The Professionalization of Faculty at Religious Colleges and Universities

As faculty become defined more by the professional norms of their discipline, the potential for conflict with the faith-based norms of religious colleges and universities should increase. Survey responses from over 1,900 faculty at six religious colleges and universities show that most faculty members support including religious criteria in hiring, contrary to professional, disciplinary norms, but most faculty reject religious constraints on academic freedom, conforming to professional norms. These seemingly conflicting positions are reconciled by a high level of commitment to the integration of faith and learning.     

Faculty Perceptions of Institutional Commitment to the Scholarship of Engagement

This study examined social perceptions that full-time faculty hold about their institutional commitment to the scholarship of engagement. The Sample included full-time faculty (n = 274) serving in member institutions of the Association of Reformed Institutions in Higher Education (ARIHE) in the United States. Two primary research questions were explored. The first examined social perceptions in 3 categories: faculty colleagues, institutional mission, and faculty reward system. Strong (positive) perceptions were reported for faculty colleagues and institutional mission, but not faculty reward system. The second examined social perceptions based on 7 independent variables. Results of analysis found significance (p < 0.05) with faculty workload requirements.     

Academic Workload Typologies and Burnout Among Faculty in Seventh-day Adventist Colleges and Universities in North America

The focus of this investigation was to determine the possible relationship of workload typologies and other selected demographic variables to levels of burnout among full-time faculty in Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities in North America. Four typologies of academic workload emerged from the study of the data. The results revealed that there was a significant relationship between academic workload typologies and other selected demographic variables in levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. No relationship was found between the variables studied and levels of personal accomplishment.     

Impact of school sense of community within a faith-based university: administrative and academic staff perceptions on institutional mission and values

Academic staff (n = 305) and administrative staff (n = 595) at a large urban, Catholic, and religious order teaching university completed on-line school sense of community, social desirability, and mission-identity plus mission-driven activity measures. Partial correlates (controlling for social desirability) indicated that for both faculty and staff a sense of community with co-workers and with administrators were significantly related to mission-identity characteristics of the university. Moreover, regression analyses found that for faculty and staff significant predictors of school sense of community variables were perceptions that the university was innovative and inclusive of pragmatic and risk-taking ideas. For staff but not for faculty, a feeling of Catholic pluralism on campus was a significant predictor of a sense of community with co-workers. These outcomes suggest that employees at faith-based universities may strengthen their school sense of community by institutional practices and programs that foster creating a setting for innovative, inclusive, pragmatic, and risk-taking policies, but not necessarily religious practices on campus.     

Institutional Productivity Ratings and Publishing Trends in Nine Literacy Journals: 1972–2012

This study examined the productivity of faculty members who published in nine leading literacy professional journals from 1972–2012. Those universities with the greatest number of articles written by literacy faculty members are listed. This listing was also adjusted according to number of literacy faculty members at each institution, resulting in a productivity index that shows the average number of articles published per faculty member. Results from this study extend the work of four previous studies on institutional productivity in literacy journals.     

The Effects of Spiritual/Religious Engagement on College Students' Affective Outcomes: Differences by Gender and Race

This study examines the general and differential effects of spiritual/religious engagement on affective college outcomes (i.e., leadership skills, interpersonal skills, social satisfaction, sense of belonging, and psychological well-being) across different gender and racial groups among undergraduate students at research universities. The study utilized data on 63,528 students who participated in the 2008 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES). The findings reveal differential effects of spiritual/religious engagement on college students' affective outcomes depending on their gender and race (i.e., gender- and race-based conditional effects). Implications for college students' spiritual development at public research universities and faith-based institutions are discussed.     

Institutional Productivity Ratings Based on Publications in Nine Literacy Journals: 1992–2005

This study extended the work of three previous studies that compared the scholarly productivity of faculty members in universities as represented in nine literacy journals. The top 25 universities were identified and this study shows that several institutions have remained consistent through the years as those that produce the largest amount of scholarship. As in previous studies, the University of Georgia ranked first by a substantial margin. This ranking was adjusted according to faculty size, resulting in a reordering of institutions—the University of Georgia remained first. The top 22 universities publishing in two leading literacy research journals—Reading Research Quarterly and Journal of Literacy Research—were also identified. This study also indicates an increase in scholarly work by multiple authors from collaborating institutions, including those from public schools.     

Breaching the Contract: Aggressive Interpersonal Behaviors in Paternalistic Relationships

ABSTRACT

The study examined student evaluations (N?=?221) of frequency and impact of negative interpersonal behaviors by academic faculty and other students. As expected, negative behaviors by faculty was rated as less frequent but as more upsetting than those carried out by fellow students. The impact of such behaviors was not affected by the setting in which they occurred. However, students with a strong power motivation perceived negative behaviors by faculty as more upsetting than did students with a weak power motivation. The findings highlight the importance of covert restrictions on the exploitation of the potential power intrinsic in paternalistic relationships.     

