (3) Independence, (4) T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n , (5) Competition, (6) Academic Achievement, (7 ) I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y , (8) Order and O rganization, (9) Student In flu e n c e , and (10) Innovation. A comprehensive review of the design and methodology is found in Chapter I I I . ^R. S. Moos and M. S. G erst, U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale: Manual, (Palo A lto , C a lif o r n ia : Consulting Psvcholoaists Press. T 97T T ---------------- 17 D e fin itio n of Terms The fo llo w in g terms are defined as they were used in th is study: Psychological environment. The complex of s tim u li th a t press upon the individual and to which his behavior contributes a response.^ Residence h a ll environment o r l i v i n g environment. That p a rt o f the u n ive rs ity environment where the student residents and s t a f f members spend much of t h e i r non-classroom time and where a la rg e proportion o f interpersonal le a rn in g and peer in flu e n c e occurs. * ’ 2 3 4 S ig n ific a n t Reference Group. A group having an impact, e it h e r fo rm ally or in f o r m a lly , on the environment w ith in the residence h a l l. Expectations. What the student residents and s t a f f members believed would be tr u e and not tru e about the residence h all environment before liv in g in i t . Experienced perceptions. What the student re sid en ts and s t a f f members perceive to be tru e and not tru e about t h e i r residence hall environment a f t e r l i v i n g in i t fo r f i v e months. Freshmen. Those student re s id e n ts who are beginning t h e ir f i r s t year o f college experience and who have never liv e d in a residence h a l l . Upperclassmen. Those students who have had one or more years o f experience a t Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity and who have liv e d in a co lleg e residence hall f o r a t le a s t one y e a r. ^G. G. S tern , "The In t e lle c t u a l Climate in College Environments," In Kaoru Yamamoto ( E d i t o r ) , The College Student and His C ulture: An A n alysis, (Boston: Houghton M i f f l i n , 1968). 2 Feldman and Newcomb, 0£ . c i t . 3 A. Bass, 1969). W. C h ickerin g, Education and I d e n t i t y , (San Francisco: Jossey- 4 R. D. Brown, Student Development in Tomorrow's Higher Education: A Return to the Academy, (Washington, D. C . : American College Personnel Association, 1972). 18 Residence hall s t a f f . Those in d iv id u a ls who are employed by the U niversity to provide su p ervisio n , c o n tr o l, guidance, counseling, o rie n ta tio n , and educational programing f o r the student resid en ts o f a co-ed residence h a l l . A s t a f f consists o f undergraduate students, graduate students, and f u l l - t i m e em ployees--al1 o f whom l i v e in the h a l l . A job d es crip tio n f o r each residence hall s t a f f member included in th is study is presented in appendix B. Co-ed residence h a l l . An on-campus l i v i n g u n i t housing 1150 students evenly d ivided between men and women. The men's and women's flo o rs are open to v i s i t a t i o n by members o f the opposite sex 24 hours d a ily . The b u ild in g is composed of two wings (one f o r male residents and one fo r female re s id e n ts ) o f twelve f lo o r s each which are separated by a common dining area. U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale (URES). An instrument designed to describe and evalu ate the c o lle g e l i v i n g environment. Two forms of URES were used in th is study, one to measure expectations and one to measure the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all environ­ ment. The ten subscales o f the URES are defined below w ith a sample item in parenthesis: 1. Involvement. Degree o f commitment to the f l o o r and re s id e n ts ; amount o f in te r a c t io n and fe e lin g o f frie n d s h ip on the f l o o r . (On th is f l o o r th e re is a strong f e e lin g o f belongingness.) 2. Emotional support. Extent of m a nifest concern f o r others on the f l o o r ; e f f o r t s to aid one another w ith academic and personal problems; emphasis on open and honest coim unication. (People here are concerned w ith helping and supporting one a n o th e r.) 19 3. Independence. D iv e r s ity of re s id e n ts ' behaviors allowed w ithout social sanctions, versus s o c ia ll y proper ana conformist behavior. (Behaving p roperly in social s itu a tio n s is not considered important h e re .) 4. T ra d itio n a l social o r i e n t a t i o n . Stress on d a tin g , going to p a r t i e s , and other t r a d i t i o n a l heterosexual in te r a c tio n s . (Dating is a re cu rrin g topic of conversation around h e re .) 5. Competition. The degree to which a wide v a r ie ty o f a c t i v i t i e s such as d a tin g , grades, and the l i k e are cast into a com p etitive framework. (Around here discussions fre q u e n tly turn into verbal duel s . ) 6 . Academic achievement. Extent to which s t r i c t l y classroom and academic accomplishments and concerns are prominent on the f l o o r . (Most people here consider studies as very important in c o l le g e . ) 7. In t e ll e c t u a l i t y . Emphasis on c u l t u r a l , a r t i s t i c , and other s c h o la rly i n t e ll e c t u a l a c t i v i t i e s on the f l o o r , as d istin g u ish ed from s t r i c t l y classroom achievements. (People around here t a l k a l o t about p o l i t i c a l and social is s u e s .) 8 . Order and o r g a n iz a tio n . Amount o f formal s tr u c tu r e or o rg a n iz a tio n , e . g . , r u l e s , schedules, fo llo w in g established procedures, and so on on the f l o o r ; neatness. (F lo o r procedures here are well e s ta b lis h e d .) 9. Student in flu e n c e . Extent to which student resid en ts (n ot s t a f f or a d m in is tra tio n ) perceive they control the running o f the f l o o r ; formulate and enforce the r u le s ; control use o f money, s e le c tio n o f s t a f f , food, roommates, p o l i c i e s , and the l i k e , (Students enforce f l o o r ru le s h e re .) 20 10. Inn ovatio n . Organizational and ind ividu al spontaneity of behaviors and ideas; number and v a r ie ty o f a c t i v i t i e s ; new a c t i v i t i e s . (New approaches to things are o ften tr ie d here.)^ Limitations o f the Study The follow ing lim it a t io n s are s ig n if ic a n t in th is study: 1. The study is lim ite d by fac to rs inherent in the use of any questionnaire. These include the d i f f i c u l t y o f securing complete cooperation o f the sample, the biases of the respondents, the d i f f i c u l t y of getting consistent in te r p r e ta tio n of the questions being asked, and the fa c t th a t some elements of the sample may be unable to adequately r e fle c t perceptions o f the residence hall environment. Although the instrument is among the best o f very few a v a ila b le fo r the systematic study o f the residence h a l l , the above weaknesses should be considered when reviewing and using the re s u lts o f th is study. 2. The study is confined to an evaluation and description o f the expectations and experienced perceptions of a co-ed residence hall liv in g environment a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . The p i l o t nature of the study lim it s the extent to which re s u lts can be generalized. The scarcity of th e o re tic a l or em pirical research on the ro le th at expecta­ tions and experienced perceptions have on the development o f the residence hall environment also makes i t d i f f i c u l t to g en eralize the results beyond the l iv i n g u n it being studied. 3. The populations used in th is study were lim ite d to freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members from one residence hall at Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . While s i m i l a r i t i e s e x is t between residence h a lls and between housing programs a t d i f f e r e n t i n s t it u t io n s , caution should ^Moos, DeYoung, and Smail , 0£. c i t . , pp. 258-359. 21 be used in g e n e ra lizin g the re s u lts o f t h is study beyond the subject populations. 4. This study is lim ite d in scope to a d es crip tio n and evalua­ tion o f resident expectations and experienced perceptions of the residence hall environment. The r o le th a t expectations have on determining the experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll environ­ ment is also considered. No attempt is made to compare or co n trast the merits o f the residence h a ll environment w ith other residence hall environments. No attem pt is made to ev alu ate the merits o f the goals and objectives o f the U n iv e rs ity residence h a ll system. F in a l l y , no attempt is made to evalu ate the e ffe c tiv e n e s s of the residence hall s t a f f in achieving these goals and o b je c tiv e s . Organization o f the Study The importance and scope o f the problem are reviewed in Chapter I . Chapter I I is devoted to a review o f p e rtin e n t l i t e r a t u r e re la te d to students' expectations and perceptions o f the college and residence hall environments. The design and methodology used in c o lle c tin g and analyzing the data is presented in Chapter I I I . This chapter includes a description of the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale. The re s u lts of the analysis of the data are presented in Chapter IV . The concluding chapter, Chapter V, contains the summary, conclusions, discussion of re s u lts , and im p lic atio n s f o r fu rth e r study. CHAPTER I I REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE To help the reader understand the background f o r th is study, a review of the l i t e r a t u r e re la te d to the fo llo w in g areas of college and residence environments is presented: (1) measurement o f college and residence environments, (2) perceptions of place o f residence, (3) ex­ pectations and perceptions, (4) c la s s -le v e l perceptions, (5) personal c h a ra c te r is tic s , and (6 ) student development and academic achievement in residence h a l ls . Other areas of research involving the college and residence environment which are not d ir e c t ly re la te d to the purposes of th is study have not been included. Measurement of College and Residence Environments A search o f the l i t e r a t u r e indicates th a t three basic approaches have been developed to study college environments. The f i r s t approach involves the use of o b je c tiv e c h a r a c t e r is tic s , such as size o f the i n s t it u t io n , average in t e llig e n c e of the student body, the number of volumes in the l i b r a r y , the s tu d e n t-fa c u lty r a t i o , e tc . This method is exemplified by the Environmental Assessment Technique (EAT) of Astin and Holland which ch aracterizes educational in s t it u t io n s using student c h a ra c te ris tic s as indices o f environmental impacts.^ ^A. W. Astin and J. L. Holland, "The Environmental Assessment Technique: A Way to Measure College Environments," Journal of Educational Psychology, 52 (December, 1961), pp. 308-316. 22 23 A second approach uses the Inventory o f College A c t iv i t i e s (ICA) which obtains measures o f observable behaviors in the environment such as the average amount o f time each day th a t a student spends studying, the average number o f students who attend a t h l e t i c events, e t c J The ICA is based upon student s e lf - r e p o r t s and covers fo u r broad areas o f environmental " s t i m u l i 11: peer, classroom, a d m in is tra tiv e , and physical f a c i l i t i e s . The r a t io n a le is th a t a social environment is « function of the people in th a t environment. The th ir d approach involves how the environment is perceived by those who l i v e in i t . This perceptual approach is used by Pace and Stern in the College C h a ra c te ris tic s Index (C C I), by Pace in the College and U n ive rsity Environment Scale (CUES), and by Pervin in the Transac­ tional Analysis o f P erso n ality and Environment (TAPE) -^ The TAPE uses a semantic d i f f e r e n t i a l with students ra tin g such concepts as c o lle g e , s e l f , ideal s e l f , f a c u lt y , and a d m in is tra tio n on each of several items. S a tis fa c tio n w ith the co lle g e environment is viewed by Pervin as a function of the congruence between the perceived c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the environment and the perceived c h a ra c te r is tic s o f oneself.^ ^A. W. A s tin , "The Inventory o f College A c t i v i t i e s (ICA): Assessing the College Environment Through Observable Events," Journal of Educational Measurement, 4 (W in ter, 1965 ), pp. 219-225. 2 3 Pace and S te rn , 0£ . c i t . , pp. 269-277. C. R. Pace, College and U n iv e rs ity Environment Scales Technical Manual, (P rin ce to n , N. J . : Educational Testing S ervices, 1969). 4 L. A. P e rv in , "A Twenty-College Study of Student X College In te ra c tio n Using TAPE," Journal o f Educational Psychology, 58 (October, 1967), pp. 290-302. -------------------------------------------- ----------- 5I b i d . 24 Pace and Stern view the c o lle g e environment in a s im ila r manner: College cultures may be seen as a complex o f en viron ­ mental presses which, in t u r n , may be re la te d to a c o rre ­ sponding complex o f personnel needs.1 The CCI and CUES use t r u e - f a l s e questions to ask students 2 3 about th e ir a c t i v i t i e s and impressions of the c o lle g e environment. Much of the recent research into the nature o f the c o lle g e environment has made use of these three approaches. In discussing the nature o f the students' environment, Feldman 6 and Newcomb, Longino, and Feldman suggest th a t i t is not m onolithic 4 5 and u n d iff e r e n t ia t e d , but composed o f sub-environments which have considerable impact on students and on the la rg e r c o lle g e environment. Feldman in d ic a te s , " . . . every co lle g e is in one degree or another a p lu r a li t y of d i f f e r e n t sub-environments, each valuing d i f f e r e n t in te re s ts and rewarding d i f f e r e n t a c t i v i t i e s . Hence, each student confronts a somewhat d i f f e r e n t environment depending on his p a r t i c u l a r lo c a tio n in the college social s tr u c t u r e ." 7 One o f these co lleg e sub-environments, the on-campus l i v i n g u n i t , provides, as Chickering s ta te s , " . . . a s i g n i f i c a n t context f o r student V a ce and S te rn , o£. c i t . , p. 269. 2I b i d . , pp. 269-277. 3 4 Pace, 0£ . c i t . Feldman and Newcomb, 0£ . c i t . , p. 222. 5 C. F. Longino, "Housing Environments and Student Behavior," Journal of College and U n iv e rs ity Student Housing, 2 ( J u ly , 19 72 ), pp. 8-15. ^K. A. Feldman, "Research S tra te g ie s in Studying College Impact," ACT Research Report #34, (May, 1970). 71 b id . , p. 12. 1 development." Other researchers, Longino, Feldman and Newcomb, 2 3 25 4 5 6 Brown, Dressel and Lehmann, and Brown, have also id e n t if ie d the re sid en tial environment as having potential f o r s ig n if ic a n t impact on college students. Centra, in expressing the importance o f studying the re s id e n tia l influence, s ta te d , " I f campus re s id e n tia l environments g re a tly influence students reactions to the to ta l u n iv e r s ity , one way to improve the u niversity environment is by concentrating fu rth e r on student residences."^ Until re c e n tly , the campus residence hall environment has re - O ceived l i t t l e systematic study. Yet in the past several years several methods of evaluating the college student l iv in g environment have been developed. Duvall created the Residence Hall Environment Index fo r a study a t Indiana U n iv e rs ity . g Centra, in his study of how l i v i n g - learning residence h alls d iffe re d from conventional h a lls , used 65 items from the CUES reworded to apply to residence h a l l s . ^ Other studies W h ic k e rin g , o j k c i t . , p. 179. 2 Longino, o jd . c i t . , p. 10. 3 4 Feldman and Newcomb, o£. c i t . , p. 331. R. Brown, 0£. c i t . , p. 34. 5 Dressel and Lehmann, 0£. c i t . , p. 256. g R. D. Brown, "Manipulation o f the Environmental Press in a College Residence H a ll," Personnel and Guidance Journal , 46 (February, 1957), pp. 555-560. W . A. Centra, "Student Perceptions of Residence Hall Environ­ ments: Living-Learning vs. Conventional U n its," Journal of College Student Personnel, 9 (J u ly , 1968), pp. 266-272. Q Moos, DeYoung, and Smail, oj>. c i t . , p. 357. ®W. H. D u v a ll, "S tudent-Staff Evaluation of Residence Hall En­ vironment," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 10 (January, 1969), pp. 52-58. ^ C e n tr a , 0£. c i t . 26 using CUES to examine the re s id e n tia l environment w i l l be presented la te r in th is chapter. Other means of studying the residence h all environment include the ecological method (using measurement of residence s iz e , sex r a t i o of residents, s tu d e n t-s ta ff r a t i o , the number o f one-, tw o -, or three-person rooms, e t c . ) and the behavioral observation method (using types and f r e ­ quency of various a c t i v i t i e s , e t c . ) J Another method o f evaluating and describing the re s id e n tia l environment, and the one employed in th is study, is based on a perceptual approach. This method uses the perceptions of students and s t a f f to describe the hall and the usual behaviors in t h e i r liv in g u n its . The University Residence Environment Scale (URES) was developed by Moos and Gerst to "provide an o b je c tiv e method of characterizin g the perceived psychosocial clim ate of a v a rie ty o f u n iv e rs ity student l i v i n g groups 2 such as residence h a lls , f r a t e r n i t i e s , and s o r o r it ie s ." This con­ sensual perception o f the environment approach is based upon Murray's conceptualization of environmental press. 3 The press o f the environment, as the student sees i t , defines what he must cope with and c l a r i f i e s fo r him the d ire c tio n his behavior must take i f he is to fin d s a tis fa c tio n and reward w ith in his p a r t ic u la r A liv in g u n it. I I I . A complete d es crip tio n o f the URES is found in Chapter ^Moos, DeYoung, and Smail , oj>. c i t . , p. 514. 2I b i d . , pp. 357-358. 3 I b i d . , p. 358. 4 M. S. Gerst and R. H. Moos, "Social Ecology o f U n iv e rs ity Student Residences," Journal of Educational Psychology, 63 (December, 1972), pp. 513-525. X----- ^ 27 One major outgrowth of the study of college and residence en­ vironments has been the development and use of several instruments and methods of measuring various aspects o f the environment. There are disadvantages and advantages to each o f these approaches depending on whether the researcher is interested in student and in s tit u tio n a l c h a ra c te ris tic s , observable behaviors, or perceptions of the environment. Perceptions of Place of Residence One o f the f i r s t major studies of student expectations and perceptions was conducted by Berdie^ a t the U n iversity of Minnesota where 85 percent of 7,168 new entering freshmen completed CUES. Of these students, 138 men and 152 women were retested two quarters l a t e r and asked to describe t h e i r place o f residence. Berdie found no s i g n i f i ­ cant differences among the four 1iving-groups examined: rooming house or apartment, home of parents or other r e l a t i v e s , U n iversity residence h a ll, and f r a t e r n i t y or s o ro rity houses. The evidence he presented suggests th a t the lik e lih o o d is small of observing meaningful CUES differences among students with varying liv in g arrangements during th e ir f i r s t six months on campus. 2 Baker, however, found the opposite to be true in his in v e s tig a ­ tion o f the re la tio n s h ip between type o f student residence and student perceptions of the U n iversity environment. His fin d in g s , using Stern's College C haracteristics Index with 110 ju n io r students at Wisconsin State U niversity, indicate th at there are differences in the perceptions of the ^R. F. Berdie, "A U n iversity is a Many-Faceted Thing," Personnel and Guidance Journal, 45 ( A p r i l , 1967), pp. 768-775. 2 S. R. Baker, "The Relationship Between Student Residence and Perceptions of the Environmental Press," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 7 (J u ly , 1966), pp. 222-224. 28 U n iversity environment by (1) students l i v i n g in boarding houses; (2) students who l i v e in d o rm ito rie s ; and (3) students who l i v e w ith t h e ir parents. Baker concluded th a t the type o f residence did account fo r d iffe re n c e s in the perceptions o f the c h a ra c te r is tic s of the U n ive rsity environment.^ Lindahl, using CUES, found s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe ren c es between 2 resident and commuter perceptions o f the campus environmental press. The on-campus residents placed over twice as much emphasis on l o y a l t y , fr ie n d lin e s s , and a fe e lin g o f togetherness. The commuters, on the other hand, saw aesthetics and personal enrichment as much more c h a ra c te r is tic of t h e i r environment. The re s id e n t students emphasized p ra c tic a l b enefits and o rg an izatio n al elements with a moderate emphasis on a quest fo r knowledge and i n t e l l e c t u a l d i s c i p l i n e , w hile the commuters described t h e i r environment in j u s t the opposite terms. 3 A college environmental perceptions study by Heskett and Walsh used 150 female subjects from the Ohio S tate U n iv e rs ity residence hall system. CUES was administered to three residence hall groups (management s t a f f , personnel s t a f f , and student o f f i c e r s ) o f 50 women each to d e te r­ mine i f t h e i r perceptions of the environment d if f e r e d . Heskett and Walsh found th a t the perceptions of the personnel s t a f f and student o ffic e r s were s im ila r . The management s t a f f perceptions were d i f f e r e n t from the other two groups w ith the management s t a f f perceiving the en­ vironment as having a higher degree of press on a l l CUES scales. 1 1bid. , p. 224. 2 C. Lindahl, "Impact o f Living Arrangements on Student Environ­ mental Perceptions," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 8 (January, 1967), pp. 10-15. ^S. L. Heskett and W. B. Walsh, " D i f f e r e n t ia l Perceptions o f College Environment," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 10 (May, 1969), pp. 182-184. Eberly and Cech^ compared a t r a d it io n a l Sumner residence h all program with an experimental summer program a t Wisconsin State U n iv e rs ity Oshkosh in an attempt to determine i f th ere were d iffe re n c e s in academic achievement and in perception of the U n iv e rs ity environment. They found that students l i v i n g in the experimental residence hall earned no higher grade-point averages than the students experiencing the t r a d i t i o n ­ al residence h a ll environment. Yet the CUES re s u lts did in d ic a te th a t the experimental h a ll environment l e f t the students w ith a more favorable impression o f the U n iv e rs ity . They concluded th a t t h e ir r e ­ sults "would appear to in d ic a te th a t type o f residence h a ll program can a ff e c t student perception o f the o v e ra ll U n iv e rs ity environment." A comparison by Centra between students' perceptions of the 3 2 u n ive rs ity clim a te and the residence h a ll environment concluded th a t students tended to agree on the way they perceived the u n iv e rs ity and the residence h a l l . He used 150 items from CUES to g e t a d es crip tio n o f the to ta l u n iv e rs ity environment and 65 CUES items reworded to apply to residence h a lls . This instrument was then administered during w inter term to 549 randomly selected undergraduate students from the residence h alls o f a larg e u n iv e r s ity . The rank c o rr e la tio n indicated th a t the s tu d e n ts --p a rtic u la r ly male students--tended to agree on how they per­ ceived both the u n iv e rs ity and the residence hall environment. ^C. G. Eberly and E. J. Cech, "Residence Hall Program and Per­ ception of U n iv e rs ity Environment," College Student Survey, 2 (W in ter, 1968), pp. 65-70. ------------------------------------- 2I b i d . , p. 69. 3 J. A. Centra, 'Student Perceptions o f Residence Hall Environments Living-Learning vs. Conventional U n its ," Journal of College Student Personnel, 9 (J u ly , 1968), pp. 266-272. Centra f u r t h e r expressed the importance o f determining what factors influence students' perceptions when he stated : 30 I f campus re s id e n tia l environments g re a tly influence students' reactions to the to ta l u n i v e r s it y , one way to improve the u n iv e rs ity environment is by concentrating fu r th e r on student residences. This study has indicated th a t some residences have had a more d es irab le ( i . e . , more ’ i n t e l l e c t u a l ' ) en­ vironment and others have been less d e s ir a b le . The next question, i t would seem, is to ask what happens in the former which encourages c h a r a c te r is tic s such as i n t e l l e c t u a l ism, and what might be done w ith the l a t t e r group to bring about d es irab le changes.! A study by Baird showed th a t those students who liv e d on campus 2 were more s a t is f ie d w ith the social and leadership aspects o f student l i f e than those who liv e d off-campus. He also found th at the l i v i n g group appeared to have l i t t l e e f f e c t on academic co lleg e achievement. Pace3 in v estig ated roommate s a t is fa c t io n o r d is s a t is f a c t io n as re lated to academic achievement and perception o f the campus en viron ­ ment. He found t h a t highly d is s a t is f ie d roommate p airs had s i g n i f i c a n t ­ ly lower grade point averages than the roommate p a irs who expressed l i t t l e roommate d is s a t is f a c t io n . A lso , those p airs highly d is s a t is f ie d with one another, expressed s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t views o f the college environment. These d iffe re n c e s suggest th a t the t o t a l c o lle g e environ­ ment is a ffe c te d by the fe e lin g s toward one's roommate. ^I b i d . , p. 272. 2 L. L. B a ird , "The E ffec ts o f College Residence Groups on Students Self-Concepts, Goals, and Achievements," Personnel and Guidance Journal , 47 (June, 19 69 ), pp. 1015-1021. 3 Journal of College Student Personnel, 11 Theron Pace, "Roommate D is s a tis fa c tio n in Residence H a lls ," (March, 1970 ), pp. 144-147. 31 Ivey e t a l J used the College C h a ra c te ris tic s Index to compare the environmental perceptions o f r e s id e n ts , dormitory head re s id e n ts , and student personnel workers a t Colorado State U n iv e rs ity . They found that the g re a te s t d iffe re n c e s in perceptions o f the co lle g e environment occurred between the head resid en ts and the students with the l a t t e r perceiving an environment which was more i n t e l l e c t u a l l y and v o c a tio n a lly o riented, more structured academ ically, and provided more opportunity for freedom. In 1966, Johnson completed research designed to ev alu ate the 2 effectiveness o f residence h a ll programs a t e ig h t c o lle g e s . He developed a 54 item questionnaire covering the fo llow ing areas: (1 ) in s tru c tio n support, (2 ) development o f the i n d i v i d u a l , (3) experience in group l iv i n g , (4 ) provision o f atmosphere, (5) s a t is f a c t io n o f physical needs, (6) supervision o f conduct, and (7) support f o r the c o lle g e . Both residence h all students and s t a f f p a rtic ip a te d in the study. The re su lts of Johnson's study th a t are most re le v a n t to th is study in d ic a te the follow ing: (1 ) There were s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in student and s t a f f perceptions o f the student's residence hall experience in a l l e ig h t colleges. (2) There was more unanimity o f opinion among s t a f f members about the students' h all experiences than there is among the students on the same s u b je c t. (3) There appeared to be more s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in student and s t a f f perceptions in la rg e r residence hall systems than in smaller ones. The d iffe re n c e s in la rg e r hall systems tended to be ^A. E. Iv e y , C. D. M i l l e r , and A. D. G old stein , " D i f f e r e n t ia l Perceptions o f College Environment: Student Personnel S t a f f and Students," Personnel and Guidance J o u rn al, 46 (September, 1967 ), pp. 17-21. 2 J. A. Johnson, "Residence H all Goals and O bjectives: Perceptions of Students and S t a f f , " D is s e rta tio n A b stracts, 26 (1 9 6 6 ), pp. 4377- 4378. — — 3 2 more highly s i g n i f i c a n t . (4 ) Among the three la rg e colleges represented in the sample, the co lle g e w ith the fewest s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in s tu d e n t-s ta ff perceptions was the c o lle g e w ith the highest proportion of p ro fession ally train ed s t a f f members in the h a l l s . The same was tru e f o r the f i v e small colleges in the sample. (5) This type o f questionnaire was useful in describing the perceptions o f students and s t a f f o f accomplished residence h a ll a c t i v i t i e s on a given campusJ 2 Duvall studied the d e s i r a b i l i t y and existence of c e r ta in r e s i ­ dence hall environmental conditions as perceived by students and s t a f f . He developed a f i v e p art Residence Environment Index to cover the areas of (1) group l i v i n g , (2) programming, (3) student government, (4) coun­ selor, and (5 ) physical f a c i l i t i e s . S ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in percep­ tion and ev alu atio n were found between students and s t a f f members. The study indicated th a t as a student progresses toward co lleg e completion he becomes in c re a s in g ly discontented w ith the residence hall environmental conditions. Students d e s irin g to l i v e off-campus were more displeased with the residence hall environmental conditions than those who preferred to l i v e in the residence h a lls . 3 In a 1970 study, Dunlop found th a t students' perceptions of the housing and food service a t the U n iv e rs ity o f Wyoming were as fo llow s: (1) I t was f e l t th a t student involvement in s e ttin g ru les and re g u la ­ tions f o r student housing was perceived as being f a i r l y important. A 1 1b id . ^W. H. D u v a ll, " S tu d e n t-S ta ff Evaluation o f Residence Hall En­ vironment," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 10 (January, 1969), pp. 52-58. 3 L. A. Dunlop, Student Perceptions of Student Personnel Services at the U n iv e rs ity o f Wyominq, Unpublished d o c to r 1s th e s is , (U n iv e rs ity o f Wyoming: l ^ J , pp. 24S-. 33 high percentage of residents f e l t th a t the students did not have enough involvement in settin g rules and regu lation s. (2) Ninety-one percent o f the students indicated the existence of student government in student housing as e ith e r very or f a i r l y important while most of the students indicated s a tis fa c tio n with the way the student governments functioned. (3) Ninety-two percent o f the students f e l t th a t i t was e ith e r very or f a i r l y important th at residence h a lls were supervised by wel1-q u a lifie d personnel. Ninety-two percent of the students indicated s a tis fa c tio n with the performance o f the residence h all s t a f f personnel. (4) Eighty- eight percent of the students f e l t th a t housing services contributed to education in group and social l i v i n g . Most o f the students indicated satisfaction with th is function. K a rs tJ in another study at the U n iv e rs ity o f Wyoming, found a sig n ific a n t d iffe ren c e between the male, fem ale, and coeducational residence hall populations in how they perceived and evaluated the r e s i ­ dence hall environmental press. Based on mean d iffe re n c e s , the female residence hall populations perceived the conditions cite d on the f iv e scales o f the Residence Hall Environment Index as being more Worthwhile and Desirable than e it h e r the coeducational or male residence hall populations. Gelso and Sims compared the perceptions of a r e s id e n t ia l, ju n io r 2 college environment among (a) students who liv ed a t home (commuters), (b) students who resided in college dormitories (re s id e n ts ), and ^R. Karst, "Student Perceptions and Evaluations of the Residence Hall Environmental Press a t the U n ive rsity o f Wyoming," Unpublished doctor's th e s is , (U n iversity o f Wyoming: 1972). 2 C. J. Gelso and D. M. Sims, "Perceptions o f a Junior College Environment," Journal of College Student Personnel, 9 (January, 1968), pp. 40-43. 34 (c) fa c u lty members. T heir conclusions, based upon CUES d a ta , suggest th at a person’ s lo c a tio n and p o s .tio n in an i n s t i t u t i o n s i g n i f i c a n t l y a ffe c t some o f his perceptions o f the c h a r a c te r is tic s o f the i n s t i t u ­ tio n . In accepting the idea th a t a person's perceptions o f his environ­ ment a f f e c t his behavior in th a t environment, Gelso and Sims in d ic a te th at " . . . student personnel p r a c t itio n e r s should s e rio u s ly consider the location and p o s itio n o f the various segments o f the c o lle g e popu­ la tio n when attempting to develop and implement programs and p o l i c i e s . " 1 In gen eral, the research supports a p o s itiv e re la tio n s h ip between the perceptions o f the environment by experienced students and t h e i r place of residence. Most o f the studies in d ic a te th a t type o f student residence does account f o r s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in the perceptions of the college environment. Perception o f the environment was also found to be re lated to roommate s a t i s f a c t i o n , sex, p la ce , and p o s itio n w ith in an i n s t it u t io n . Expectations and Perceptions 2 The fo llo w in g statement by Duling is considered an appropriate introduction to a review of the d iffe re n c e s between expectations and experienced perceptions th a t students and s t a f f have o f t h e i r environ­ ments: The success of an i n s t i t u t i o n appears to be affe cte d by the degree to which the stu d en t's expectations and the press o f I f an i n s t i t u t i o n is to con­ the i n s t i t u t i o n are congruent. i t becomes necessary tinu e to meet i t s goals and o b je c tiv e s , to study the in te ra c tio n between the student and the college environment as perceived by the student population. 11bid. , p. 43. 2 J. A. D u lin g , "D ifferences in Perceptions o f Environmental Perceptions by Selected Student Subgroups," Journal o f National Asso­ c ia tio n of Women Deans and Counselors, 32 (Spring, 1969), pp. 130-132. White,^ in discussing residence h a lls and student expectations of the environment, stated: 35 Administrators and students have d i f f e r e n t views o f s a t i s ­ fac to ry group l i v i n g experiences. Adm inistrators want students to develop "togetherness," whereas today's students want to be l e f t alone, not to be pressed to i d e n t i f y with organiza­ tio n al a c t i v i t i e s or memberships. Such opposite views make consensus impossible and f r i c t i o n between s t a f f and students in e v ita b le . Both the over residence h all p o lic y and programs im p o s s ib ility and i n e v i t a b i l i t y might be m itig a ted i f adminis­ tr a to r s would change t h e i r p o lic ie s to f i t the expectations and needs o f contemporary college students and to f i t the s ty le o f l i f e i m p l i c i t in la r g e -s iz e residence h a l ls . 2 In 1966 Pace found a "vast g u lf between expectation and re a lity " in comparing the CUES responses o f incoming freshmen to the perceptions o f upperclassmen a t ten d i f f e r e n t colleges and u n iv e r s it ie s . The freshmen expected an extremely strong press f o r Scholarship, Aware­ ness, and Conmunity, and a d e f i n i t e above average emphasis on P r a c t i ­ c a lity and P ro p rie ty . Pace found th is c h a r a c t e r is tic set o f expectations at every kind o f a school the students a tte n d e d --ru ra l or urban, public or p riv a te , l i b e r a l a rts c o lle g e , u n iv e r s it y , or ju n io r c o lle g e . In studying the s u b je ctive and o b je c tiv e environments of 13 small c o lle g e s , Chickering determined th a t "the college environment varies s u b s ta n tia lly depending upon how i t is assessed." A fte r review­ ing the numerous questions raised by his fin d in g s , Chickering goes on to indicate th a t " i f students' academic experiences are to be improved, energy should be directed not to p la n t development, b u ild in g s , and J. E. W hite, "S tyle o f L i f e and Student Personnel Po licy in College Residence H a lls ," Journal of the National Association o f Women Deans and Counselors, 32 (S p rin g , 1969), pp. 123-126. C. R. Pace, Comparisons o f CUES Results from D i f f e r e n t Groups of Reporters. (Los Angeles: U n iv e rs ity of C a l i f o r n i a , 1966). 