Influence of selected personal, psychological, and institutional factors on involvement of community college faculty and counselors in service to the college and to the community

This study sought to challenge Maslow’s (1954, 1968, 1971) proposition that altruism develops within individuals as they move toward self-actualization. Involvement was the operational definition of altruism used in the study. A national sample of 369 community college faculty and counselors completed the Personal Orientation Inventory and the Community College Involvement Survey (CCIS). The dependent variable involvement was regressed on seventeen personal, psychological, and institutional independent variables using a stepwise regression procedure. Spontaneity, number of years employed, degree status, and race positively influenced involvement, whereas, the discipline areas of math/science and health/allied health had overall negative effects on involvement. Maslow’s proposition obtained minimal support as just one of twelve constructs used to measure self-actualization (spontaneity), was found to predict altruism. A factor analysis procedure conducted on the responses of the CCIS identified ten discrete factors. Each factor revealed an individual pattern of involvement that two-year college faculty and counselors display on campus and within the community. These include: National Activists, Reclusive Colleagues, Faculty Leaders, Student Advocates, Campus Innovators, Campus Excellers, Local Activists, Professional Affiliates, Scholarly Achievers, and Service Volunteers. A second stepwise regression procedure identified ten independent variables as Significant predictors for eight of these factors. Age, gender, race, discipline, number of dependents, years employed, degree, collective bargaining, and job satisfaction, were all useful in explaining variance for individual factors. The findings are useful for understanding work patterns of community college faculty and counselors and subsequent benefits to the institution.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Community College Education

Department dc:contributor.department

Community College Education

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1993

Author dc:creator

• Stolar, Steven M.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Creamer, Don G.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Cross, Landrum L.
• Harvey, Robert J.
• Koball, Elizabeth H.
• Morgan, Samuel D.

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-06072006-124200

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/38551