A Qualitative Study of Faith Leaders’ Perceptions of Health and Wellness

The effectiveness of faith-based health and wellness interventions is moderated by the attitudes, perceptions, and participation of key leaders within faith-based organizations. This qualitative study examined perceptions about the link between health, spirituality, and religion among a volunteer sample of faith leaders (n = 413) from different denominations. The major themes included: influences on health and wellness promotion and a relationship between spirituality and health. The results indicated that perceptions about the link among health, spirituality, and religion vary among faith leaders, regardless of denomination. Future faith-based interventions should be developed with consideration for denomination as a socially and culturally relevant factor.     

Achievement motivation in college women revisited: Implications for women,men, and the gathering of coconuts

An attempt was made to replicate the findings of French and Lesser (1964) within one university on the effects of value-appropriate arousal conditions on achievement motivation scores and motivation performance relationships in women. The findings of this study do not uphold those previously reported. There were no significant differences on either achievement motivation scores or task performance under value-appropriate versus -inappropriate arousal conditions. In the present study there were two innovations — performance criteria were extended to include academic performance, and scoring procedures were developed to give equal weight to achievement imagery in areas defined as traditionally feminine. The principle findings concern the importance of the scoring procedures. Intellectual (classic) N Ach does not relate to value orientation, task performance, or grade point average. Women's Role N Ach, however, is significantly related to task performance and to grade point average. This motivation-performance relationship exists despite differences in value orientation among women. It is suggested that when scoring procedures allow subjects, male or female, to express achievement strivings in areas of value to them, then performance may be morc sensitive to motivational variables.This article is based on research supported by Grant 1 RO1 HD-02403-01 from the National Institute of Mental Health to Lynette K. Friedrich and John S. Harding and by funds from the College Committee on Research, New York State College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, to Lynette K. Friedrich. The author is deeply indebted to Dr. John Harding for faculty support in securing the grant and for his invaluable participation as consultant. Dr. Doris B. Rosen and Dr. Elizabeth Anisfeld made significant contributions to the study. In addition, the assistance of Serena Weaver, Helen Grebow, Bruce Ambler, and Jansis Smithels is gratefully acknowledged. Further acknowledgment is made to Dr. Elizabeth G. French for her advice and generous cooperation.     

The effectiveness of an ombudsman

Most people in our colleges and universities believe that the concept of an ombudsman, developed in the political area, could have a significant influence in institutions of higher education. In this article the author, himself a full-time ombudsman at a large urban college, attempts to correct some prevailing misconceptions about the office and indicate the source of an ombudsman's effectiveness.     

The Role for Public Funding of Faith-Based Organizations Delivering Behavioral Health Services: Guideposts for Monitoring and Evaluation

The paper reviews policies promoting faith-based organizations' (FBO) participation in publicly-funded programs since the Charitable Choice statute was enacted during the Clinton administration and then additional faith-based initiatives were implemented by the Bush administration. The paper focuses on research findings on FBO participation in publicly-funded human service programs under these policies. It then proposes a framework for evaluation to assess the appropriateness of public funding for behavioral health services delivered by FBOs, in order to address: (1) the programmatic and systemic effects resulting from the infusion of new players from the faith community, and the consequences to the profile of services and who gets served; and (2) the content and effectiveness of faith-infused services as a basis for identifying interventions appropriate for public funding. The analysis considers classification issues, theoretical bases of measured effects of faith-infused services, and the transferability of faith-based interventions across religious and secular applications in order to satisfy constitutional issues and client choice.     

Relationship between career age and research productivity for academic dentists

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the effects of aging (career age) and research performance for full-time clinical dental faculty. The 489 respondents represented a response rate of 71.3% from a 40% stratified random sample of faculty. Respondents reported a mean number of years in full-time dental education of 10.7 (range = 1 to 45, SD = 7.7) and mean number of career publications of 11.1 (range = 0 to 110, SD = 15.2). A significant positive association of career age and life-time research productivity was observed. A significant positive association of career age and mean two-year research productivity was also noted. Implications of the findings were discussed with respect to similar studies reported for other academic disciplines.     

Investigating the Perceptions of Intellectual Diversity Among Socially Conservative Christian Seniors at Elite U.S. Colleges

This study investigated the perceptions of intellectual diversity at elite U.S. universities through the lens of the socially conservative Christian senior. Closely aligned with the principle of academic freedom, intellectual diversity is a foundational value putatively espoused by most if not all colleges and universities in the US. Although studies have consistently shown a professorate that is overwhelmingly Democratic and ideologically left-of-center, many scholars deny that any systematic bias exists. Research has shown a correlation between commitment to Christian/conservative values and perception of professor bias. Using hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) on a subset of the nationally representative sample (N = 2,789) of “very high” institutions, this current study found corroborative evidence that socially conservative Christian students were disproportionately “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their institutions’ respect for the expression of diverse beliefs. Generalized findings suggest that systematic bias vis-à-vis the expression of diverse beliefs exists at elite U.S. colleges. The discussion begins by situating intellectual diversity within its historical and contemporary contexts.     