3 A. W. Chickering, "Undergraduate Academic Experience," Journal of Educational Psychology, 63 ( A p r i l , 1972), pp. 134-143. 36 f a c i l i t i e s , but to re la tio n s between teachers and students and to the expectations and conceptual frameworks which influence the way they work together."^ Other studies concerned with student academic achievement and/or satisfaction also found incongruences between student expectations and experienced perceptions. Fisher and Standing studied the re la tio n s h ip 2 3 of s a tis fa c tio n , achievement, and a t t r i t i o n to the preconceived or anticipated environmental press and the "real" environment. The difference or d is p a rity between expectations and experienced perceptions of the environment was correlated with student achievement and s a t is f a c ­ tion w ithin the i n s t it u t io n . The re s u lts suggest th a t the differences between preconception and experienced perceptions is re lated to achieve­ ment and s a tis fa c tio n . No d ifferen ces were found in the CCI scores fo r the students who dropped out of school with those who remained a f t e r one semester. A s im ila r study done by Lauterbach a t West Point used the CCI 4 scores fo r three groups of cadets to evaluate the environment in terms of: (1) need, how i t was preferred; (2 ) expectations; and (3) press, how i t was perceived. These perceptions were then used as predictors of college achievement—academic and nonacademic. I t was found th at the 11bid. , p. 143. 2 M. S. Fisher, The Relationship of S a tis fa c tio n , Achievement, and A t t r it i o n to Anticipated Environmental Press, Unpublished master' s thesis, (Brigham Young U n iv e rs ity , 1961). 3 G. R. Standing and C. A. Parker, "The College C h aracteristic Index as a Measure o f Entering Students' Preconceptions of College L i f e , " Journal of College Student Personnel, 6 (October, 1964), pp. 2-6. 4 C. G. Lauterbach and D. P. Vielhaber, "Need Press and Expecta- tions--Press Indices as Predictors o f College Achievement," Educational and Psychological Measurement, 26 (W inter, 1966), pp. 965-972. 37 closer the expectations p r o f i l e was to the press p r o f i l e , the b e t te r a cadet's subsequent achievement tended to be. In an extensive study o f co lleg e ex p ec ta tio n s, experiences, and perceptions by Berdie^ about 9,000 entering freshmen, upperclassmen, parents, and u n iv e r s ity s t a f f members were asked to complete CUES. The entering freshmen were asked to respond to the items in terms o f t h e i r expectations. The remaining subjects were asked to respond in terms o f th e ir experiences. Berdie attempted, through the readm inistering o f CUES to the freshmen a f t e r six months, to observe re la tio n s h ip s between change in co lleg e a t t i t u d e or expectations and student c h a r a c te r is tic s and experiences reported by them. The data provided some evidence th a t students during t h e i r f i r s t six months o f c o lle g e do change and th a t changes in c h a r a c te r is tic s as subtle as perceptions and expectations about the in s t it u t io n s can be observed and re la tio n s h ip s measured between these observations and other id e n t i f i e d student c h a r a c t e r is t ic s . Change scores were not observed to be c o n s is te n tly r e la te d to a student's place of residence, method o f tra n s p o rta tio n to the u n iv e r s it y , c o lle g e aptitude, or academic achievement. Berdie concluded th a t d e s c rip tiv e s ta t is t ic s based on responses expressing expectations were found to pro­ vide information about sub-groups in one complex i n s t i t u t i o n . He found a u n iv e rs ity such as the U n iv e rs ity o f Minnesota not to be homogeneous in terms of expectations of students or perceptions o f students and facul t y . ^R. F. B e rd ie , "College Expectations, Experiences, and Percep­ tion s," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 7 (November, 1966), pp. 336-344. 38 By adm inistering the CUES again a t the end o f t h e i r freshman and sophomore y e a rs , Berdie^ attempted to determine the ex te n t to which per­ ceptions of the u n iv e rs ity change and to i d e n t if y s p e c ific responses that would cast some l i g h t on the changes. His fin d in g s suggest th a t 11 students learned a considerable amount concerning the customary be- havior and the requirements on campus." 2 The students learned th a t the campus was less s o c ia lly s tru c tu re d , th at students assume more responsi­ b i l i t y fo r t h e i r own social and interpersonal beh avio r, that the f a c u l t y and adm inistration exerted less c o n t r o l , and th a t the campus was not quite as e x c itin g i n t e l l e c t u a l l y as they had o r i g i n a l l y expected. 3 4 King studied the expectations o f entering freshmen a t the College of Wooster by t e s tin g seven d i f f e r e n t groups a t i n t e r v a ls during the f i r s t year. He found th a t the freshman year does have an impact on student perceptions of the environment w ith t h e i r expectations being higher than any o f the reported experienced perceptions on a l l subsequent testings fo r 4 o f the 5 CUES scales. 5 Donato and Fox found th a t admissions o f f i c e r s tend to exaggerate the p o s itive a t t r ib u t e s of t h e i r co lle g e environments and in doing so, were p a r t i a l l y responsible fo r the u n r e a lis t ic perceptions of c o lle g e ^R. F. B erd ie, "Changes in U n iv e rs ity Perceptions During the F i r s t Two College Years," Journal o f Colleqe Student Personnel, 9 (March, l 968), pp. 85-89. 2I b i d . , p. 88. ^I b i d . , p. 89. 4 H. King and W. B. Walsh, "Change in Environmental Expectations and Perceptions," Journal of College Student Personnel, 13 (J u ly , 19 72 ), pp. 331-337. 5 D. J. Donato and G. C. Fox, "Admissions O f f i c e r , F ac u lty, and Student Perceptions o f Their College Environment," Journal o f College (J u ly , 1 9 7 0 ), pp. 271-275. Student Personnel , 11 39 environments held by counselors and high school seniors. They found th a t the perceptions o f admissions counselors d if f e r e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y from perceptions of the same in t e ll e c t u a l and n o n in te lle c tu a l environments experienced by f a c u lt y and s t a f f . In studying the environment a t the U n iv e rs ity o f Maryland, Sedlacek and Lynch,^ found th a t student a f f a i r s ad m in istrators viewed the "ideal" in s t it u t io n much the same as the expectations o f the entering freshmen. They also found th a t freshmen expectations and the adminis­ tra to rs ' ideal were much g reater than the experienced perceptions o f both groups. Sedlacek and Lynch f u r t h e r suggest th a t a t t h e i r i n s t i t u ­ tion the goals o f the Student A f f a ir s s t a f f and incoming freshmen students appear s im ila r w ith there being a need to bring the i n s t i t u t i o n more in l i n e with expectations and id e a ls . 2 3 4 McPeek and S ta n fie l and Matts also found th a t new students on th eir campuses had u n r e a li s t i c expectations of the co lle g e environments. 5 Herr went a step f u r t h e r and studied student needs, co lle g e expectations, and r e a l i t y perceptions of seniors from seven high schools in western New York. He used the CCI as a measure of expectations and o f perceptions ^W. E. Sedlacek and R. C. Lynch, "Differences Between Student and Student A f f a ir s S t a f f Perceptions o f a U n iv e r s ity ," Journal o f College Student Personnel , 12 (May, 1971 ), pp. 173-176. 2 I b i d . , p. 176. 3 B. L. McPeek, "The U n iv e rs ity as Perceived by I t s Subcultures: An Experimental Study," Journal o f National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, 30 (S p rin g , 1969), pp." 129-132. 4 J. D. S ta n fie l and F. P. Watts, "Freshmen Expectations and Per­ ceptions o f the Howard U n iv e rs ity Environment," Journal o f Negro Educa­ tio n , 39 (Spring, 1970 ), pp. 132-138. 5 E. L. H e rr, "Student Needs, College Expectations, and 'R e a l i t y ' Perceptions," Journal o f Educational Research, 65 (October, 1971), pp. 51-56. 40 of the college environment a f t e r one year. Herr concluded th a t con­ sistency between expectations o f co lleg e and subsequent perceptions of college r e a l i t i e s , and congruence between student needs and environmental r e a l i t i e s , are associated with persistence in college and continuance in the o r ig in a lly chosen f i e l d o f study. Buckley^ also used the CCI w ith 100 entering freshmen, 100 upper- class students, and 228 tra n s fe r students from the S tate U n iversity o f New York. His re s u lts indicated th a t tra n s fe r students and the freshmen had sim ilar expectations o f the co lleg e environment w ith more a n t i c i ­ pated emphasis on both in t e lle c t u a l and n o n in tellec tu a l concerns than was ac tu a lly the case. 2 Pate, on the other hand, used the CUES to determine the expecta­ tions o f entering freshmen and tra n s fe r students a t the U n iversity of North Carolina. He wanted to determine the source and extent o f t h e ir fa m ilia r it y with the u n iv e rs ity before m a tric u la tio n and a f t e r . The only sig n ifica n t d iffe re n c e s showed the tra n s fe r students to have higher expectations in community and lower expectations in scholarship than did the freshmen. In g eneral, expectations a t the beginning of the semester were higher fo r both groups than perceptions of the u n iv e rs ity environ­ ment a t the end of the semester. No s ig n if ic a n t trends were noted by Pate when the student c h a ra c te ris tic s of sex, grade-point average, school size, and urban or ru ra l background were correlated w ith the degree of change between expectations and l a t e r experienced perceptions. ^H. D. Buckley, "A Comparison o f Freshmen and Transfer Expecta­ tions," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 12 (May, 1971), pp. 186-188. 2 R. H. Pate, "Student Expectations and Later Perceptions o f a University Enrollment," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 11 (Novem­ ber, 1970), pp. 458-462. 41 The CUES was also used by Quay and Dole^ a t Montgomery Community College to measure the entering students' expectations and perceptions of th e ir co lleg e environment. O v e r a ll, they found th a t expectations were higher than perceptions on the f i v e CUES scales. I t was also found th a t women had higher expectations than did the men, 2 In the spring of 1971, Osinke and Innis did a fo llo w -u p study of the expectations of 500 entering students had o f the U n iv e rs ity o f Cincinnati. They found dramatic d iffe re n c e s between expectations and actual experience in the areas of campus t r a d i t i o n s , cheating, f r i e n d l i ­ ness, amount of study, and how they would do academ ically. More than one-third of the students indicated th a t they would go fo r advice about a problem to a member of the student personnel s t a f f , but only f i v e per­ cent indicated th is in the second te s tin g . In a study o f the r e la tio n s h ip between entering students' expec­ tations f o r the co lleg e environment and the lev el o f formal education completed by t h e i r parents, Risch concluded (1 ) th a t i t may not be useful to categ o rize students only on the basis o f parents' lev el o f education; and ( 2) th a t s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s e x is t between sexes in th eir expectations o f the c o lle g e environment as measured by CUES. ^A. T. Quay and A. A. Dole, "Changes in Community College Per­ ceptions Before and A fte r M a t r ic u la tio n ," Journal o f College Student Personnel , 13 (March, 1972), pp. 120-125. 2 M. A. Osinke and C. T. In n is , "Follow Up to the Freshmen Expec­ tations Survey, " Department o f In s t it u t io n a l Stu dies, U n iv e rs ity of C in cinn ati, September, 1971, 13 pp. 3 T. J. Risch, "Expectations of the College Environment," Journal of College Student Personnel, 11 (November, 1970 ), pp. 463-466. 42 Reiner and Robinson^ used the CUES to in v e s tig a te perceptions o f the college environment and c o n tig u ity w ith the co lleg e environment. They found th a t the freshmen's expectations and the sophomores' and f a c u l t y 's ideal ra tin g s o f the environment were s im ila r . An o v e ra ll summary indicated th a t persons not re c e n tly or c lo s e ly involved in the basic college environment tended to have a more p o s itiv e * perhaps exaggerated* impression o f the c o lle g e than did the experienced students and fa c u lty who were "closest" to the c o lle g e l i f e . 2 3 G ottheil e t al . administered the CCI to 133 entering male medical students as a measure o f t h e i r expectations o f medical c o lle g e . Later in the academic year they described both t h e i r perceptions of t h e i r college and how they desired i t to be. Of the 30 CCI scales, 21 showed the students' expectations to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t from t h e i r perceptions, and on 18 o f the 21 scales the d iffe re n c e s were considered to be undesirable. G o tth e il also reports th a t those students whose perceptions corresponded c lo s e ly to t h e ir expectations tended to have higher grades and g re a te r s a tis f a c tio n w ith co lle g e than those who had less r e a l i s t i c or accurate expectations. 4 Seymour, in in v e s tig a tin g the nature and accuracy o f p re -c o lle g e perceptions of fo ur c o lle g e environments, found th a t high school seniors tend to "ov er-ra te " the i n t e ll e c t u a l fa c to rs of the various environments. ^J. R. Reiner and D. W. Robinson, "Perceptions o f College En­ vironment and C o n tig uity w ith College Environment," Journal of Higher Education. 41 (February, 1 9 7 0 ), pp. 130-139. 2I b i d . , p. 139. 3 E. G o tth eil e t a l . , "S tress, S a t is f a c tio n , and Performance: Transition from U n iv e rs ity to Medical C o llege," Journal o f Medical Education, 44 ( A p r i l , 1 9 6 9 ), pp. 270-277. 4 W. R. Seymour, "Student and Counselor Perception o f College En­ vironments," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 9 (March, 1 9 6 8 ), pp. 79-84. 43 Large d iffe ren c es were found in the perceptions o f both the i n t e l l e c t u a l and n o n -in te lle c tu a l areas of campus clim ate among college-bound seniors, t h e i r counselors, and students on the fo ur campuses in th is study. Seymour in d ica te s th a t much remains to be done to help c o lle g e - bound students gain accurate perceptions of co lleg e environments in order to make the best possible co lle g e choice. A study by Donato^ involvin g the Lauterbach and Vielhaber "expectation-press" hypothesis w ith ju n io r co lleg e tr a n s fe r students indicated th a t these students hold h ig hly u n r e a li s t i c expectations o f university l i f e . Donato also found t h a t there was no re la tio n s h ip between the tr a n s fe r students' ab erran t expectations and t h e ir achieve­ ment on t h e i r f i r s t semester g rad e-p o in t average. He goes on to recommend an examination of the e f f e c t of the tr a n s f e r s ' non-academic adjustment and s a t is fa c tio n before making a d e f i n i t e decision as to the e ffe c t of these u n r e a lis t ic expectation s. The idea th a t the expectations an in d ivid u al has o f an environment influence the manner in which he w i l l cope with th a t environment was 2 researched by Shaw. He administered the CCI to a sample o f 300 fre s h ­ men engineers as a measure of expectations o f the environment and then again eig h t months l a t e r as a measure o f the actual c o lle g e environment. When Shaw considered the four CCI sc ale s, he did not fin d any s ig n i f i c a n t differences between "accurate expectors" and "inaccurate expectors" in f i r s t semester mean grade-point averages or in the number of students ^D. J. Donato, "Junior College Transfers and a U n iv e rs ity En­ vironment," Journal of College Student Personnel, 14 (May, 1973), pp. 254-259. 2 K. A. Shaw, "Accuracy o f Expectation of a U n iv e r s ity 's Environ­ ment as I t Relates to Achievement, A t t r i t i o n , and Change of Degree Objec­ t iv e ," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 9 (January, 1968), pp. 44-48, who withdrew from the u n iv e r s ity . Yet on the o ve rall s c a le , there was a sig nificant d iffe re n c e between these two groups on grades and w ith ­ 44 drawals. Shaw summarizes his fin d in g s by s ta tin g : . . when most of the environment is inc o n sis ten t with ex­ . p ec ta tio n s, then the student is more l i k e l y to withdraw from th at environment as witnessed by a g reater tendency fo r o verall w ithin the U n iv e rs ity , than was the case f o r t h e i r o verall 'accurate expector* classmates.! 'in a c c u ra te ex p ec to rs 1 to tra n s fe r to o ther schools 2 Karman has also focused research on the student expectations of an undergraduate college education in an e f f o r t to develop a base o f information to be used in making educational decisions. He contends that i f higher education is to respond c r e a t iv e ly to both students and society, there must be a c le a r understanding o f what each expects from the college experience. In comparing the expectations held by students at two d i f f e r e n t i n s t i t u t i o n s , Karman found th a t the students a t each in s titu tio n expected b a s ic a lly the same type o f educational experience. He indicates th a t the students were concerned p r im a r ily (1 ) with developing p ersonally while they were in c o lle g e , ( 2) w ith having experiences th a t would sharpen t h e i r a b i l i t i e s to reach decisions and to view events in a broad p erspective, and (3) with exploring courses and disciplines to discover ways in which they were re la te d to contemporary l i f e and to each o ther. ^I b i d . , p. 46. 2 T. A. Karman, "Student Expectations of College: Some Im plica­ tions fo r Student Personnel A d m in is tra to rs ," National Association o f Student Personnel Administrators J o u rn a l, 11 (Spring, 19 74 ), pp. 52-59. 3 1 b id . 45 In summary, the research in d icates th a t there are major d i f f e r ­ ences between what students expect o f the c o lle g e environment and what they experience. Several authors suggest th a t these d iffe re n c e s between pre-conception and experienced perception are re la te d to academic achievement and s a t is f a c t io n w ith the i n s t i t u t i o n . In g e n e ra l, the students' expectations o f the environment were higher or more p o s itiv e than t h e i r experienced perceptions. This was found to be tru e a t every type of i n s t i t u t i o n . Class-level Perceptions Research by Pace^ which focused on group d iffe re n c e s in student perceptions of the c o lle g e environmental press indicated th a t th ere is l i t t l e o v e r-a ll d iffe re n c e among the responses of sophomore, j u n i o r , and senior students to the environmental press. However, a comparison of responses to CUES between upperclassmen and freshmen shows th a t consis­ tent d ifferen ces were apparent w ith the freshmen averages being higher in a ll cases. 2 A cross-sectional and lo n g itu d in a l study by Johnson found d i f f e r ­ ences in the perceptions o f the co lleg e environment between freshmen and junior students. The freshmen perceived a g re a te r i n t e ll e c t u a l press; a press th a t declined s l i g h t l y over a period o f two years. ^C. R. Pace, College and U n iv e rs ity Environment Scales Technical Manual, (Prin ceton , N. J . : Educational Testing S ervices, 1969). ? R. W. Johnson and D. J. Kurpius, "A Cross-sectional and Longi­ tudinal Study o f Students' Perceptions o f T h e ir College Environment," Journal of College Student Personnel, 8 (May, 1967 ), pp. 199-203. 46 Berdie 1 f u r t h e r supports the th esis th a t freshmen view the campus environment d i f f e r e n t l y from the upperclassmen. He also found the freshmen scores to be higher f o r each CUES v a r ia b le . In g e n e ra l, the evidence suggests t h a t perceptions o f the en­ vironment d i f f e r between freshmen and upperclassmen. The previous section r e l a t i n g expectations to experienced perceptions f u r th e r supports the idea th a t contiguous experience influences the students' perceptions of the college environment. Personal C h a ra c te ris tic s and Perceptions o f the Environment 2 Pace's research included the d i f f e r i n g perceptions o f the en­ vironmental press by men and women. His re s u lts showed th a t the scores on the P r a c t i c a l i t y , Awareness, and Scholarship scales do not d i f f e r s ig n if ic a n t ly between the sexes. However, th ere were substantial differences between the perceptions o f the males and females on the Community and P ro p rie ty scales. Based upon these fin d in g s , women tend to find the co lle g e environment a more co n genial, f r i e n d l y community than do men. Though the d iffe re n c e s on the Awareness scales are sm all, women see a stronger environmental press than men in the d ir e c t io n o f social and e s th e tic s e n s i t i v i t y . 3 Berdie, on the other hand, found sex d iffe re n c e s on the o ther CUES scales in his in v e s tig a tio n o f the expectations o f freshmen men and women a t the U n iv e rs ity of Minnesota. He. found s i g n i f i c a n t intersex b e r d i e , 0£ . c i t . , p. 89. 2 C. R. Pace, Comparisons o f CUES Results from D if f e r e n t Groups of Reporters, (Los Angeles: U n iv e rs ity o f C a l i f o r n i a , 1966). 3 R. F. B erd ie, "A U n iv e rs ity is a Many-faceted Thing," Personnel and Guidance Journal , 45 ( A p r i l , 19 67 ), pp. 768-775. 47 variance on the P r a c t i c a l i t y , Awareness, and Scholarship scales. Men tended to have s l i g h t l y g reater p ra c tic a l expectations than did women. The differences on the Awareness scale were large and s ig n if ic a n t , with women having higher scores than men. The sex differen ces on the Scholar­ ship scale showed th at women had g reater expectations regarding the academic and scholarly environment. The differen ces in re s u lts found by Berdie and Pace might lead us to speculate th a t actual experience on the college campus may cause the perceptions o f women and men to change. Berdie^ suggests th at one possible explanation of the d iffe ren c es between his re su lts and the Pace results is th a t the U n ive rsity of Minnesota scores were based on expectations o f students while the Pace re su lts were based on the responses of students having had considerable experience in the i n s t i ­ tution. When comparisons o f perceptions o f the environment were made 2 between high and low achievers (Pace ) , and between continuing students and withdrawees (Goetz; Standing ) no d ifferen ces were recorded. •% j t ^R. F. Berdie, "Some Psychometric C h arac teris tic s of CUES," Educational and Psychological Measurement, 27 (Spring, 1967), pp. 55-66. 2Pace, o£. c i t . 3 W. Goetz and D. Leach, "The Disappearing Student," Journal of College Student Personnel, 45 (May, 1967), pp. 883-887. 4 Standing, £f). c i t . 48 3 Likewise, studies by Pace * and McFee 1 2 in d ic a te th a t academic ap titud e and personality c h a r a c te r is tic s are unrelated to students' perceptions of the college environmental press. A study by Berdie o f the re la tio n s h ip s between CUES scores and 4 other student c h a r a c te r is tic s confirms the previous conclusions th a t students' perceptions o f the environment are not highly r e la te d to such things as high school p e rc e n tile rank, a b i l i t y t e s t scores, co lleg e achievement, and scores on p e rs o n a lity in v e n to rie s . 5 Duling investigated the d iffe re n c e s in environmental perceptions between male and female students, married and sin g le students, social f r a te r n ity or s o ro rity members and non-members, and n ative and tra n s fe r students. His re s u lts indicated th a t sub-groups do d i f f e r in the perceptions of a t le a s t some aspect o f t h e i r college environment. Donohue, 6 in evaluating the development o f co-ed residence h a lls at Michigan State U n iv e rs ity , found th a t with few exceptions, in d ividu als in a co-ed s e ttin g g e n e ra lly have more favorable perceptions o f the university. V a c e , o£. c i t . 2 C. R. Pace, "Perspectives on the Student and His C o lle g e ," In E. Dennis Lawrence and 0. F. Kauffman ( E d it o r s ) , The College and the Student, (Washington, D. C.: American Council on Education, 1 9 6 6 ), pp. 76-100. 3 A. McFee, "The R elation of Students' Needs to T h e ir Perceptions of a College Environment," Journal o f Educational Psychology, 52 (February, 1961), pp. 25-29. 4 Berdie, 0£ . c i t . 5 D uling, o£. c i t . , p. 130. 6W. R. Donohue, "Student Perceptions o f T h e ir Environment in Two Residence Hall Areas in Uni-sexual to Co-educational T r a n s itio n ," Journal of College and U n iv e rs ity Student Housing, 3 (January, 1973), pp. 7-10. 49 In g e n e r a l, the research indicates th a t academic a p titu d e , high and low achievement, continuing and withdrawing, p e rs o n a lity charac­ t e r is t i c s , and high school p e r c e n tile rank are unrelated to students' perceptions o f the u n iv e r s ity environment. Research fin d in g s on sex differences are not always co n siste n t. The d iffe re n c e s which were r e ­ ported usually show th a t the women perceive a stronger press on most of the environmental dimensions. Student Development and Academic Achievement in Residence H a lls A review of the l i t e r a t u r e suggests th a t the environmental press of the residence h all has the p o te n tia l o f being e f f e c t i v e l y manipulated for student b e n e f it . Chickering^ stated th a t "college residences do provide a s i g n if ic a n t context f o r student development." He expressed the b e lie f th at in t h is s e ttin g students can observe the impact o f t h e i r behavior on others and in t h is manner develop a personal set o f values that can be held w ith i n t e g r i t y . Sandeen observed th a t students should 2 be allowed to express themselves, both p h y s ic a lly and p s y c h o lo g ic a lly , through t h e ir place of residence. Students need a place where they are not forced to in t e r a c t w ith o th e rs , but a pi ace th a t makes in te r a c tio n easy. Both these w rite rs contend th a t the residence h all program can be instrumental in helping fo s t e r student development and s a t is f a c t io n . ^A. W. Chickering, "College Residences and Student Development," The Educational Record, (Spring, 1967), pp. 179-186. 2 A. Sandeen, "Balancing Privacy with Community: The Challenge for Residence H a lls ," The Educational Record, 49 (Spring, 1968), pp. 228-230. 50 BrownJ in discussing th is same to p ic , makes the follow ing points: 1. The l i v i n g environment (which includes people as well as the physical s e ttin g ) of the student can have a profound im­ pact upon his personal and educational development. 2. There is s u f f i c i e n t evidence already gathered which suggests we can s tru c tu re the residence h all environment in ways th a t f a c i l i t a t e student development and enhance s tu ­ dents' educational experiences. 3. Student personnel workers responsible f o r residence h a lls must become social engineers, behavioral s c i e n t i s t s , and educators. Brown goes on to suggest th a t residence h a ll s t a f f s can play a major ro le in bringing about the in te g r a tio n of student development and academic goals. 2 Grant and Eigenbrod, on the o ther hand, were concerned w ith the 3 molding force students' peer groups exerted in the environment to i n ­ fluence student values, a t t i t u d e s , and behaviors. This ex p lo ratory study attempted to accomplish s p e c ific behavioral changes through structured peer group membership and a c t i v i t i e s . The Myers-Briggs Type In d ic a to r was administered to the to ta l population o f a residence hall complex a t Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . A fte r taking the te s t o f how they p res en tly saw themselves (actual ty p e ), they took the instrument a second time and responded to i t as they would l i k e to be (id e a l ty p e ) . The p a r tic ip a n ts in three of the groups received various treatments; a fo u rth group was R. D. Brown, "Student Development and Residence Education: Should I t be Social Engineering?" Student Development and Education in College Residence Hal I s , D. A. DeCoster and P. Mable (E d s .), (Washington, D. C.: American College Personnel A ssociation, 1974), p. 52. 2 3 I b i d . , p. 53. W. H. Grant and F. A. Eigenbrod, "Behavioral Changes Influenced by Structured Peer Groups A c t i v i t i e s , " Journal of College Student Personnel . 11 (J u ly , 19 70 ), pp. 291-295. 51 termed the in a c tiv e control group. At the conclusion o f the treatment period no s t a t i s t i c a l sig n ifica n c e was found. However, Grant and Eigenbrod stated: Students change regardless o f what one does to them or fo r them. The problem remains o f d ir e c tin g th is change so as to maximize the growth and achievement of each s tu d en t.* Dressel and Lehmann^ stated a s im ila r view when they said: . . the changes in a t titu d e s and values are the r e s u l t o f . including m a tu ratio n , th at the in te ra c tio n o f so many f a c to r s , i t is not possible to say w ith any c e r ta in t y what experiences, e ith e r in general or in s p e c ific cases, have been most pro­ ductive o f change. Although courses and in s tru c to rs do seem to have some impact on students' a ttitu d e s and v a lu e s --e s p e c ia lly in the l a s t two years— peer group contacts and non-academic experiences are regarded by students as being more important. Another fa c e t o f the growth and achievement level o f the student could be termed a development stage. A lf e r t ^ studied the re la tio n s h ip of a student's developmental stage in r e la tio n s h ip to his choice of college residence. This study was based on the premise th a t in d iv id u a ls who vary in complexity or are at p a r t ic u la r stages of development w ill seek the appropriate re s id e n tia l environment to f u l f i l l t h e i r needs. The Omnibus P e rs o n a lity Inventory was used to determine the stage of development of the student. During the f i r s t and s ix th semester the number o f students l iv in g a t various residences was tabulated and any residence changes were recorded. The re s u lts showed th a t very few students moved from home d ir e c t ly to an apartment. As the student ma­ tured, the d ir e c tio n of housing change was toward liv in g independently in an off-campus d w elling. 1I b i d . , p. 294. 2 Dressel and Lehmann, ojd. c i t . , p. 256. 3 E. A l f e r t , "Developmental Stage and Choice of Residence in Col­ lege," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 9 (March, 1968), pp. 90-93. 52 A l f e r t , 1n summarizing the r o le of college residence h a lls , stated: College residences provide a tra n s itio n which p a r t i a l l y reinstates parental supervisory functions, which f a c i l i ­ tates the growth of frie n d s h ip , experimentation with new roles and r e d e fin itio n o f v a lu e s J Other w rite rs have studied the e ffe c ts of residence liv in g from the programing aspect. Brown stated: 2 Because colleges have been encouraged to view the r e s i ­ dence hall as an in te g ral part o f t h e ir educational program, studies need to be made of the dynamics of d i f f e r e n t en­ vironmental presses w ith in residence h alls and t h e ir poten­ t i a l to influence a student's a ttitu d e s toward lea rn in g , his a s p ira tio n s , and his s a tis fa c ito n with college l i f e . 3 The basic purpose of Brown's study was to determine the e ffe c ts of having residence hall flo o rs numerically dominated by students with similar academic majors. The e ffe c ts o f programed in te lle c t u a l d is ­ cussions on these floors was also included in the study. Freshmen were assigned to rooms so th at the r a t io o f science students to humanities students was A to 1 on two flo o rs and the opposite on two other flo o rs . The results indicated th a t the dominance of e ith e r group had a s i g n i f i ­ cant impact on fe e lin g s about college majors, s a tis fa c tio n with c o lle g e , and social in te g ra tio n . The discussion program had a s ig n if ic a n t e f f e c t upon in te lle c tu a l a ttitu d e s and a c t i v i t i e s . 11bid. , p. 92. 2 R. D. Brown, "Manipulation of the Environmental Press in a College Residence H a ll," Guidance and Personnel Journal, 46 (February, 1968), pp. 555-560. 3 I b i d . , p. 555. 53 The results of a study by Taylor and Hanson^ in d ica te th at cumulative achievement was s ig n if ic a n tly b e tte r fo r engineering students living in a homogeneous residence h all s itu a tio n when compared with randomly assigned and non-residence hall engineering freshmen. The suggestion was th a t the influence of peers with common in te re sts and common courses has a strong and p o s itiv e influence on achievement. In comparative research on the liv in g environment a t Stanford University, Lozoff concluded th a t "often i t appears th a t housing 2 arrangements--the circumstances under which the students spend a great proportion of t h e ir time--have been more or less l e f t to chance, to matters of economic e f f ic ie n c y , or to a r t i s t i c design, and have not been thought through in terms o f the developmental and in t e lle c t u a l needs of the students." 4 3 Snead and Caple studied the e ffe c ts o f placing students in a living environment with communality in in te re s t and personality patterns. In general, they found there was a p o s itiv e environmental e f f e c t upon r e a lis tic male students' academic achievement. The academic achieve­ ment of social females was affected much less by the environment. Snead and Caple summarized th e ir findings s ta tin g : ^R. G. Taylor and G. R. Hanson, "Environmental Impact on Achieve­ ment and Study Habits," Journal of College Student Personnel, 12 (November, 1971), pp. 445-454. 2 M. M. Lozo ff, "Residential Groups and Individual Development," No Time fo r Youth, Joseph Katz ( E d it o r ) , (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, T 9 6 9 T 3I b i d . , p. 316. 4 R. F. Snead and R. B. Caple, "Some Effects o f the Environmental Press in U niversity Housing," Journal of College Student Personnel, 12 (May, 1971), pp. 189-192. 54 I t seems th a t homogeneous groupings o f students h a lls may have some p o s itiv e e ffe c ts and is worthy o f f u r ­ th er study . 1 in residence In 1966, DeCoster suggested th a t random assignment in a r e s i ­ 2 dence hall could place a student in a l iv i n g s itu a tio n th a t was not only uncomfortable but a c tu a lly a hinderance to s a tis f a c to r y performance. He found t h a t high a b i l i t y students seem to improve t h e i r academic achievement when l i v i n g in close proxim ity o f one another and th a t high a b i l i t y students n e g a tiv e ly a f f e c t the academic success o f other students in the same residence u n i t . In 1968, DeCoster reported a d d itio n a l r e ­ search i l l u s t r a t i n g t h a t high a b i l i t y students l i v i n g together were more academically successful than randomly placed high a b i l i t y students. In a c r i t i c a l in c id e n t study o f learn in g a t Ohio U n iv e rs ity , 4 Estler attempted to determine lea rn in g lo cation s and s tim u li w ith in the u n iv e rs ity environment. She found th a t the residence hall was cite d as the primary lo c a le f o r s ig n i f i c a n t discussions re la te d to social awareness, p o l i t i c a l awareness, human values, and self-awareness. Voca­ tional learning was described in th is study as taking place mainly in the classroom. 1I b i d . , p. 192. 2 D. A. DeCoster, "Housing Assignments f o r High A b i l i t y Students," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 7 (January, 1966 ), pp. 19-22. 