As calls for institutions of higher education to educate globally competent citizens have intensified over the last two decades, the field of international service learning (ISL) has responded resoundingly. ISL programs have been implemented at many institutions and there have been countless studies that demonstrate the great power for student learning and growth inherent in this exciting educational tool. In more recent years, experts have moved away from studying the student experience and have, instead, questioned the power relationships inherent in service learning programs abroad; related studies have made use of newer critical theories and community development philosophies, which have advanced the field tremendously. However, to date, the re-entry period has still been largely overlooked, and there has been a noticeable lack of studies that apply student development theories to the ISL experience. This study explores how a diverse group of students from a large, public, four-year institution on the West Coast experience transformational learning during an ISL program in Thailand and how they make sense of their experience upon their return to the U.S. and in the months afterwards. By utilizing a case study design and implementing qualitative methods, this study provides significant evidence that well-designed ISL programs can trigger transformational learning in a variety of ways and that the re-entry period is a significant time of learning and growth for students. Further, the findings importantly show that by creating strategic opportunities for students to learn and connect with others on the program, both during and after the ISL experience, students are better able to navigate the changes in themselves after returning home. Finally, the experiences of the students indicate that the processes associated with transformational learning continue well on after the in-country experience, highlighting the significant need to provide support and guidance for students during this time. / Educational Leadership

This study was designed to assess a PWIs residential life department's initiative to provide their Resident Assistants (RAs) an opportunity to discuss race through an inter-group dialogue session. I argue that any activity that focuses on race needs to be grounded in a social justice framework. This is because this framework educates individuals about systematic social, political, and economic issues that plague our society. A social justice grounding also fosters a disposition that desires to eliminate institutionalized discrimination. As such, this study sought to answer the following research questions: how did this inter-group dialogue impact the RAs ability to recognize race-related issues in the United States and did this inter-group dialogue foster a social justice perspective among the RAs that participated? Through a content analysis of ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews with RAs who participated in the dialogue the findings suggest that RAs did gain an understanding of how different lived experiences effect how someone views societal race issues, but the inter-group dialogue did not foster a transformative perspective among RAs that were not already grounded in social justice. Recommendations to improve future sessions are provided. / African American Studies

The college roommate experience can be one of the most important aspects of a students' undergraduate experience. As colleges and universities across the country have seen a steady increase in enrollment over the past three decades, so has the demand for living on-campus. In recent years, concerns have arisen as to the benefit and value of these experiences especially considering the significant costs of higher education. As such, it becomes increasingly necessary for institutions of higher education to ensure that the on-campus living experience is positive and beneficial. One aspect of this experience is a student's relationship with his or her roommate. In the past, roommate selection was a largely random process controlled by the institution's office of housing. In recent years, new processes have been created that place more of the control in the hands of the student. The purpose of the present dissertation is to investigate one of these roommate matching programs, the RoomSync Roommate Matching Program. / Educational Leadership

Mid-level administrators are underrepresented within the literature despite years of research on university administration. Moreover, there is significantly less knowledge about administrators of color in higher education. While the reason for their decreased prominence is unclear, Jackson and O'Callaghan (2009) offer that people of color were historically not part of the leadership landscape as an explanation for the minimal formal analysis and categorization of them and their work. Despite the surge of research interest in Black administrators, there still remains limited knowledge about who they are, their professional lives, and their overall lived experiences. As such, the purpose of this study was to understand the career journeys and the experiences of Black mid-level student affairs administrators (BMLSAAs) as they navigate transitions and advancements within their careers. Guided by a conceptual framework using tenets of Critical Race Theory, Space and Place, and the Great Migration, this study investigated the following questions: (1) What are the career migration patterns of BMLSAAs? (2) What role does race and racism combined with location play in the career journeys of BMLSAAs? (3) How do BMLSAAs make meaning of their career journey and their experiences? I employed a qualitatively driven multimethod research design consisting of narrative inquiry and a Critical Race Spatial Analysis (CRSA) with a sample size of 11 BMLSAAs across the U.S. Data sources included a demographic questionnaire, documents (i.e., current resume/curriculum vitae), a career journey map, and a semi-structured interview. Findings provided insight into the racialized engagement of spatial features throughout participants' career journeys; on the campuses where they worked and the geographic regions where participants have lived. Ultimately findings expressed what it is like being Black not only in a mid-level student affairs administrative role, but also traversing one's career as a Black person. Additionally, this study has implications for research, practice, and policy. / Doctor of Philosophy / As a whole, middle managers in higher education are underrepresented in university research. There is even less knowledge about administrative leaders of color in higher education because they have been historically excluded from those roles. Despite an increase of interest in researching Black administrators, there still remains limited knowledge about who they are, their professional lives, and their overall lived experiences. As a result, the purpose of this study was to understand the career journeys experiences of Black administrative leaders, specifically those in middle management who are employed in student affairs departments. Through interviews and map making, this study explored patterns within Black mid-level student affairs administrators (BMLSAAs) career moves; the role that race and racism combined with location played within their careers; and how BLMSAAs made sense of their career journey experiences. Findings provided insight into what shaped participants' careers; how they navigated their careers; their career related experiences; and how they thought about the futures of their careers. Findings also illuminated participants' racialized experiences navigating campus organization structures; work cultures and environments; and living in the different geographic regions where they were employed. This study has an impact on higher education employment research, professional practice, and policy.

