An Indigenous wholistic framework is used to examine the question "what makes a university a successful place for Aboriginal students?" This study moves away from a student deficit discourse by critiquing universities from an Indigenous methodological and theoretical approach in terms of (a) how Indigenous knowledges were defined and found in universities and (b) how Indigenous understandings of success, responsibility, and accountability resonated in three universities in British Columbia, Canada. This research is grounded in Indigenous theory; however, social reproduction theory was used to explain power structures inherent in the mainstream educational system. The Indigenous research process involved a mixed methods approach. Approximately 60 interviews and four sharing circles were held with a total of 92 participants representing various stakeholders across the institution. In addition, the Undergraduate Baccalaureate Graduate Surveys (UBGS) were analyzed to contextualize Aboriginal undergraduate student experiences over the last 10 years. A major finding is that respectful relationships between Aboriginal stakeholders and university faculty and leaders are key to universities becoming more successful places for Aboriginal peoples. This study shows how Indigenous knowledges were present, as pockets of presence, in the academy in programs and through Indigenous faculty, staff, and students. As sites of Indigenous knowledges, First Nations Centres played a critical role by wholistically supporting the cultural integrity of Aboriginal students and being agents of change across the institution. Indigenous wholistic understandings of success challenged hegemonic definitions that emphasized intellectual capital to include the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms. Kirkness and Barnhardt's (1991) 4Rs were used to critically examine the responsibilities of universities to Aboriginal higher education. The following institutional responsibilities were presented: relationships, such as the seen face through Aboriginal presence, having authentic allies, involving Aboriginal communities, and enacting agency; reciprocity and relevance, which addresses issues of limited financial resources, increasing retention and recruitment, and putting words into action; and respect for Indigenous knowledges. Institutional accountability from the Indigenous framework went beyond neo-liberal discourses, to include making policy public, surveillance from inside and outside the institution, and the need for metrics and benchmarks. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

The purposes of this investigation were to examine the students' perceptions concerning the student services available at North Texas State University (NTSU HAS) and the need for student services (NTSU NEEDS). Other purposes were to determine which group of students had the greatest perceived need for services and to provide data that would aid various departments in the Student Service Division in program planning. Recommendations are included which suggest that more effort be made in publicizing those services available to students. Each department should establish procedures for assessing student needs as an indicator of changes in student perceptions. The Vice President for Student Affairs should support and encourage the gathering of data in each department. Research should be conducted to determine the differences between married and unmarried commuter students, married and unmarried in-town students, and commuter and non-commuter married students. The survey instrument should be individualized for each department. Data on student perceptions and characteristics should be utilized as input in formulating the mission and goal statements of the departments.

This study sought to determine the influence of pretherapy religious value information upon potential clients' (a) perceptions of a counselor, (b) willingness to see a counselor and (c) confidence of counselor helpfulness. Two hundred and ten undergraduate college students volunteered for the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups and given varying amounts and types of written information about a counselor. Group 1 received just the counselor's credentials. Group 2 received the same information plus statements about the counselor's beliefs about counseling and his therapeutic approach. Group 3 received the same information as group 2 plus a statement of the counselor's religious values. Subjects then viewed a short video tape of the counselor in a counseling session. Results of statistical treatment of dependent variables indicated that subjects' perceptions of the counselor, willingness to see the counselor, and confidence of counselor helpfulness were not influenced by the written information, including the statement of religious values that the subjects received before viewing the video tape of the counselor. Implications and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Master of Science / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Carla Jones / Multiracial identity development has been a topic of study that has slowly begun to grow interest in academia. While it is important to acknowledge the process of multiracial identity development in and of itself, it is also essential to understand how this development is influenced by different ecological factors in higher education, such as when and where a multiracial student may encounter instances of marginalization, as well as instances of mattering. One of the more prominent facets of this ecology is race-oriented student services, which can provide either a space in which multiracial students feel marginalized, or one in which they feel that they matter. This report will examine multiracial identity development and why it is needed in order to better understand multiracial students’ needs, as well as how race-oriented student services affect development and expression of their identity.