3 D. A. DeCoster, "The E ffe c ts of Housing Assignments f o r High A b ility Students," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 9 (March, 1968), pp. 75-78, 4 S. E s t l e r , "A C r i t i c a l In c id e n t Study o f Learning a t Ohio Uni­ v e rs ity ," Student Housing Research, ACUHO Research and Information Committee, (October, 1969 ), 2 pp. 55 Segal, 1 in discussing developmental tasks confronted by college students, hypothesized t h a t d i f f e r e n t r e s id e n tia l s e ttin g s allow d i f f e r ­ ent kinds of te s tin g , t r y i n g , and doing. He goes on to describe the residence h a ll as "a gradual move from home to being on one's own. 1 Segal fu rth e r states th a t: The pressure in t h is s e ttin g (th e residence h a l l ) confrontation of the student w ith an intense p e e r-c u ltu re experience, to make te s tin g -o u t occur w ith in the d iv e r s i t y of peer background, to i n s is t on exposure to others ex­ periencing the same struggle so th a t the student can see and can t r y d i f f e r e n t modes of need g r a t i f i c a t i o n , can ex­ perience the discom fort o f d iffe re n c e and can be pushed by peer reactio n to evalu ate h im s e lf .3 is the The follow ing model developed by Riker and DeCoster^ i d e n t i f i e s a hierarchy o f general o b je c tiv e s f o r student housing th a t i l l u s t r a t e s the in te r r e la te d nature o f educational and management functions of student development. The p o in t th a t they make is th a t environment influences behavior and t h a t learning is a t o ta l process involving in te rre late d and interdependent o b je c tiv e s . S. J. Segal, "Im p lica tio n s o f R esidential S e ttin g f o r Develop­ ment During C o llege," Journal of College Student Personnel, 8 (Septem­ ber, 1967), pp. 308-310. 2I b i d . p. 309. 3I b i d . 4 H. C. Riker and D. A. DeCoster, "The Educational Role in College Student Housing," Journal of College and U n iv e rs ity Student Housing, 1 (J u ly , 1971), pp. 3 -7 . 56 GENERAL OBJECTIVES FOR COLLEGE STUDENT HOUSING Interpersonal Environment (Student Oriented) Level 5 O pportunities f o r in d ivid u al growth and development Level 4 Development o f an interpersonal environment th a t r e f le c t s responsible c itiz e n s h ip and a concern f o r o th e rs , as well as an atmosphere conducive to 1 earning 'Educational ^unctions Level 3 Establishment o f guidelines th a t provide s tru c tu re f o r compatible and cooperative l iv i n g Level 2 Adequate care and maintenance o f the physical f a c i l i t i e s k Management /'Functions Physical Environment ( F a c i l i t i e s Oriented) Level 1 Provision o f a s a tis fa c to r y physical environment through new construction and renovation' J To help student personnel workers crea te an environment geared toward to ta l human development, Noeth and Dye examined student and 2 student personnel worker perceptions o f a u n iv e r s ity environment. They found s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the perceptions of these two groups on 25 o f 41 items which were d e s c rip tiv e o f the u n iv e r s ity en­ vironment. The conclusion was th a t "while students and s t a f f are able to l i v e , le a r n , and work together w ithout major disharmony, there is 1I b i d . , p. 6 . R. J. Noeth and H. A. Dye, "Perceptions o f a U n iv e rs ity En­ vironment: Students and Student Personnel Workers," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 14 (November, 1973 ), pp. 527-531. 57 ample room f o r improvement in communication, understanding, and s a t i s ­ faction."^ O v e r a ll, the students wished f o r an environment th a t was more personal, in which they could know and r e l a t e to in d iv id u a l people rather than ro le behaviors. 2 Johnson in d ica te s th a t the student personnel workers' c h ie f concern is with c re a tin g a campus environment which f a c i l i t a t e s the behavioral development o f the in d iv id u a l. 3 Mi liman, in reviewing housing as an educational environment, states: There is no question th a t on-campus residence l iv i n g f a c i l i ­ tie s can, through conscious e f f o r t and reasoned a c tio n , pro­ vide a m ilie u which is not only supportive o f student learning and personal growth, but a c tu a lly f a c i l i t a t e s such human development. He goes on to suggest th a t the residence h a ll is a place where a student can in d iv id u a lly and in te rp e rs o n a lly in te g ra te in his own mind: ( 1) what he has learned in one place w ith what he has learned in other places; ( 2) what he i n t e l l e c t u a l l y "thinks" w ith what he a f f e c t i v e l y "fee ls "; and (3 ) what he believes contrasted to "how others see i t . " In describing a model o f an educational system w ith in student 4 housing at the U n iv e rs ity of F lo rid a in G a in e s v ille , Barger and Lynch recently (1973) claimed th a t " . . . i n s u f f i c i e n t a tte n tio n has been given to what natu ral learning o p p ortun ities residence h a lls provide, 11bid. , p. 531. 2 W. F. Johnson, "Student Personnel Work in Higher Education: Philosophy and Framework," (E d ito rs ), College Student Personnel, (Boston: Houghton M i f f l i n , 1970), p. 10. In L. F itz g e r a ld , W. Johnson, and W. Norris 3 S. D. Mi lim an, "Residence Environment: Zeroing In ," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 2 ( J u ly , 1972), pp. 3 -7 . 4 Barger and Lynch, 0£. c i t . , pp. 5 -6 . 58 what problems they present which re q u ire students to fin d s o lu tio n s , or what kinds o f knowledge and s k i l l s can be e f f e c t i v e l y developed in this kind o f s e ttin g . Too l i t t l e a tte n tio n has been given to what kind of educational system or o rg a n iza tio n can best c a p i t a l i z e on the l e a r n ­ ing opportunities which e x is t or best meet the lea rn in g needs which students bring with them into the residence h all s i t u a t i o n . M O v e ra ll, the research in d icates th a t the environmental press o f the residence hall has the p o te n tia l o f p o s it iv e ly or n eg atively i n f l u ­ encing student development and academic achievement. Various studies suggest th a t residence hall programing, peer grouping, housing assign­ ments, and room assignments can and do influen ce academic success and personal growth. Summary A review o f the l i t e r a t u r e resulted in the i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f six general areas o f research re la te d to an understanding of th is study. I t is apparent th at a knowledge of the expected and experien­ tia l ly perceived atmosphere or environment of a campus is p o t e n t i a l l y useful f o r both the i n s t i t u t i o n and the student. I f college and residence environments are d i f f e r e n t from one another, with many being unique in s i g n if ic a n t ways, i t should be possible to modify or preserve those id e n t i f i e d c h a r a c te r is tic s which are deemed b e n e fic ia l to the college experience by the f a c u l t y , a d m in is tra tio n , and students. The problem then becomes a m atter o f choice or as Stern^ put i t , "An ^ t e r n , oj). c i t . , pp. 5-4 1. 59 environment must be suited to the species i f optimal growth is to take place. But what i s an optimal environment fo r le a rn in g — one th a t sa tisfies or one th a t stimulates?" Current research seems to in d ic a te th at the answer may be found in employing the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the students along w ith the o b jectives o f the i n s t i t u t i o n or residence h all in the design o f the most e f f e c t i v e environment f o r student development. The fo llo w in g chapter is concerned w ith the methodology and procedures used f o r th is study. CHAPTER I I I METHODOLOGY The research er's purpose in th is study was to describe and evaluate the expectations ( f i r s t measure), the experienced perceptions (second measure), and the change from expectations to perceptions (difference) among th ree groups o f students o f a residence hall environ­ ment. The three groups of students used in the study were entering freshmen, re turnin g upperclassmen, and residence hall s t a f f members a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . Hypotheses The basic hypotheses o f th is study were stated in Chapter I . They are restated here as null hypotheses: 1. There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment, ( f i r s t measure) 2. There are no s ig n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence h a ll environment, ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence hall environment, ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) 5. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by males and females o f the residence hall environment, (second measure) 60 61 6 . There are no s ig n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced p er­ ceptions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, {second measure) 7. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expecta­ tio n s and the experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iff e r e n c e ) 8 . There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expecta­ tions and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll environment held by males and females, (d iffe r e n c e ) 9. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expecta­ tio n s and the experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) Population A sample o f 177 (115 females and 62 males) September, 1973, entering freshmen, 66 (31 females and 35 males) returnin g upperclass­ men, and 30 (15 females and 15 males) residence hall advisory s t a f f members l i v i n g in Hubbard H all a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity were used in this study. Hubbard Hall is a co-ed residence hall housing approxi­ mately 1150 students. The men's and women's wings are separated by a cafeteria and classroom b u ild in g s . The freshmen subjects in th is study may or may not have been randomly assigned to th is p a r t ic u la r residence h a l l . Freshmen are generally assigned to a p a r t i c u l a r residence hall only i f they have indicated such a preference a t the time of a p p lic a tio n f o r housing. I f no preference is in d ic a te d , each student is then randomly assigned to a residence h all where vacancies e x i s t . Each student was assigned to a two-person s u ite on a f l o o r section containing 47 other students and one undergraduate s t a f f member. The 62 number of freshmen or upperclassmen l i v i n g on each f l o o r section varied with some flo o rs being mostly freshmen and others being mostly upper­ classmen. The upperclassmen used in th is study had chosen to l i v e in Hubbard Hall and had also selected the s p e c ific f l o o r sections where they would l i v e . The m a jo rity o f these students were re tu rn in g to Hubbard Hall f o r the second y e ar. Each of the residence h a ll advisory s t a f f members had previous living experience in Hubbard Hall and some were re tu rn in g to t h e i r s ta ff positions f o r a second y e ar. Instrumentation The U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale (URES), developed by Moos and colleagues a t the Social Ecology Lab a t Stanford U n iv e r s it y , was selected f o r use in th is s tu d yJ I t was hypothesized th a t the ten subscales o f the URES would provide data appro priate fo r s t a t i s t i c a l testing of the nine null hypotheses. The URES provided d e s c rip tiv e data of the residence hall environment along three dimensions which were important to the o b jectives of th is study: ( 1) interpersonal r e ­ lationships, (2 ) personal growth or development, and (3) system maintenance and change. The R2 and E2 versions o f URES used in th is study consisted o f 96 statements scaled into 10 environmental dimensions on which students and s t a f f members described t h e i r residence environment. Those who responded to the instrument were asked to s ta te whether each statement ^R. H. Moos and M. S. G erst, U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale Manual. {Palo A lt o , C a lif o r n ia : Consulting Psychologists Press, T9 74 ). 63 was generally tru e or f a l s e w ith reference to t h e i r expectations or their perceptions o f the l i v i n g environment. Gerst and Moos* in d ic a te that while each person may perceive his environment in his own way, there is a point a t which each in d iv id u a l's p r iv a te world merges w ith that of others so th a t common in te r p r e ta tio n s of events tend to a r is e out of common experiences. I t was th is consensual perception o f the press of the immediate environment t h a t the URES was developed to measure. 2 The major underlying assumption is t h a t the residents pre­ sumably know what the environment is l i k e because they l i v e in and are a part of i t . What the residents are aware o f , and agree w ith some unanimity of impression defines the p re v a ilin g residence atmosphere as the students and s t a f f perceive i t . The lo g ic o f the approach, as Gerst and Moos describe i t , is th a t a consensus among in d iv id u a ls c h a r a c te r iz ­ ing th e ir environment c o n s titu te s a measure o f environmental clim a te and that th is environmental clim ate exerts a d ir e c tio n a l influence on behavior."* Most o f the fo llo w in g inform ation concerning the development of the URES was taken from Gerst and Moos (1972) and the re c e n tly published URES manual by Moos and Gerst (1 9 7 4 ). The i n i t i a l form of the URES had 238 items covering various aspects o f residence hall l iv i n g and was administered in 13 d i f f e r e n t residence h a lls in a p riv a te u n iv e r s ity . These residence h a lls included u n its which were both large and sm all, *M. S. Gerst and R. H. Moos, "Social Ecology o f U n iv e rs ity Student Residences," Journal o f Educational Psychology, 63 (December, 1972), p. 514. -------------------------------------------------------- 2I b i d . , p. 514. 3 Moos and G erst, oj>. c i t ■, p. 1. 64 male, female, and co-ed, and u n its composed o f only freshmen or only upperclassmen or a l l undergraduate classes combined. One-way analyses o f variance were computed among a l l 13 residence halls f o r each o f the 238 items. The re s u lts indicated th a t measures of the perceived environment could s i g n i f i c a n t l y d is c rim in a te among d iffe re n t l i v i n g u n its . Of the 238 items, 8 7 .9 percent were s i g n i f i ­ cant beyond the .05 lev el w ith 199, or 8 3 .6 percent o f the t o t a l , discriminating a t the .01 le v e l J Once i t was determined t h a t measures o f the perceived environ­ ment could s i g n i f i c a n t l y d is tin g u is h among d i f f e r e n t l i v i n g u n it s , the following c r i t e r i a were used to s e le c t items f o r the f i r s t r e v is io n : F irs t, an item should s i g n i f i c a n t l y d is c rim in a te among the u n its te s te d . Second, items should not have t r u e - f a ls e response s p lit s more extreme than 80-20 percent to be d e s c r ip tiv e of a l l residences. T h ird , each subscale should have f i v e true-keyed and f i v e false-keyed items so th a t acquiescent responding could be minimized. L a s t, items should not be correlated w ith the Crowne-Marlow Social D e s i r a b i l i t y Scale so th a t item responses would not be confounded by social d e s i r a b i l i t y . * . . had to meet the c r i t e r i o n o f c u lt u r a l approval and y e t be * The Crowne-Marlow Social D e s i r a b i l i t y Scale was developed w ith items which, " . untrue of v i r t u a l l y a l l people, and have minimal pathological or abnor­ mal correlated w ith th is scale g iv e the most s o c ia lly d e s ira b le p ic tu r e of themselves or o f t h e ir environment. Items from other scales which are s i g n i f i c a n t l y im p lic a tio n s ."^ ^Gerst and Moos, 0|). c i t . , p. 515. 2 J . S. Wiggins, " P e rs o n a lity S tru c tu re ," In P. R. Farnsworth , (Palo A lt o , C a lif o r n ia : Annual Reviews, I n c . , 1968), p. 305 65 The re s u ltin g 140-item form (R l) which was composed of 14 en­ vironmental subscales was then revised to (1) reduce the to t a l number of items in the s c ale , (2) reduce the content overlap and seeming redundancy o f some items, and (3) reduce the overlap among some subscales. A one-way an alysis o f variance was computed f o r each o f the 140 items across a new norm group o f 74 residence h a lls a t 13 d i f f e r e n t i n s t i ­ tutions and the items with the most s ig n if ic a n t F r a t io s were chosen. The 10 subscales o f the R2 version of URES were then subjected to one-way a n a ly sis of variance across the o r ig in a l 13 residences to determine whether they d i f f e r e n t i a t e d among residences. Table 3.1 shows th a t a l l 10 subscales d iscrim in ated very s i g n i f i c a n t l y . Table 3 .2 presents the subscales and t h e i r d e f i n i t i o n s . The ordering of the 10 subscales r e f l e c t s the au th o rs’ co n ceptu alization o f the re latio n sh ip s among them: The Involvement and Emotional Support subscales are conceptualized as RELATIONSHIP dimensions, assessing the extent to which students and s t a f f tend to support and help each other and the e x te n t to which these groups are involved in the house and i t s a c t i v i t i e s . E s s e n t ia lly , these subscales assess the types and in t e n s it y o f personal re la tio n s h ip s among students and between students and s t a f f . The second group of subscales are conceptualized as PERSONAL GROWTH or DEVELOPMENT dimensions. They measure the emphasis w ith in the house environment upon maturational processes. Independence and T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n measure the emphasis on personal and social m aturation , while Competition, Academic Achievement, and I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y assess the emphasis on d i f f e r e n t aspects o f academic growth. The l a s t three subscales o f Order and O rg a n iz a tio n , Student In flu e n c e , and Innovation are conceptualized as assessing SYSTEM MAINTENANCE and SYSTEM CHANGE dimensions. These dimensions are system-oriented in th a t they tap inform ation about the stru c tu re o f o rg an iza tio n w ith in the house as well as the processes and p o te n tia l f o r change in i t s fu n c tio n in g J *Moos and G erst, oj). c i t . , p. 2. 66 TABLE 3 .1 . Halls URES Subscale Analysis o f Variance Across T h irteen Residence Subscale Involvement Emotional Support Independence T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n Competition Academic Achievement I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y Order and Organization Innovation Student Influen ce *p .001 ad f = 12/451 Fa 7 .7 5 * 8 .5 5 * 16.79* 37 .13 * 2 .5 2 * 4 .9 8 * 6 .1 7 * 3 2 .7 2 * 12.47* 7 .5 2 * NOTE: The information fo r th is ta b le was taken from M. S. Gerst and R. H. Moos, "Social Ecology of U n iv e rs ity Student Residences," Journal of Educational Psychology, 63 (December, 1972 ), p. 517. TABLE 3 .2 . URES Subscale Descriptions 1. Involvement 2. Emotional Support 3. Independence 4. T rad itio n al Social O rien tatio n 5. Competition 6. Academic Achievement 7. I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y 8. Order and Organization 9. Student Influence 10. Innovation RELATIONSHIP DIMENSIONS Degree o f commitment to the house and re sid en ts; amount o f in te ra c tio n and fe e lin g of frie n d s h ip in the house. Extent o f manifest concern fo r others house; e f f o r t s to aid one another w ith academic and personal problems; emphasis on open and honest communication. in the PERSONAL GROWTH or DEVELOPMENT DIMENSIONS D iv e r s ity of re s id e n ts ' behaviors allowed without social sanctions, versus s o c ia lly proper and conformist behavior. Stress on d a tin g , going to p a r t ie s , and other " t r a d i t io n a l " heterosexual in te ra c tio n s . The degree to which a wide v a r ie ty o f a c t i v i t i e s such as d a tin g , grades, e t c . , are cast into a com petitive framework. Extent to which s t r i c t l y classroom and academic accomplishments and concerns are prominent in the house. Emphasis on c u l t u r a l , a r t i s t i c and o ther sch olar­ l y in t e ll e c t u a l a c t i v i t i e s in the house, as d is ­ tinguished from s t r i c t l y classroom achievements. SYSTEM MAINTENANCE AND SYSTEM CHANGE DIMENSIONS Amount o f formal s tru c tu re or o rg an izatio n ( e . g . , r u le s , schedules, fo llo w in g established procedures, e t c . ) in the house; neatness. Extent to which student residents (not s t a f f or a d m in is tra tio n ) perceive they control the running o f the house; form ulate and enforce the ru le s , control use of the money, se lec tio n o f s t a f f , food, roomriates, p o lic ie s , e tc . O rganizational and in d iv id u a l spontaneity o f be­ haviors and new a c t i v i t i e s . ideas; number and v a r ie t y o f a c t i v i t i e s The inform ation f o r th is ta b le was taken from R. H. Moos and M. S Gerst, U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale Manual, (Palo A lt o , C a lifo rn ia : Consulting Psychologists Press, 1974), p. 3. 68 There is evidence th a t th is t r i p a r t i t e co n ce p tu alizatio n of the dimensions d i f f e r e n t i a t i n g among residence h a lls is re le v a n t to a broad range of other environments.^ Table 3.3 shows the subscale in te rn a l consistencies and average item to subscale c o rre la tio n s f o r the ten subscales. In te rn a l consis­ tencies were determined using the Kuder Richardson Formula-20 and average w ith in l i v i n g group variances fo r the items as suggested by 2 Stern. The subscale in te rn a l consistencies were a l l acceptable, ranging from a low o f .77 f o r Competition and Innovation to a high of .88 fo r Involvement. The average subscale i n t e r c o r r e l a t io n s , which are shown in Table 3 . 4 , are around .2 0 , in d ic a tin g t h a t the subscales measure d i s t i n c t , although somewhat r e l a t e d , aspects of u n iv e r s ity liv in g group environments. 3 Gerst and Moos fu r t h e r in d ic a te th a t the le v e l o f subscale homogeneity attain ed w ith the URES is q u ite s a tis f a c to r y and unusually 4 high fo r scales composed o f 9 or 10 items each. The homogeneity o f perceptions by persons w ith in l i v i n g groups was in v estig ated by comput­ ing the percentage agreement f o r each subscale over the o rig in a l sample of 13 residence h a lls . One hundred and t h ir te e n o f the 130 comparisons (th irte en houses f o r each ten subscales) showed g re a te r than 70 percent agreement among students. ^R. H. Moos, The Social Climate Scales: An Overview, (Palo A lto , C a lifo rn ia : Consulting Psychologists Press, T 9 7 4 ). 2 G. S tern , People in C o n text, (New York: Wiley and Sons, 1970). 3 4 Moos and G erst, oj). c i t . , p. 5. Gerst and Moos, o£>. c i t . , p. 517. 69 TABLE 3 .3 . and Test-R etest R e l i a b i l i t i e s fo r URES Form R Subscales In te rn a l Consistencies, Average Item-Subscale C orrelations In te rn a l Consistency (N = 13 Living Groups) Average I tem-Subscale C o rre la tio n (N = 505 Students) Test-R etest R e l i a b i l i t y One Week In te rv a l Four Week In te rv a l Subscales Involvement Emotional Support Independence Traditional Social O rientation Competition Academic Achievement In te lle c tu a l i t y Order and O rganization Student Influence Innovation .88 .82 .77 .87 .77 .84 .84 .86 .81 .77 Mean .82 .74 .77 .71 .73 .71 .76 .67 .71 .66 .70 .70 .71 .59 .74 .69 .74 .66 .68 .65 .69 .62 .55 .51 .51 .46 .52 .51 .54 .51 .44 .52 NOTE: The inform ation fo r th is ta b le was taken from R. H. Moos and M. S. Gerst, U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale Manual» (Palo A lto , C a lifo rn ia : Consulting Psychologists Press, 19 74 ), p. 5. 70 TABLE 3 .4 . URES Form R Subscale In te r c o r r e la tio n s (N=505) (decimals om itted) Subscales ES I TSO C AA I n t 00 SI Inn Involvement 62 -12 -05 -11 -09 Emotional Support 13 -01 -33 08 Independence -38 -05 -20 Traditional Social Ori e n ta ti on 19 -06 Competition -07 Academic Achievement Intel l e c t u a li t y Order and O rganization Student Influence 41 43 -03 -14 -06 26 19 24 -40 20 17 08 27 -13 -06 -16 23 13 09 16 10 57 45 16 -15 -12 -18 43 09 06 NOTE: The information fo r th is ta b le was taken from R. H. Moos and M. S. Gerst, U n ive rsity Residence Environment Scale Manual, (Palo A lt o , C a lifo rn ia : Consulting Psychologists Press, 19 74 ), p. 6 . 71 The temporal s t a b i l i t y o f in d iv id u a l perceptions was measured by administering the URES to the same subjects on th ree separate occasions in one men's and one women's residence h a ll a t a public university. The t e s t - r e t e s t c o rre la tio n s found in Table 3 . 3 . The .67 to .75 range a f t e r one week and the .59 to .74 range a f t e r one month indicates adequate s t a b i l i t y of in d iv id u a l perceptions over these time intervals.^ The R2 version o f the URES used in t h is study was w r itt e n in the present tense and was designed to measure the students' experienced perceptions o f the l iv i n g environment. The R2 items were reworded by the authors f o r the E2 versions so th a t students and s t a f f could answer them in terms o f t h e i r expectations about a new l iv i n g group. Evidence collected by Moos from both in d ivid u al and group psychotherapy and from his own studies o f comnunity-based treatm ent programs and o f m i l i t a r y training companies indicates th a t c e rta in types o f inaccurate expecta­ tions may r e s u lt in poor fu n c tio n in g , absenteeism and premature 2 dropout. Since the e a rly R2 and E2 versions o f the URES were used in th is study, Moos and Gerst have revised the items and subscales s l i g h t l y f o r the published versions of the 100 item Forms R and E described in the manual. Other than the a d d itio n o f 4 unscored items and the rewording of items, the re c e n tly published instrument remains e s s e n tia lly the same as that used in th is study. ^Moos and G e rs t, o£. c i t . , p. 6 . o R. H. Moos, The Social Climate Scales: An Overview, (Palo A l t o , C a lifo rn ia : Consulting Psychologists Press, 1974). 72 Use of Instrument and C o lle c tio n o f Data A d is t in c t io n was made in th is study between the expected per­ ceptions of the residence h a ll l i v i n g environment (expectations or f i r s t measure) and the experienced perceptions of the residence h all l i v i n g environment (perceptions or second measure) f o r the entering freshmen, returning upperclassmen, and the advisory s t a f f . A ll of the entering freshmen who attended an all-freshm en meeting on Sunday, September 16, 1973, were asked to respond to the E2 form o f the URES. This was the f i r s t day th a t a l l the new freshmen were expected to be moved into t h e i r place o f residence. Of a p o te n tial o f 533 new freshmen residents (311 females and 222 males) a to t a l of 323 (61%) useable URES responses on the f i r s t measure were c o lle c te d a t th is meeting. Several o f the responses were not useable because of incomplete answer sheets. Other students chose not to p a r t ic ip a t e and s t i l l others did not attend the meeting. On September 19, 1973, a cover l e t t e r (appendix D) and the E2 form of the URES were d is trib u te d in each o f the re tu rn in g upperclass students' residence h a ll mailboxes. This was the l a s t day of r e g is t r a t io n and most of the upperclassmen were expected to be on campus by th a t time. The upperclassmen were asked to complete the URES according to how they expected the residence h a ll environment to be, and then return the instrument to the reception desk. Of a possible 575 upperclassmen, 116 (20%) returned useable answer sheets. Even though the number o f responses was small no attempt was made to follow -u p on those not responding. The in v e s tig a to r f e l t that to be an e f f e c t i v e measure o f exp ectation s, the URES had to be 73 completed during the f i r s t few days of the school y e a r. The small return was not unexpected since many other m a te ria ls were also being distributed in student residence h a ll mailboxes a t t h a t tim e. Returning students u sually ignore any such requests unless th ere is some s p e c ific incentive. U n fo rtu n a te ly , the importance o f using the experienced returning student was not recognized u n t il i t was too l a t e to c o lle c t the URES responses by any other procedure. The residence h a ll s t a f f members were given the E2 form o f the URES the f i r s t day o f the required f a l l term Resident A ssistant Workshop. Each s t a f f member was asked to respond to the URES statements according to his/her expectations o f the residence h all l i v i n g environment. This measurement preceded the workshop in which plans and a c t i v i t i e s fo r the coming year were discussed. A t o t a l o f 30 (100%) useable responses were collected from the residence h a ll s t a f f . Five months l a t e r , during the month o f February, each o f the original student respondents (freshmen and upperclassmen) were contacted by cover l e t t e r (appendix D) and asked to complete the R2 form o f the URES as a measure o f t h e i r experienced perceptions of the environment. Since the re tu rn o f the completed instrument was not as high as d es ired , a second l e t t e r was d is tr ib u te d w ith an a d d itio n a l copy o f the URES to those not i n i t i a l l y responding and/or who may have misplaced the f i r s t copy. The in d ivid u al residence h a ll s t a f f members were given the R2 form of the URES during a s t a f f meeting and were asked to complete i t . The instructions given to the s t a f f were the same as those received by the students. 74 Of the 323 freshmen who completed the E2 form o f the URES, 177 (62 males and 115 females) or 55 percent returned useable answer sheets for the R2 form. Of the 116 upperclassmen who completed the E2 form o f the URES, 66 (35 males and 31 females) or 57 percent completed the R2 form with useable answers. A ll o f the 30 s t a f f members (100 percent) completed both forms of the URES. A complete d e s c rip tio n of the number of respondents fo r each measure of the URES is found in Table 3 ,5 . S ta tis tic a l Analysis The responses of each subject were transposed from mark sense score sheets to data processing cards. A Least-squares Analysis of Variance^ Program was used to analyze in te ra c tio n among the three groups sampled fo r the combined measures (expectations and experienced per­ ceptions) and fo r the change or d iffe re n c e s between expectations and perceptions fo r each o f the 10 subscales of the URES. The Least-squares Analysis of Variance was selected f o r use with th is study as an appropriate method o f analyzing and comparing data w ith unequal group sizes. ^ Following the Least-squares Analysis of Variance, m u ltip le comparisons were computed using the Least S ig n if ic a n t Differences (LSD) Method to analyze areas where s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s (.0 5 level or b e tte r) ex iste d . The ex p lo ratory nature of th is study and the importance of id e n tify in g patterns of expectations and experienced V R. Harvey, STAT 49V, Least-squares Analysis of V arian ce, (Columbus: Ohio S ta te U n iv e rs ity , 1968). 2 Recommended by S t a t i s t i c s Consultant, James R. ZumBrunnen, Associate D ire c to r, S t a t i s t i c a l Analysis U n it, Colorado State U n iv e rs ity . 3 Recomnended by S t a t i s t i c s Consultant, James R. ZumBrunnen. 75 TABLE 3 . 5 . Population First Measure - E2 Form of the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale (Expectations) Males Females Total Staff Freshmen 15/15 = 100% 15/15 = 100% 3 0 /30 = 100% 126/222 = 57% 197/311 = 63% 323/533 = 61% Upperclassmen 56/353 = 16% 60/264 = 23% 116/575 = 20% Second Measure - R2 Form o f the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale (Perceptions) Males Females Total S taff Freshmen 15/15 = 100% 15/15 = 100% 30/30 = 100% 62/126 = 49% 115/197 = 58% 177/323 = 55% Upperclassmen 35/56 = 63% 31/60 = 52% 66/116 = 57% 76 perceptions led to the use o f the LSD Method f o r the m u ltip le compari­ sons. The LSD Method is one o f the le a s t conservative of the m u ltip le comparison techniques and the most l i k e l y to i d e n t i f y s i g n if ic a n t trends. Chapter IV includes the presentation and analysis of the d a ta . CHAPTER IV PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA Introduction This chapter is devoted to a presentation and a n a ly s is o f the data co llected f o r th is study. The data were analyzed by a Least- squares Analysis o f Variance Technique to determine i f d iffe re n c e s existed among the three groups tested f o r the two measures (expecta­ tions and experienced perceptions) and f o r the change or d iffe re n c e between expectations and experienced perceptions f o r each o f the ten URES subscales. A f te r the least-sq u ares an alysis was completed fo r each subscale, m u ltip le comparisons were computed using the Least S ig n ific an t D iffe re n c e (LSD) Method to examine areas where s ig n if ic a n t differences were found. The major findings o f the analysis are presented in s t a t i s t i c a l , descrip tive, t a b le , and fig u r e form fo r each URES subscale. An i n t e r ­ pretation o f the data analysis w i l l be presented in Chapter V. Review of Groups and the Procedures of the Study As previously in d ic a te d , the three groups o f students included in the study are: ( 1) entering freshmen, ( 2) , returning upperclassmen, and (3) residence hall s t a f f members. A questionnaire containing 96 items w ith in 10 subscales was administered to the three groups on two occasions: (1) F i r s t in September, 1973, as a measure o f expectations of a Michigan S ta te U n ive rsity co-ed residence h a ll environment; and 77 78 (2) Five months l a t e r in February, 1974, as a measure o f experienced perceptions o f th a t residence hall l i v i n g environment. Hypotheses to be Tested The follow ing null hypotheses were tested fo r each o f the ten URES subscales to i d e n t i f y areas of s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s : 1. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence hall environment, ( f i r s t measure) 2. There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence hall environment. ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) 5. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced per­ ceptions held by males and females of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 6 . There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the r e s i ­ dence hall environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all en­ vironment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 8 . There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll environ ment held by males and females, (d iffe r e n c e ) 9. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upper­ classmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe r e n c e ) 79 Data The means fo r the three groups ( s t a f f , upperclassmen, and freshmen) according to sex f o r both measures (expectations and e x p e ri­ enced perceptions) are presented in Table 4.1 f o r each URES subscale. Table 4 .2 presents the sex means f o r each URES subscale f o r both ex­ pectations and experienced perceptions. The o v e ra ll group means fo r expectations and experienced perceptions f o r s t a f f , freshmen, and upper­ classmen are shown in Table 4 .3 . Analysis of Subscale 1, Involvement Table 4.4 summarizes the re s u lts o f the Least-squares Analysis of Variance f o r s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s on Subscale 1, Involvement. Involvement is defined as the "Degree o f commitment to the house and residents; amount o f in te ra c tio n and fe e lin g o f frie n d s h ip in the h o u s e . A t e s t f o r s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s a t the .05 lev el o f s ig ­ nificance ind icates th a t there were s ig n if ic a n t sex and sex X time d ifferences. Following the computation o f the least-squares a n a ly s is , the data were analyzed by a Least S ig n if ic a n t Differences method to explore the areas where s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s existed. Figure 4.1 presents the results of these m u ltip le comparisons. The re s u lts support the r e j e c ­ tion of the n ull hypotheses 5 and 8 fo r Subscale 1 , Involvement. 5. There are no s ig n if ic a n t differen ces in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females of the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) ^R. H. Moos and M. S. G e rs t, U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale Manual. (Palo A lt o , C a li f o r n ia : Consulting Psychologists Press, T9?4), p. 3. 80 TABLE 4 .1 . Cell Means f o r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen by Sex f o r the Ten URES Subscales f o r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) GROUPS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 URES Subscales S ta ff Males S ta ff Females E P E P 8.13 8.60 5.73 6.27 4.67 4.4 0 6.20 6.33 5.80 7.27 3.40 4 .4 0 5.00 4.13 5.47 3.80 4.13 3 .0 0 3.93 2. 