Perception Of University Environment Research Articles

Indian American undergraduates’ attitudes toward seeking mental health services: the mediating role of model minority myth internalization and perception of university environment

Objective: Using a psychosociocultural framework, the study explored the relationship between Indian American undergraduates’ internalized attitudes of the model minority myth (MMM) and their attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Participants: A total of 205 undergraduates (108 females, 96 males, 1 non-binary) who were primarily upper division students (77 lower division [first years/sophomores] and 128 upper division [juniors/seniors]) from across the U.S. participated in this study. Method: Students completed an online study of five standardized scales. Results: Hierarchical regression analysis indicated the psychological, social, and cultural constructs collectively accounted toward attitudes toward seeking mental health services. MMM internalization and environmental factors also acted as mediating variables toward different help seeking subscales. Conclusions: The study’s findings deepen the understanding of Indian American attitudes toward seeking mental health services, with directives for future research and student services discussed.

The Use of University Services and Student Retention: Differential Links for Student Service Members or Veterans and Civilian Students

Grounded in research and theory on college student retention, this study assessed differences in the use of various university services and the influence of key personnel on retention-related outcomes of student service members or veterans (SSM/Vs) compared with civilian students. Participants included 386 students, 199 (154 male, 45 female) of which were SSM/Vs and 187 (87 male, 100 female) were civilian students. Data were collected via electronic survey. Analyses revealed that civilian students visited advisors and faculty more frequently than SSM/Vs; no differences were evident for visits to registrars’ offices, financial aid offices, or student organizations. Visits to advisors and faculty were positively related to SSM/Vs’ expectations for degree completion and perception of university environment, yet unrelated to civilian students’ outcomes. Overall, this work suggests that university officials should invest in educating the personnel who are most influential in SSM/Vs outcomes about the unique needs of student veterans.

Using Academics' Perceptions of University Environment to Distinguish between Australian Universities

This paper reports a discriminant analysis of Australian universities using academics' perceptions of their university-level environment. A sample of 514 academics from 52 departments in 26 publicly funded universities responded to the University-Level Environment Questionnaire, which assesses academic's perceptions of seven dimensions of institutional environment (viz. Academic Freedom, Concern for Undergraduate Learning, Concern for Research and Scholarship, Empowerment, Affiliation, Mission Consensus and Work Pressure). Discriminant analysis revealed that the four university types were separated by the first discriminant function, with long-established universities separated widely from new universities. Concern for Research and Scholarship was the major discriminating variable, with Academic Freedom a minor discriminating variable. The study suggests that new universities must improve their level of research and scholarship if they are to become more like other Australian universities.