Student Affairs Staff Research Articles

Dampak Kebijakan Tata Tertib Sekolah Terhadap Perilaku Siswa

This research aims to explore the impact of school regulations on student discipline using a qualitative method with a case study approach. Data were collected through observations and interviews with students and teachers. The results indicate that school regulations play a central role in shaping student discipline, providing a framework for behavior and clear consequences. Teachers and student affairs staff play a significant role in enforcing rules with fair sanctions. Intracurricular and extracurricular activities help maintain order and provide positive experiences. However, the positive impact is also balanced with attention to negative effects, such as feelings of restraint. Students' awareness of rule consequences is acknowledged as a crucial element in shaping character and self-discipline, an essential perspective in preparing students for the future. In conclusion, the implementation of school regulations at MA NWDI Pancor has a central role in creating an effective learning environment and shaping positive student behavior. Keywords: Student Behavior, School Regulations.

Disrupting Student Affairs Staff Departure: Examining Needed Changes to the Field of Student Affairs to Attract and Retain a Diverse Workforce

Abstract: The field of student affairs has seen an exodus of staff members over the past few years. Employee attrition, however, is not a new problem in student affairs. This grounded theory study aimed to understand why student affairs professionals leave the field. Based on interviews with student affairs professionals who left the field between March 2020 and March 2022, we developed a departure model that describes participants' experiences from their interest in and socialization into the field to their departure. Our model highlights how the conflicts between personal life, values, and approach to work and institutional policies, practices, and leadership rooted in white supremacy decreased participants' commitment to staying in the field over time. While our model focuses on departure, it also points to opportunities for disrupting current practices and transforming the working conditions in the field to attract and retain a diverse staff of student affairs professionals. In sharing implications, we take a both/and approach, highlighting how we can disrupt white supremacy culture and decolonize higher education and how we can foster student affairs professionals' ability to navigate the current cultural norms and environments.

Research on the Dilemmas and Countermeasures of the Construction of Student Affairs Staff in Private Vocational Colleges

Research on the Dilemmas and Countermeasures of the Construction of Student Affairs Staff in Private Vocational Colleges

Coaching program sets struggling students up for success

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. According to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University, 20% of first‐year students find themselves on academic probation and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, lose their financial aid, and thus have to leave the institution. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. Also, about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Coaching program sets struggling students up for success

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. Knowing that 20% of first‐year students find themselves on academic probation, and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, so they lose their financial aid and have to leave the institution, according to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. Also, about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Coaching program sets struggling students up for success

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. Knowing that 20% of first year students find themselves on academic probation, and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, and so they lose their financial aid and have to leave the institution, according to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. And about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

AGE-INCLUSIVE PRINCIPLES ON CAMPUS: EMBRACING DIVERSITY ACROSS THE LIFESPAN

Abstract In this poster, researchers based at a Mid-Atlantic university campus provide an understanding of their evaluative steps informing an adaptation of the Diversity Circles program to include a multigenerational component, supporting diversity across the lifespan. Project methods and analysis have been informed by critical theoretical frameworks, including feminist gerontology, that illuminate the invisibility of age, even in the context of intersectional work. Pilot feedback from five participants from a condensed program in an Adult Development and Aging course informed the interview approach. Post-program semi-structured interviews, with program participants, including students and older adults (n=7), and community stakeholders (n=18), provided feedback on diversity needs at the campus and in the surrounding community, as well as on program content and experience and opportunity for further curriculum integration of concepts of age-friendliness, ageism, and age-awareness. Stakeholders interviewed included community practicum liaisons, university advising and student affairs staff, faculty and staff previously engaging in diversity-related activities, university administrators, university personnel attending to enrollment matters, and staff and faculty interested in student-centered curriculum design. Semi-structured interviews were chosen for data collection because of their capacity to provide saturated data from a small, purposeful sample. Focused codes emergent from the interviews included both a) suggestions for curriculum adaptation and modification as well as the value of existing content and b) issues of age-friendliness and ageism more generally. The research team looks toward incorporating suggestions within their findings in an expansion of the program on their campus, and disseminating findings for the benefit of other campuses’ programs.