00 Upperclass -E men Males P 6.31 6.60 5.37 5.51 3.97 4.31 5.23 3.97 3 .8 9 3.11 Upperclass­ men Females Freshmen Males Freshmen Females E P E P E P 6.52 5.55 7.06 7.13 7.52 6.28 6.58 6.55 5.87 6.29 7.0 0 7.05 3.74 3.74 4.58 4.95 3.84 4.27 6.16 5.84 5.47 4.04 5.83 5.22 3 .6 5 2.65 3.6 0 3 .0 0 3.79 2.77 4.67 5.07 3.40 4.73 5.00 4.46 5.55 4.90 5.63 5.19 6.00 5.21 4.07 2.93 3.47 3.2 0 3.46 2.83 4.29 3.87 4.32 4.24 5.00 3.7 0 5.73 4.53 4.93 6.07 5.53 5.40 5.20 6.00 5.80 4.8 0 5.20 6.53 4.83 3.57 5 .66 5.51 5.34 5.86 6.42 4.71 5.92 4.74 6.36 4.78 5.00 5.26 4.42 5.42 6.05 5.13 5.53 5.68 6.24 5.33 5.37 5.69 NOTE: The data presented squares Analysis o f Variance fo r the Ten URES Subscales. in th is ta b le was used to prepare the Least- TABLE 4 .2 . Cell Means by Sex f o r the Ten URES Subscales f o r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) SEX Males Females URES Subscales 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 E P E P 6.97 7.16 7.21 6.14 5.70 6.05 6.81 6.97 4.40 4.68 3.78 4.18 5.33 4.04 5.86 5.21 3.7 6 3.04 3.78 2.67 5.30 4.95 5.67 5.11 4.02 3.63 4.72 3.69 5.55 4.35 6.24 4.89 5.86 5.43 5.29 5.78 5.96 5.17 5.27 5.71 NOTE: The data presented in th is ta b le was used to prepare Figure 5.1 and Figure 5 .2 (see Chapter V ). 81 TABLE 4 .3 , Group Means f o r the Ten URES Subscales fo r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions(P) GROUP b L a T T E P Upperclass­ E P men r r c S iI iit r n E P URES Subscales 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.17 7.47 6.41 6.11 7.36 6.58 5.77 6.77 5.94 6.00 6.61 6.79 4.03 4.4 0 3 .8 6 4.05 4 .1 0 4.51 5.23 3.97 5.67 4.85 5.71 4.81 4.03 2.50 3.77 2.89 3.72 2.85 4.03 4.90 5.26 4.67 5.87 5.20 3.77 3.07 3.85 3.32 4.76 3.89 5.33 5.30 5.58 4.11 6.20 4.77 5.67 5.10 5.20 6.27 5.35 5.39 4.91 5.65 6.18 5.26 5.42 5.68 NOTE: The data presented in th is ta b le was used to prepare Figure 5.3 and Figure 5.4 (see Chapter V). TABLE 4 .4 . Least-squares Analysis of Variance f o r Subscale 1, Involvement D.F. 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 M.S. F 34.160 67.652 22.963 11.472 4.961 5.486 49.605 5.101 2.978 5.897* 2.002 .973 1 .075 9.7 25 ** P .053 .016 .137 .325 .343 .002 SOURCE Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (bj * p .05 * * p .01 82 7.50 7.00 6.50 6.00 5.50 Males Females Experienced5Perceptions ------------------------- LSD Confidence In te rv a l = 0 .5 4 5 * FIGURE 4 .1 . M u ltip le Comparisons o f Least-squares Means f o r Males and Females f o r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) using the Involvement Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method f o r Subscale 1, * Confidence In te rv a ls must not overlap fo r means to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y d iffe r e n t a t .05 l e v e l . 83 8. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environ­ ment held by males and females, (d iffe r e n c e ) The r e s u l t s , as indicated in Figure 4 . 1 , support hypotheses 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 , 7, and 9 f o r Subscale 1 , Involvement: 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environment, ( f i r s t measure) 2. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence h all environment. ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) 6 . There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence h all environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h all environ­ ment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 9. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expecta­ tio n s and the experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) As shown in Figure 4 . 1 , there were no sex d iffe re n c e s in expectations o f the residence h a ll environment fo r Subscale 1, In v o lv e ­ ment. Y et, a f t e r experience w ith the residence h a ll environment, the males of a l l th re e groups ind icated s i g n i f i c a n t l y more involvement, in te ra c tio n , and commitment to the f l o o r than did the females. The analysis also indicates th a t the females' expectations of Involvement were s i g n i f i c a n t l y higher than what they experienced as r e a l i t y . 84 Analysis of Subscale 2, Emotional Support The Least-squares Analysis o f Variance fo r Subscale 2, Emotional Support, is presented in Table 4 .5 . Emotional Support is defined as: "Extent of manifest concern f o r others in the house; e ff o r t s to aid one another with academic and personal problems; emphasis on open and honest communication. TABLE 4 .5 . Least-squares Analysis of Variance fo r Subscale 2, Emotional Support SOURCE D.F. M.S. F 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 14.540 61.759 1 .784 8.780 14.281 4.751 .890 3.571 1 .656 7.0 3 4 ** .203 3.999* 1 .330 .249 Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * p * * p .05 .01 P .193 .008 .816 .047 .266 .618 On th is subscale, the analysis of variance supports the re je c tio n of Hypotheses 2 and 5: 2. There are no s ig n ific a n t d iffe ren c es in expectations held by males and females of the residence hall environment. ( f i r s t measure) 5. There are no s ig n ific a n t differen ces in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females o f the residence hall en­ vironment. (second measure) 1 I b i d . 85 All other hypotheses were supported fo r Subscale 2, Emotional Support: 1. There are no s ig n ific a n t differences in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence hall environment, ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s ig n ific a n t differences in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence hall environ­ ment, ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s ig n ific a n t differences in experienced perceptions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 6. There are no s ig n ific a n t differences in experienced percep­ tions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s ig n ific a n t differences between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence hall environ­ ment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 8 . There are no s ig n ific a n t differences between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence hall environ­ ment held by males and females, (d iffe re n c e ) 9. There are no s ig n ific a n t d ifferences between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence hall environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d ifferen ce) The data indicated th a t the females in a ll three groups had s ig ­ n ific a n tly higher expectations of the residence hall environment than did the males. This same d iffe ren c e was s t i l l present 5 months la t e r as a measure of experienced perceptions of the environment with the females experiencing more Emotional Support than the males. Analysis of Subscale 3, Independence Table 4.6 summarizes the re su lts of the Least-squares Analysis of Variance fo r s ig n ific a n t differences fo r Subscale 3, Independence. The 86 d efin itio n of Independence i s : " D iv e rs ity of re sid en ts' behaviors allowed without social sanctions, versus s o c ia lly proper and con­ formist behavior."^ TABLE 4 .6 . Least-squares Analysis o f Variance fo r Subscale 3 , Inde­ pendence SOURCE D.F. M.S. F P 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 10.360 27.774 1 .114 5.607 11 .168 .769 .742 3.136 1.848 4.9 53 * .199 3.5 61 * .246 .237 .160 .027 .825 .05 .782 .627 Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * p * * p .05 .01 Two of the null hypotheses, 2 and 5, were rejected ind icatin g s ig n ific a n t sex differences fo r both expectations and experienced perceptions fo r Subscale 3, Independence: 2. There are no s ig n ific a n t differen ces in expectations held by males and females o f the residence hall environment. ( f i r s t measure) 5. There are no s ig n ific a n t d ifferen ces in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females of the residence hall environ­ ment. (second measure) The data supported the acceptance of hypotheses 1, 3, 4, 6 , 7 , 8 , and 9 fo r Subscale 3 , Independence: 1. There are no s ig n ific a n t d iffe ren c es in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence hall environment, ( f i r s t measure) ^ Ib id . 87 3. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence h all environ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h all environment. (second measure) 6. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence h all environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h all environ­ ment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe r e n c e ) 8 . There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environ­ ment held by males and females, (d iffe re n c e ) 9. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence hall environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) The males o f a l l three groups indicated s i g n i f i c a n t l y g reater expectations and experienced perceptions o f Independence as part of the residence hall l i v i n g environment. Analysis of Subscale 4 , T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n Table 4 .7 sumnarizes the r e s u lts of the Least-squares Analysis of Variance fo r s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s on Subscale 4 , T ra d itio n a l Social O rien tation . This subscale is described as: "Stress on d a tin g , going to p a rtie s , and other ' t r a d i t i o n a l ' heterosexual in te ra c tio n s ." ^ The analysis of variance ind icates s i g n i f i c a n t sex d iffe r e n c e s , time d i f f e r ­ ences, and time X sex d iffe re n c e s . ^ I b i d . 88 TABLE 4 .7 . Least-squares Analysis of Variance fo r Subscale 4 , T ra d itio n ­ al Social O rien tation SOURCE D.F. M.S. F 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 10.321 45,608 9.845 5.266 82.518 1.005 13.821 2.428 1 .960 8 .6 6 1 ** 1 .870 33.980** .414 5.691* Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * p ** p .05 .01 P .143 .004 .156 .000 .616 .018 Following the computation of the analysis of variance, m u ltip le comparisons, using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method, were computed to explore the areas where s ig n ific a n t d ifferen ces existed. Figure 4.2 reports these re s u lts and reveals that there were s ig n ific a n t differences between the expectations o f the tr a d itio n a l social environ­ ment held by the males and females with the females having higher expec­ tations. In a d d itio n , there was a s ig n ific a n t change from expectations to experienced perceptions fo r both males and females on th is subscale. Both sexes experienced a much lower stress on dating , going to p a rtie s , e tc ., than they had expected. The males e s p e c ia lly , reported a d efin ite change with t h e ir experienced perceptions being s ig n ific a n t ly d iffe re n t and lower than those of the females. Hypotheses 5 and 8 were rejected fo r Subscale 4 , T rad itio n al Social O rientation: 89 6.50 6 . 0 0 - 5. 50 - 5.00 4 . 5 0 - 4, 00 — 3. 5 0 - Males Females Experienced'perceptions-------------------------- LSD Confidence In te rv al = 0.375* FIGURE 4 .2 . M u ltip le Comparisons of Least-squares Means fo r Males and Females fo r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 4, T rad itio n al Social O rientation Confidence In te rv a ls must not overlap for means to be s ig n ific a n t ly d iffe re n t a t .05 le v e l. 90 5. There are no s ig n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females o f the residence h all environ­ ment. (second measure) 8 . There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all en­ vironment held by males and females, (d iffe re n c e ) As a r e s u lt o f the a n a ly s is , hypotheses 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 7, and 9 were accepted f o r Subscale 4 , T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n : 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h all environment, ( f i r s t measure) 2. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence hall environment. ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence hall en­ vironment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) 6 . There are no s ig n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all environ­ ment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 9. There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) Analysis o f Subscale 5, Competition The re s u lts of the Least-squares Analysis o f Variance fo r Sub­ scale 5, Competition, are found in Table 4 .8 . Competition is described in the URES Manual as: "The degree to which a wide v a r ie ty of a c t i v i t i e s 91 such as d a tin g , grades, e t c . , are cast into a com petitive framework.1^ The analysis o f variance in d ica te s th a t there were s ig n if ic a n t time differences. A review o f the means l is t e d on Tables 4 . 1 , 4 . 2 , and 4.3 reveals th a t the expectations o f a l l subjects were s i g n i f i c a n t l y higher (.01 le v e l) than t h e ir experienced perceptions on th is subscale. TABLE 4 .8 . Least-squares Analysis of Variance f o r Subscale 5, Competi­ tion SOURCE D.F. M.S. Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * * p .01 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 .081 8.681 2.852 5.699 97.792 3.224 6.770 3.245 F .014 1 .523 .500 3 0 .1 3 8 ** .994 2.086 P .986 .218 .607 .000 .371 .150 A ll s u b je c ts , by group and by sex, expected t h a t the residence hall environment would be much more competitive than they found i t to be a fte r having liv e d in the residence hall fo r f i v e months. As a r e s u lt of their experience, the follow ing hypothesis, which re la te s to the differences between expectations and experienced perceptions, was rejected for Subscale 5, Competition: 9. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upper­ classmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 1 1 b i d . 92 Hypotheses 1 through 8 were accepted f o r Subscale 5 , Competi­ tion: 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment. ( f i r s t measure) 2. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence hall environment. ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tio n s held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 5. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tio n s held by males and females of the residence h a ll en­ vironment. (second measure) 6. There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence hall environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll en­ vironment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 8 . There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h all en­ vironment held by males and females, (d iffe re n c e ) Analysis of Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement On Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement, the Least-squares Analysis of Variance indicated s i g n if ic a n t group (.01 l e v e l ) and time X group (.01 lev el) d iffe re n c e s . Table 4 .9 summarizes the re s u lts of the analysis of variance fo r Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement, which is defined as: "Extent to which s t r i c t l y classroom and academic accomplishments and con­ cerns are prominent in the house. I b i d . 93 TABLE 4 .9 . Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement SOURCE D.F. M.S. F 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 34.013 .110 8.824 7.009 1 .550 13.668 .721 2.858 4 .8 5 3 * * .016 1 .259 .542 4 .7 8 2 * * .252 Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * p * * p .05 .01 P .009 .899 .286 .462 .009 .616 The data r e s u l t s , using the Least S ig n if ic a n t D ifferen ce s Method for additional a n a ly s is , are presented in Figure 4 .3 and Figure 4 . 4 . As shown in Table 4 . 3 , the combined measures of expectations and e x p e r i­ enced perceptions reveals th a t the s t a f f reported a s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower environmental emphasis on academic achievement than did the freshmen. When the data was f u r t h e r analyzed according to the expectations and ex­ perienced perceptions of each group (Figure 4 . 4 ) , i t was apparent th a t the s t a f f had s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower academic expectations o f the residence hall environment than did e it h e r the upperclassmen or the freshmen. The data fo r the experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environment for Subscale 6 , however, did not reveal any s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s . The g rea tes t area of change from expectations to experienced per­ ceptions was found in the s t a f f group w ith a s i g n i f i c a n t increase in academic achievement being described. The other two groups of freshmen 94 6.50 5.00 5.50 5.00 4.50 4.00 S t a f f Upperclassmen Freshmen LSD Confidence In te rv a l = 0 .6 9 7 * FIGURE 4 .3 . M u ltip le Comparisons o f Combined Least-squares Means (Expectations and Experienced Perceptions) fo r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen using the Least S ig n if ic a n t D ifferences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement * Confidence I n t e r v a l s must not o v e r la p f o r means to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t a t .05 l e v e l . 95 6.50 5.50 5.00 4.50 4.00 3.50 _ S t a f f Upperclassmen Freshmen ExpeHenced%ercept.1ons_______________ LSD Confidence In te rv a l = 0.629* FIGURE 4 .4 . M u ltip le Comparisons o f Least-squares Means f o r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen fo r Expectations (E) and Experienced Per­ ceptions (P) using the Least S ig n if ic a n t Differences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement * Confidence I n t e r v a l s must not o v e r la p f o r means to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t a t .05 l e v e l . and upperclassmen reported the opposite e f f e c t with the freshmen ex­ periencing s i g n i f i c a n t l y less emphasis on academic achievement than they had expected. As a r e s u l t of the m u ltip le comparisons, hypotheses 1 and 7 were rejected fo r Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement: 1. There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h all environment, ( f i r s t measure) 7. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h all en­ vironment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe r e n c e ) Null hypotheses 2, 3 , 4 , 5, 6 , 8 , and 9 were accepted fo r Sub­ scale 6 , Academic Achievement: 2. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence hall environment. ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence hall environ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 5. There are no s ig n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by males and females of the residence hall environ­ ment. (second measure) 6. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the r e s i ­ dence h all environment, (second measure) 8 . There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environ­ ment held by males and females, (d iffe re n c e ) 9. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upper­ classmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 97 Analysis of Subscale 7 , I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y The Least-squares Analysis o f Variance o f the data f o r Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y , indicated several areas o f s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s . This subscale is defined as: "Emphasis on c u l t u r a l , a r t i s t i c and other scholarly i n t e ll e c t u a l a c t i v i t i e s in the house, as distinguished from s t r i c t l y classroom achievements.. " 1 Table 4.10 re v e a ls s ig n i f i c a n t group time and time X sex d iffe re n c e s f o r Subscale 7 , I n t e ll e c t u a l i t y . TABLE 4.1 0. Least- squares Analysis of Variance f o r Subscale 7 , In te lle c tu a l i t y SOURCE D.F. M.S. F 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 36.080 6.460 10.372 6.761 44.306 .832 14.344 3.482 5.3 3 6 ** .955 1.534 1 2 .72 6** .236 4 .1 2 0 * Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * p * * p .05 .01 P .005 .329 .218 .000 .790 .043 The analysis of the data by the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences Method for Subscale 7 is found in Figure 4 .5 and Figure 4 .6 . As shown in Figure 4 .5 , both the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the s t a f f and upperclassmen were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower than those o f the freshmen. The time X sex d if fe r e n c e s , when analyzed according to the m u l t i ­ ple comparisons o f the Least S ig n if ic a n t D ifferen ces Method, revealed the ^ I b i d . 98 5.00 4.50 4.00 3.50 - 3.00 LSD Confidence In te rv a l = 0.685* S t a f f Upperclassmen Freshmen FIGURE 4 .5 . M u ltip le Comparisons of Combined Least-squares Means (Expectations and Experienced Perceptions) fo r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen using the Least S ig n ific a n t D ifferences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y * Confidence d i f f e r e n t a t I n t e r v a l s must not overlap f o r means to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y .05 l e v e l . 99 5.00 4.50 - 4.00 3.50 - 3.00 Males Females Expectations ------------------ Experienced Perceptions LSD Confidence In te rv a l - 0.450* FIGURE 4 .6 . M u ltip le Comparisons of Least-squares Means fo r Males and Females fo r Expectations (E) and Experienced Perceptions (P) using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 7, tual i t y I n t e l l e c ­ * Confidence I n t e r v a l s must not o verla p f o r means to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t a t .05 l e v e l . 100 expectations of the males to be s ig n if ic a n t ly lower than the expecta­ tions o f the females fo r Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y . The males' scores did not change s ig n if ic a n t ly from expectations to experienced perceptions while the scores of the females d id . The females experienced a s i g n i f i ­ cantly lower emphasis on I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y than they had expected. An analysis of the null hypotheses fo r th is subscale led to the rejection of hypotheses 1 , 2 , 4 , and 8 : 1. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe ren c es in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, ( f i r s t measure) 2. There are no s ig n ific a n t differen ces in expectations held by males and females of the residence hall environment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s ig n ific a n t differen ces in experienced percep­ tions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 8 . There are no s ig n ific a n t d iffe ren c es between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence hall environ­ ment held by males and females, (d iffe re n c e ) Null hypotheses 3, 5, 6 , 7, and 9 were accepted fo r Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y : 3. There are no s ig n ific a n t d ifferen ces in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence hall environ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 5. There are no s ig n ific a n t d iffe ren c es in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females of the residence hall environ­ ment. (second measure) 6. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe ren c es in experienced percep­ tions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s ig n ific a n t d iffe ren c es between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence hall environ­ ment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 101 9. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upper­ classmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) Analysis of Subscale 8 , Order and Organization Table 4.11 summarizes the r e s u lts o f the Least-squares Analysis of Variance f o r Subscale 8 , Order and O rganization. Subscale 8 is de­ scribed as the "Amount of formal s tru c tu re or org an izatio n ( e . g . , ru le s , schedules, fo llo w in g established procedures, e t c . ) in the house; neatness."^ TABLE 4 .1 1 . Least-square Analysis o f Variance f o r Subscale 8 , Order and Organization SOURCE O.F, M.S. F 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 15.084 35.448 15.053 7.849 82.103 11.626 .547 3.903 1 .922 4.51 6* 1 .918 2 1 .03 6** 2.979 .140 Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * p * * p .05 .01 P .148 .034 .149 .000 .053 .709 The an a ly s is o f variance indicated s i g n i f i c a n t sex d iffe re n c e s . A review of the sex means revealed th a t the females had s i g n i f i c a n t l y greater expectations o f Order and Organization than did the males. A fte r liv in g in the residence h a ll environment fo r f i v e months, the experienced ^ I b i d . 102 perceptions of the females were s t i l l s i g n i f i c a n t l y g re a te r than those of the males. These re s u lts support the r e je c tio n of null hypotheses 2 and 5 for Subscale 8 , Order and O rganization: 2. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence h all environment. ( f i r s t measure) 5. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by males and females of the residence h all en­ vironment. (second measure) Null hypotheses 1, 3 , 4 , 6 , 7, 8 and 9 were accepted f o r Subscale 8 , Order and O rganization. 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence h all environment, ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tio n s held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) 6 . There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by male and female freshmen, male and female upper­ classmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll en­ vironment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 8 . There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll environ­ ment held by males and females, (d iffe r e n c e ) 9. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upper­ classmen, and male and female s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 103 Analysis o f Subscale 9 , Student In flu e n ce The re s u lts of the Least-squares Analysis o f Variance f o r Sub­ scale 9, Student In flu e n c e , are found in Table 4.1 2. Student Influence is defined as the "Extent to which student resid en ts (not s t a f f or ad­ m in is tra tio n ) perceive they control the running o f the house; formulate and enforce the r u le s , control use o f the money, s e le c tio n o f s t a f f , food, roommates, p o l i c i e s , e t c . " 1 The analysis ind icates s ig n i f i c a n t differences among the three groups ( s t a f f , upperclassmen, and freshmen) for both expections and experienced perceptions fo r Subscale 9 , Student Influence. TABLE 4 .1 2 . Least-squares Analysis of Variance fo r Subscale 9, Student Influence SOURCE D.F. M.S. F 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 23.101 3.776 8.376 5.570 24.546 .944 3.752 3.321 4 .1 4 8 * .679 1 .504 7 .3 9 1 ** .284 1.130 Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * p .05 * * p .01 P .017 .411 .224 .007 .753 .289 The m u ltip le comparisons using the Least S ig n if ic a n t Differences Method are found in Figure 4 .7 . The s ig n if ic a n t group d iffe re n c e s were located between the upperclassmen and the freshmen. The upperclassmen 1 I b i d . 104 6.50 6.00 5.50 5,00 4.50 4.00 S t a f f Upperclassmen Freshmen LSD Confidence In te rv a l = 0.6 21 * FIGURE 4 .7 . M u ltip le Comparisons o f Combined Least-squares Means (Expectations and Experienced Perceptions) f o r S t a f f , Upperclassmen, and Freshmen using the Least S ig n ific a n t D ifferen ce s (LSD) Method fo r Subscale 9, Student Influence * Confidence I n t e r v a l s must not o v e r la p f o r means to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t a t .05 l e v e l . 105 expected and experienced s i g n i f i c a n t l y less Student Influence than did the freshmen. The s t a f f expectations and experienced perceptions over­ lapped those o f the freshmen and upperclassmen. This same r a t i o o f differences existed f o r both expectations and experienced perceptions with each group viewing the actual experienced environment as having s lig h tly lower student influen ce than was expected. As a r e s u lt o f the an alysis o f data f o r Subscale 9, Student Influence, null hypotheses 1 and 4 were re je c te d : 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence hall environment, ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h all environment, (second measure) Null hypotheses 2, 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , and 9 were accepted f o r th is subscale: 2. There are no s ig n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence h all environment. ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence hall e n v iro n ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 5. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females o f the residence h a ll en v iro n ­ ment. (second measure) 6. There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence h all environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all en­ vironment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 106 8 . There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expecta­ tions and the experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environment held by males and females, ( d iffe r e n c e ) 9. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upper­ classmen, and male and female s t a f f members, ( d iffe r e n c e ) Analysis o f Subscale 10, Innovation The Least-squares Analysis o f Variance o f the data f o r Subscale 10, Innovation, as found in Table 4 .1 3 , did not in d ic a te any s i g n i f i c a n t d ifferen ces. Innovation is defined as the '"Organizational and in d iv id u a l spontaneity o f behaviors and ideas; number and v a r ie t y of a c t i v i t i e s ; new a c t i v i t i e s . 1^ As indicated by the analysis o f va ria n c e , a l l null hypotheses are accepted fo r Subscale 10, Innovation. TABLE 4 .1 3 . Least-squares Analysis o f Variance fo r Subscale 10, Innovation SOURCE D.F. M.S. F .630 .127 .208 .535 .307 .574 .704 .548 1 .177 .237 .390 .562 1.049 1 .286 2 1 2 268 1 2 1 268 Group Sex Group x Sex Error (a) Time Time x Group Time x Sex Error (b) * p * * p .05 .01 1 I b i d . P .310 .627 .677 .454 .352 .258 107 Summary A review of the data f o r each o f the ten U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale (URES) subscales in d icates th a t a t le a s t two o f the nine null hypotheses tested were re je c te d f o r seven o f the subscales. On one subscale, Subscale 5, Competition, only one o f the null hypo­ theses was re je c te d . On Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y , fo ur null hypo­ theses were re je c te d . None o f the null hypotheses were re je c te d fo r Subscale 10, Innovation. A review o f each o f the nine null hypotheses tested in th is study reveals the fo llo w in g surmaries: 1. Null hypothesis 1, which was concerned w ith group d i f f e r ­ ences f o r expectations o f the residence h all environment, was rejected for three URES subscales: Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement; Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y ; and Subscale 9 , Student In flu e n c e . 2. Null hypothesis 2 , which was concerned with sex d iffe re n c e s for expectations o f the residence h all environment, was re je c te d fo r four URES subscales: Subscale 2, Emotional Support; Subscale 3 , Inde­ pendence; Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y ; and Subscale 8 , Order and Organization. 3. Null hypothesis 3 , which was concerned w ith the in t e r a c tio n of sex and group expectations o f the residence h all environment, was not rejected fo r any o f the ten URES subscales. 4 . Null hypothesis 4 , which was concerned w ith group d i f f e r ­ ences f o r experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environment, was re je c te d f o r URES Subscale 7 , I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y and Subscale 9, Student In flu e n c e . 108 5. Null hypothesis 5 was re je c te d f o r f i v e of the ten URES subscales. This hypothesis was concerned w ith sex d iffe re n c e s fo r experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environment and was r e ­ jected fo r the fo llow ing URES subscales: Subscale 1 , Involvement; Subscale 2, Emotional Support; Subscale 3 , Independence; Subscale 4 , T raditional Social O rie n ta tio n ; and Subscale 8 , Order and O rganization. 6. Null hypothesis 6 , which was concerned w ith the in te ra c tio n of sex and group experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environ­ ment, was not re je c te d fo r any of the ten URES subscales. 7. Null hypothesis 7 was re jec te d once in th is study f o r Sub­ scale 6 , Academic Achievement. Null hypothesis 7 was concerned with differences between group expectations and group experienced percep­ tions of the residence hall environment. 8 . Null hypothesis 8 , which was concerned with sex d iffe re n c e s between expectations and experienced perceptions of the residence hall environment, was re jec te d fo r three URES subscales: Subscale 1 , In v o lv e­ ment; Subscale 4 , T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n ; and Subscale 7 , I n ­ te lle c tu a l i t y . 9. Null hypothesis 9, which was concerned with the in te ra c tio n of sex and group d iffe re n c e s between expectations and experienced per­ ceptions o f the residence h all environment, was re jec te d f o r Subscale 5, Competition. As indicated p rev io u sly, none o f the nine null hypotheses were rejected fo r Subscale 10, Innovation. Chapter V reports the summary, conclusions, and recommendations of the study. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Assuming th a t the residence h all environment, as p a rt o f a t o ta l u n ive rs ity environment, has the p o te n tia l o f p o s itiv e ly and/or neg ative­ ly influencing numerous student development v a ria b le s , the problem of how to best u t i l i z e th is sub-environment m erits in v e s tig a tio n . I d e a l l y , the residence h a ll should provide the en tering student with the oppor­ tu n ity f o r the p o s itiv e experience he expects from th is environment. Far too l i t t l e research has been done to study what new resid en ts expect of t h e ir l i v i n g environment and what they a c tu a lly experience. And, since the residence h all s t a f f and the peer group can have a major impact on the l i v i n g environment, i t is also important to understand and evaluate t h e i r expectations and perceptions o f the residence h all en­ vironment. I t was the au th or's purpose in th is study to examine the expecta­ tions and experienced perceptions of th ree groups o f students ( s t a f f , upperclassmen, and freshmen) o f l i v i n g in Hubbard Hall a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . This was done so th a t i t might be possible to modify or preserve those environmental c h a ra c te r is tic s which are deemed b e n e fic ia l to the c o lle g ia t e experience by the f a c u l t y , a d m in is tra to rs , residence hall s t a f f s , and students. 109 110 Restatement o f the Purpose The research er's purpose in th is study was to describe and evaluate the expectations, the experienced perceptions, and the change from expectations to experienced perceptions t h a t entering freshmen, returning upperclass re s id e n ts , and s t a f f members have of the l iv i n g environment o f a co-ed residence hall a t Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . The o bjectives were to determine (1) i f there were any d iffe re n c e s in the expectations these three groups had of the residence hall environment, ( 2) i f th ere were any d iffe re n c e s in the three groups experienced per­ ceptions o f the l i v i n g environment a f t e r l i v i n g in i t fo r f i v e months, (3) i f there were any d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and e x p e ri­ enced perceptions held by these three groups, and (4) i f there were any sex re la te d d iffe re n c e s in the expectations, perceptions, and d i f f e r ­ ences between expectations and perceptions f o r the three groups. The three dimensions o f the l i v i n g environment under in v e s tig a tio n were: ( 1) interpersonal r e la tio n s h ip s , ( 2 ) personal growth or development, and (3) system maintenance and change. Methodology To obtain appropriate data fo r the study, the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale (URES), was administered on two occasions to groups of freshmen, s t a f f members and upperclassmen--once a t the beginning o f the 1973-74 academic year and again f i v e months l a t e r . The URES consisted of 96 statements scaled into ten environmental dimensions by which residents describe t h e ir expectations and perceptions o f the residence hall environment. I l l The subjects were asked to s ta te whether each statement was generally tru e or fa ls e w ith reference to t h e i r expectations ( f i r s t measure) o f the environment and to t h e i r perceptions (second measure) of the 'a ctu al 1 experienced environment. The ten URES subscales were: (1) Involvement, (2) Emotional Support, (3 ) Independence, (4) T r a d it io n ­ al Social O r ie n ta tio n , (5 ) Competition, ( 6) Academic Achievement, (7) I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y , ( 8 ) Order and O rganization, (9) Student In flu e n c e , and (10) Innovation. The fo llo w in g null hypotheses were tested s t a t i s t i c a l l y using the Least-squares Analysis o f Variance method to analyze in te ra c tio n among the th re e groups sampled: 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment, ( f i r s t measure) 2. