A comparative study of undergraduate student and professionally trained head resident effectiveness at selected universities

The thesis of this investigation was that in light of several contemporary pressures (e.g., budget) the utilization of undergraduate student Head Residents may be a feasible alternative to the professionally trained Head Resident staffing approach that colleges and universities should consider. Three medium sized, state supported universities (Institutions A, B, and C) participated in the study. To explore the study's thesis, the effectiveness of undergraduate student Head Residents at Institution A was compared with that of professionally trained (Master's level) Head Residents at Institutions Band C. Effectiveness was measured by the frequency with which Head Residents at each participating institution were perceived by Resident Advisors (RA's) and Student Personnel Administrators (SPA's) as displaying typical Head Resident behaviors. A specially designed instrument containing fifty-eight items of a "person-management" oriented nature was used. All were mailed a copy of the instrument and asked to indicate on a Likert scale the frequency with which they perceived their Head Resident displaying each behavior. Selected SPA's at each institution were mailed two copies of the instrument, one to evaluate male Head Residents as a group and the other to evaluate female Head Residents as a group at their respective institutions. A factor analysis on the RA responses was pursued and five dimensions were identified. These were named the Empathy/Sensitivity, Programming/Activities, Disciplinary, Formal Leadership, and Facilities Management dimensions. ANOVA on mean ratings were used to answer several research questions related to comparative undergraduate student and professionally trained Head Resident effectiveness. The major findings of the study were the following: (a) Undergraduate students were perceived by RA's as being less effective than professionally trained personnel (.01) only in the frequency with which they displayed behaviors related to the Programming/Activities role; (b) Whereas undergraduate student males were perceived by their RA's as performing Disciplinary related behaviors more effectively (.01) than undergraduate student females, when compared with undergraduate student males the undergraduate student females were perceived as being more effective (.01) on the Empathy/Sensitivity and Programming/ Activities dimensions and as displaying person oriented behaviors more frequently (.01); (c) Professionally trained personnel were perceived by SPA's as more frequently displaying person oriented (.01) and management oriented (.01) behaviors than undergraduate student males; (d) SPA's perceived undergraduate student females as displaying person oriented functions more frequently (.01) than undergraduate student males. Among conclusions drawn from the study's findings was that professionally trained personnel are more balanced in effectiveness in the Head Resident role than undergraduate students. As perceived by RA's professionally trained males and females did not differ in effectiveness on the several dimensions analyzed. On the other hand, when the effectiveness of undergraduate student males and undergraduate student females were compared, the males were perceived by RA's as displaying "male type" behaviors (high on the Disciplinary dimension) more frequently and the females were perceived as displaying "female type" behaviors (high on Empathy/Sensitivity dimension) more frequently. Substantial differences ($100,000-$300,000) in annual institutional expenditure for Head Resident staff implied strongly that additional evaluation of the various approaches to Head Resident staffing is crucial.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Counseling and Student Personnel

Department dc:contributor.department

Counseling and Student Personnel

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1974

Author dc:creator

• Yost, Michael William

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-05192010-020314

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/37837