Research suggests that residential learning communities (RLCs) provide benefits for members of those communities. Although much research has been done on benefits for students in RLCs, there has been little research done on the benefits for faculty and student affairs staff members involved in RLCs. An unexplored dimension in both these areas is a comparison of the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits for faculty and staff members involved in RLCs. The present study was designed to address this gap in the existing literature on RLCs. The purpose of this study was to identify the benefits faculty members and student affairs staff members gain from being involved in RLCs and explore any differences between the two groups. Data were collected by administering the Residential Learning Community Faculty and Staff Benefits Survey to faculty and staff members involved in RLCs at institutions listed in the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International Institutional Database as offering learning communities. Results revealed that faculty and staff members report gaining intrinsic benefits more often that extrinsic benefits from their involvement in residential learning communities. The results also indicated statistically significant difference between faculty members and student affairs staff members on 2 of the 30 benefits examined. Student affairs staff members were more likely to have received opportunities to participate in professional conference presentations than their faculty member counterparts, while faculty members were more likely to have shared research interests with students outside of the classroom than their student affairs staff member counterparts. / Master of Arts

The ubiquitous nature of digital and social media has had a tremendous impact on higher education. In essence, these new pedagogical media has required faculty members to learn new methodologies to deliver their course content—often through distance education approaches. Transactional Distance Theory, designed by distance research scholar Michael Moore, is the preferred framework for instructional design for distance education. Even though there are examples of student affairs educators teaching students online, there are limited references to distance learning theory as a foundation for the work they are doing. This study was designed to explore the ways in which two online orientation co-curricular educational opportunities (CCeOs) created for student affairs departments adhere to the tenets of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory. In addition, a secondary purpose was to identify tangible examples that could inform an operationalize definition of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory for application in student affairs online CCeO development and, ultimately, enhance learning efficacy for these online educational programs, which is the purpose of an instructional design theory. The theoretical framework for this study was Moore's Transactional Distance theory. Document analysis was used to assess and interpret materials from two online orientation programs. The findings of this investigation reveal the existence of two online CCeOs created by, or for, student affairs educators that adhere in significant, although limited, ways to a pedagogical theory traditionally used in online course design. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of demographic, psychological, and situational variables on the job involvement, or psychological identification with work, of student affairs professionals in community and junior colleges in the United States. Job involvement is related to the quality of life for individuals and effectiveness for organizations. It is influenced by individual and situational characteristics. A national sample of 430 was drawn. Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire and analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Two individual difference variables were significant contributors to job involvement in this sample: work involvement and satisfaction,with the amount of respect and recognition received for one's work. Work involvement, the belief that work should satisfy one's needs, was the greatest influence on job involvement. An unexpected finding was that higher involvement was related to low satisfaction with the amount of respect and recognition received. Student affairs professionals were job involvement despite the lack of respect and recognition. Job skill variety, satisfaction with the opportunity for promotion, and satisfaction with the interesting and enjoyable nature of the work were expected to be significantly related to job involvement. Although nonsignificant, those variables did merit discussion because of their prominence in the literature of student affairs. Job involvement in this sample was influenced by the combination of many individual and situational variables. Professionals in student affairs reported a high quality of work life as evidenced by the high involvement score. This high involvement was influenced most by individual variables. They will probably continue to be vital and energetic even in times of rapid external change because, unlike individuals in business and industry, their involvement was not significantly influenced by situational variables. / Ed. D.