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence h a ll environment. ( f i r s t measure) 3. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members o f the residence hall environ­ ment. ( f i r s t measure) 4. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tio n s held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environment, (second measure) 5. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tio n s held by males and females o f the residence hall en­ vironment. (second measure) 6 . There are no s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tio n s held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members of the residence hall environment, (second measure) 7. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe ren c es between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h all en­ vironment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members, (d iffe re n c e ) 112 8 . There are no s ig n if ic a n t differences between the expecta­ tions and the experienced perceptions of the residence hall environment held by males and females, (d iffe re n c e ) 9. There are no s ig n ific a n t differences between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence hall en­ vironment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members, ( d i f f e r ­ ence) The data were f i r s t analyzed fo r the combined measures (expecta­ tions and experienced perceptions) and according to the change or d i f f e r ­ ences over time or between expectations ( f i r s t measure) and experienced perceptions (second measure) fo r each of the 10 URES subscales. Follow­ ing the analysis of variance, m u ltip le comparisons were computed using the Least S ig n ific a n t Differences (LSD) method to analyze areas where s ig n ific a n t differen ces e x is te d . Conclusions Within the framework o f the lim ita tio n s of th is study (described in Chapter I ) several conclusions can be made. Of the nine null hypo­ theses tested fo r each of the ten URES subscales, a t le a s t two were rejected fo r each of seven subscales. In a d d itio n , one null hypothesis was rejected f o r Subscale 5, Competition, and four hypotheses were r e ­ jected fo r Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y . None o f the nine null hypotheses were rejected fo r Subscale 10, Innovation. The following is a summary o f the findings of th is study followed by conclusions fo r the three dimensions of the liv in g environment under consideration: ( 1) interpersonal re la tio n s h ip s , ( 2) personal growth or development, and (3) system maintenance and change. The ten URES subscales were conceptualized as being d is trib u te d among these three dimensions o f the residence h all environment. 113 Relationsh ip Dimensions The Involvement and Emotional Support subscales are con­ ceptualized as RELATIONSHIP dimensions, assessing the ex­ te n t to which students and s t a f f tend to support and help each other and the extent to which these groups are involved in the house and i t s a c t i v i t i e s . E s s e n t ia lly , these sub­ scales assess the types and in te n s it y o f personal r e l a t i o n ­ ships among students and between students and s t a f f J The conclusions f o r each o f the two URES subscales which make up the Relationship Dimensions w i l l now be discussed. Involvement. Based on the Least-squares Analysis o f Variance fo r d iffe ren c es a t the .05 level o f s ig n ific a n c e , s i g n i f i c a n t sex and sex X time d iffe re n c e s were found f o r Subscale 1, Involvement. M u l t i ­ ple comparisons a t the .05 level o f s ig n ific a n c e led to the r e je c tio n of the follow ing two null hypotheses: 5. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by males and females of the residence hall environment. 8 . There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all en­ vironment held by males and females. The an alysis did not reveal any sex d iffe re n c e s in expectations of the residence h a ll environment. Y e t, a f t e r 5 months l iv i n g in the residence h a l l , the males o f a l l three groups indicated s i g n i f i c a n t l y more involvement, in t e r a c tio n , and commitment to the f l o o r than did the females. The females experienced perceptions were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower than t h e i r expectations fo r Subscale 1 , Involvement. 2 S im ila r research by Pace involvin g d i f f e r i n g perceptions o f the environment by males and females revealed the opposite to be tru e . ^Moos and G erst, of), c i t . , p. 2. 2 C. R. Pace, Comparisons o f CUES Results f o r D i f f e r e n t Groups o f Reporters, (Los Angeles : Universi ty o f Cal ifo r n T a T T 9 6 6 j . 114 Based on his find in g s using the CUES subscales, females tended to fin d the college environment a more congenial and f r i e n d l y coirmunity than did the males. 2 In g e n e ra l, both Pace and Berdie 1 found th a t females expect­ ed and perceived a stronger environmental press on most CUES v a ria b le s than did the males. Emotional Support. The fin d in g s o f th is study fo r Subscale 2 , Emotional Support, were more compatible w ith those studies previously mentioned (Pace and B e rd ie ). The females in th is study both expected and e x p e r ie n t ia lly perceived g rea ter emphasis on concern fo r others on the f l o o r ; helping one another both p ersonally and academically; and having open and honest communication. The analysis o f variance ind icated s i g n i f i c a n t ( .0 5 level or b etter) sex and time d iffe re n c e s w ith the fo llo w in g two null hypotheses being re je c te d : 2. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence h a ll environment. 5. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tion s held by males and females of the residence hall environment. Reviewing both subscales, Involvement and Emotional Support, as components o f the r e la tio n s h ip dimension, some d iffe re n c e s were noted. For example, the females' experienced perceptions o f Involvement dropped s ig n if ic a n t ly from t h e i r expectations. At the same tim e, the males' experienced perceptions o f Involvement increased from what they had expected. The opposite occurred f o r Emotional Support where the females' ^I b i d . 2 R. F. Berdie, "A U n iv e rs ity is a Many-faceted T h in g ,” Personnel and Guidance Journal , 45 { A p r i l , 1967), pp. 768-775. 115 expectations were not only higher than those o f the males, but the experienced perceptions o f the females were also higher. Personal Growth or Development Dimensions The second group o f subscales are conceptualized as PERSONAL GROWTH or DEVELOPMENT dimensions. They measure the emphasis w ith in the house environment upon maturational processes. Independence and T rad itio n al Social O rientation measure the emphasis on personal and social m aturation, w hile Competition, Academic Achievement, and I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y , assess the emphasis on d if f e r e n t aspects of academic growth. Independence. The Least-squares Analysis of Variance revealed s ig n ific a n t (.0 5 le v e l) sex and time differen ces fo r Subscale 3 , In ­ dependence. The males o f a l l three groups indicated greater expecta­ tions and experienced perceptions of the residence hall environment fo r Independence than did the females. As a r e s u l t , the follow ing null hypotheses were rejected: 2. There are no s ig n if ic a n t differences in expectations held by males and females of the residence hall environment. 5. There are no s ig n ific a n t d ifferen ces in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females of the residence h all en­ vironment. These fin d in g s , when discussed in re la tio n s h ip with the two pre­ vious subscales (Involvement and Emotional Support), warranted several conclusions. With the males indicating s ig n if ic a n t ly more involvement, in te ra c tio n , and commitment to the flo o r (Subscale 1, Involvement) than the females, along with less emphasis on concern fo r others, helping one another personally and academically, and on open and honest communica­ tion (Subscale 2, Emotional Support), i t followed th at the males would expect and experience more "independence" than the females. The ^Moos and Gerst, 0£. e f t . , p. 2. 116 females, on the other hand, reported expectations and experienced perceptions to be lower fo r independence, which d i r e c t l y re la te s to th e ir perceptions of g rea ter emphasis on emotional support. The females also indicated less emphasis than the males on Involvement. In g e n e ra l, the males spent more time and energy in te ra c tin g w ith each other independently w ithout as much emphasis on emotional support as the females. T ra d itio n a l Social O r ie n t a t io n . The an alysis of variance and m ultiple comparisons a t the .05 lev el of s ig n ific a n c e fo r Subscale 4 , T rad itio n al Social O rie n ta tio n , led to the r e je c tio n of the fo llow ing null hypotheses: 5. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females o f the residence hall en­ vironment. 8 . There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h all en­ vironment held by males and females. The an alysis ind icates th a t the females had s i g n i f i c a n t l y higher expec­ tations o f the T ra d itio n a l Social environment than did the males. The experienced perceptions of both sexes indicated a s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower emphasis on th is subscale a f t e r l i v i n g in the residence hall f o r f i v e months. Both sex groups reported a much lower stress on d a tin g , going to p a rtie s , e t c . , than they had expected. This change from expectations to experienced perceptions was g re a te r fo r the males than fo r the females. The experienced perceptions o f the males were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower than those o f the females. Com petition. On Subscale 5, Competition, the analysis indicated that there were s ig n if ic a n t time d iffe re n c e s w ith a l l subjects re p o rtin g s ig n i f i c a n t l y higher (.01 l e v e l ) expectations o f competition than they 117 experienced. As a r e s u l t , the fo llo w in g hypothesis was re jec te d fo r this subscale: 9. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environ­ ment held by male and female freshmen, male and female upperclassmen, and male and female s t a f f members. I t can be concluded th a t f o r Subscale 4 , T ra d itio n a l Social O rientation and Subscale 5 , Competition, there existed a "vast g u lf between expectations and r e a l i t y . " ^ Other studies which have reported sim ilar incongruences between student expectations and experienced perceptions are F is h e r, Standing, B erdie, McPeek, and o th ers. 2 3 4 5 More complete d escriptions o f these studies can be found in Section 3 , Expectations and Perceptions, o f Chapter I I . Academic Achievement. Based on the analysis of variance f o r s ig n ific a n t d iffe re n c e s a t the .05 level or b e t t e r , the follow ing two null hypotheses were re je c te d f o r Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement: 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence hall environment. 7. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expecta­ tio n s and the experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll environment held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members. The m u ltip le comparisons f u r th e r indicated th a t fo r Subscale 6 , Academic Achievement, the s t a f f expectations were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower than those o f the upperclassmen and freshmen. These d iffe re n c e s had ^Pace, ojd. c i t . 2 F is h e r, ojd. c i t . 3 4 Standing, o£. c i t . Berdie, ojd. c i t . 5 McPeek, o|>. c i t . 118 diminished f i v e months l a t e r with the experienced perceptions o f both the freshmen and upperclassmen in d ic a tin g less emphasis on academic achievement than they had expected. Freshmen's change scores— from ex­ pectations to experienced perceptions—were s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t with a decrease in experienced emphasis on academic achievement. The s t a f f 's experienced perceptions moved in the opposite d ir e c tio n r e s u lt in g in a s t a t i s t i c a l l y g reater emphasis on academic achievement than they expected. Figure 4 .4 (page 95) indicates th a t the passage o f time affected the perceptions o f these three groups so th a t they developed g reater agreement w ith regard to the prominence o f classroom and academic achieve­ ment w ith in the residence h a ll environment. I t was in te r e s tin g to note that the s t a f f reported the g re a te s t amount o f change from expectations to experienced perceptions and th a t i t was in the d ir e c t io n o f increased emphasis on academic achievement. A change in th is d ir e c tio n was not consistent w ith the changes fo r the freshmen and the upperclassmen or with other research findings which u s u a lly in d ic a te g re a te r expectations 1 2 3 4 5 than experienced perceptions. * * » > p0 r some reason, the s t a f f did ^C. R. Pace, Comparisons o f CUES Results from D i f f e r e n t Groups of Reporters, (Los Angeles: U n iv e rs ity o f C a l i f o r n i a , 1966). 2 H. King and W. B. Walsh, "Change in Environmental Expectations and Perceptions," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 13 ( J u ly , 1972), pp. 331-337. 3 W. E. Sedlacek and R. C. Lynch, "Differences Between Student and Student A f f a ir s S t a f f Perceptions o f a U n iv e rs ity ," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 12 (May, 1971), pp. 173-176. 4 B. L. McPeek, "The U n iv e rs ity as Perceived by I t s Subcultures: An Experimental Study," Journal of National Association o f Women Deans and Counselors, 30 (Spring, 1969), pp. 129-132. 5 E. L. H e r r , "Student Needs, College Expectation s, and ' R e a l i t y ' Pe rc eption s ," Journal o f Educational Research, 65 (October, 1 9 7 1 ) , pp. 51-56. 119 not fo llo w the ty p ic a l p attern o f experiencing a lessening emphasis on th is environmental v a r ia b le . I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y . On Subscale 7 , I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y , s ig n i f i c a n t group d iffe re n c e s were also re p o rte d . The m u ltip le comparisons i n d i ­ cated th a t the expectations and experienced perceptions of both s t a f f and upperclassmen were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower than those of the freshmen. These data were consistent w ith findings of several other studies 1 1 2 3 ’ which revealed consistent class d iffe ren c es with freshmen expectations and experienced perceptions being higher fo r most environmental v a ria b les . Time x sex d iffe re n c e s revealed the expectations o f the males to be s ig n i f i c a n t l y lower than the expectations o f the females f o r Subscale 7, I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y . The females' scores lowered s i g n i f i c a n t l y from expectations to experienced perceptions while the male scores dropped only s l i g h t l y . An an alysis o f the n u ll hypotheses fo r t h is subscale led to the re je c tio n o f the fo llo w in g fo ur null hypotheses: 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environment. 2. There are no s ig n i f i c a n t d iffe ren c es in expectations held by males and females o f the residence h a ll environment. 4. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members o f the residence h a ll environment. ^Pace, oj>. c i t . 2 Berdie, o jd. c i t . 3 R. W. Johnson and D. J . Kurpius, "A Cross-sectional and Longi­ tudinal Study o f Students' Perceptions of T h e ir College Environment," Journal of College Student Personnel, 8 (May, 19 67 ), pp. 199-203. 120 8 . There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s between the expectations and the experienced perceptions of the residence h a ll environ­ ment held by males and females. System Maintenance and System Change Dimensions The la s t th ree subscales o f Order and O rg an iza tio n , Student In flu e n c e , and Innovation are conceptualized as assessing SYSTEM MAINTENANCE and SYSTEM CHANGE dimensions. These dimensions are system-oriented in th a t they tap inform ation about the s tru c tu re o f o rg an izatio n w ith in the house as well as the processes and p o te n tia l f o r change in i t s fu n c tio n in g .' Order and O rg a n iza tio n . The re s u lts o f the analysis of variance for Subscale 8 , Order and O rg an izatio n , indicated s i g n i f i c a n t sex d i f ­ ferences. The females had s i g n i f i c a n t l y g re a te r expectations of Order and Organization than did the males. A f t e r l i v i n g in the residence hall environment fo r f i v e months, the females' experienced perceptions were s i g n i f i c a n t l y g re a te r than those o f the males. The females both expected and experienced g re a te r order and o rg an izatio n than did the males fo r Subscale 8 . The re s u lts supported the r e je c tio n of the fo llo w in g null hypotheses: 2. There are no s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by males and females o f the residence h a ll environment. 5. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by males and females o f the residence h a ll environment. These find in g s are supported by o ther studies ’ where female 2 3 students g e n e ra lly expected and experienced g re a te r emphasis on most environmental v a ria b le s . ^Moos and G erst, o|>. c i t . , p. 2. 2 C. R. Pace, Comparisons o f CUES Results from D i f f e r e n t Groups o f Reporters, (Los Angeles: U n iv e rs ity o f C a l i f o r n i a , 1966). 3 R. F. B e r d ie , "A U n i v e r s i t y is a Many-faceted T h in g ," Personnel and Guidance J o u r n a l , 45 ( A p r i l , 1 9 6 7 ) , pp. 768-775. 121 Student In flu e n c e . On Subscale 9, Student In flu e n c e , the s t a t i s t i c a l analysis indicated s i g n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s (.0 5 l e v e l ) be­ tween the two student groups--upperclassmen and freshmen. The upper­ classmen expected and experienced s i g n i f i c a n t l y less control than the freshmen over the liv in g environment, i . e . , the extent to which the students, not the s t a f f or a d m in is tra tio n , control the procedures and policies involved in managing the residence h a l l . The views o f the s t a f f overlapped those o f the two student groups in t h is area. Two null hypotheses were re jec te d f o r Subscale 9, Student Influence on the basis of the s t a t i s t i c a l an alysis: 1. There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in expectations held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment. 4, There are no s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s in experienced percep­ tions held by freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f members of the residence h a ll environment. Other studies * * have also reported s im ila r fin d in g s w ith 1 2 3 freshmen expecting and perceiving higher stress on almost a l l CUES v a ria b le s . Inn ovatio n . The an alysis o f variance f o r Subscale 10, Innova­ tio n , did not locate any s i g n i f i c a n t d iffe re n c e s and none o f the n ull hypotheses were re je c te d . 1C. R. Pace, College and U n iv e rs ity Environment Scales Technical Manual, (Prin ceton , N .J .: Educational Testing S ervices, 1969). 2 R. W. Johnson and D. J. Kurpius, "A Cross-sectional and Longi­ tudinal Study of Students' Perceptions of T h e ir College Environment," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 8 (May, 1967 ), pp. 199-203. 3 R. F. B e r d i e , "Changes i n U n i v e r s i t y P e r c e p t i o n s D u r i n g t h e F i r s t Two C o l l e g e Y e a r s , " J o u r n a l o f C o l l e g e S t u d e n t P e r s o n n e l , 9 (M a rc h , 1 9 6 8 ) , pp. 8 5 - 8 9 . 122 In g e n e ra l, most o f the s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s found f o r ex­ pectations and experienced perceptions o f the residence hall environment were not among the three groups (freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f ) , but between males and females. Figure 5.1 , on the fo llo w in g page, summarizes the c e ll means by sex f o r the ten URES subscales f o r Expectations ( f i r s t measure). Figure 5.2 (page 124) reports the same inform ation f o r Ex­ perienced Perceptions (second measure). The re s u lts revealed th a t the males experienced more commitment to the f l o o r and resid en ts (In v o lv e ­ ment) than d id the females. The females, on the other hand, had s i g n i f i ­ cantly higher expectations than experienced perceptions fo r th is environmental c h a r a c t e r is t ic . With regards to Emotional Support or a m anifest concern f o r others on the f l o o r and open and honest communication, the females both ex­ pected and perceived g re a te r emphasis than did the males. These find in g s were reversed when considering Independence or the d iv e r s i t y o f r e s i ­ dents' behaviors allowed w ith ou t any peer pressures. The males both expected and experienced g re a te r autonomy and freedom than did the females. Females reported g re a te r expectations regarding going to p a rtie s and other 't r a d i t i o n a l * heterosexual in te ra c tio n s (T ra d itio n a l Social O rien tatio n ) than did the males. Both males and females reported experiencing s i g n i f i c a n t l y less stress in t h is area than they had anticipated with the males expressing less o f an emphasis than the f e ­ males. When considering the emphasis on c u l t u r a l , a r t i s t i c and o ther scholarly in t e ll e c t u a l a c t i v i t i e s on the f l o o r ( I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y ) , the females continued to express higher expectations than those expressed 123 Involvement Support Independence T ra d itio n a l Social O rien tatio n Competition Academic Achievement In te l 1ec- t u a l i t y Order and Organization Student Influence Innovation Males Subscale Means Females •-------------------- • FIGURE 5 .1 . C ell Means by Sex f o r the Ten URES Subscales f o r Expecta­ tions ( f i r s t measure) 124 Involvement Support Independence T ra d itio n a l Social O rien tatio n Competition Academic Achievement I n t e l ! e c - t u a li ty Order and Organization Student Influence Innovation Hales d~ Subscale Means Females •-------------------• FIGURE 5 .2 . Cell Means by Sex fo r the Ten URES Subscales f o r Experienced Perceptions (second measure) 725 by the male residents. The females also reported th at t h e i r e x p e r i­ ences in the in t e lle c t u a l area were s i g n i f i c a n t l y fewer than they had expected. With regard to the amount of formal s tru c tu re or o rg a n iza tio n on the flo o rs (Order and O rg a n iz a tio n ), the females both expected and experienced more r u le s , schedules, and established procedures than did the males. S ig n ific a n t group (freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f ) d i f f e r ­ ences were reported f o r only three of the ten URES subscales. Figure 5.3 (on the follow ing page) summarizes the c e l l means f o r the freshmen, upperclassmen, and s t a f f f o r the ten URES subscales fo r Expectations ( f i r s t measure). Figure 5 .4 (on page 127) repo rts the same group data fo r Experienced Perceptions (second measure). Group d iffe re n c e s were found fo r the extent to which s t r i c t l y classroom and academic accomplishments were stressed on the f l o o r (Academic Achievement). The s t a f f reported s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower expectations than reported by the freshmen and upperclassmen. A ll three groups expressed t h e i r experienced perceptions o f the residence h a ll environment in the area of academic accomplishments to be s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t than t h e i r expectations. The freshmen and upperclassmen reported experienced perceptions which were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower than t h e ir expectations while the s t a f f reported the opposite to be t r u e . A fte r f i v e months liv in g in the residence h a ll environment, a l l three groups reported r e l a t i v e l y s im ila r experienced perceptions o f Academic Achievement. The experience of l i v i n g in the same l i v i n g environment did not have the same e f f e c t f o r the non-classroom i n t e ll e c t u a l achievements 126 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Involvement Support Independence T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n Competition Academic Achievement I n t e l l e c - t u a l i ty Order and Organization Student I n f 1uence Innovation S t a f f •--------------------------------------- • o Upperclassmen o-------------- Freshmen a-------------------------------- a Subscale Means FIGURE 5 .3 . Cell Means f o r Freshmen, Upperclassmen, and S t a f f f o r the Ten URES Subscales f o r Expectations ( f i r s t measure) 127 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 Subscale Means 6 8 Involvement Support Independence Traditional Social Orientation Competition Academic Achievement In t e ll e c - t u a l i t y Order and Organization Student Influence Innovation S ta ff Upperclassmen Freshmen ^------ FIGURE 5.4. Cell Means fo r Freshmen, Upperclassmen, and S t a f f fo r the Ten URES Subscales fo r Experienced Perceptions (second measure) 128 ( I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y ) . Here, the freshmen both expected and experienced a g reater emphasis than reported by the upperclassmen and the s t a f f . The only other area o f the environment where s i g n i f i c a n t group differences were revealed was the extent to which student residents (not s t a f f or ad m in is tra tio n ) perceived they c o n tro lle d the running of the flo o r (Student In flu e n c e ). The freshmen both expected and experienced more control on the f l o o r than did the upperclassmen. The s t a f f scores fo r Student Influence f e l l between those o f the freshmen and those of the upperclassmen. The la s t area where s ig n if ic a n t d iffe re n c e s were reported was in the amount of competition expected and e x p e r i e n t i a l l y perceived. A ll subjects reported expecting the residence h all environment to be s ig ­ n if i c a n t l y more competitive (Competition) than they found i t to be a f t e r liv in g there fo r f i v e months. The fa c t th a t s i g n i f i c a n t group d iffe re n c e s existed f o r only three of the ten environmental dimensions or va ria b les studied suggests that expectations were somewhat congruent w ith the experienced environ­ ment. The f a c t th a t freshmen expectations and experienced perceptions were s im ila r to those o f the s t a f f and upperclassmen on seven of the variables suggests th a t the freshmen were accurately prepared fo r some of the l iv i n g environment they encountered. In general, the lack of differences between freshmen and upperclassmen fo r expectations and 129 experienced perceptions of the liv in g environment is not consistent with the findings of other studies which revealed consistent class d i f f e r ­ ences J ,2 ’ 3 *4, 5 Implications of the Study The conclusions o f th is study have im p lication s f o r s t a f f and students involved in r e s id e n tia l housing a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . The data provide a base o f inform ation f o r describing with g reater s p e c i f ic it y resident and s t a f f expectations and experienced perceptions of the l iv i n g environment in a co-ed residence h all a t Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . Such a base of information could be added to each year to develop a p r o f i l e o f student and s t a f f expectations and experienced perceptions. With th is info rm ation , admissions counselors and prospective students (prospective resid en ts) might more r e a l i s t i c a l l y consider what to expect from the residence h a ll environment. Continuous reporting of information in th is area is important so t h a t g re a te r congruency ] C. R. Pace, Comparisons o f CUES Results from D i f f e r e n t Groups o f Reporters, (Los Angeles: U n iv e rs ity of C a l i f o r n i a , 1966). 2 H. King and W. B. Walsh, "Change in Environmental Expectations and P e rce p tio n s ,’' Journal o f College Student Personnel, 13 (J u ly , 1972), pp. 331-337. 3 W. E. Sedlacek and R. C. Lynch, "Differences Between Student and Student A f f a ir s S t a f f Perceptions of a U n iv e r s ity ," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 12 (May, 1 9 7 1 ), pp. 1 7 3- 1 7 6 . 4 B. L. McPeek, "The U n iv e rs ity as Perceived by I t s Subcultures: An Experimental Study," Journal of National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, 30 (Spring, 1969), pp. 129-132. 5 E. L. H e r r , "Student Needs, College E x p e c ta t io n s , and ’ R e a l i t y 1 Pe r c e p tio n s ," Journal of Educational Research, 65 ( Oc to b e r, 1 9 7 1 ), pp. 51 -5 6 . 130 between student and s t a f f expectations (needs) and environmental r e a l i t i e s can be achieved. Feldman and Newcomb suggest th a t " . . . the more incongruent the student is w ith his o v e ra ll environment, the more l i k e l y he is to w ith ­ draw from th a t c o lle g e."^ They go on to propose th a t the ideal r e l a ­ tionship between student and environment would be a continuing series of 2 n ot-to o -th rea ten in g d is c o n t in u it ie s . O rie n ta tio n d ire c to rs and residence hall s t a f fs could use the inform ation from th is study in the development of more accurate and r e a l i s t i c o r ie n t a tio n programs. Standing, F is h e r, and Lauterbach suggest th a t the d iffe re n c e s 3 4 5 between preconception (expectations) and experienced perceptions are re lated to academic achievement and s a tis f a c t io n . Astin^ f u r t h e r empha­ sizes t h a t s a t is f a c t io n w ith the residence hall experience is d i r e c t l y re la te d to s a tis fa c t io n w ith the o v e ra ll c o lle g ia te experience. Once the students are e n ro lle d in the co lle g e or u n i v e r s it y , the f a c u lt y , along w ith ad m in is tra to rs , residence h a ll s t a f f s , and students, "*K. A. Feldman and T. M. Newcomb, The Impact of College on Stu­ dents, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 19 69 ), p. 294. ^1 b id . , p . 295. 3 G. R. Standing and C. A. P a rke r, "The College C h a r a c te r is tic Index as a Measure of Entering Students' Preconceptions of College L if e ," Journal o f College Student Personnel, 6 (October, 1 9 6 4 ), pp. 2 -6 . 4 M.S. F is h e r, The R elationship o f S a tis f a c tio n , Achievement, and A t t r i t i o n to A n ticipated Environmental Press, Unpublished m aster's t h e s is , (Brigham Young U n iv e r s ity , 1961). 5 C. G. Lauterbach and D. P. V ie lh a b e r, "Need Press and Expecta- tion s--P ress Indices as Predictors o f College Achievement," Educational and Psychological Measurement, 26 (W in te r, 1966), pp. 965-972T ^A. W. A s tin , "The Impact o f Dormitory Livin g on Students," Educational Record, 54 (Summer, 1 9 7 3 ), pp. 206-210. 131 could use the Information c o lle c te d through the URES to make decisions to modify and/or preserve those environmental c h a ra c te r is tic s id e n t if ie d as b e n e fic ia l to the academic experience. A committee comprised of individu als from each o f these groups might be appointed to f u r t h e r study the residence h all environment to determine which o f i t s charac­ t e r is t i c s should be emphasized and/or m odified. The in s ig h t gained from th is study and a continuous program o f defining and re -d e fin in g student and s t a f f needs through the use of the URES could be helpful to the housing a d m in is tra tio n and the general adm inistration and fa c u lty as they attempt to b u ild s p e c ific services and educational programs. A g re a te r understanding of the residence h a ll s t a f f and student expectations and experienced perceptions of the environment would be useful in id e n tify in g and c l a r i f y i n g areas o f c o n f l i c t w ith in the s t a f f and between s t a f f and students. A hall d ir e c t o r could use th is informa­ tion to plan tra in in g programs fo r the s t a f f as a whole and as in d iv id u ­ a ls . The purpose of the t r a in i n g would be to develop s p e c ific a t t i t u d e s , s k i l l s , and programs to emphasize s p e c ific environmental v a r ia b le s . The sp ecific environmental v a ria b le s which would be emphasized would be those consistent with the goals and o b jec tiv es o f the residence hall o ffic e and w ith the philosophy and objectives o f the to ta l u n iv e r s it y community. The "Overview o f Residence Hall Programs a t Michigan S tate University" (appendix A) describes the purposes and goals o f the r e s i ­ dence hall program functioning in the environment described in th is study. Environmental c h a r a c t e r is t ic s such as Involvement, Emotional Support, Independence, Academic Achievement, and Student In fluen ce can 132 be d ir e c t ly re la te d to the stated purposes and goals of the Michigan State U n ive rsity residence h all program. Residence hall programs and a c t i v i t i e s d ire c te d a t lessening the c o n flic t between expectations and experienced perceptions could also be developed. Even an awareness of the existence o f d iffe re n c e s in ex­ pectations and experienced perceptions between d i f f e r e n t groups and between males and females would be a step in making everyone involved more s e n s itiv e and responsive to the environment. The s t a f f and students could use the inform ation to control and/or influence the e f f e c t of specific environmental c h a r a c te r is tic s on t h e i r behavior. By studying the liv in g clim ate o b je c tiv e ly those most d i r e c t l y involved might strengthen the things about i t that they l i k e and change those things they might not 1 ike. The study provides a s t a r tin g point f o r the hall s t a f f to examine t h e ir impact and r o le , e s p e c ia lly in the areas of reported sex d i f f e r ­ ences and in the areas of Academic Achievement and Student Influen ce. The s t a f f could then develop a c t i v i t i e s and programs which would support and encourage those residence hall va ria b les where students have high expectations. Follow-up studies of student and s t a f f experienced per­ ceptions could be used to evaluate the e ffe ctive n e ss of such a c t i v i t i e s and programs as p art of the educational process. As Dressel sta tes : The worth of an experience may be judged by it s educa­ im p a c t--th a t i s , by the extent to which i t , in i t s e l f in in those having the experience. Edu­ involving the s e le c tio n o f ideas tio n a l or in comparison with other possible experiences, re s u lts c e rta in desired changes cation is a complex process (concepts, values, s k i l l s ) and the planning o f experiences designed to fo s te r mastery of these ideas jected to the educational process. Choices must be made in in the people sub­ 133 planning an educational program, and the e ffe ctive n e ss of the program must also be s tu d ie d . 1 Speculations A review of the conclusions of th is study by the researcher revealed several su rp ris es , as well as several patterns o f responses which could be accounted fo r through an understanding o f the s p e c ific s itu a tio n . The g re a te s t surprise was in the area o f Academic Achieve­ ment. I t was d i f f i c u l t to understand why the residence h all s t a f f expectations of t h is environmental c h a r a c te r is tic were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower than those o f e it h e r the upperclassmen or the freshmen. The l i t e r a t u r e , and the w r i t e r 's thoughts, would have had the upperclass­ men and the s t a f f w ith s im ila r ex p ectatio n s, but lower than the fr e s h ­ men. The s i g n i f i c a n t change by the s t a f f in the d ir e c tio n of perceiving greater emphasis on academic achievement than expected was also not consistent w ith the w r i t e r 's expectations or w ith the re la te d research. One can only speculate th at the higher expectations and experienced perceptions held by the freshmen and the upperclassmen influenced the experienced perceptions of the s t a f f . I d e a l l y , the s t a f f would have had higher expectations o f the environment f o r academic achievement and would have influenced the r e s i ­ dents in t h a t d ir e c t io n . I t is possible th a t these re s u lts represent resistance to the s t a f f r e s p o n s ib ilit y in the area o f academic ro le modeling. I t would be in te re s tin g to c o rr e la te these findings w ith the grade-point averages of these groups to determine i f there might be a ^P. L. Dressel and Associates, Evaluation in Higher Education, (Boston: Houghton M i f f l i n Company, 1961), pV 6 . 