Certification as a Mechanism to Build Public Trust for the Profession

Certification as a Mechanism to Build Public Trust for the Profession Tamika N. Smith (bio) and Danielle M. DeSawal (bio) The Student Personnel Point of View monograph, published in 1937, served as a national call for institutions to be attentive to individualizing student experiences and needs. Since that time, those serving in these roles have worked to establish student affairs as a profession. While documents internal to the field reference student affairs as a profession (see The Compass Report [2022] and Envisioning the Future of Student Affairs [2010]), we continue to see a struggle within higher education, broadly, to recognize what is and is not a student affairs role on a collegiate campus. Furthermore, the process of assessing and defining the skills, competencies, and dispositions required for those roles is not agreed upon across campus environments. Bloland (1992) concluded that student affairs is not a profession, and professionals should consider themselves to be “essentially an administrative convenience linked by an allegiance to a common philosophical perspective on its work . . . in which it is practiced, i.e., college students in the out-of-class setting” (p. 5). This sentiment is apparent in looking at how requirements for positions across a range of functional areas within student affairs (e.g., residence life, career counseling, academic advising, residence life, student life) are written. That is, they often include administrative tasks that human resources departments have outlined for all non-academic personnel at the institution. This lack of distinction sets up an understanding on campus that a focus on administrative tasks in student affairs roles does not require specialized training where the individual would demonstrate specific skills, competencies, and dispositions. Additionally, the educational requirements for such positions vary and often list multiple possible degrees as an option (e.g., counseling, social work, specific academic disciplines for academic advising, educational policy). As a result, student affairs staff members continue to struggle with convincing their collegiate colleagues that they are part of a distinct profession. Recognizing student affairs as a profession requires more than making statements through internal guiding documents for the field. In this article, we address the establishment of certification for student affairs educators as the appropriate next step for the profession. CERTIFICATION AS THE NEXT STEP Discussions surrounding the need for and implications of certification as a next step for the profession have been occurring within student affairs professional associations for decades. [End Page 712] Throughout these discussions, the tensions surrounding the purpose, role, and implications have been critical to thinking about when/if this move is appropriate. In a study focused on intentional professional development among student affairs professionals, Janosik et al. (2006) found that 87% of the respondents supported a voluntary certification program. In 2012, ACPA announced an implementation team for credentialing individuals in student affairs (Tyrell & Levine, 2012). The announcement created a controversial response (Grasgreen, 2012) and highlighted that certification discussions were happening simultaneously throughout specific functional areas in the field. The multiple task forces created and the discussions that followed did not yield a consensus on how to move forward with certification. While the earlier attempts to establish a certification for the profession did not yield any results, they provided critical conversations that informed the establishment of the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification. So how did it happen? In 2019, NASPA distributed a survey to 8,700 members to identify whether certification, at this time, was the next step for the profession. The survey yielded similar findings to the 2006 study by Janosik and colleagues: Professionals identified that voluntary certification would be beneficial; provide pathways for advancement; and establish standards for knowledge, skills, and experiences. To learn more about the readiness of the profession to move forward on this initiative, 27 focus groups (including chief student affairs officers, new and mid-level professionals, and faculty) were conducted. The findings continued to support the move toward establishing a voluntary certification program. In July 2019, the NASPA Board reviewed the data and approved the development of a collaborative initiative to create a voluntary certification program. At that stage, the process shifted from a single association guiding the process to a collaborative effort of nine associations. A psychometrics and evolution...

How Staff Matter to Students: Examining Students’ Experiences in Student Affairs Contexts

Although the literature is extensive on students’ experiences within student affairs offices, programs, and functional areas, less attention has been given to students’ interactions with student affairs staff members. In this qualitative study, staff interactions are assessed in an exploration of students’ experiences within the student affairs contexts. Findings reveal that students attribute different benefits to their interactions with staff (e.g., staff availability) compared with their experiences with offices, programs, and functional areas (e.g., skill and professional development).

Integrated Holistic Student Affairs: A Personalized, Equitable, Student-Centered Approach to Student Affairs.

Medical education has reached a critical juncture-the structural racism that has permeated the fabric of its systems and institutions for centuries can no longer be ignored. The destructive, disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and unabated violence targeting individuals who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) exact an incalculable toll on BIPOC students and students from other groups that are historically underrepresented in medicine (UIM). Failing to recognize and act on the well-documented differential experience of BIPOC medical students impedes medical educators' ability to cultivate learning environments where all learners have an equitable opportunity to thrive. Holistic review admission processes, now widely accepted, have challenged admissions committees to consider the "whole applicant" to diversify matriculating classes. While gaining admission is critical, it is merely the first step for BIPOC students, who may face marginalization within what the authors have termed a "sink-or-swim" culture in medical education. For the tremendous potential afforded by holistic review to be realized, the medical education community must extend the holistic approach throughout the medical education continuum, beginning with student affairs practices and support. The authors propose the use of Integrated Holistic Student Affairs (IHSA), a systems-based model that fosters the reexamining and reengineering of existing student affairs structures, policies, and processes to promote a personalized, equitable student-centered approach. The IHSA Model consists of 4 strategic actions-establish vertical and horizontal collaboration, conduct systems thinking analysis, target leverage points for change, and operationalize the change process-and 4 areas of priority for collaboration with student diversity affairs staff and faculty. The IHSA Model provides student affairs staff and faculty with a framework for shifting from reactive, deficit-oriented practices to proactive, empowering, equitable practices, with the goal of allowing BIPOC and all other UIM students to thrive during their journey from matriculation to graduation.

