Portland State University Research Update

Office of Institutional Research and Planning

Volume 2, Issue 1 Fall 1998

A SPECIAL ISSUE

Further Analysis of the ’97 Current Undergraduate Student Survey  

The Current Undergraduate Student Survey was administered in the Spring of 1997. Five hundred and nine students (43%) responded to the survey. Descriptive findings were summarized in a previous report (PSU Research Update Volume I, Issue I, OIRP, Winter/Spring 1998). The purpose of this report is to identify factors that predict students’ satisfaction with quality of instruction. Information on participants’ age, race, gender, and cumulative GPA in PSU courses is combined with survey responses in order to examine differences between groups of respondents. The analysis includes responses of 490 students (96%), and excludes the responses of 19 students, due to the large number of unanswered items on their survey forms.

Predictors of Satisfaction with Quality of Instruction

Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to determine predictors of students’ satisfaction with quality of instruction. Four items explained satisfaction above and beyond students’ gender, ethnicity, age, and GPA:
  1. students are in at least one class they find intellectually stimulating,
  2. instructors show concern for students,
  3. faculty and staff at PSU are helpful, and
  4. the atmosphere on campus is conducive to learning.
In other words, the more students agreed with these four items, the more satisfied they were with the quality of instruction they received regardless of their gender, ethnicity, age, and GPA. This finding emphasizes the importance of the campus and classroom environment to student satisfaction.

Student GPA and Experiences at PSU

There was a significant relationship between GPA and experience at PSU. Students who indicated that faculty and staff were helpful were more likely to have higher GPAs. Higher GPAs were also related to higher satisfaction with testing and grading practices and quality of instruction. In adition, age and GPA were related: the older the students, the higher their GPAs. These findings suggest that the quality of interaction with faculty may be beneficial to students, especially the youngest students.

Comparisons by Gender

Women (n = 285) were compared to men (n = 205) using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Women did not differ from men in their perceptions of a) instructors’ concern for students; b) satisfaction with admission, registration, academic advising, quality of instruction, and course content; c) support from PSU faculty, staff and fellow students; and d) whether faculty and staff are helpful and treat students with respect.

Reasons for Attending PSU

Overall, students indicated on a scale of 1 (Not important at all) to 5 (Very important) that receiving a college degree was an important reason for attending PSU (M =4.61). Men and women differed significantly in their ratings on this item; women’s ratings were higher than men’s ratings (see Chart 1).

Using the same scale, students indicated that enriching one’s life was also an important reason for attending PSU (M = 4.10). As above, women’s ratings were significantly higher than men’s ratings (see Chart 2).

Gender, Employment, and Care-giving

The majority of respondents were employed outside the home (75%). The results of Chi-square Analysis revealed that similar proportions of men and women in the sample worked outside the home (72% of men and 77% of women). Secondly, the number of hours that men and women worked did not differ significantly. Over half of all students (58%) worked from 16 to 35 hours per week. The majority of all students did not have care-giving responsibilities (83%). For the small proportion of students who did, significantly more women (52%) than men (21%) had full responsibility for the care of children and other dependents. Traditional gender roles were not evident in the employment analysis: men and women did not differ on employment status or how many hours per week they worked. In contrast, traditional gender roles were evident in the difference between men’s and women’s care-giving responsibilities. In the few instances where students are caregivers, more women than men shoulder the responsibilities.

Comparisons by Employment Status

 T-tests and MANOVA were used to compare employed students (n = 359) to unemployed students (n = 122) on several factors. These two groups did not differ significantly in their a) GPA; b) reasons for attending PSU, c) levels of satisfaction with quality of instruction, course content, and testing and grading practices; and d) perceptions of faculty and staff as helpful and respectful.

Time to earn degree

Employed and unemployed students were significantly different in the amount of time they planned to take to earn a degree at PSU. On a scale of 1 (Less than one year), 2 (1 to 2 years), 3 (3 to 5 years), and 4 (More than 5 years), the mean rating of expected time to degree was higher for employed students than unemployed students.

Campus Climate

On a scale of 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree), the mean rating of the statement, "I am socially comfortable coming to class" was significantly higher for employed students than unemployed students (see Chart 3).

The mean rating of the statement, "the atmosphere on campus is conducive to learning" was also significantly higher for employed students than unemployed students (see Chart 4).

      In contrast to the traditional view that working while in school is a disadvantage, these findings suggest that working might have a positive impact on students’ academic experiences.

Comparisons by Age

Students were divided into four groups based on the frequency distribution of their ages. These groups were a) 18 to 20 years of age (n = 124, M = 19.52), b) 21 to 22 years of age (n = 127, M = 21.53), c) 23 to 26 years of age (n = 122, M = 24.20), and d) 27 years of age and older (n = 117, M = 34.23). The fourth age group (27 years of age and older) was compared to every other age group using MANOVA.

Support from PSU Faculty

On a scale of 1 (Not supportive) to 5 (Very supportive), most students’ rated PSU faculty as supportive (M=3.69). The oldest and youngest students gave PSU faculty the highest support ratings. The ratings of older students (age 27 and up) were significantly higher than the ratings of students in the age groups 21 to 22 and 23 to 26 years old (see Chart 5).

Decision to Attend PSU

Students indicated on a scale of 1 (Not important at all) to 5 (Very important) the importance of various characteristics of PSU (e.g., reputation, program offerings, cost, and recommendations) in making the decision to attend. For all but one item, students’ ratings did not differ by age, however, ability to stay in the Portland area was significantly more important to older students (27 years of age and older) than any other age group (see Chart 6).

Comparisons by Ethnicity

Several satisfaction items were analyzed for ethnic differences using MANOVA. African-American students (n = 10), Hispanic students (n = 27), and Asian students (n = 57) were compared with White students (n = 321). Only four Native Americans participated in the survey; due to the small sample size they were excluded from the analysis. Data from students for whom ethnic information was unavailable (n = 75) were also excluded from the analysis. White students did not differ significantly from students in the other ethnic groups in their perceptions of a) instructors’ concern for students; b) support from faculty, staff or fellow students, c) whether faculty and staff are respectful and helpful; d) whether PSU is a welcoming place; and e) how socially comfortable students feel on campus and in class.

Reasons for Attending PSU

Students rated the importance of reasons for attending PSU on a scale of 1 (Not important at all) to 5 (Very important). The mean ratings of only one reason differed significantly by ethnicity. Specifically, the mean rating of parents’ wishes as a reason for attending PSU was higher for Asian students than White students (see Chart 7).

Decision to Attend PSU

Students used the same scale to rate the importance of PSU’s characteristics in the decision to attend. The importance of only one characteristic of PSU differed significantly by ethnicity. African-American, Hispanic, and Asian students’ mean ratings were significantly higher than White students’ mean rating of the importance of the financial aid package (see Chart 8). All results presented in this report should be interpreted with caution. The findings suggest, however, that different groups of students may share similar academic experiences at PSU, and that campus and classroom environments and interactions with faculty have an important impact on students’ experiences and satisfaction.   Kathi A. Ketcheson, Director; Juliette Stoering, Research Analyst; Lina Lu, Research Analyst; & Tatiana Snyder, Graduate Research Assistant created this edition of the Portland State University Research Update.