134 re la tio n s h ip w ith t h e ir expectations and experienced perceptions of Academic Achievement. The s ig n i f i c a n t group d iffe re n c e s f o r expectations and e x p e r i­ enced perceptions of I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y followed a p attern th a t might have also been expected fo r Academic Achievement. The expectations and ex­ perienced perceptions o f both the s t a f f and upperclassmen were s i g n i f i ­ cantly lower than those of the freshmen on Subscale 7 , I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y . S ig n if ic a n t group d iffe re n c e s between the freshmen and upper­ classmen f o r Subscale 9, Student In flu e n c e , were also understandable and expected. Upperclassmen, e it h e r through experience or a developing cynicism, o fte n come to fe e l and express th a t they have l i t t l e control over the residence h all l i v i n g environment. I t is not surprising th a t the s t a f f expectations and experienced perceptions were in the middle between those o f the freshmen and upperclassmen. This is an area where more could have been done by the s t a f f and the u n iv e r s ity to communicate c le a rly which aspects o f the environment students have some influence and control over. Many o f the reported sex d iffe re n c e s f o r expectations and experienced perceptions of the residence h all environment are under­ standable in the context o f the c u ltu r a l ro les assigned to male and female students and in the context of the Hubbard Hall environment. Being understandable does not n ecessarily mean d e s ir a b le . The w r i t e r 's experiences w ith the subjects, and with the s te re o ty p ic sex roles assigned them by so ciety, supports several of the conclusions o f th is study. One can understand where male and female expectations o f the environment might be s im ila r f o r Involvement. One can also understand 135 why, a f t e r f i v e months liv in g in Hubbard H a ll , the females experienced less emphasis on th is subscale while the males reported more emphasis. The males had very a c tiv e intramural teams and o fte n , many flo o r social events. The female flo o rs had l i t t l e organized opportunity to in te ra c t with each other as a group. Here again, the s t a f f , es p ecially the female Resident Assistants, could do more to plan and support programs to meet expressed expectations. On Subscale 2, Emotional Support, the female subjects expected and e x p e r ie n tia lly perceived g reater emphasis or need than expressed by the male subjects. The females also expected and e x p e r ie n tia lly per­ ceived less Independence than did the male subjects. The w r it e r 's observations and relationships with the residents of Hubbard Hall paralleled these find in g s. The female students were more dependent on flo o r acquaintances and a few friends fo r emotional support and peer influence. The male students, while more involved with the e n tire f lo o r , were less w illin g to express fee lin g s of caring fo r or of needing others. The males also expressed fe e lin g less peer pressure. I t is d i f f i c u l t to respond to the conclusions drawn fo r Subscale 4, T rad itio n al Social O rien tatio n . The w r it e r had few preconceptions as to what males and females might expect or experience s o c ia lly . Many of the subjects indicated strong disagreement with the wording used in the URES fo r items on th is subscale. The fe e lin g was th at the use of the term "dating" did not apply to t h e ir social re latio n sh ip s . Yet i t was obvious from the reported differences between males and females and between expectations and experienced perceptions th at social r e la tio n ­ ships were a concern to students and s t a f f . 136 The re s u lts f o r Subscale 5, Competition, were somewhat o f a surprise. The w r i t e r f e l t th a t the freshmen would have expected more competition than the s t a f f and/or the upperclassmen. The fa c t th a t the expectations o f the s t a f f and the upperclassmen were s im ila r to those o f the freshmen was s u rp ris in g . Yet as a Hall D ire c to r, the w r it e r was pleased to note th a t the experienced perceptions o f a l l sub­ jec ts were s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower fo r Competition than t h e i r expectations. This might in d ic a te th a t the s t a f f and students had a more p o s itiv e experience than they had expected f o r th is environmental c h a r a c t e r is t ic . As an educator, the w r i t e r would l i k e to have seen the high expectations and experienced perceptions held by the freshmen fo r I n ­ t e l l e c t u a l i t y matched by s im ila r responses from the s t a f f and upperclass­ men. The w r i t e r is o f the b e l i e f th a t the s t a f f and the u n iv e r s ity can do more to encourage and support the i n t e l l e c t u a l and c u ltu ra l aspects of col lege 1 i f e . Recommendations f o r Further Research The follow ing recommendations fo r fu r t h e r research are based on conclusions drawn from th is study: 1. There is need f o r f u r t h e r research concerning the expectations and experienced perceptions th a t c o lle g e students have of t h e i r s p e c ific liv in g environment. A dd ition al research could be conducted to determine the r e la tio n s h ip , i f any, th a t may e x is t between student c h a ra c te r is tic s and a t t i t u d e s , academic achievement, s a t i s f a c t i o n , and persistence in co lleg e, in regard to expectations and experienced perceptions of th a t liv in g environment. C h ickering, Brown, and D re s s e l, among o th e rs , 3 137 1 2 id e n tify the residence hall environment as a source o f in fluen ce on the college campus which can a c c e le ra te or retard student development. Additional inform ation in these areas could be supportive o f continued fin a n c ia l support o f residence h a ll systems and o f increased recognition of the important impact th a t the residence h a lls can have as an in te g ra l part of the t o ta l curriculum. 2. S im ila r studies should be conducted to evaluate and modify the residence h a ll and in d ivid u al f l o o r environments to more e f f e c t i v e l y meet the expectation needs of the re sid en ts. The LfRES could be u t i l i z e d in the "expectation" form (or " id e a l" form) with the " re a l" form. Immediate feedback o f the re s u lts to the students and s t a f f could then be used as a basis f o r meaningful discussions f o r planning changes in desired d ir e c tio n s . A fte r change implementation, the URES could be re ­ administered to evaluate the success or f a i l u r e o f the changes which were made. Other resource agencies on campus might be in v ite d to p a r tic ip a te in such discussions and plans to modify or ev alu ate the residence h a l l . These agencies could o f fe r s p e c if ic s k i l l s and e x p e rtis e fo r the so lu ­ tion of a p a r t ic u la r environmental concern. 3. Further research is needed to r e l a t e s p e c ific behavior and subjective in d ivid u al changes w ith the environments th a t encourage or ^A. W. Chickering, Education and I d e n t i t y , (San Francisco: Jossey- Bass, 1969). 7 R. D. Brown, Student Development in Tomorrow's Higher Education: A Return to the Academy, (Washington, D.C.: American College Personnel Association, 1972). 3 P. L. Dressel and I . J. Lehmann, "The Impact o f Higher Education on Student Values and C r i t i c a l Thinking A b i l i t i e s , " Educational Record, 46 (Summer, 1965), p. 245. 138 support them. This would e n t a il id e n tify in g in d iv id u a l students and using lo n g itu d in a l student change data ( i . e . , data in v o lv in g values, a t tit u d e s , grade-point averages, s a t is f a c t io n , d r in k in g , d a tin g , change of major, e t c . ) with long term studies of changes o f the liv in g en­ vironment ( i . e . , from home to the residence hall and from the residence hall to an apartment or to married student housing, e t c . ) . This type of inform ation would help co lle g e ad m in is tra to rs , a r c n i t e c t s , and fa c u lty members design l i v i n g environments and experiences to fu rth e r the developmental goals and o b jectives o f the o ve rall i n s t i t u t i o n . 4. The URES could be used as an e v alu ative tool in determining the impact o f special or inn ovative residence h all (Greek, off-campus apartments, e t c . ) programs, i . e . , liv in g - le a r n in g ce n te rs , academic emphasis flo o rs or h a l ls , and co-ed housing by s u ite s . 5. Additional research should be undertaken to determine i f A s tin 's findings regarding residence h all l i v i n g c o n trib u tin g to g reater s a tis fa c tio n with the o v e ra ll co lle g e environment are v e r i f i a b l e . The p o s itive and negative perceptions th a t residents have o f t h e i r liv in g environment could be re la te d to t h e i r perceptions o f the general c o l­ lege environment, continuance a t the i n s t i t u t i o n , and grade-point average. 6 . The e f f e c t o f a r c h ite c tu r a l design, s ta f fin g p a tte rn s , and methods o f roommate assignment might also be studied and evaluated through the use of the URES. Here again the "expectations" form or the " id e a l" form o f the instrument might be used in conjunction with the " re a l" or "actual" form. These areas have d ir e c t im p lication s fo r 139 planning and financing new residence h a lls and fo r adm in istrative policies and procedures c u rre n tly employed in the residence h all en­ vironment. 7. A v a ria tio n of th is study could be developed fo r analyzing the expectations and experienced perceptions of entering freshmen, new transfer students, and upperclassmen in re la tio n s h ip to returning to or continuance in (as residents) the residence h all system. Student sa tis fa c tio n with the residence hall environment, special academic programs, and operational procedures might be evaluated th is way. Continuance and s a tis fa c tio n might be d ir e c t ly re lated to student c h a ra c te ris tic s , values, age, the food, roommates, e tc . or to expecta­ tions and experienced perceptions o f the environment. Concluding Statement This study was undertaken to provide a g reater understanding of the residence hall liv in g environment o f a co-ed residence hall a t Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . An analysis such as th is o f student and s ta ff expectations and experienced perceptions of the environment might assist housing administrators a t Michigan State U niversity to b e tte r define and o p e ra tio n a lize sp e cific goals and objectives fo r the r e s i ­ dence hall system. As s ig n ific a n t reference groups become more fa m ilia r with the data generated from the study, a greater understand­ ing of areas of agreement and areas of c o n f li c t should r e s u lt . Such understanding might provide g reater in sig h t into the impact th a t the residence hall environment can and does have on student growth and development. 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APPENDICES APPENDIX A Exhibit 1 Overview of Residence Hall Programs at Michigan State U niversity 1974-1975 Exhibit 2 Goals and Objectives of the O ffic e o f Housing and Residence Education at Colorado State U n iv e rs ity 1974-1975 Exhibit 3 Objectives of U n iversity Residence Halls at the U n iversity of Nebraska 1973-1974 OVERVIEW OF RESIDENCE HALL PROGRAMS AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1974-75 The inform ation presented here is intended to give an overview o f the objectives and scope o f the residence h all program a t Michigan S ta te Uni­ v e r s ity . An attem pt has been made to be concise, y e t comprehensive, in viewing the work o f the Residence Hall Programs O ffic e in r e l a t i o n to the educational o p p o rtu n itie s provided f o r re s id e n t students a t th is Universi t y . A. Philosophy: A major commitment o f the residence hall program is to express tne philosophy and o b jec tiv es o f the to t a l U n iv e rs ity community. The program is dedicated to provide many o p p o rtu n itie s f o r learn in g f o r in d iv id u a l students, w hile a t the same tim e, meeting t h e i r p h y s ic a l, s o c ia l, and psychological needs. A primary o b je c tiv e is to encourage the f e e lin g on the p art of students th a t education is a broadly based concept, t h a t i t is personal a process involving t h e i r e n t i r e l i f e , and th a t a student must exercise considerable i n i t i a t i v e in the process o f lea rn in g . There­ f o r e , programs, a c t i v i t i e s , and approaches must always be assessed in terms o f t h e i r educational value. in n atu re, th a t i t is B. Purposes: 1. Residence h a lls aid in the f a c i l i t a t i o n o f the student's s o c ia l/ educational growth by presenting o p p o rtu n itie s fo r e s ta b lis h in g reference groups and a sense of community through social p ro x im ity , learning to le ra n c e fo r in d iv id u a l d iffe r e n c e s , and easing social re la tio n s h ip s . Student's educational growth and development n eith e r ends as they leave the classroom nor begins in when classes are brought into t h e i r l i v i n g u n i t . Education, i t s broadest sense, is an on-going process th a t is enhanced by interpersonal re la tio n s h ip s and everyday experiences. When one considers th a t students spend 65 to 70 percent o f t h e i r time in a residence h a l l , then one may conclude th a t the residence h a lls provide an outstanding opportunity f o r fo s te rin g educational growth in the re s id e n ts . Residence h a lls also o f f e r secure social t i e s which provide a dependable basis fo r a consistent and s ta b le self-im age and a firm sense o f id e n t it y . In a d d itio n , these social t i e s provide emotional support f o r students as they ad ju s t to U n iv e rs ity l i f e . 149 150 F i n a l l y , as students develop reference groups, the values and norms o f the groups provide a background ag ain st which an i n ­ d iv id u a l 's decisions about behavior can occur. This f i n a l point about reference groups a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . The absence o f a f e e lin g o f "community" th a t is p rev ale n t in the m u l t iv e r s i t ie s today is a primary source f o r the f r u s t r a t i o n and a lie n a t io n which many times manifests i t s e l f in unhealthy student behaviors. Residence h a lls can help promote a sense o f community and d e te r student fe e lin g s o f is o la tio n in the U n iv e rs ity through o p p o rtu n itie s i n t e r e s t . f o r involvement with people and programs of special is o f special importance l i f e . I t is known th a t the stu d en t's Another element a f fe c t in g student development is the d iv e r s i t y o f the residence h a ll contact w ith d i f f e r e n t kinds o f persons can lead to increased ease and freedom in re la tio n s h ip s with o thers. Research reports in d ic a te t h a t fo r "both undergraduates and alumni, r e la t io n s with roommates and frie n d s were the p r in c ip le experiences th a t transformed ethnocentrism in to g re a te r acceptance and a f fe c tio n f o r o th e rs ." This d a ily encounter w ith " d if f e r e n t " others has the e f f e c t o f reducing stereotyping and p re ju d ic e , and tolerance and freedom in interpersonal r e la t io n s h ip s . increasing In summary, residence h a lls have been shown to c o n trib u te s ig ­ n i f i c a n t l y to a student's development by providing o p p o rtu n i­ t ie s f o r in te ra c tio n s which lead to formation of referen ce groups, a sense of community, developing social s k i l l s , and i n ­ creasing to lerance fo r o th e rs . Could i t not then be reasonable to expect th a t many o f these p o s itiv e social and personal a t t r ib u t e s fostered by residence h a ll g eneralized to an in d iv id u a l's l i f e s t y le and aid the student in becoming a more productive and s e n s itiv e member in the so ciety a t large? l i v i n g would u lt im a t e ly be 2. The second purpose residence h a lls serve is the convenience and economy provided fo r the students, and the U n iv e rs ity . For many students, convenience ( r e f e r r i n g to physical arrangements and lo c a tio n s ) with t h e i r l i v i n g s itu a t io n . is a s a l ie n t f a c to r in determining s a t is fa c tio n At Michigan S tate U n iv e r s ity , every e f f o r t is made to provide comfortable housing, an atmosphere conducinve to study, and an abundant v a r i e t y of food a t the lowest possible cost to the student. Classrooms, f a c u lt y o f f i c e s , and re la te d services are provided in the complex areas and re g u la r ly scheduled bus tra n s p o rta tio n makes classroom buildings and other p arts o f the campus e a s ily accessible to students. Thus, w ith regard to the convenience and economy involved , r e s i ­ dence h a lls are responsive to the student and the U n iv e rs ity . 151 3. A t h ir d reason f o r c i t i n g the importance of residence h a lls is th a t a la rg e number o f students want them. q uestionnaire administered to re s id e n t students, only o n e -h a lf o f one percent indicated th a t the U n iv e rs ity should not provide housing f a c i l i t i e s . Likew ise, a p ro p o rtio n a te ly high percentage o f polled resid en t students say th a t l iv i n g in a residence hall is a valuable p a rt o f t h e i r to ta l educational experience and should be continued. In a recent housing 4. F in a l l y , residence h a lls provide an opportunity f o r the develop­ ment o f programs and f a c i l i t i e s f o r student b e n e f i t . E ffo r ts are being made c u r r e n tly to expand h e a lth , academic, social and re c re a tio n a l f a c i l i t i e s , programs and services to residence h a lls . The placement o f sp e cialized advisors, in s tru c tio n a l f a c i l i t i e s , and inform ational m a te ria ls in these locations of more proximal advantage to students is an attempt to meet i n ­ creased student need f o r more in d iv id u a liz e d , r e le v a n t , and con­ venient learning experiences. C. S t a f f S tru c tu re : The Coordinator o f Residence Hall Programs O f f ic e , by his leadership and through his designation and d eleg atio n of r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s to the Area D ire c to rs , assumes r e s p o n s ib ilit y f o r the d ir e c t io n o f the residence h a ll program. Coordinator acts as a lia is o n to other members of the U n iv e rs ity community and a s s is ts the O ffic e o f the Vice President f o r Student A f f a ir s in developing p o lic ie s and coordinating programs a f fe c tin g the e n t ir e area o f student a f f a i r s . Area D ire cto rs are ad m in istra­ t i v e l y responsible f o r a designated complex area and coordinate* assigned s t a f f r e s p o n s ib i li t i e s . In a d d it io n , the Residence h all ce n tral s t a f f members advise major governing groups and honoraries re la te d to the residence h a l ls , f a c i l i t a t e j u d i c i a l r e f e r r a l s , serve on s t u d e n t -s t a f f committees, coordinate summer residence h a ll programs and a s s is t w ith s t a f f s e le c tio n . includes a Hall D ire c to r The professional s t a f f o f a residence h a ll or Head Advisor, an A ssistant Advisor or two Graduate Advisors. Be­ cause o f the d iv e r s i t y w ith in the residence h all program, s t a ff in g arrangements vary. The Hall D ire c to r and Head Resident Adivsor positions are f u l l - t i m e r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s w ith in the Residence Hall Programs O f f ic e . They are a d m in is tra tiv e ly responsible fo r co o rd in at­ ing the student personnel program as i t re la te s to the population of the residence u n i t . S t a f f members in these p ositions have or are pursuing advanced degrees higher education, or re la te d areas o f study. in college student personnel a d m in is tra tio n / The A ssistant Advisor p o s itio n is also considered to be f u l l - t i m e r e s p o n s ib ilit y . The A s sista n t Advisor as s is ts the Hall D ire c to r or Head Resident Advisor in givin g d ir e c tio n to the student personnel program. S t a f f members occupying these positions also have or are pursuing advanced degrees. 152 The Graduate Resident Advisor position is a h a lf-tim e assignment. Graduate Advisors work with the Hall D irector or Head Resident Advisor and undergraduate assistan t s t a f f in the development of the student personnel program. Acceptance in a graduate degree program is a p re re q u is ite fo r employment. Residence h a lls are organized on a house basis with each house having approximately f i f t y students. An undergraduate Resident Assistant liv e s in the house and works with i t s residents on an individual and group basis. RA's also advise the house student government and c o -c u rric u la r a c t i v i t i e s . There is a strong commit­ ment to the value of an undergraduate student s t a f f member and our undergraduate s t a f f of Resident Assistants and M inority Student Aides represent a highly s e le c tiv e group of upperclassmen. D. Goals and Objectives o f Residence Hall Programs: 1. General Goals: a. Express and p a r tic ip a te in the philosophy and objectives of the to ta l U n ive rsity community and the Student A ff a ir s O ffic e . b. To fo s te r an environment in which numerous opportunities for learning e x is t fo r individual students. c. To in te r a c t with students in both formal and informal ways in order to have an impact on t h e i r educational growth. d. To develop programs, p o lic ie s , a c t i v i t i e s and approaches which implement these goals. 2. General O bjectives: Adm inistrative: a. Through the ad m in istrative processes of s t a f f s e le c tio n , t r a in in g , and ev alu atio n , to provide a residence hall ad­ visory s t a f f competent in communication s k i l l s , knowledge­ able in the f ie ld s of education and the behavioral sciences, and e f f i c i e n t in the use of organizational and adm inistra­ t iv e processes. b. To inform students of hall and U n ive rsity p o lic ie s and regulations and to assis t in insuring compliance with appropriate p o lic ie s , rules and regulations as they pertain to a re s id e n tia l s e ttin g . c. To administer and f a c i l i t a t e the adjudication of d is c ip lin e cases where students are accused o f v io la tin g U niversity regulations or the residence h a lls B i l l of Rights. 153 d. To make known to students the o rg an iza tio n al s tru c tu re and the services provided f o r them by the U n iv e rs ity and to f a c i l i t a t e the use o f these services: s p e c i f ic a l l y the health s e rv ic e , housing o f f i c e , counseling c e n te r, placement, fin a n c ia l aid es , and special serv ices . e. To c o l l e c t , analyze and re p o rt research data th a t is r e l e ­ vant to students in r e s id e n t ia l s e ttin g s . f . To a c t iv e ly s t r iv e to develop and improve those o rg an iza­ tio n a l structures and d e f in it io n s o f functions th a t are responsive to the needs o f students through operational e ff ic ie n c y and maximized communications throughout the U n iv e rs ity . g. To describe and i n t e r p r e t residence hall experiences and functions to other segments o f the U n iv e rs ity community. h. To a s s is t and promote the professional education and develop­ ment of Student Personnel A dm inistrators. i . To p a rt ic ip a t e in , or influen ce the formation o f p o lic ie s and procedures re la te d to Residence Hall Programs, Dean o f Students O f f ic e , and Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity goals and o b je c tiv e s . j . To inform students o f the job r e s p o n s ib i li t i e s o f residence h all advisory and management s t a f f , and to involve manage­ ment s t a f f in s itu a tio n s which r e f l e c t t h e i r e x p e rtis e . k. To provide o p p ortun ities f o r student feedback and input in the development and evaluation o f p o lic ie s , programs, regulations and environmental concerns p e rta in in g to student w e lfa re in residence h a l ls . 1. To make known to students the procedures to fo llo w in case o f an emergency. m. To d ir e c t the h a ll s e c u rity and s a fe ty program. n. To make students aware of procedures to fo llo w regarding a personal or academic grievance. o. To supervise and administer the advisory s t a f f supplies and services budget. p. To p a r t ic ip a t e in the evalu ation o f s t a f f performance and program outcomes. q. To a s s is t the Residence Hall Programs O ffic e in hosting and interview in g prospective s t a f f candidates. 154 E ducational: a. To provide o rie n ta tio n programs, services and information in order to f a c i l i t a t e the acclim ation and adjustment of students to residence h a lls and to the U n iv e rs ity community* b. To provide and f a c i l i t a t e educational programs and a c t i v i t i e s f o r students which supplement and complement classroom experience. c. To provide o p p o rtu n itie s f o r students to evalu ate s k i l l s and in te re s ts chosen f o r a vocation or avocation and to as s is t students in exploring a v a r ie ty o f a l t e r n a t i v e l i f e and vocational styles t h a t may be a v a ila b le . d. To provide follow -u p with students making i n s u f f i c i e n t academic progress. e. To provide students with general academic advising assistance and to make r e f e r r a ls to c o lle g e and departmental academic advisors. f . To provide and f a c i l i t a t e academic assistance through t u t o r i a l and study s k i l l s programs. g. To provide students w ith the opportunity to have contact with f a c u lt y members a t the house and h all l e v e l . h. To provide students with places to pursue academic in te re s ts in the h all or complex. Environmental: a. To provide a secure and comfortable physical environment compatible w ith the physical , psychological, and educational needs o f students. b. To provide each student w ith some degree of s e c u rity and privacy in his own l iv i n g space. c. To provide a wide v a r ie ty o f physical and social en viron ­ ments (V a ria b le Living Options) consistent w ith student needs, in te r e s ts and l i f e - s t y l e s . d. To fo s te r and encourage an environment where students are respectful o f and responsive to the needs, r i g h t s , and r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s o f others in a community l i v i n g s itu a t io n : s p e c i f ic a l l y problems of n o is e , d estruction o f pro perty, p rivacy, the r i g h t to study and le a rn , and th rea ts to health and s a fe ty . e. To work toward the development o f a sense o f community among re s id e n ts . 155 Governmental: a. To f o s te r and encourage student self-government and i t s attend an t processes and functions w ith in l i v i n g u n its . b. To f a c i l i t a t e among students an understanding o f U n ive rsity governance, student governance, and s tu d e n t- in s t it u t io n a l r e la t io n s h ip s . c. To work with ad hoc in t e r e s t groups in the h a l l . Personal: a. To f o s t e r and encourage the development o f the ind ividu al student according to perceived needs, i n t e r e s t s , values, and a s p ira tio n s . b. To provide advising and counseling r e f e r r a l resources fo r those students needing sp e cialized assistance w ith emotional, academic, h e a lth , f in a n c ia l and/or o ther kinds o f personal problems. c. To f a c i l i t a t e student in te r a c tio n on a one-to-one basis w ith student and non-student members o f the U n iv e rs ity and surrounding comnunity. d. To provide and/or f a c i l i t a t e student use o f social and re c re a tio n a l f a c i l i t i e s , equipment, programs, and a c t i v i t i e s . e. To provide students w ith opportunities to increase s e l f - understanding and the understanding of others through group experiences. f . To challenge and c l a r i f y assumptions, a t t i t u d e s , behaviors, v a lu e s , and l i f e s ty le s o f students in an e f f o r t to help them grow and develop a lt e r n a t iv e s f o r d ecision making. E. Coordination w ith other U n iv e rs ity Departments and Agencies: The development o f the l iv in g - le a r n in g centers has been based on mutual understanding and respect f o r c o n trib u tio n s o f many s t a f f s . Members of the academic departments, the Counseling Center and Residence Hall Management, as well as the advisory s t a f f , d i r e c t l y in fluen ce students w ith in a h a l l . To u t i l i z e the resources o f these s t a f f s , and bring about the g reatest o p p o rtu n itie s f o r le a rn in g , a cooperative and coordinate approach is necessary. communication must be b u i l t in to the expectation f o r a l l personnel i f the p o te n tia l o f a residence area is to be reached. J o in t planning and e f f e c t iv e The fav o rab le working re la tio n s h ip between the advisory s t a f f and management personnel of each h a ll lin e s of a u t h o r it y , as both s t a f f s re p o rt to d i f f e r e n t Vice P re s i­ dents o f the U n iv e rs ity . is dependent upon cooperation, not 156 The Counseling Center services are decentralized to provide f u l l ­ time counselors in three residence areas. Where counselors are not located in a residence hall a resource person is designated to work d ir e c t ly w ith the students and s t a f f o f each area. From the s t a r t of the liv in g -le a r n in g centers, the residence hall s t a f f has benefited a great deal from involvement with the in s tru c ­ tional fa c u lt y . As new h a lls incorporate d if f e r e n t academic programs, guidelines fo r e f f e c t i v e operation w ith each college must be established. In addition to the cooperation work with these d ivision s and depart­ ments w ith in residences, a close working re la tio n s h ip is maintained with such agencies as the Health Center, Department of Public Safety, Placement Bureau, and the University Theater. The actual incorporation of services into the residence u n it is contingent upon the degree to which t h e i r d ir e c t involvement w i l l p o s itiv e ly i n f l u ­ ence the educational opportunities for students. To u t i l i z e the resources of a large U n iv e rs ity , yet provide irmtediate resources fo r the students w ithin an area, is the challenge of the liv in g -le a r n in g concept. Residential Areas: Residence h alls acconmodate close to o n e -h a lf of the 41,000 students enrolled a t Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . To pro­ vide a tra n s itio n w ithin the University community, a p olicy has been developed by the Board of Trustees which requires a l l new under­ graduate students to reside in the residence h a lls during t h e ir f i r s t year a t the U n iversity. Students who w i l l achieve ju n io r standing or who w i l l be twenty during the academic year are e l i g i b l e to l i v e in unsupervised off-campus housing. While a large portion of the residence hall students are freshmen and sophomores, many upperclass­ men have chosen to l i v e in the residence h a lls . There are over t h i r t y residence halls on the campus divided into f iv e areas of complexes fo r ad m in istrative and educational purposes. Each area has certain d i s t i n c t c h a ra c te ris tic s which meet the needs of a part o f the student population. Returning students may make sp ecific requests fo r h a lls , rooms, and rommates w ithin the h a l l , as well as various housing options ranging from student apartments to h alls in which there is an optional board contract. South Campus - This area houses approximately 4,500 upperclassmen in four coeducational residence h a lls . The U n iversity College curriculum is o ffe re d . social sciences is located here. In a d d itio n , James Madison Residential College fo r Brody - The student population in th is area represents approximately 3,000 students who are p rim a rily underclassmen. The U n ive rsity College curriculum is also o ffered in th is complex. 157 East - Cedar Woods - Six coeducational residence h a lls accommodating approximately 5,000 students, comprise th is area. Lyman Briggs R esidential College fo r the natural sciences and the Science-Math Teaching Center are located in th is a re a . A U n iv e rs ity College teaching program is o ffe re d in two o f the h a lls and the College o f Arts & L e tte rs has an upperclass teaching program in the area. In a d d itio n , Red Cedar - This area graduate residence h a ll and an apartment residence f o r undergraduate women. Ju s tin M o r r i l l R esidential College w ith emphasis on the lib e r a l a r ts is located here. Upperclass students g e n e ra lly se lec t th is area. is composed o f two coeducational u n i t s , a West C irc le - Six h a lls with approximately 250 students per h all are located in t h is complex. Four o f the h a lls are f o r women only and two are co edu catio n al. 158 COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES - OFFICE OF HOUSING AND RESIDENCE EDUCATION 1 974-1 975 The O ffice o f Housing and Residence Education is responsible fo r the management and program development of a l l U n iversity housing f a c i l i t i e s including eleven residence h a lls (capacity 5355) and 722 fam ily housing units. The f a c t th a t the re s p o n s ib ilitie s o f educational programming, new construction, fis c a l management, and custodial/maintenance operations are cen tralized under one d ir e c to r makes t r a in i n g , supervision and evalu­ ation much more comprehensive in scope. Consequently, the objectives of this o ffic e are to continue sound fis c a l and operational management w ith ­ in the housing system with continuing emphasis on the development of programs and services which w i l l enhance the educational ment of the CSU student. liv in g environ­ UNIT OBJECTIVES 1. To provide students with a liv in g environment conducive to academic success and personal growth. 2. To encourage involvement of the e n tir e U n iversity community in the program o f student residence education including increased student- f a c u l t y - s t a f f contacts through academic grouping programs. 3. To in te n s ify student in te re s t in in te lle c t u a l and c u ltu ra l a c t i v i ­ tie s and to provide more opportunities fo r students to discuss s ig n ific a n t, meaningful ideas and issues. 4. To encourage greater student involvement in decision making and s e lf d is c ip lin e through the strengthening o f student government on an in te r - and in t r a - h a ll and intra-apartm ent basis. 5. To continue to improve the physical environment o f our h alls and apartments from both a structural and a cleanliness point o f view. 6 . To emphasize and respond to the needs o f our fam ily housing popula­ tion . 7. To underline the re s p o n s ib ility and support fo r research and evalua­ tion of housing programs, a c t i v i t i e s , and services. 8 . To increase s t a f f member effectiveness through a program of in -s e rv ic e education, including an academic course fo r new student s t a f f members and regular evaluation-feedback sessions between each s t a f f member and the immediate supervisor. 159 9. To develop and exercise sound f is c a l and operational p rac tice s in order to keep costs a t the lowest possible le v e l while a t the same time generating adequate funds to meet bonded indebtedness r e q u ir e ­ ments. 10. To promote broader understanding o f the r o le and function o f the O ffic e o f Housing and Residence Education among students, s t a f f , f a c u lt y , and parents. SPECIFIC PROGRAM PLANS 1. Expand and continue to support educational programming e f f o r t s in the residence h a lls w ith ad d itio n a l s t a f f and fin a n c ia l commitment. 2. Continue to pursue i n s t a l l a t i o n of the educational T.V. network looking a t 1979 as a completion date f o r the e n t i r e residence hall sys tern. 3. Develop usage and program plans fo r the community center b u ild in g in the new fa m ily housing p r o je c t. 4. Complete the Housing Services Center f a c i l i t y to enhance the maintenance program. 5. Improve and develop academic groupings w ith in our residence h a l ls . These c u r r e n tly include the engineering, v e te r in a ry medicine, a g r ic u lt u r e , fo re s try and f i n e a rts areas. 6 . Design and present a tr a in in g class f o r academic c r e d it f o r a l l new Student A ssistants. 