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Fostering Faculty-Student Interaction for Students of Color: Findings from Research and Practice

Fostering Faculty-Student Interaction for Students of Color: Findings from Research and Practice. NASPA National Conference 2005 Tampa, Florida. Session Overview .

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Fostering Faculty-Student Interaction for Students of Color: Findings from Research and Practice

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  1. Fostering Faculty-Student Interaction for Students of Color: Findings from Research and Practice NASPA National Conference 2005 Tampa, Florida

  2. Session Overview Developing effective relationships with faculty members is a daunting task for most college students, but it may be specially challenging for students of color. Based on a sample of 4501 students of color, this session identifies four key elements of productive student-faculty relationships and introduces model student affairs programs that create such interaction.

  3. What are we asking? • Are there differences in the frequency of interactions with faculty members and in satisfaction with faculty interaction based on racial/ethnic group of student? • How does faculty interaction predict learning for students from each of the seven racial/ethnic groups?

  4. Sample by Race/Ethnicity of Student (n=4501)

  5. Other Information… • Existing dataset, N=4501 • Students mostly from doctoral and master’s institutions • Entering GPA not available

  6. Key Variables • Learning • Self reported composite of 25 Questions • Likert Scale (4 Points) • Frequency of interaction with faculty • Quality of relationships with faculty Approachable Remote Helpful vs. Discouraging Understanding Unsympathetic

  7. Findings • Viewing faculty as approachable predicts learning for all students • African American and Native American students view faculty as less approachable, yet they interact with them more frequently than students of other racial/ethnic groups.

  8. Findings (continued) • Frequent and high quality faculty interaction predicts learning better (16%-20% of variance) than student background characteristics (1%-10% of variance) in this study. • Frequent and high quality faculty interaction predicts learning better for students of color than for White students. • Students learned more when they: • Worked harder due to instructor feedback • Worked to met faculty expectations • Asked faculty for advice to improve writing • Talked with faculty about a personal concern

  9. Students Speak… • 3 students of color from Whittier College were interviewed and asked: • How comfortable they felt approaching faculty for help?  • What would make their educational experience better?  • What are ways the institution can foster a better relationship between faculty and students? • If given the opportunity to meet with faculty, what advice would they give them to help them better interact with students of color? • They were also asked to describe an experience in which they felt comfortable and/or uncomfortable with a faculty member.

  10. Observations • The interviews with students were consistent with research findings. • Students seemed hesitant to ask faculty for help, especially White faculty. • Their interactions with faculty did not meet their expectations. • They felt excluded from class discussions and felt their cultural heritage and point of views were rarely taken into account.

  11. What we are doing to foster faculty-student relationships… • Whittier College’s Cultural Center • The center partners with faculty masters to create programs that focus on culture, language, politics, and history of underrepresented students. • It often refers students to faculty who we know will help students feel comfortable and validated. • H.S.I. status and other diversity initiatives offer great opportunities for faculty-student relationships • (e.g. Irvine and Title V Grants) • We can do more!

  12. Additional Practical Research • Kevin’s Study on African Americans • Cecilia’s Study on first-generation Latino students and their families • How do this research inform us?

  13. Questions & Discussion • What are you doing on your campus to facilitate relationships between faculty and students of color? What has worked and what has not? • What should our role be, as student affairs professionals, in fostering these type of relationships?

  14. About the presenters… Dr. Carol Lundberg, Associate Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Leadership, Azusa Pacific University clundberg@apu.edu Kevin Hamilton, Graduate Student, Azusa Pacific Student & Assistant Director of Residential Life, University of Central Arkansas KevinH@uca.edu Rosa Amo, Graduate Student, Azusa Pacific University & Student Services Coordinator, Prince George’s Community College amord@pgcc.edu Cecilia Santiago, Graduate Student, Azusa Pacific University & Associate Director of the Cultural Center/Director of the Ortiz Programs, Whittier College csantiago@whittier.edu

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