Student Leadership Competencies Development During the Covid-19 Pandemic for Higher Learning Institution

This research's primary goal was to understand attributes for developing student leadership competencies that emerged following the covid-19 pandemic. This study employed a qualitative approach. Throughout various methods applied in this research occurred due to the combination within interview sessions, focus group interviews, documentation review, and casual talks with a group of current and previous student leaders. The findings indicate that several attributes influence the development of student leadership competencies: 1) Emotional intelligence, self-belief, confidence, and responsiveness are all individual characteristics.; 2) Academic activities, student and faculty interactions, peer interactions, and leadership positions in the group and student organisations are all examples of student experiences and involvement.; and 3) Institutional constraints, such as financial constraints. The study's conclusions guide practitioners such as student affairs staff, academics, and the higher learning ministry regarding the best strategies for training future leaders to lead effectively during and after a pandemic

Curriculum Improvement Plans based on Satisfaction Survey with Chinese Education Consumers in graduate programs in Arts, Music and Physical Education: A Case Study of ‘A’ University

The purpose of this study is to establish improved curriculum and operation policy for Chinese education consumers by investigating and analyzing the performance of Chinese students in Korea enrolled in graduate programs in arts and physical education. To this end, a focus group interview and a questionnaire survey were conducted with Chinese students and international student affairs staff at ‘A’ University located in a metropolitan area. Analysis research was conducted based on both interview and survey results. Research findings and their implications are as follows: First, student satisfaction for major practical courses was found to be high in terms of their qualitative and quantitative aspects. Thus, other courses and theory courses need to be improved by considering the basic academic skills and Korean language ability of Chinese students. Second, thesis-related research results indicated that Chinese students are not effectively performing thesis writing despite their high awareness of the necessity and importance of writing a thesis. Thus, thesis-related courses should be operated after identifying the problems Chinese students have. Third, investigation on interactions showed that Chinese students have positive and active interactions with professors teaching major practical courses, reflecting the central role of practice in arts and physical education. Thus, efforts should be made to expand Chinese students’ interactions with and understanding of Korean students besides strengthening the role of professors as mentors. Fourth, since research results showed low satisfaction for graduate school operation and its educational environment, it is necessary to build an educational environment conforming to the uniqueness and professionalism of arts and physical education by improving and expanding the practice room environment. In conclusion, a comprehensive approach reflecting the uniqueness and professionalism of arts and physical education should be taken in building educational infrastructure and environment and designing and operating classes for Chinese education consumers. The characteristics of each major and its members must be considered as well to present specific plans in greater detail.

Learning from the Mediators: How Student Affairs Staff at Christian Colleges Combine Care and Conviction in Their Responses to LGBTQ+ Students

The relationship between faith-based institutions and students who identify as LGBTQ+ has attracted considerable attention of late. Most of this scholarly attention, however, has focused upon the students themselves. In this article, we examine the contemporary experience of 371 student affairs leaders (SALs) who serve as the primary mediators between the desires and demands of LGBTQ+ advocates, scholars, and students, and the policies of current administrators. This article reports on previously unexplored data from a larger grounded theory study on Christ-enlivened student affairs to answer the research question: How do SALs at Christian universities approach LGBTQ+ students in light of the Christian mission of their institutions? Data were collected using a qualitative questionnaire of 301 SALs, as well as extended interviews with 70 SALs. Participants’ moral/theological responses included a collection of Christian virtues and rules. They indicated a range of helpful practices—including how they handled campus groups—but generally agreed on the dearth of training and education they had received on the topic. In our discussion, we compare our findings to the recommendations of previous scholars before elaborating our own list of recommendations. Our suggestions for Christian campuses include a re-imagined policy statement, a commitment to education rather than training, a focus on the spiritual needs of students, and some recommendations for LGBTQ+ campus groups.

Factors Influencing Optimism for Degree Attainment in Latino First-Generation College Students

Latino first-generation college students face a unique set of challenges that are not part of the college experience of their non-first-generation counterparts. Nonetheless, many Latinos remain optimistic about overcoming barriers that might impede their educational pursuits. The present study was aimed at exploring factors that contribute to Latino students’ positive expectations for degree attainment. Utilizing data from a large online survey administered at a four-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), we found that competency beliefs and persistent determination to overcome challenges significantly influences students’ optimism. In addition, strong connections with institutional agents (largely, faculty and student affairs staff) emerged as significant contributing factors. Students who reported having close relationships with their parents also reported a greater degree of optimism about postsecondary success. Implications for programs and services to improve the college experiences of Latino first-generation student, enhance optimism, and increase retention are discussed.

