Student-administrator relationships

Appropriate student discipline at the high school level is a subject on which varying opinions exist. Discipline is usually viewed from the perspective of student misbehavior. This study was designed to focus on the student discipline issue through an examination of the relationship between a set of specified administrator attitudes and characteristics and disciplinary decisions. The basic research design was a simulated field study. The subjects were practicing high school assistant administrators from twenty-two high schools located in a large urban school district. Independent variables selected for the study were (1) attitudes toward appropriate discipline for defiant student behaviors, (2) perceptions of and willingness to comply with the disciplinary expectations of the principal, teachers and other administrators, (3) years of experience as high school administrators, (4) personal experience rearing high school children and (5) sex of the administrators. The measure of the dependent variable was derived from the disciplinary decisions of the subjects to five hypothetical case studies portraying defiant and/or disobedient student behaviors. Multiple regression analysis was employed to test the primary hypothesis of the study. The major finding was that those subjects who most strongly perceived that teachers expected strict disciplinary action for defiant student behaviors were the same subjects who made the most severe disciplinary decisions. A finding that approached statistical significance was that those subjects who had children of their own who had graduated from high school tended to take less stringent disciplinary action than those who had not reared children through the high school years. The findings indicated that role behavior seems to be a more promising focus for the examination of influences on disciplinary decisions. The non-significant relationship between the attitude toward discipline scale responses and the disciplinary behavior of the subjects indicated that disciplinary actions tended to be independent of the disciplinary attitudes of the subjects included in the study. Among the recommendations for further research was a recognition of the need to examine differences in beliefs and behaviors of administrators in relation to the disciplinary process that takes place prior to the final disciplinary action.

The purpose of this single site case study was to identify how four advising teams in a medium-sized public university adapt to the changes presented to them and what role leadership and culture play in that adaptation. This was accomplished through analysis of advisor and administrator interviews, office and meeting observations, and reviews of documents relating to advising and university changes in curriculum and systems. The study was guided by team culture and the five core adaptation strategies described by Eckel and Kezar (2003). The study indicates that although part of the same institution, each advising team has a unique culture and approach to doing their work. In turn each team has a different approach to their adaptation to the change that affects them. The study began with an examination of how and if the advising teams use the five core adaptation strategies described by Eckel and Kezar (2003). It was found that these adaptation strategies were not utilized because they require authority and the advisors do not have the organizational control necessary to use these strategies. However, the study revealed that the advising teams adapt to their environment through coping mechanisms depending on the type of adaptation. It was also found that the responses the advising teams have to particular change events depends on when they find out about the change as well as the culture and leadership of the teams. Consequently, their resilience to changes is a result of their ability to either absorb the change or alter their system quickly in reaction to the change. Implications are presented for universities and the advising teams in addition to recommendations for future study.

The purpose of this study was to examine students' preferred methods of academic advising services and whether they related to their individual learning styles. The first objective of the study was to determine each participant's learning style. The second objective of the study was to determine which method of academic advising each participant preferred. The third objective of the study was to determine whether a relationship existed between the participants' learning styles and preferred methods of academic advising. Additionally, the moderating effect of gender, ethnicity, college major, high school grade point average (GPA), location, and employment on the relationship was considered. Students' learning styles were measured by the Barsch Learning Style Inventory (BLSI). Academic advising preference and demographic information were gathered through a researcher-designed questionnaire. All students (N=1,184) who completed the Online Advising & Registration System (OARS) were cont acted via e-mail and received a web link to the BLSI and student questionnaire. Data from the students (n=172) who completed the BLSI and student questionnaire were analyzed. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the quantitative data. A qualitative analysis of four open-ended survey questions was completed. The results found no relationship between participants' learning styles and their preferred methods of academic advising services. Additionally, gender, ethnicity, college major, high school GPA, location, and employment did not moderate the relationship between participants' learning styles and their preferred methods of academic advising services. The findings suggest that a student's learning style is not associated with his or her preference for type of advising.