The impact of working on undergraduate students’ interactions with faculty

http://www4.ncsu.edu/~pdumbach/work_faculty.pdf

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The impact of working on undergraduate students’ interactions with faculty

Paul D. Umbach

North Carolina State University

Ryan D. Padgett

The University of Iowa

Ernest T. Pascarella

The University of Iowa

The impact of working on undergraduate students’ interactions with faculty

Three decades of research on college students indicates that faculty members play a

central role in the development of undergraduate students (Astin, 1993; Pascarella & Terenzini,

1991, 2005; Kuh & Hu, 2001; Umbach & Wawyrzinski, 2005). Studies suggest that out-ofclassroom interactions with faculty are positively associated with gains in academic and

cognitive development (Terenzini, Pascarella, & Blimling, 1996), personal and intellectual

growth (Astin, 1993; Endo & Harpel, 1982; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005), and student

satisfaction (Kuh & Hu, 2001; Endo & Harpel, 1982). These interactions are frequently the best

predictors of student persistence (Braxton, Sullivan, & Johnson, 1997; Pascarella & Terenzini,

1991; Stage &Hossler, 2000). Likewise, instructional approaches, such as cooperative learning,

teacher organization and clarity, and high expectations for students, positively influence

cognitive growth (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991, 2005; Pascarella Edison, Nora, Hagedorn, &

Braxton, 1996).