Managing Student Suicidality on Campus: Perspectives from Diverse Student Affairs Staff.

Suicidal behavior is a substantial public health issue faced by college campuses. College counseling professionals often interact with a variety of other student affairs professionals who may be involved in the management of suicidality on campus. However, research on their experiences and perspectives on this topic is scarce. In this study, we build on literature related to management of suicidality on campus, which is predominantly focused on campus counseling professionals. Fifteen semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with student affairs professionals to explore how professionals on campuses might better work together to prevent crises and support students at elevated risk for suicide. Recurrent and emerging themes included barriers impeding their ability to best serve suicidal students, their perceptions on what factors make students vulnerable to suicide, and suggestions for future research. We conclude with a discussion of options to increase quantity and quality of service provision on campus for suicidal students.

Culturally Sensitive Assessment of Mental Health for International Students

AbstractThe chapter provides guidance on culturally sensitive assessment for international students’ mental health. By considering international students’ unique background and experiences, mental health professionals, as well as faculty, advisors, and student affairs staff, can more accurately and effectively assess international students’ mental health on both individual and institutional levels.

Make your professional development plans now

This is a great time to plan ahead and set goals for yourself as well as your student affairs staff members.

The Role of Collaboration in Integrated Programs Aimed at Supporting Underrepresented Student Success in STEM

The persistent underrepresentation of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented minority students among those who complete an undergraduate degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics remains an issue of concern in higher education. Scholars and practitioners have increasingly realized that more comprehensive supports are required, as opposed to the single-strategy interventions that have been popular for several decades. Such supports, also known as integrated or comprehensive programs, combine and align several interventions that are both curricular and cocurricular and require the work of both faculty members and student affairs staff to design and implement. Collaboration among these groups is crucial to the success of these programs. However, the actual role that collaboration plays in these new student success efforts is undertheorized and has not been examined empirically. In this article, we describe the role of collaboration in improving program design for comprehensive, integrated programs, and for overcoming policy and practice implementation challenges.

Worldview Climate and the International Student Experience: Internationalization Strategies Overlook Interfaith Necessities

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare domestic and international students’ experiences of the campus worldview climate. Background: Internationalization efforts have continued to increase and more institutions are codifying internationalization into their mission statements or strategic plans. However, most international students are coming to the United States from countries that do not share a Christian-based worldview and most campuses are already underprepared for their students to engage across worldviews. Methodology: To explore the experiences of international students with the campus worldview climate, we used data from the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS) to examine differences between domestic and international students with regard to campus worldview climate perceptions, engagement in formal and informal interfaith opportunities, and changes in pluralism orientation during the first year of college. Contribution: This study advances our understanding of how international students perceive their campus worldview climates and how they engage in cross-worldview interactions. We offer these findings in hopes of providing an empirical roadmap for improving international students’ experiences with the worldview climate on campus, especially as internationalization strategies continue to grow and diversify our student populations. Findings: We found that international students do find their campuses less welcoming than their domestic peers. Additionally, international students reported engaging more often in formal cross-worldview interactions than their domestic peers. Recommendations for Practitioners: In light of these findings, we suggest three interfaith initiatives campuses can sponsor to better support their international students: 1) find a physical space for a multi-faith center and provide dedicated staff to support interfaith initiatives, 2) help faculty innovate their practice and the spaces they hold in the classroom to foster environments more inclusive of diverse worldviews, and 3) engage student affairs staff in reflection about their own worldviews and train them to create space for cross-worldview engagement among their students. Recommendation for Researchers: Our findings suggest that international students’ experiences of worldview climate differ from their domestic peers. Researchers should continue to explore worldview as a relevant component of the cross-cultural experience and design research that considers these divergent experiences. Impact on Society: Helping our students engage with diverse worldviews is imperative as part of higher education’s contribution to creating democratic societies across the globe. The results of this study point to ways administrators and campus leaders can align internationalization strategies with effective interfaith and worldview diversity practice. Future Research: Additional research efforts should focus on identifying components of the campus worldview climate international students are more likely to experience than their domestic peers. Also, researchers should consider how international students are exhibiting growth on outcomes like pluralism orientation in comparison to their domestic peers and how cross-worldview interactions affect this development.

Mixed Foundations: Supporting and Empowering Multiracial Student Organizations


 
 
 This paper presents an overview of multiracial student organizing and organizations on college campuses. The authors address common challenges that multiracial student organizations face in higher education, how student affairs staff can challenge institutional practices that perpetuate monoracism, and how to support and empower mixed race students to effectively develop strong leadership skills. Several recommendations for working through political and administrative hurdles are also provided.