Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Attitudes of selected undergraduate students at Oregon State University toward the professional status of student personnel workers

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/gq67jt406

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  • The purpose of this study was twofold: First, to establish a means of assessing the degree of professional status accorded student personnel workers by constructing an attitude questionnaire, for student clientele, based upon statements derived from eight criteria for evaluating professional status; Second, to determine and analyze the attitudes measured by the questionnaire of a sample of Oregon State University undergraduate students having significant contact with Campus Student Services. After extensive review of literature, eight criteria defining professional status were chosen for the study. Positively and negatively worded statements reflecting the eight criteria were placed on cards which were then sorted by three qualified judges into appropriate categories. This procedure established the preliminary content validity of the statements. A Likert-type attitude questionnaire was developed which contained all statements retained after this sorting. This preliminary questionnaire was submitted to additional judging groups, the purpose being to remove any unclear or ambiguous statements. A stratified sample of 167 students (having significant contact with Student Services) was then selected for the study. The questionnaire was administered to these 167 students and then readministered to 38 students. The second administration established the test/retest reliability coefficients for each of the 80 statements comprising the questionnaire. A major concern was to determine whether or not highly positive or highly negative attitudes could be obtained from the 167-student sample. Therefore, the mean scores of the sample were tested for extremely positive or negative responses. To do this, two means were established. Since response could range from 1 to 5, the scores of 3.5 or above and 2.5 or below were selected to represent the high and low response areas. Forty-three statements proved statistically acceptable. A t-test for significance of scores was conducted on the sample. Sixteen statements were significantly positive or negative at the .05 level of confidence. Two conclusions were determined from the overall results of the research: (1) The questionnaire represented a valid and reliable preliminary effort to create a means of assessing how members of the student community "felt" about the professional status of student personnel workers. (2) The criteria reflecting the greatest degree of positive support indicated (a) the acceptance by the sample of the essential nature of services performed by student personnel workers and (b) the positive sense of security derived by students from student personnel workers' assumption of authority in those areas under their working jurisdiction. However, the research revealed that students lacked knowledge about the intra-group culture or code of ethics existing within the subject occupation. More research is recommended to find additional professional criteria more specifically applicable to student personnel workers. Additional studies involving students and student personnel workers are also recommended, to gain a wider range of attitudes toward this professional status problem.
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