Predicting the Underlying Factors of Academic Dishonesty among Undergraduates in Public Universities: A Path Analysis Approach

Building on the modified theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study examined the underlying psychological motives for academic dishonesty in a sample of 250 undergraduates drawn from three selected Malaysian public universities. The results yielded additional supports for usefulness of modified TPB model in predicting academic misconduct. All components of the model exerted statistically significant effects on intention towards academic misconduct, and intention itself exerted a statistically significant impact on academic dishonesty. This suggests that students’ academic misconducts could be addressed effectively if proper attention is given to the underpinning factors. Further, the findings revealed that the hypothesized relationships among variables of the modified model were all statistically significant. The uniqueness of this study lies in the large amount of variance (69 % and 75 %) explained by components of the model (in the prediction of intention and academic dishonesty respectively). These variances have rarely been accounted for in the previous studies. Implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions advanced for future studies.     

Short‐term commitment,long‐term impact: Reflections on teaching as contingent faculty

Many colleges and universities employ contingent faculty to meet various needs. Utilizing contingent teachers as single‐course adjuncts or full‐time faculty members can be beneficial to institutions and teachers alike. While acknowledging the positive, long‐term impact on current students, short‐term teaching faculty face challenges that warrant further consideration by institutions relying on contingent faculty labor. This essay centers upon the experience of one faculty member and some of the ways being contingent affects building relationships with students, mentoring and teaching effectively, and developing courses and programs. I argue that, even when contingent faculty strive to do their best, the limited nature of their employment creates a barrier to their own flourishing and the contributions they can make to the students and institutions they serve. See companion essays published in this issue of the journal by Hoon J. Lee, Adam Wirrig, Bradley Burroughs, and Charles Harrell.     

Bystander training for faculty: A promising approach to tackling microaggressions in the academy

Microaggressions present significant barriers to entry and advancement for faculty from traditionally marginalized groups, yet workplace interventions to stymy them remain undocumented in the literature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of bystander training to deal with subtle expressions of bias in the academic workplace. We developed a 2-h interactive bystander training workshop that specifically addressed intervening in microaggressions university faculty experience; approximately 21% of the full-time faculty participated in the training. Results indicate that post workshop, participants endorsed higher levels of likelihood of bystander intervention and higher levels of bystander efficacy to deal with microaggressive events (compared to pre-test 4 days before the workshop); scores on these measures remained significantly greater than pre-test at both 6-week and 12-week follow-up. Furthermore, preliminary evidence suggests that both likelihood of bystander intervention and bystander efficacy scores predicted self-reported bystander behavior at both 6 and 12 week follow up. These findings suggest that bystander training may be a promising approach to tackling microaggressions faculty experience in higher education.     

A Longitudinal Social Relations Analysis of Participation in Small Groups

Contrary to previous work in which task‐related judgments are hypothesized to predict participation in small groups, the current study assumes that participation is both an outcome of and an influence on judgments of task‐related ability. In this study, the association between task‐relevant judgments and participation was examined at two points in discussion. Results from a path analysis indicated that substantive participation during the first minute of discussion was positively related to task‐relevant judgments measured at the first‐minute time. In turn, those judgments were positively associated with subsequent substantive participation. Finally, substantive participation predicted judgments taken at discussion’s end. Nonsubstantive participation and judgments were not directly associated with each other. Discussion addresses theoretical and methodological issues raised by the findings.     

The Motivation and Impact of Religious Participation: A qualitative Study of Undergraduate Students at a Liberal Arts,Faith-Based Institution

Abstract

This study explored the motivation and impact of religious participation among undergraduate students at a liberal arts, faith-based institution of higher education. By reviewing current literature around the topics of motivation, religious decline, and religious participation, this research bridges the gap between two historical and categorical institutions of purposeful discipleship—the church and the university, a gap unexplored in the field of Christian higher education. Six participants were interviewed in this qualitative, phenomenological study with particular details of the study outlined in terms of methodology, data collection, and data analysis. The study discovered three categorical motivations and three categorical impacts for religious participation.     

A Survey of Ethics Training in Undergraduate Psychology Programs at Jesuit Universities

Training in ethics is fundamental in higher education among both faith-based and secular colleges and universities, regardless of one’s academic major or field of study. Catholic colleges and universities have included moral philosophy, theology, and applied ethics in their undergraduate curricula for generations. The purpose of this investigation was to determine what, if anything, Jesuit college psychology departments are doing to educate psychology majors regarding ethical issues. A survey method was used to assess the psychology departments of all 28 Jesuits colleges and universities in the United States. A total of 21 of the 28 schools responded and completed the survey. Five schools (23%) reported that they offered a course specifically on ethics in psychology, and three (14%) additional schools offered related courses. Of the eight (38%) that offered ethics-related courses, only one required its majors to take it, and only if they were enrolled in the mental health or forensic psychology tracks. For two (10%) of the schools, the ethics in psychology course counted as a university core ethics requirement; for two others (10%), the class met an elective university ethics requirement for psychology majors.