7. Develop custodial and maintenance personnel changes in job t i t l e s , r e s p o n s ib i li t i e s , and remuneration le v e ls hwich w i l l r e f l e c t current standards o f equal employment. 8 . Increase the q u a n tity and q u a lit y of supervision and tr a in in g f o r custodial personnel. 9. Respond to increased s e c u rity needs of the residence hall popul- tio n by assignment o f C .S.U .P.D . personnel d i r e c t l y to the h a lls and by a concerted student s e c u rity awareness program. 10. Teach leadership and o rg an iza tio n al s k i l l s to student government o f fic e r s through an academic course. 160 UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OBJECTIVES OF UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE HALLS The U n iv e rs ity o f Nebraska residence h a lls provide the student with o p p o rtu n itie s f o r learning experiences and self-developm ent. As w ell, room and board is ch aracterized by reasonableness in cost, q u a li t y standards o f a e s th e tic s , and re co g n itio n o f student needs and i n t e r e s t s . These goals are achieved by operating the residence h a lls on the basis o f the fo llow ing p r in c ip le s : 1. To m aintain a room and board ra te th a t is consistent w ith educational goals and operational standards and, as w e l l , is reasonable in cost to the student. 2. To present a stu d en t-o rie n te d food se rv ic e th a t is charac­ te r iz e d by wholesome food and o ffe re d atmosphere by a management team oriented to the goals o f high standards and r e a l i s t i c costs. in an a e sth etic 3. To develop and sustain a maintenance and housekeeping pro­ gram characterized by c le a n lin e s s , e f f e c t i v e s e c u rity , pre­ v e n ta tiv e re p a ir s , and equipment and fu rn ishin gs th a t are c o n s is te n t with academic, s o c ia l, and re c re a tio n a l needs. 4. To m aintain s t a f f services in the Housing O ffic e to a s s is t the operational and the educational personnel to serve the in te r e s ts o f students in an e f f i c i e n t , s e n s it iv e , courteous, and tim e ly manner. 5. To o f f e r in -s e rv ic e developmental tr a in in g aimed a t sharpen­ ing professional s k i l l s and providing in-d ep th knowledge o f the t o t a l housing operatio n fo r the e n t ir e residence h all s t a f f . 6 . To a s s is t students in developing a residence hall community ch a rac terize d by o p p o rtu n itie s fo r p riv a c y , the p rac tice of contemporary c i t i z e n s h i p , personalized small group learn in g experiences, sound human re la tio n s h ip s , and programs where­ by the sp ecialized worlds o f academia may be fused and synthesized. 7. To make a v a ila b le to the student a wide v a r i e t y o f student personnel services th a t are o ften best i n i t i a t e d and u t i l i z e d in the r e s id e n t ia l s e ttin g . 161 8 . To provide fo r the s t a f f opportunities to develop an in - depth knowledge of the to ta l u n iv e rs ity in order to thorough­ ly represent and r e f l e c t the to ta l community to the resident student. 9. To provide substantive evaluation o f individual and c o lle c ­ t iv e e ffo r ts in order to assess progress and development, and, as w e ll, to determine the on-going v a l i d i t y o f our o b jec tiv es . 10. To provide opportunities fo r the student to become a c t iv e ly involved in the development o f as many p o lic ie s , standards, and services as is possible in the residence h a lls community. Objectives fo r Complex, H a ll , and Floor Program/Administration Operations 1. Provision o f a s a tis fa c to ry physical environment through adequate care and maintenance o f ex istin g physical f a c i l i t i e s and through new construction and rennovation. This is another way o f saying th at sh elter and nourishment must be provided in the most pleasant way as possible. Operations and Food Service should have th is o bjective as a prime p r i o r i t y and i t tends to be t h e ir re s p o n s ib ility . Yet, the program/administration s t a f f cannot ignore i t fo r the physical environment d ir e c t ly influences anything i t does or t r i e s to do. We must evaluate what is needed and desirab le to carry on programs, what the students desire and need and we must be the change advocator. a. Involve students in renovation o f e x is tin g f a c i l i t i e s and con­ s tructio n o f new f a c i l i t i e s . Inform students o f appropriate channels to get re p a ir work done. Involve students in the establishment o f housekeeping standards and the provision of an environment th a t meets health standards. (This should include rooms, f lo o r s , public areas and grounds.) b. c. d. Provide each student with a room (contract and room adm inistra­ tio n ) . e. Provide each student with information desk services and other f a c i l i t i e s . in cost must be provided. While Food Service should have 2. Provision of a pleasing and s a tis fa c to ry food service operation. Good food (by the students' standards), a t t r a c t iv e l y served, and economical th is objective as a prime p r i o r i t y the program/administration s t a f f cannot ignore i t fo r the food service and environment d ir e c t ly influences anything we do or t r y to do. We must evaluate what is needed and desirable to carry on programs, what the students d e s ire , and we must be the change advocator. a. Inform students of when, where, and method o f access to food in the residence h a lls . Involve students in providing a social experience through d in ing . Involve students in the provision o f food service through an economical use of resources. b. c. 3. 4. 162 “Establishment o f g uidelin es by s t a f f and students th a t provide s tru c tu re fo r o r d e r ly , compatible and cooperative community l i v i n g , 11 As an e x i s t e n t i a l i s t , one desires PROVIDED the rig h ts and d esires o f others are not v io la t e d . On the su rfa ce , th is may appear to advocate a very loose "do your own thing" a very well defined s tru c tu re so th a t one knows, very c l e a r ly and co n cise ly , when one in frin g e s upon another's r ig h ts . I b elie ve one should be able to do anything idea, b ut, on the c o n tra ry , i t advocates We must not only continue to develop new g u id e lin e s , but we must work toward e s tab lis h in g new ones which meet the needs o f contemporary s o c ie ty . Again, our ro le as change agent must be emphasized - we must r a t i o n a l l y change th a t which we are able to and must in fluen ce those th a t can make the changes not allowed us. G uidelines, p o lic ie s and procedures must be c le a r ly annunciated and w idely d is trib u te d to a l l those w ith in the housing community and tc those who in te r a c t w ith th a t community. is not synonomous L a t e ly , a l l g u id e lin e s , p o lic ie s and procedures must be c o n s is te n tly regulated and enforced. Remember, "consistent" w ith " id e n t ic a l." a. Inform students o f t h e i r r e s p o n s ib ilit y fo r personal and community property s e c u rity (damages, t h e f t , lounge f u r n i t u r e ) . Inform students o f t h e i r r e s p o n s ib ilit y f o r community health and safety (emergency procedures, s t a f f d u ty , c lo s in g ) , including f i r e and tornado procedures. Inform students o f the r e s p o n s ib ilit y they assume as members o f the U n ive rsity community l iv i n g in the residence h a lls (ru le s and re g u la t io n s ). Inform students o f t h e i r rig h ts as community members. due process f o r r u le v io la to r s through d is c ip lin a r y procedures.) b. c. d. (In s u re "Development o f an interpersonal environment th a t r e f l e c t s responsible c itiz e n s h ip and a concern fo r o th e rs , as well as an atmosphere conducive to le a r n in g ." addresses two thin gs: f i r s t , consideration and respect fo r the others in the community. Selfishness tempered by selflessness must be adhered to by a l l . Secondly, is a strong re p re s e n ta tiv e govern­ ment body to govern, "Responsible c it iz e n s h ip ," in my o p in io n , i f you w i l l , the c it iz e n s h ip . in my o pinion, means the same as "no man "Concern fo r o th e rs ," is la n d ." Whatever we do, whenever and wherever we do fluence on others around r ig h ts and p riv ile g e s by our action s. a. Help students to get to know one another. b. Help students i d e n t i f y values, us. We should not deprive others o f t h e i r i n t e r e s t s , and goals they have in is an i t , has an i n ­ common and encourage respect f o r in d iv id u a l d iffe re n c e s . c. Help students to work together to meet in d iv id u a l and group needs ( c o n f l i c t re s o lu tio n and community standards fo r the environment). d. Help students i d e n t i f y the e ffe c ts o f prejudice and d is c rim in a ­ e. t i o n . Inform students o f the ro le student government plays on the f l o o r , in the hall o r complex, RHA, and ASUN. 5, Academic adjustment and atmosphere conducive to le a rn in g . "Conducive 163 to le a rn in g ," in my opinion, re fe rs to three th in g s , (1 ) an environ­ ment allowing one to pursue one's academic goals in the most agreeable manner, (2) an environment which advocates th at people learn from each o th e r, and (3) an environment which provides e x tr a ­ c u rric u la r learning opportunities. a. Inform students with classroom, academic major, and career concerns o f resources a v a ila b le to help them reach re s o lu tio n . Involve students with needs fo r s k i l l development in the areas of decision-making and study s k i l l s . b. 6. "Opportunities fo r individual growth and development.11 We must pro­ vide vehicles fo r a l l residents to grow and develop. We must provide means fo r the immature or lim ite d resident to mature and broaden, and help the sophisticated or mature student become more so. We must provide fo r the growth and development o f a l l who f a l l between these two poles on a continuum. "Interpersonal" means simply, "people to people." Residents in Uni­ v e rs ity Housing are people - not objects or numbers. To be more concrete, we have the o b lig a tio n to help residents l i v e peacefully together, get to know each other and themselves, help plan fo r t h e ir future and to pursue th e ir academic goals and to expand themselves, t h e ir ex p ertis e, s o c ia lly , c u l t u r a l l y , and p o l i t i c a l l y . a. Inform students who are not f u l l y functioning because of concerns of the developmental areas of resources a v a ila b le to help them (in d iv id u al c r is is intervention and counseling). b. Help each student to r e a liz e h is /h e r f u l l p o tential through programming fo r special large group, also including special programs.) in te re s ts . (One-to-one, small group and APPENDIX B Exhibit 1 Hall D irector Job D escription, Michigan State U n iversity 1973-1974 Exhibit 2 Graduate Resident Advisor Job D escription, Michigan State U niversity 1973-1974 Exhibit 3 Resident Assistant Job D escription, Michigan State U niversity 1973-1974 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY JOB DESCRIPTION HALL DIRECTOR POSITION Basic Function and R e s p o n s ib ility To plan, d i r e c t , coordinate, and implement personnel, educational , s o c ia l, re c re a tio n a l programs, and student services a c t i v i t i e s f o r a U niversity residence hall housing from 1,000 to 1,250 students according to the goals and o b jec tiv es established fo r residence h a lls . C h a ra c te ris tic Duties and R e s p o n s ib ilitie s The Hall D ire c to r s h a ll: 1. A d m in is tra tiv e Tasks A. Develop and coordinate a year-long program o f inform ation and in te g r a tin g the academic, personal, in conjunction w ith the Area D ir e c to r , services f o r h a ll residents s o c ia l, and re c re a tio n a l needs and in te r e s ts of students. The program is to be developed u t i l i z i n g goals and o b je c tiv e s developed f o r residence h a lls . I t should la t io n to be served, the nature of a v a ila b le physical f a c i l i t i e s , and the strengths and lim it a t io n s o f a h all s t a f f . A d iv is io n o f labor and deleg atio n o f a u t h o r it y , f o r the purpose o f ad­ m in is terin g the h a l l , w i l l be agreed upon by the Hall D ire c to r and the Area D ir e c to r . include an an alysis o f the nature o f the student popu­ B. Estab lish and maintain a lia i s o n r e la tio n s h ip w ith re la te d support service agencies on the M.S.U. campus, such as the Department o f Public S a fe ty , the Counseling Center, the Univer­ s i t y College o f f i c e s , the Placement Bureau, the Financial Aids O f f ic e , the Volunteer Bureau, and the Center fo r Supportive Services. C. Supervise and account fo r the h all supplies and services budget. D. Coordinate a l l record keeping functions according to the Univer­ s i t y Records P o lic y. E. Respond to questions and a s s is t in re so lvin g housing problems raised by s t a f f , students, paren ts, and the p u b lic . F. Prepare l e t t e r s of recommendation as requested by s t a f f and students. 164 165 G. Evaluate the effectiveness of various programs w ith in the h all and recommend changes where necessary. H. Evaluate the effectiveness of the Residence Hall Programs O ffic e and recommend necessary organizational changes and policy and procedure revisions as necessary. I . Meet with other area and a ll- U n iv e r s it y s t a f f as requested to review p o lic y , to discuss problems, and to develop programs fo r tra in in g and education of resident students. J. Assist as requested with the w ritin g and e d itin g o f manuals, brochures, and related housing information. K. P a rtic ip a te in the interviewing and evaluation of prospective upper advisory s t a f f members as assigned by the D irecto r of S t a f f i n g . L. P a rtic ip a te in committee work fo r the Residence Hall Programs O ffice and the U n iversity as requested. I I . Management Relationships A. Coordinate the student services program with the residence hall manager. The Hall D ire cto r w ill communicate d a ily with the building manager on areas of mutual concern, including: (a) physical f a c i l i t i e s ; (b) requests from food service personnel regarding inappropriate student behavior in c a fe te ria and g r i l l . B. Coordinate contract release procedures with the hall manager. C. Coordinate the single room p o licy , room changes, hall changes, and the assignment o f new students with the hall manager and the housing cle rk . D. Coordinate and communicate the hall safety program with students, the h all manager, and other personnel assigned to the b u ilding , E. Inspect the residence h all f a c i l i t i e s re g u la rly with the h all manager and recommend re p a ir s , changes, and renovations as needed. I l l . R esp on sib ilities fo r S ta ff A. Supervise, t r a in , and evaluate a hall s t a f f , consisting of one Assistant Advisor, fo ur Graduate Advisors, and twenty to twenty- six undergraduate s t a f f members, and p a rtic ip a te in the s e t t l e ­ ment o f employee complaints and grievances. B. Communicate and in te r p r e t job descriptions and job expectations to s t a f f . 166 C. Coordinate the s e le c tio n * t r a in i n g , supervision, scheduling, and e v alu atio n of Resident A ssistants. D. Coordinate the s e le c tio n , t r a in i n g , sup ervision , scheduling, and ev alu atio n of n ig h t re c e p tio n is ts . E. Coordinate the duty r o s t e r fo r residence h a ll s t a f f . F. D ir e c t , supervise, and ev alu ate students assigned to a r e s i ­ dence h a ll practicum experience. IV. Community Development A. Coordinate the advisement o f hall and house student governing groups and regular an d /o r ad hoc in t e r e s t area committees. B. A ssist in the form ulation and review of residence hall governmen­ t a l , s o c ia l, and a d m in is tra tiv e p o lic ie s as requested. C. Coordinate the hall j u d i c i a l program and give d ir e c tio n to the s e t t lin g o f c o n f li c t s , student behavioral problems and d i s c i p l i ­ nary s itu a tio n s involving damage to student or U n iv e rs ity p ro perty, o f p riv a c y , noise, and o ther d is ru p tio n s . in tim id a tio n or harassment o f other students, invasion D. Coordinate the r e g is t r a t io n o f student social events according to the Student Group Regulations of M.S.U. E. Assist in disseminating inform ation about l iv i n g options. V. Ind ividu al Development Assist in d iv id u a l students w ith academic, personal, s o c ia l, and re la te d concerns as is necessary. V I. Educational Programming A. Coordinate and supervise the assessment and evaluation o f program and a c t i v i t y in te re s ts o f the hall student population. B. Id e n t i f y and coordinate w ith appropriate resource personnel to a s s is t in the development and presentation of programs. C. Develop techniques and methods fo r evalu ating programs and, when necessary, consult w ith on-campus research personnel. V I I . O rie n ta tio n Coordinate the Welcome Week and h all O rie n ta tio n Program w ith the O rie n ta tio n O f f ic e , the Residence Hall Programs O f f ic e , and re la te d U n iv e rs ity o f f i c e s . 167 Related Duties None Supervision Received Supervision is received from an Area D ire c to r. Supervision Exercised Functional supervision is exercised over supporting s t a f f . Minimum Q u a lific a tio n s A Bachelor's Degree is necessary and a M aster's Degree in a behavioral science area is d e s ira b le . Considerable a d m in is tra tiv e experience in housing is necessary. 168 JOB DESCRIPTION GRADUATE RESIDENT ADVISOR RESIDENCE HALL PROGRAMS MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Overview The Graduate Advisor's p o s itio n is a h a lf - t im e assignment w ith in the Residence Hall Programs O f f ic e . There is some v a r ia tio n in the Graduate Advisor's r e s p o n s ib i li t i e s , according to the type of h all he/ she works in (D ir e c to r - or - Head Advisor model), the ad m in is tra tiv e s ty le o f the H all Director/Head Advisor, and h is /h e r own ind ividu al strengths and professional competencies. This job d es crip tio n represents general r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s held by the Graduate Advisor. S p e c ific job r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s w i l l be assigned by the Hall Director/Head Advisor according to the program objectives developed fo r the h a l l . A residence h a ll operating under the " D ire c to r model" has an advisory s t a f f consisting of a H all D ir e c to r , A s sista n t Hall D ir e c to r , four Graduate Advisors, and 20 to 24 Resident A s s is ta n ts . T y p ic a lly , the Graduate Advisor is responsible fo r working d i r e c t l y with a " u n it" or " s u b - s t a f f 11 consisting o f o n e-fo u rth of the R . A . 's , usually f i v e or six. This s tru c tu re provides a flo w o f communication from the D ir e c t o r / Assistant D ire c to r to the Graduate Advisors to the R . A . 's , and to the students in the h a l l . The design provides f o r a s im ila r flow o f i n ­ formation from the residents back to the D ire c to r/A s s is ta n t D ir e c to r . The large s iz e o f the to ta l R.A. s t a f f requires t h a t the Graduate Advisor assume a degree of personal contact as w ell as an a d m in is tra tiv e re la tio n s h ip w ith the R .A .'s and h a ll residents th a t in another h all might be assumed by a Head Advisor. The Hall D ir e c t o r , while m aintaining contact with the R.A. s t a f f o fte n r e l i e s upon the d e ta ile d knowledge o f the Graduate Advisor in dealing w ith the s p e c ific R .A .'s and the r e s i ­ dents on t h e ir flo o r s . Working as a Graduate Advisor in a Head Advisor model may d i f f e r somewhat from working in a D ire c to r model h a l l . Such d iffe ren c es r e s u l t from the size o f the h all (number of students and s t a f f ) , s t a f f s tr u c ­ tu re , and the a d m in is tra tiv e s t y le o f the Head Advisor. The Graduate Advisor is often assigned more a d m in is tra tiv e d u tie s by the Head Resident Advisor, and he/she shares more r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s with h is /h e r supervisor. The Graduate Advisor may a s s is t the Head Advisor by working with the e n t ir e group of Resident Assistants in a tr a in in g or supervisory cap ac ity , or may work with a s u b -s ta ff of R .A .'s . The Graduate Advisor 169 position may be defined as a s t a f f ra th e r than l i n e r e s p o n s ib ilit y in th at the Resident Assistants may re p o rt d i r e c t l y to the Head Advisor. The Graduate Advisor, however, may be assigned r e s p o n s ib ilit y f o r the hall in the absence o f the Head Advisor. Other r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s which may d i f f e r in D ire c to r and Head Advisor model h a lls are the patterns o f duty schedules, number and content of s t a f f meetings, programming a t a u n i t lev el as well as a t hall l e v e l , and the degree o f p a r tic ip a t io n in the fo rm a l, a d m in is tra tiv e a c t i v i t i e s of the h a l1. B. R e s p o n s ib ilitie s to and r e la tio n s h ip with students ( in d iv id u a l) 1. the Graduate Advisor's In dealing w ith in d iv id u a l students, i t is o b lig a tio n to be "accessible". This means the h all or one's apartment a t re g u la r times each day. More im p o rta n tly , i t means being re c e p tiv e and s e n s itiv e to students when they approach you w ith problems, ideas and conversation. The needs o f the in d iv id u a l Graduate Advisor f o r privacy and f r e e time must be balanced w ith the needs f o r the students in the hall f o r guidance and a t te n t io n . An app ro priate schedule should be established and agreed upon by the Graduate Advisor and the senior ad visor. being a v a ila b le in a. Be sure new students and tra n s fe rs are o rien ted to the dorm and the U n iv e rs ity . Help provide inform ation about study h a b its , fin a n c ia l a id s , and student government; but not to be lim ite d only to these areas. b. A s sist students and RA's to make t h e i r house a l i v i n g en­ vironment they want y e t suited to t h e i r needs. c. Talk with students about peer rig h ts and r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s and a s s is t the RA in cases where a student fe e ls h is /h e r rig h ts have been v io la te d . d. Discuss w ith students approaches to work out such problems a s : (1) C o n flic t re s o lu tio n as re la te d to mutual rig h ts and r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s (2) Noise (3) Hall damage (4) Human s e x u a lity (5) Racial awareness (6 ) Redress of grievances (7) L i f e - s t y l e d iffe re n c e s (8) Developing s e l f understanding e. Encourage in d iv id u a l student growth through one-to-one contact and group experiences. Work w ith the Counseling Center to develop group experiences in personal communica­ tio n s k i l l s and s e l f assessment. f . Provide o p p o rtu n itie s f o r students to assess personal goals. 170 2. The Graduate Advisor serves as a re fe r ra l source fo r individual students who may need in te rp erso n a l/in tra-p erso n a l assistance or sp ecific information concerning resources on campus. He/she should r e fe r individual students to academic advisors. Counseling Center, Health Center, or other University resources when appropriate. The Graduate Advisor may aid students in the problem-solving process, but should recognize th a t he/she is not a professional counselor. 3. The Graduate Advisor is expected to help students develop an understanding of t h e ir rig h ts and r e s p o n s ib ilitie s in accordance w ith U n ive rsity and hall p o lic ie s (as specified in the Univer­ s i t y Student Handbook, and the Academic Freedom Report. ) 4. He/she is expected to assis t students and the advisory s t a f f in responding to inappropriate student conduct and, i f necessary, make r e f e r r a ls to the appropriate agency or in d iv id u a ls . C. R e sp o n s ib ilitie s to and Relationships with Students (Group) 1. The Graduate Advisor is responsible fo r working with and ad­ vising student hall comnittees and programs in such areas as scholastics, s o c ia l, special a c t i v i t i e s , sports, s a fe ty , e le c tio n s , and p u b lic ity . He/she w ill encourage through assigned and ad hoc comnittees, a f u l l program of a c t i v i t i e s , i . e . seminars, concerts, discussions, plays, intram urals, and service projects to enhance the educational opportunities a v a ila b le fo r each student. G enerally, the advising of the hall committees is divided according to the in te re s ts and strengths of each Graduate Advisor. The Graduate Advisor should r e a l i z e that student government a c t i v i t y and committees of any nature represent a learning ex­ perience fo r the students involved. I t is often the re sp o n s ib il­ i t y of the Graduate Advisor to enhance th is learning environment by serving in an advisory capacity to student leaders or committees. This car best be accomplished by providing guidance and tra in in g to help student leaders and student groups to b e tte r plan, develop, implement and evaluate t h e i r programs. D. R esp on sib ilities to and Relationships with Residence Hall Programs O ffice 1. The Graduate Advisor, as a member of the R.H.P.O. s t a f f , shall p a rtic ip a te in s t a f f o r ie n ta tio n , tr a in in g , in -s e rv ic e education, and program ev alu atio n , e t the U niversity and area levels as directed by the Area Director and the senior advisor. The Graduate Advisor w i l l be requested by R.H.P.O. to p a r tic ip a te in program assignments and to a s s is t in various other a c t i v i ­ t i e s , such as selection of new s t a f f , p a rtic ip a tio n in various ad hoc committees, reviewing p o lic ie s , job d e s c rip tio n s , and re lated a c t i v i t i e s . 171 E. R e s p o n s ib ilitie s to and re la tio n s h ip s w ith management 1. The Graduate Advisor is responsible f o r a s s is tin g w ith the development and maintenance o f a healthy a t t i t u d e w ith in the h all toward h all management by providing an appropriate ro le model and encourage the use of proper channels i f students need c l a r i f i ­ cation o f h a ll management p o lic ie s . in te rp re tin g managerial p o l i c i e s . He/she should a. Discuss w ith the Head A d visor/H all D ire c to r physical pro­ cedures, damages, and food service in an on-going basis. b. Help RA's and residents understand p o l i c i e s , form ulate p o lic ie s when a p p ro p ria te , House R epresentative, RA or Manager. Listen and c o l l e c t feedback on p o lic ie s , procedures, physical f a c i l i t i e s . c. Be able to explain and in t e r p r e t the closing/opening pro­ implement change through the cedures to RA's and students. d. Take action in the c a f e t e r ia w ith fre e lo a d e rs , food throwers, e tc . and a s s is t the management s t a f f with the enforcement of c a f e t e r ia p o lic ie s and procedures. e. Discuss room changes, housing o p tio n s , and h all t r a n s f e r procedures with RA's and students. f . When an RA comes to you with a physical f a c i l i t y problem o r other emergency, contact the ap p ro p ria te source immediate­ ly and follow -through u n t i l the problem/emergency is resolved. Provide the manager w ith appropriate inform ation about the physical problem. 2. The Graduate Advisor should support and communicate to the Resident Assistants and the students o f the h all decisions and p o lic ie s reached j o i n t l y by the senior advisor and the h a ll manager. 3. The Graduate Advisor is responsible fo r a s s is tin g managerial s t a f f and in d iv id u a l students to work out problem s itu a tio n s by f a c i l i t a t i n g communication between the persons involved, by acting as an agent concerned w ith w e ll-b e in g of both p a r t ie s . F. General Duties 1. The Graduate Advisor is expected to: (a ) in v e s tig a te f i r e alarms; (b) accompany p o lic e o f f ic e r s to student rooms as r e ­ quested; (c) respond to student requests f o r assistance; (d) a s s is t the Night R e ce p tio n ist; (e) respond to any in d ic a tio n o f student health emergency; ( f j f l a g r a n t v io la t io n of U n iv e r­ s i t y or h a ll p o lic y ; (g) any d is ru p tio n which may prove harmful to h all re sid en ts. The Graduate Advisor is expected to respond only to reasonable student requests. He/she should seek help from other advisory s t a f f members when asked to respond to a s itu a tio n which he/she does not fe e l capable o f handling. 172 2. The Graduate Advisor is required to share h a ll coverage (being "on duty") w ith other advisory s t a f f members. During duty tim e, he/she is expected to answer a l l c a l ls coming in on the o f f i c e l i n e and attend to any duties or emergencies th a t may a r is e . weekends. ) (Hall coverage is maintained weekdays, weeknights, and 3. The Graduate Advisor should become f a m i l i a r with and be a b le to in t e r p r e t a l l the r u le s , reg u latio n s »nd p o lic ie s o f the U n iv e r s ity , R .H .P .O ., and Hall Management, th a t apply to h is /h e r residence h a ll c lo s in g , escort p o lic y , room changes). (example: alcohol p o lic y , space usage, h a ll 4. The Graduate Advisor is expected to a s s is t students in the room change process. 5. The Graduate Advisor should respond to student in v it a t io n s to attend student government meetings, f l o o r meetings, exchange d inners, c a n d le -lig h ts , p a r t ie s , and re la te d a c t i v i t i e s . 6 . The Graduate Advisor should a s s is t o ther U n ive rsity agencies (Admissions O f f ic e , O rie n ta tio n , academic departments, Counseling Center) as requested. Related Duties None Supervision Received D irection is received from the H all Director/Head Resident Advisor. Supervision Exercised Functional supervision may be exercised with Resident A ssistants. Requirements f o r the positio n (1) Admission to a graduate or professional school a t Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . (2) Some p rio r experience in a residence hall p o s itio n is d e s ir a b le . (3) Academic c r e d i t load is r e s t r ic t e d to a maximum of twelve (12) c re d its per term. 173 RESIDENT ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION is a p a rt-tim e member o f the Residence The Resident A ssistant (R .A .) Hall s t a f f . He has some degree o f r e s p o n s ib ility f o r the e n t ir e r e s i ­ dence program w ith s p e c ific emphasis being given to the approximately f i f t y students in his "house". He is a f u l l - t i m e student and may c a rry a f u l l schedule o f courses depending upon his a b i l i t y and past per­ formance. three c r e d it s less than his normal v a rie ty of academic areas have been selected fo r these positions but course work in education, sociology, psychology, and r e la t e d areas is p a r t i c u l a r ly h e lp fu l. Since the RA p o s itio n is g e n e ra lly reserved fo r those who can maintain a s a tis fa c to r y le v e l o f sc h o lastic achievement and s t i l l f u l f i l l the r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s o f the p o s itio n , a minimum 2.6 grade p o in t average is suggested. I t is sometimes recormiended th a t during f a l l term he carry lo ad . Students majoring in a Each RA is expected to p a r tic ip a t e in a Pre-School Workshop f a l l term, remain on the job through the l a s t day o f examinations every term, and give p r i o r i t y to t h is p o s itio n over a l l other areas o f a c t i v i t y with the exception of his academic work. The RA receives remuneration of room and board as payment fo r the services rendered. I . A ssist in the development o f the Hall Education/Social Program. I d e n t i f y academic and e x t r a - c u r r ic u l a r in te r e s ts of students. a. b. A ssist the student in ev alu atio n o f his in t e r e s ts and needs. c. D ire c t students to o ther in d iv id u a ls and programs re la te d to t h e i r in t e r e s t s . d. Provide the necessary support and encouragement o f a t h l e t i c , c u l t u r a l , social and academic events. I I . A s sist the student in in te g r a tin g his academic and e x t r a - c u r r ic u ­ l a r in te r e s t s . a. Help students id e n t if y t h e i r academic and e x t r a - c u r r ic u la r in te r e s ts . b. Express r a t io n a le f o r faculty/com m unity/student in te ra c tio n . c. F a c i l i t a t e co n tacts, make introductions and s tim u la te conver­ sation between students and the academic o f f i c e r s and fa c u lty members in the h all or complex. d. Be a resource person and r e f e r r a l agent fo r campus services th a t aid the students' fo llow -u p on help received by those students re f e r r e d . i n t e l l e c t u a l development. Conduct 174 I I I . F a c i l i t a t e stu d en t-to -stu d en t and s t u d e n t - to - s t a f f in t e r a c tio n . a. Develop and maintain an on-going r e la tio n s h ip w ith house r e s i ­ dents . b. A s s is t the house government in the encouragement o f house student gatherings. I n i t i a t e contacts, make in tro d u c tio n s, s tim u la te conversation among residents of a d jo in in g rooms and in the house. I n i t i a t e contact between students and o th e r s t a f f members. c. d. IV. Serve as a knowledgeable co n su ltant fo r house students concerning U n iv e rs ity supporting s e rv ic e s . a. Be a resource person and r e f e r r a l agent f o r u n iv e r s ity and corrmunity services such as the counseling c e n te r, health s e rv ic e s , housing and food service, student a c t i v i t i e s o f f i c e , fin a n c ia l aid o f f i c e , placement c e n te r , special s e r­ v ic e s , special c l i n i c s , and off-campus se rv ic e s . b. Be a resource person and r e f e r r a l agent f o r campus services t h a t aid the students * i n t e ll e c t u a l development. c. Be a resource person f o r u n iv e rs ity and community agencies able to a s s is t a student in evaluating his vocational s k i l l s and i n t e r e s t s . d. Conduct follow-up w ith the student fo r a l l these u n iv e r s ity and community services. V. A s sist the student in making and evaluating vocational decisions. a. I n i t i a t e contacts and s tim u la te conversation between students and in d iv id u a ls who may serve as a vocational standard ag a in st which the stu d en ts' own s k i l l s and in te r e s ts can be e v a lu a te d . b. Be a resource person f o r u n iv e rs ity and community agencies able to a s s is t the student in evaluating his vocational s k i l l s and in te r e s t s . V I. A s sist house government o f f i c e r s in developing a v ia b le govern­ mental system. a. A s s is t the house government in the encouragement of house student gatherings. b. Provide support and encouragement of a t h l e t i c , c u l t u r a l , s o c ia l, and academic even ts. c. Attend house o rg a n iz a tio n a l meetings. d. Attend house functions as appropriate. e. Support enforcement o f housing options designated such as lim ite d v i s i t a t i o n and quiet hours. in the house f . A s s is t house o ffic e r s by serving as a resource person con­ cerning program ideas, u n iv e r s ity p o lic ie s and procedures, a v a ila b le u n iv e rs ity and community resources, and other assistance as ap p ro priate. 175 V I I . A ssist students in se lec tin g l i v i n g options most s u ita b le to them. a. A ssist the student in e v a lu a tio n of his in te re s ts and needs. b. Assess w ith the student what he needs and/or wants in his environment; evaluate these w ith him in terms o f the r e a l i t i e s o f l i v i n g options. c. Know the l i v i n g options a v a ila b le in the u n iv e r s ity and the community and t h e ir im p lic a tio n s . d. Be a r e f e r r a l agent f o r those students needing a d d itio n a l assistance in th is area. e. Know the procedures f o r changing place o f residence. V I I I . Assist the student in his d e s ire f o r personal growth. a. Assess w ith the student his s k i l l s in communication and i n t e r ­ personal re la tio n s h ip s and help him e s ta b lis h o b je c tiv e s in these areas. b. Act as a r e f e r r a l agent f o r students d esirin g professional assistance in th is area. IX. Assist h all students, student government, and u n iv e r s it y agencies in in te r p r e tin g and insuring compliance w ith ru le s and re g u la­ tio n s . a. Encourage and a s s is t enforcement o f the housing option r e ­ s t r ic t i o n s as designated in the house, such as lim ite d v i s i t a ­ tio n hours and q u ie t hours. I n t e r p r e t , explain and help resolve c o n flic ts r e la te d to the Roommate B i l l o f Rights. In t e r p r e t and encourage the enforcement o f room fo ld e r p o lic ie s . b. c. d. Encourage and a s s is t house students in the enforcement of u n iv e r s ity and residence h a lls rules and re g u la tio n s by the residents and, as a l a s t r e s o r t , r e f e r v io la t o r s to the head advisor. e. Know channels f o r a d ju d ic a tio n o f house, h a ll and u n iv e rs ity r u le v io la t io n s . X. Assist the h a ll s t a f f in keeping h a ll f a c i l i t i e s fu n c tio n a l fo r the use o f re s id e n ts , present and fu tu re . a. b. c. In v e s tig a te house and room damage. In v e s tig a te public area damage. In t e r p r e t and encourage the enforcement o f room fo ld e r p o l i c i e s . 