This research comprised of three studies designed to investigate the coping strategies utilised by high and low performing university students with non-academic stressors. Coping research has frequently focused on single stressors providing a distorted picture of coping. Utilising a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, this research provides new insights into the dynamic and multi-dimensional nature of coping with long-term, multiple stressors. It extends our understanding of coping beyond traditionally individualistic conceptualisations where active coping is valued over prosocial relationship-focused coping. Conceptualisations of social support is broadened to view it in more complex interactional terms. In Study 1, 521 university students were surveyed using a standardised coping inventory, the Ways of Coping Checklist revised. Several demographic groups were identified as at academic risk. Having good health, along with the high use Social Support and Problem Solving and the low use of Self Blame strategies all predicted high GPA. Study 2 involved a content analysis of 179 Exclusion Appeal letters submitted by excluded students. When confronted with multiple stressors, poor performing students compartmentalised or amplified multiple stressors which resulted in patterns of reactive problem-focused or emotion-focused coping. Passive and uni-directional approaches to social support resulted in the depletion of such resources. Study 3 investigated adaptive coping patterns using an open-ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview with twenty high performing students. High performers viewed multiple stressors as inter-related, which is termed cross situational appraisal and displayed a versatile coping pattern across stressors termed cross situational versatility. Proactive and prosocial coping are critical for the acquisition and maintenance of social support over a long-term period. Implications of these research findings for Student Services staff are discussed. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Values theorists across disciplines agree that understanding and applying the phenomenon of organizational values is integral to organizational effectiveness (Beck, 1990; Davidson, 2005; Francis & Woodcock, 1990; Lafleur, 1999; Richmon, 2003, 2004). Consensus on this issue is further evidenced by popular use of the phrase “organizational values” in management, school systems, and university administrative parlance, leading many to believe that organizational values have been thoroughly investigated in the field of educational administration and elsewhere (Richmon, 2004). However, research in this area tends to be superficial, and a review of pertinent literature reveals no clear definition of organizational values or consequent implications for practical application. Since the practice of articulating organizational values is commonly conducted as a part of strategic planning processes, much activity and substantial investment is then occurring without full understanding of the phenomenon at hand. The purpose of this study was to uncover the descriptive, non-negotiable reality of organizational values in a particular context: university student services and administration. A critical realist’s methodology informed the development and implementation of a three-phase study. The aims of this research at each phase were to: (a) investigate how the reality of the organizational values phenomenon has been depicted theoretically in interdisciplinary research and literature; (b) examine how the concept of organizational values has been expressed in policy-driven artefacts in university student services; and (c) explore how the theoretical characteristics of organizational values are expressed in context of individual, phenomenological experiences of university student services and administration. The methods of inquiry used at each respective phase of study were cluster analysis, textual analysis, and episodic narrative interview. Additionally, model development was utilized during each phase of study to analyze the research results, and a comparison of models was conducted at the conclusion of the study as an approach to triangulation. Five key findings emerged from the collective analysis of all three phases of study. First, there was an indication of linguistic and structural inadequacy pertaining to organizational values discourse. Second, the activity associated with the organizational values concept is most frequently located in terms of personal working relationships rather than in context of institutional strategic planning processes. Third, administrative leaders play a key role in ensuring consistency with respect to organizational values understanding and implementation in university student services and administration. Fourth, a deep reality of the organizational values phenomenon was demonstrated at all phases of research. Finally, the idea of organizational values is important enough to scholars, policy makers, and front-line staff alike to warrant a great deal of time, financial, and human resource effort invested to engage explicitly with the concept in some manner. The results of this study have significant implications for both theory and practice in university student services and administration. The results informed recommendations made with respect to the development of fluency in values-related language, re-situating the process of articulating organizational values in university administration, incorporating organizational values into day-to-day administrative practice, and the role of university administrative leaders in organizational values work.

Career services professionals are increasingly involved in decisions regarding the use of technology to perform their jobs. The millennial generation, increasingly enrolling in distance education, is characterized as being comfortable with technology, expecting efficient services, and valuing convenience. Understanding the technology-related preferences of today's students is fundamental for those planning and developing student career services. Brown and Ryan Krane (2000) identified five critical interventions important to career decision-making: (a) Written Exercises, (b) Individualized Interpretations and Feedback, (c) Information on the World of Work, (d) Modeling, and (e) Attention to Building Support. This study investigated the following questions: (1) what are first-year students' preferences for the delivery method of critical career choice interventions and (2) to what extent are there differences in first-year students' preferences for delivery method based on their prior experience. Specific areas of prior experience included online courses, career counseling, and technology.Participants included 318 undergraduate students enrolled in a two-credit first-year student seminar. A web-based survey was distributed to students via their instructors. Students selected e-mail most frequently as a preferred delivery method for career choice activities followed by in person delivery. Students were most interested in participating in activities related to Modeling and Information on the World of Work. They were least interested in participating in activities related to Attention to Building Support.Overall, participants reported a high level of previous experience with e-mail, Internet text chat, and Internet websites. Participants reported low levels of experience with discussion boards, podcasts, and virtual rooms. Participants also reported low levels of previous experience with online courses and career counseling.While no significant differences in preferences for delivery were found based on previous experience, a comparison of students' experiences and preferences did provide interesting information. E-mail is the only technology with which there were high levels of experience and preference. Students also reported high level of experience with text chat, but a low level of preference for text chat as a delivery mode for career choice activities.

By employing an Indigenous methodological framework and a community based research approach, I assess the role that the Aboriginal Resource Centre (ARC) has in the lives of Aboriginal students at the University of Guelph, and drawing on the ARC as a case study, I conceptualize space from an Aboriginal perspective. Drawing on interviews with a key informant, prior and current students, I demonstrate that the ARC is more than just a student service or physical centre on campus; it is a community full of meaning and lived experiences. In ARC, the students have found a safe place in which to express themselves and feel safe to explore Aboriginal identity formation. I capture the importance of conceptualizing a shared space, specifically between people who share the same cultural worldview, within a reconceptualization of space.

The purpose of this study was to gather information on how best to support the implementation of Response to Intervention as a student services framework to support inclusion. The key components of the RTI framework and the roles of adminstration and student services teams working within its framework were explored to assist in developing an action plan for its implementation in the school division being studied. The literature contends that as a framework for the systematic use of assessment data to effectively allocate resources in order to improve learning for all students, the implementation of RTI is complex and challenging since it is often distinguished by specific features of leadership, commitment, and corresponding professional development. A naturalistic qualitative design was employed using focus groups to collect data. The findings have assisted the school division involved in the study with a process for implementing RTI, thereby improving communication and collaboration in the face of change. It has also provided coordinators of student services with suggestions for building capacity with their student services teams.

The purpose of this study was to gather information on how best to support the implementation of Response to Intervention as a student services framework to support inclusion. The key components of the RTI framework and the roles of adminstration and student services teams working within its framework were explored to assist in developing an action plan for its implementation in the school division being studied. The literature contends that as a framework for the systematic use of assessment data to effectively allocate resources in order to improve learning for all students, the implementation of RTI is complex and challenging since it is often distinguished by specific features of leadership, commitment, and corresponding professional development. A naturalistic qualitative design was employed using focus groups to collect data. The findings have assisted the school division involved in the study with a process for implementing RTI, thereby improving communication and collaboration in the face of change. It has also provided coordinators of student services with suggestions for building capacity with their student services teams.