Professional preparation is important for individuals in any profession, as well as the profession itself. It is one of the hallmarks of any profession. Many sets of standards for the curriculum of student affairs preparation programs have been promoted throughout the years. Most recently the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) published a set of standards that outline areas of competency for student affairs professionals. The purpose of this study was to measure the degree to which recent graduates of student affairs preparation programs reported learning about the important foundational elements of the profession. I examined learning based on standards for student affairs preparation programs defined by CAS and compared amounts of reported learning from alumni based on the programs' adherence to the CAS standards (compliant v. non-compliant). To that end, I administered a 67 item questionnaire to recent graduates from student affairs preparation programs. The findings of the present study reveal that a majority of alumni from student affairs preparation programs report having a clear understanding of 57 of 60 identified foundational learning outcomes. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference between reported learning of alumni from CAS compliant and non-compliant programs based on these foundational learning outcomes on 58 of the 60 items. Data suggest that alumni from CAS compliant programs are more likely to feel confidence in their preparation in 48 of the 60 outcomes presented in the survey. Additionally, the results indicated that alumni from non-compliant programs were more likely to report higher levels of learning based on involvement theory and understanding the level of data a variable in quantitative analysis. / Master of Arts

The present study examined emotional intelligence (EQ) levels among student leaders and members of three types of student organizations: governing, service, and special interest. Emotional intelligence refers to one's ability to recognize emotions in oneself and others and the ability to exhibit appropriate responses to environmental stimuli. Participants included 79 students (half of those were organization leaders and the other half were organization members). An equal number of leaders and members from the three types of organizations were selected. The EQ-i or BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory (Bar-On, 1997) was administered to measure participants' levels of EQ. In general, this study compared EQ scores within and between groups of participants. In addition, the interaction between leadership status and type of organization was studied. Analysis of these data revealed that college student leaders demonstrate a higher level of EQ than student members in campus organizations. There were also significant differences between types of organizations on EQ scores. No significance was found on EQ between leadership status and type of organization, however. This research had implications for several groups. First, student activities staff may use the results of this study to design training activities to enhance particular components of EQ. The data might be used to identify skills where training might enhance leader competency within campus organizations. Results of this study may also be used by student activities staff to market extracurricular and leadership opportunities. The study provided them with data about differences in scores by type of position and type of organization. Furthermore, the results of this study might be used by students in determining what types of organizations to join and what types of roles to assume. Future employers might also be interested in the results of this study. Differing levels of involvement may make a difference in potential employees' abilities as defined by the EQ-i scales. Such information may help future employers better assess EQ associated with certain positions or organizations. / Master of Arts

College administrators have been in the business of employing students as RAs or an equivalent position for many years. Over those many years, the students and the type of students hired for this position changed. Once again, it is time for a generational change. Gen Y students are currently entering at least their second year of college and are now eligible to apply for RA positions. The present study operated on the assumption that student motivations to seek the RA position may have changed over time as new generations of students have entered higher education. The perceived benefits of student employments in positions such as the RA position may shift with the change in the characteristics, needs, motivations, and desires of the students to seek employment. Researching employment motivations periodically to gauge shifts in reasons for seeking employment in the RA position may be helpful. The present study has significance for both future practice and future research in student affairs. In terms of future practice, three constituencies might be interested in the results of the study: Residence Life practitioners (RLPs), RAs, and student affairs practitioners. In the current study, there were several significant findings. First, Gen Y students sought the RA position for the following reasons (by order of importance), Helping Behaviors, Career Development, Financial Obligations, RA Cohesiveness, Personal Growth, and Desire for Power. Second, Gen Y females reported Helping Behaviors as an important reason for seeking the RA position significantly more often than did their male counterparts. Third, the research found no statistically significant differences in the reasons majority and minority Gen Y students sought the RA position. Finally, statistically significant differences were found when the reasons Gen X and Gen Y students sought the RA position were examined. Although the study examined only a limited number of Gen Y students, the results indicate that Residence Life professionals and RA staff selections teams may want to reconsider the way in which RA applicants are recruited. / Master of Arts