176 XI. Assist the h all manager in managerial areas o f re s p o n s ib ility . a. Conduct management surveys, e .g . end of term, vacation periods. b. Reconcile the housing l i s t with students a c tu a lly liv in g in the rooms. c. Provide access to storage f a c i l i t i e s f o r the house members' luggage. d. Support enforcement of u n iv e rs ity and residence hall p o lic ie s re lated to behavior in food service f a c i l i t i e s . e. Assist in the id e n t if ic a t io n o f non-residents who make un­ authorized use o f hall f a c i l i t i e s . X I I. P a rtic ip a te in the hall s t a f f e f f o r t s to upgrade resident a s s is t­ ant performance and personal growth. a. Attend preservice b. Attend in -s e rv ic e c. Attend h a l l - s t a f f meeting. d. Assist in the selection of new resident as sis ta n ts . tra in in g program sessions. tra in in g program sessions. APPENDIX C E xh ib it 1 E2 Form (Expectations) o f the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environ­ ment Scale E xhibit 2 R2 Form (Experienced Perceptions) o f the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale E xh ib it 3 U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale Subscale Description and Scoring Key f o r R2 Form E xh ib it 4 Cover L e tte r w ith In s tru c tio n s fo r E2 Form o f the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale, September 16, 1973 E xhibit 5 L e t t e r to Upperclassmen, September 19, 1973 E x h ib it 6 Cover L e tte r with In s tru c tio n s fo r R2 Form o f the U n iv e rs ity Residence Environment Scale, February, 1974 E xhibit 7 Follow-up L e t t e r to Upperclassmen and Freshmen, February 18, 1974 177 Form E2 (Expectations) REMINDER: Answer each statement True or False (mark T or F) according to what you expect w ill a c tu a lly happen on your f l o o r . Begin marking with question 3 on your answer sheet. 3. Most of the people on the f l o o r w ill know each other very w e ll. 4. People on the flo o r w ill be concerned with helping and supporting one another. 5. Behaving properly in social s itu atio n s w i l l not be considered important. 6. Most people w ill know and use the commonly accepted rules of social conduct. 7. The s t a f f w i l l decide whether and when the residents can have v is ito r s of the opposite sex in t h e ir rooms. 8 . People w i l l often be c r i t i c a l o f others on the f l o o r . 9. People w i l l t r y to act in ways th at w ill gain the approval o f others on the f l o o r . 10. Nearly everyone w i l l t r y to have a date on weekends. 17. Rules about social conduct w i l l sometimes be enforced by the s t a f f . 12. People on the flo o r w ill generally read a good deal of in t e lle c tu a l m aterial other than class assignments. 13. People w i l l not be very considerate o f the fee lin g s of others. 14. People on the flo o r w ill tend to f i t in with the way other people do things. 15. People w i l l tend to study long hours a t a s tre tc h . 16. People on the flo o r won't tr y to be more "cool" than others. 17. New approaches to things w i l l often be t r i e d . 18. The s t a f f w i l l decide who gets the single rooms. 19. People on the flo o r w ill t a lk a l o t about p o l i t i c a l and social issues. 20. People w i l l t e l l others about th e ir fee lin g s of se lf-d o u b t. 21. Floor finances w ill be handled in a p re tty loose fashion. 22. Students w il l enforce f lo o r ru le s . 178 KEY: Answer each statement True or False (mark T or F) according to what you expect w ill a c tu a lly happen on your f l o o r . 23. Innovation w i l l not be considered important. 24. People on the flo o r w i l l tend not to value ideas fo r th e ir own sake. 25. On the f l o o r people w i l l r a r e ly show a ffe c tio n f o r one another. 26. There w i l l be a good deal o f concern about in te lle c t u a l awareness on the f l o o r . 27. The s t a f f w il l usually se t an example of neatness and o rd e rlin e s s . 28. People w i l l t r y to appear more in t e lle c tu a l than others on the f l o o r . 29. People won't t r y to impress each other. 30. People w i l l hardly ever seem to be studying. 31. The people w i l l seem to be doing routine things most of the tim e. 32. The f l o o r o ffic e r s w ill function in a somewhat haphazard manner. 33. There w i l l be a fe e lin g o f unity and cohesion on the flo o r . 34. I t w ill be a rather apath etic f lo o r . 35. There w i l l be minimum o f planning and a maximum o f a c t’ on on the f lo o r . 36. People on the flo o r w i l l generally be p re tty interested in c u ltu ra l a c t i v i t i e s . 37. People w i l l tend to hide t h e i r feelin gs from one another. 38. People on the flo o r w il l o fte n do something together on weekends. 39. The jobs o f flo o r o ffic e r s w i l l not be c le a r ly defined. 40. Dating w i l l be important. 41. Having exchanges and p a rtie s w i l l be a high p r i o r i t y a c t i v i t y on the flo o r . 42. People who have lots o f dates w ill tend to l e t others on the f l o o r know. 43. Meetings and a c t i v i t i e s w i l l fo llow a p re tty regu lar schedule on the f lo o r . 44. Trying to understand the fe e lin g s o f others w i l l be considered im­ portant by most people on the flo o r . 179 KEY: Answer each statement True or False {mark T or F) according to what you expect w i l l a c t u a l ly happen on your f l o o r . 45. People w i l l p r e f e r to go on a date than do something w ith others in the residence. 46. In t e lle c t u a l one-up-manship w i l l be frowned upon. 47. The s t a f f w i l l have the l a s t say about student d is c ip lin e . 48. Very few things on the f lo o r w i l l arouse much excitement or i n t e r e s t . 49. Few people on the f l o o r w ill go on dates. 50. People w i l l tend to check on whether th e ir behavior is acceptable to others on the f l o o r . 51. There w i l l be many spontaneous social a c t i v i t i e s on the f l o o r . 52. Most people w i l l t e l l one another t h e i r personal problems. 53. There w i l l be a sense of p r e d i c t a b i l i t y about the f l o o r . 54. Most people w i l l plan a c t i v i t i e s o ther than studying fo r weekends. 55. Some people w i l l spend a l o t o f time preparing f o r dates. 56. People w il l p r e t t y much act and th in k f r e e l y w ithout too much regard f o r social o pinion. 57. Discussions w i l l fre q u e n tly turn in to verbal duels. 58. The students w i l l formulate almost a l l the r u le s . 59. People w i l l not be interested in up-holding social conventions. 60. Studies w i l l be secondary to most other a c t i v i t i e s . 61. People w i l l always seem to be competing fo r the highest grades. 62. Floor o f fic e r s w i l l be r e g u la r ly elected on the f l o o r . 63. Behaving c o r r e c t ly in public w i l l be p re tty unimportant on the f l o o r . 64. People w i l l consider other types o f social a c t i v i t i e s to be more important than d a tin g . 65. There w i l l be a strong f e e lin g o f belongingness on the f l o o r . 66. The students w i l l determine who t h e i r roommates w i l l be. 67. People w i l l work hard to get good grades. 180 KEY: Answer each statement True or False (mark T or F) according to what you expect w i l l a c t u a lly happen on your f l o o r . 68. People w i l l very r a r e ly discuss i n t e ll e c t u a l m atters. 69. The students w i l l determine the times when meals w i l l be served. 70. I t w i l l be a p r e t t y d is o rd e rly f l o o r . 71. Dating w i l l be a re cu rrin g to pic o f conversation. 72. Very few people w i l l p a r t ic ip a t e in f l o o r a c t i v i t i e s . 73. The students w i l l not take p a rt in s t a f f s e le c tio n . 74. Constantly developing new ways o f approaching l i f e w i l l be important on the f l o o r . 75. In the evening many people w i l l begin to study r i g h t a f t e r dinner. 76. There w i l l be a g reat deal o f confusion during f l o o r meetings. 77. Floor finances w i l l be handled e x c lu s iv e ly by students. 78. People on the f l o o r won't worry much about how they dress. 79. Discussions w i l l g e n e ra lly be q u ite i n t e l l e c t u a l . 80. Floor procedures w i l l be well es tab lis h e d . 81. I t w i l l sometimes be d i f f i c u l t to approach the f l o o r s t a f f w ith problems. 82. Most people w i l l have a strong sense o f lo y a lt y toward the f l o o r . 83. Being popular w ith the opposite sex w i l l not be very important. 84. The people on the f l o o r w i l l not have a g re a t deal o f i n t e ll e c t u a l c u r io s it y . 85. On the f l o o r people w i l l tend not to compete with each o th e r. 86. On the f l o o r people w i l l o fte n do unusual things. 87. Things w i l l r a r e ly " ju s t happen" on the f l o o r . 8 8. People w i l l be always try in g to win an argument. 89. People w i l l tend to r e l y on themselves when a problem comes up. 90. Most people w i l l consider studies as very important in c o lle g e . 91. People w i l l t r y to make others fe e l secure. 181 KEY: Answer eacli statement True or False (mark T or F) according to what you expect w i l l a c t u a lly happen on your f l o o r . 92. People who are "academic grinds" w i l l be looked on w ith amusement. 93. People won't o ften go out o f t h e i r way to be with one another. 94. There w i l l not be much a p p re ciatio n f o r c la s s ic a l music, a r t , l i t e r a t u r e , e tc . on the f l o o r , 95. Doing things in a d i f f e r e n t way w i l l be valued on the f l o o r . 96. There w i l l be a methodical q u a lit y about the f l o o r . 97. Floor a c t i v i t i e s w i l l be p r e tt y c a r e f u l l y planned. 98. People on the f l o o r won't l e t studies in t e r f e r e w ith the r e s t o f t h e i r l iv e s . On the back o f the answer sheet, there is space f o r comments. We would appreciate any general or s p e c ific comments you have about your expecta­ tions f o r where you w i l l be l i v i n g and/or Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . *C opyright, 1969, 1971 Marvin S. Gerst & Rudolf H. Moos 182 Form R2 (Experienced Perceptions) REMINDER: Answer each statement True or False (mark T or F on the answer sheet) according to how you see your f l o o r . 1. Most o f the people on th is f l o o r know each o ther very w e l l . 2. People here are concerned w ith helping and supporting one another. 3. Behaving p ro perly in social s itu a tio n s is not considered important here. 4. Most people here know and use the commonly accepted ru les o f social conduct. 5. The s t a f f here decide whether and when the re sid en ts can have v is it o r s o f the opposite sex in t h e i r rooms. 6 . The people here are often c r i t i c a l o f others on the f l o o r . 7. Around here people t r y to act in ways th a t w i l l gain the approval o f others on the f l o o r . 8 . Nearly everyone here t r i e s to have a date on weekends. 9. Rules about social conduct are sometimes enforced by the s t a f f . 10. The people on th is f l o o r g e n e ra lly read a good deal about i n t e l l e c ­ tu al m aterial o ther than class assignments. 11. People around here are not very considerate o f the fe e lin g s o f others. 12. People on the f l o o r tend to f i t in with the way other people do things here. 13. People around here tend to study long hours a t a s tre tc h . 14. On th is f l o o r people d o n 't t r y to be more "cool" than others. 15. New approaches to things are o fte n tr ie d here. 16. Around here the s t a f f decide who gets the s in g le rooms. 17. People around here t a l k a l o t about p o l i t i c a l and social issues. 18. People here t e l l others about t h e i r fe e lin g s o f s e lf-d o u b t. 19. Floor finances are handled in a p r e t t y loose fashio n. 20. Students enforce f l o o r ru les here. 21. Innovation is not considered important here. 183 22. Around here people tend not to value ideas fo r t h e ir own sake. 23. On th is f l o o r people r a r e ly show a ffe c tio n fo r one another. 24. There is a good deal of concern about in t e lle c t u a l awareness on th is f lo o r . 25. Around here the s t a f f usually sets an example of neatness and o rderliness. 26. People here t r y to appear more in t e lle c t u a l than others on the f l o o r . 27. People d o n 't t r y to impress each other here. 28. People around here hardly ever seem to be studying. 29. The people here seem to be doing ro u tin e things most o f the time. 30. The flo o r o ffic e r s function in a somewhat haphazard manner. 31. There is a fe e lin g of u n ity and cohesion here. 32. This is a ra th e r apathetic f l o o r . 33. Around here there is a minimum o f planning and a maximum o f a c tio n . 34. The people here are generally p re tty interested in c u ltu r a l a c t i v i ­ t i e s . 35. Around here people tend to hide th e ir fe e lin g s from one another. 36. People on the flo o r often do something together on weekends. 37. The jobs o f flo o r o f fic e r s are not c le a r ly defined. 38. On th is f lo o r dating is not important. 39. Having exchanges and p a rtie s is a high p r i o r i t y a c t i v i t y on th is f lo o r . 40. People who have lo ts o f dates tend to l e t others on the f lo o r know. 41. Meetings and a c t i v i t i e s fo llow a p re tty regu lar schedule on the f lo o r . 42. Trying to understand the fee lin g s o f others is considered important by most people on th is f lo o r . 43. On th is f lo o r people would ra th e r go on a date than do something with others in the residence. 44. In te lle c tu a l one-up-manship is frowned upon here. 45. The s t a f f here have the la s t say about student d is c ip lin e . 184 46. Very few things around here arouse much excitement or i n t e r e s t . 47. Few people on th is f l o o r go on dates. 48. People here tend to check on whether t h e i r behavior is acceptable to others on the f lo o r . 49. There are a l o t o f spontaneous social a c t i v i t i e s here. 50. Most people here t e l l one another t h e i r personal problems. 51. There is a sense of p r e d i c t a b i l i t y about th is f l o o r . 52. Most people plan a c t i v i t i e s other than studying fo r weekends. 53. Some people here spend a l o t o f time preparing fo r dates. 54. People here p r e tty much a c t and think f r e e l y without too much regard f o r social opinion. 55. Around here discussions fre q u e n tly turn in to verbal duels. 56. The students formulate almost a l l the ru le s here. 57. Around here people are not in te re sted in up-holding social conventions. 58. Around here studies are secondary to most a c t i v i t i e s . 59. People here always seem to be competing f o r the highest grades, 60. Floor o f f i c e r s are re g u la r ly elected in the house. 61. Behaving c o r r e c tly in public is p re tty unimportant on th is f l o o r . 62. People here consider o ther types o f social a c t i v i t i e s to be more important than d atin g . 63. On th is f l o o r there is a strong fe e lin g o f belongingness. 64. The students here determine who t h e i r roommates w i l l be. 65. People here work hard to get top grades. 66. People here very r a r e ly discuss in t e ll e c t u a l m atters. 67. The students here determine the times when meals w i l l be served. 68. This is a p r e t t y d is o rd e rly f l o o r . 69. Dating is a recu rrin g to pic of conversation around here. 70. Very few people here p a r t ic ip a t e in house a c t i v i t i e s . 71. The students do not take p a rt in s t a f f s e le c tio n . 185 72. Constantly developing new ways o f approaching l i f e is important here. 73. In the evening many people here begin to study r i g h t a f t e r d in n e r, 74. There is a g rea t deal o f confusion during f l o o r meetings. 75. Floor finances are handled e x c lu s iv e ly by students here. 76. People around here d o n 't worry much about how they dress, 77. Discussions around here are g e n e ra lly q u ite i n t e l l e c t u a l . 78. Flo or procedures here are w ell estab lished. 79. I t is sometimes d i f f i c u l t to approach the f l o o r s t a f f w ith problems. 80. Most people here have a strong sense of l o y a l t y toward the f l o o r . 81. Being popular w ith the opposite sex is not very important here. 82. The people on t h is f l o o r do not have a g rea t deal o f in t e ll e c t u a l c u r i o s i t y . 83. On t h is flo o r people tend not to compete w ith each o th e r. 84. On t h is flo o r people often do unusual th in gs. 85. Things r a r e ly " ju s t happen" around here. 86. People around here are always try in g to win an argument. 87. People here tend to r e ly on themselves when a problem comes up. 88. Most people here consider studies as very important in c o lle g e . 89. People here t r y to make others fe e l secure. 90. Around here people who are "academic grinds" are looked on w ith amusement. 91. People around here d o n 't often go out of t h e i r way to be with one another. 92. There is not much ap preciation here fo r c la s s ic a l music, a r t , l i t e r a t u r e , etc . 93. Doing things in a d i f f e r e n t way is valued around here. 94. There is a methodical q u a lit y about th is f l o o r . 95. Floor a c t i v i t i e s are p r e tty c a r e f u l l y planned here. 186 96. Around here people d o n 't l e t studies i n t e r f e r e with the r e s t o f t h e i r l iv e s . On the back o f the answer sheet, th ere is space fo r comments. We would appreciate any general o r s p e c ific comments you have about where you liv in g and/or Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . are *Copyright, 1969, 1971 Marvin S. Gerst & Rudolf H. Moos 187 UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE ENVIRONMENT SCALE (URES) Subscale Descriptions and Scoring Key Form R2 Interpersonal R e la tio n s h ip s : The emphasis on interpersonal r e l a t i o n ­ ships in the house. 1. Involvement (1 0 )a - Degree of commitment to the house and re s id e n ts ; amount o f social frie n d s h ip in the house. in te r a c tio n and f e e lin g o f 2. Emotional Support (10 ) - Extent o f m anifest concern f o r others in the house; e f f o r t s to aid one another with academic and personal problems; emphasis on open and honest communication. Personal Growth: Social pressure dimensions re la te d to the psycho- social development of re s id e n ts . 3. Independence (10) - D iv e r s ity o f re s id e n ts ' behaviors allowed w ith ou t social san ctio n s, versus s o c ia ll y proper and con­ fo rm is t behavior. 4. T ra d itio n a l Social O rie n ta tio n (9 ) - Stress on d a tin g , going to p a r t ie s , and o th e r " t r a d i t io n a l " heterosexual in te r a c tio n s . 5. Competition (9) - (This subscale is a bridge between the Per­ sonal Growth and which a wide v a r i e t y o f a c t i v i t i e s such as d a tin g , grades, e t c . , are cast in to a com petitive framework. I n t e l l e c t u a l Growth a r e a s .) The degree to In t e ll e c t u a l Growth: The emphasis placed on academic and i n t e ll e c t u a l a c t i v i t i e s re la te d to c o g n itiv e development o f re s id e n ts . 5. Competition - As above. 6 . Academic Achievement (9) - Extent to which s t r i c t l y classroom accomplishments and concerns are prominent in the house. 7. I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y (9 ) - Emphasis on c u l t u r a l , a r t i s t i c and other sc h o larly i n t e l l e c t u a l a c t i v i t i e s in the house, as distinguished from s t r i c t l y classroom achievement. 188 System Change and Maintenance: The degree o f s t a b i l i t y versus the p o s s ib ilit y fo r change of the house environment from a system perspec­ t iv e . 8 . Order and Organization (10) - Amount o f formal structure or organization ( e . g . , ru le s , schedules, following established procedures, e t c . ) in the house; neatness. 9. Innovation (10) - Organizational and individual spontaneity o f behaviors and ideas; number and v a r ie ty o f a c t i v i t i e s ; new a c t i v i t i e s . 10. Student Influence (10) - Extent to which student residents (not s t a f f or ad m inistration) perceive they control the running of the house; formulate and enforce the ru le s , control use o f the money, selection o f s t a f f , food, roommates, p o lic ie s , e tc . 189 URES Form R2 Scoring Key The follow ing l i s t is the scoring key f o r the U n iversity Residences Environment Scale, Form R2, An item lis te d as "true" is scored 1 point i f marked "true" by the individual taking the scale, and an item lis t e d as "false" score is simply the number o f items answered in the scored d ir e c tio n . is scored 1 point i f marked " fa ls e " . The to ta l subscale 1. Involvement: Degree o f commitment to the house and the amount of in te ra c tio n and fe e lin g of frien d sh ip in the house. social Item # 1 31 32 36 46 49 63 70 80 + + - + - + + - + Most of the people in th is house know each other very w e ll. There is a fe e lin g of u n ity and cohesion here. This is a ra th e r apathetic house. People in the house often do something together on week­ ends. Very few things around here arouse much excitement or in t e r e s t . There are a l o t of spontaneous social a c t i v i t i e s here. In th is house there is a strong fe e lin g of belongingness. Very few people here p a r tic ip a te in house a c t i v i t i e s . Most people here have a strong sense of lo y a lty toward the house. 91 - People around here d o n 't often go out of t h e i r way to be with one another. 2. Emotional Support: Extent o f manifest concern fo r others in the house; e f f o r t s to aid each other with academic and personal problems. Item # 2 + People here are concerned with helping and supporting one another. 6 11 - - The people here are often c r i t i c a l of others in the house. People around here are not very considerate of the feelin gs of others. 18 + People here t e l l others about t h e ir feelin gs of self-d o u b t. 190 Item # 23 35 - - In th is house people r a r e ly show a f fe c tio n f o r one another. Around here people tend to hide t h e i r fe e lin g s from one another. 42 + Trying to understand the f e e lin g s o f others important by most people in th is house. is considered 50 79 89 + - + Most people here t e l l one another t h e i r personal problems. I t is sometimes d i f f i c u l t to approach the house s t a f f with problems. People here t r y to make others fe e l secure. 3. Independence: ac tin g in d iverse ways w ithout social Independence o f thoughts and actions by in d iv id u a ls ; ..anction. 3 + Behaving properly in social s itu a tio n s is not considered important here. 4 7 12 48 - - - - Most people here know and use the commonly accepted rules o f social conduct. Around here people t r y to a c t in ways th a t w i l l gain the approval o f others in the house. People in the house tend to f i t in w ith the way other people do things here. People here tend to check on whether t h e ir behavior is acceptable to others in the house. 54 + People here p r e t t y much ac t and th in k f r e e l y w ith o u t too much regard f o r social opinion. 57 + Around here people are not in te re s te d in up-holding social conventions. 61 76 87 + + + Behaving c o r r e c tly in public is p r e t t y unimportant in th is house. People around here d o n 't worry much about how they dress. People here tend to r e l y on themselves when a problem comes up. 191 4. T ra d itio n a l Social O r ie n ta t io n : Stress on d a tin g , going to p a r t ie s , and o th e r " t r a d i t io n a l " heterosexual in te ra c tio n s . Item # 8 47 38 39 43 53 62 69 81 + - - + + + - - Nearly everyone here t r i e s to have a date on weekends. Few people in th is house go on dates. In th is house dating is not important. Having exchanges and p a rtie s th is house. is a high p r i o r i t y a c t i v i t y in In th is house people would r a th e r go on a date than do something w ith others in the residence. Some people here spend a l o t o f time preparing fo r dates. People here consider other types o f social a c t i v i t i e s to be more important than d atin g . Dating is a re cu rrin g topic o f conversation around here. Being popular with the opposite sex is not very important here. 5. Com petition: Competing with one another fo r grades, d a te s , status of any s o r t. The casting o f many a c t i v i t i e s into a com petitive frame­ work. 14 26 27 40 44 55 59 83 86 + - + - + + - + In th is house people d o n 't t r y to be more "cool" than others. People here t r y to appear more i n t e lle c t u a l than others in the house. People d o n 't t r y to impress each other here. People who have lo ts o f dates tend to l e t others in the house know. In t e ll e c t u a l one-up-manship is frowned upon here. Around here discussions fre q u e n tly turn in to verbal duels. People always seem to be competing fo r the highest grades. In th is house people tend not to compete w ith each o th e r. People around here are always try in g to win an argument. 192 6. Academic Achievement: Extent to which s t r i c t l y classroom achievement and concern are prominent in the house. from i n t e l l e c t u a l i t y . ) (This is d if f e r e n t ia t e d Item # 13 28 52 58 65 73 88 90 96 + - - - + + + - - People around here tend to study long hours a t a s tre tc h . People around here hardly ever seem to be studying. Most people plan a c t i v i t i e s other than studying f o r week­ ends. Around here studies are secondary to most other a c t i v i t i e s . People here work hard to get top grades. In the evening many people here begin to study r i g h t a f t e r dinner. Most people here consider studies as very important in col lege. Around here people who are "academic grinds" are looked on w ith amusement. Around here people d o n 't l e t studies in te rfe r e w ith the r e s t o f t h e ir 1ives. 7. I n t e l l e c t u a l i t y : Extent to which s c h o la rly , in te lle c tu a l and c u ltu ra l a c t i v i t i e s and in terests are manifest in the house (as distinguished from s t r i c t l y academic emphasis on grades, studying, e t c . ) 10 17 22 24 34 66 77 82 + + - + + - + - The people in th is house g en erally read a good deal about in t e lle c t u a l m aterial other than class assignments. People around here t a l k a l o t about p o l i t i c a l and social issues. Around here people tend not to value ideas fo r t h e i r own sake. There is a good deal of concern about in te lle c tu a l awareness in th is house. The people here are generally p r e tty interested in c u ltu ra l a c t i v i t i e s . People here very r a r e ly discuss in t e lle c t u a l matters. Discussions around here are g e n e ra lly quite i n t e l l e c t u a l . The people in th is house do not have a great deal of in t e lle c t u a l c u r io s it y . 193 Item # 92 - There is not much appreciation here fo r classical music, a r t , l i t e r a t u r e , e tc . 8 . Order and O rganization: Amount o f formal structure or organization in the dorm; neatness. 19 25 30 37 41 60 68 74 - + - - + + - - House finances are handled in a p r e tty loose fashio n. Around here the s t a f f usually sets an example o f neatness and ord erliness. The house o ffic e r s function in a somewhat haphazard manner. The jobs of house o f f ic e r s are not c le a r ly defined. Meetings and a c t i v i t i e s follow a p re tty regular schedule in the house. House o f fic e r s are re g u la rly elected in the house. This is a p retty d is o rd e rly house. There is a great deal o f confusion during dorm meetings. 78 + House procedures here are well established. 95 + House a c t i v i t i e s are p re tty c a r e f u lly planned here. 9. Innovation: Number and v a rie ty of new and spontaneous a c t i v i t i e s ideas and ways o f organization. 15 + New approaches to things are often t r ie d here. 21 - Innovation is not considered important here. 29 - The people here seem to be doing ro u tin e things most of the time. 33 + Around here there is a minimum o f planning and a maximum of a c tio n . 51 - There is a sense o f p r e d i c t a b i l it y about this house. 72 + 84 85 93 94 + - + - Constantly developing new ways of approaching l i f e is important here. In th is house people o ften do unusual things. Things r a r e ly " ju s t happen" around here. Doing things in a d i f f e r e n t way is valued around here. There is a methodical q u a lity about th is house. 194 10. Student In flu e n c e : Extent to which the students (not s t a f f or a d m in is tra tio n ) control the running of the dorm, r u le form ulation and enforcement, control o f money, s t a f f , food, rooming, p o lic ie s , e tc . Item # 5 - 9 - 16 20 45 56 64 67 71 75 - + - + + + - + The s t a f f here decide whether and when the residents can have v i s it o r s o f the opposite sex in t h e i r rooms. Rules about social conduct are sometimes enforced by the s t a f f . Around here the s t a f f decide who gets the sin gle rooms. Students enforce house ru les here. The s t a f f here have the l a s t say about student d is c i p li n e . The students form ulate almost a l l the ru le s here. The students here determine who t h e i r roommates w i l l be. The students here determine the times when meals w ill be served. The students do not take p art in s t a f f s e le c tio n . House finances are handled e x c lu s iv e ly by students here. 195 UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE ENVIRONMENT SCALE* (Form E2) This questionnaire asks about your expectations o f the psychological ''atmosphere" or "clim ate" o f your residence h a l l . You may have already thought about what your Hubbard Hall experience w i l l probably be l i k e and i t is these expectations th a t we would l i k e to understand b e t t e r . With th is information we v7FlY be b e tte r able to plan programs and make changes to meet those expectations. Thank you fo r your cooperation. Please complete the follow ing inform ation before you begin the question­ n a ire : A. On the enclosed answer sh eet, p r i n t in the a p p ro p ria te boxes your name, student number, and the d a t e . Then mark the corresponding l e t t e r s or numbers below the box o f each l e t t e r or number you p rin te d . B. In the boxes under COURSE, p r i n t your f l o o r number. Example: i f you are assigned to the 9th f l o o r 1 01Qi9i ~i l a s t two l e t t e r boxes empty. Then mark the corresponding numbers below the box o f each number you p rin te d . i Leave the C. Complete the appropriate inform ation under SEX (M or F ) , TERM ( F a ) , and FORM ( 1 ) . D. Now use the f i r s t two questions to mark the fo llo w in g informa­ tio n about y o u rs e lf: N otice th a t the numbers on the answer sheet read from l e f t to r i g h t . 1. Class standing: A. Freshman B. Sophomore C. E. Graduate Junior D. Senior 2. Are you a: A. Student B. Resident A ssistant C. Graduate A ssistant D. M in o rity Aide E. F u ll-tim e S t a f f On the follow ing pages o f th is q uestionnaire there are a number o f s t a t e ­ ments about U n iv e rs ity residences. Please decide f o r each item whether you expect th a t i t w i l l be mostly True or mostly False f o r your f l o o r . Then mark T or F on the answer sheet next to the number which c o rre ­ sponds to the number o f the statement. Please answer every statement; do not leave any blank. Please use the pencils provided f o r your responses and erase completely any changed responses. 196 Some o f the statements make the d is t in c t i o n between " s t a f f " and "students." For these items, " S ta f f " are f a c u l t y , a d m in is tra tiv e personnel, graduate or undergraduate a s sis tan ts l i v i n g in the h a l l . "Students" are a l l o ther student residents l i v i n g in the h a l l . On the back of the answer sheet th ere is space f o r comments. We would appreciate any general o r s p e c ific comments you have about your expecta­ tions f o r where you w i l l be l i v i n g and/or about Michigan S tate Univer­ s i t y . Thank you, Richard McKinnon, D ire c to r Hubbard Hall 197 September 19, 1973 As an upperclassman in Hubbard H a l l , you probably alrea d y have some idea o f what to expect from l i v i n g here. To help us plan programs and environments to meet your exp ectation s, the fo llo w in g question­ naire has been prepared. Since you, as an upperclassman, w i l l help determine what w i l l happen on the f l o o r , know what you expect from your experience here. i t is im portant fo r us to W ill you help? We need to know i f your expectations are d i f f e r e n t from the freshmen and new students who have already completed the q uestionnaire. A fte r you complete the q u e s tio n n a ire , please re tu rn both the answer sheet and the questions to the Hubbard reception desk. Thank you f o r your cooperation and assistance. please c a ll me a t 3-3466. I f you have any questions or comments, S in c e re ly , Richard D. McKinnon D ire c to r, Hubbard Hall 198 February, 1974 Dear Early l a s t f a l l you completed a questionnaire dealing w ith what you expected from l iv i n g in Hubbard H a ll. Now t h a t you have liv e d here fo r fo ur months, we would l i k e to know how you see the psychologi­ cal "atmosphere" or "climate" o f your f l o o r . We w i l l then compare your e a r l i e r expectations w ith present r e a l i t y . We are p a r t i c u l a r ly interested advisory s t a f f , the freshmen, and the upperclassmen. i f any, among the perceptions of the in the d iffe r e n c e s , Since you helped l a s t f a l l , i t is e s p e c ia lly important to complete the questionnaire again. o f the questions seem funny, but i t i s n ' t possible to change them a t th is time. On the back o f the answer sheet th e re is space f o r comments. I would ap p reciate any general o r s p e c ific comments you have about your perceptions o f where you l i v e and/or about Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . I know from your e a r l i e r comments th a t some Thank you fo r your cooperation. This inform ation w i l l help us evaluate the l iv i n g environment here in Hubbard, as well as helping me to complete the research part o f my d is s e r ta tio n . INSTRUCTIONS: On the enclosed answer sh e et, p r i n t in the appro­ p r ia t e boxes your name and student number. Then mark the c o r­ responding l e t t e r s or numbers below the box o f each l e t t e r or number you p rin te d . On the fo llo w in g pages o f t h is q u e stio n n aire , th ere are a number o f statements about U n iv e rs ity residences. Please decide f o r each item whether the statement is mostly TRUE o r mostly FALSE f o r your f l o o r . Then mark "T" or "F" on the answer sheet next to the number which corresponds to the number o f the statem ent. Please answer every statement; do not leave any blank. Please use a pencil fo r your responses and erase completely any changed responses. Some o f the statements make the d is t in c t i o n between " s t a f f " and "students". For these item s, " S ta ff" are f a c u l t y , a d m in is tra tiv e personnel, graduate or undergraduate a s s is ta n ts l i v i n g in the h a l l . "Students" are a l l other student residents l iv i n g in the h a l l . Please re tu rn the completed answer sheet to your R.A. or to the reception desk by Wednesday, February 13th. re s u lts of the f i r s t q u e stio n n aire , please c a ll 3-8465 and w e 'll set a time to t a l k . I f you want to see the Thank you very much, Richard D. McKinnon, D ire c to r Hubbard Hall 199 February 18, 1974 Dear Last week you received a q uestionnaire regarding your perceptions o f l i f e in Hubbard H a ll* naire and re tu rn i t to the reception desk. only from those who answered i t l a s t f a l l . perceptions of the s t a f f , new students, and re tu rn in g students. I t is important th a t you complete the q u estio n ­ I am t r y in g to get responses I w i l l be comparing the Without your support i t w ill not be possible to complete the study. I am including another answer sheet with th is l e t t e r f o r your use. I f you have misplaced your q u e stio n n aire , please p ick up a copy a t the reception desk. Return both the answer sheet and the q uestionnaire to the reception desk. Thank you very much, Richard D. McKinnon PS Answer sheets w ithout names and student numbers are unusable. Please remember to include yours.