This research examined the relationships among students' academic majors, levels of engagement, and learning outcomes within the context of Holland's person-environment theory of vocational and educational behavior. The study focused on the role of student engagement as a mediating agent in the relationships between academic majors and student…

Calls for accountability in higher education are prompted in part by questions concerning whether colleges and universities use their resources effectively to promote student learning. Unfortunately, too little is known about whether money matters to desired outcomes of college. Using students' responses to the 2004 administration of the National…

The findings of this study show wide variation in the learning patterns of college students in the academic environments of Holland's theory and, more importantly, that such variability differs based on the level of "consistency" or "inconsistency" of the environments. Differences in the learning patterns of students in "consistent" academic…

This study examines variability in the extent to which faculty members in the disciplinary-based academic environments of Holland's theory emphasize different student learning outcomes in their classes and whether such differences are comparable for those in "consistent" versus "inconsistent" environments. The findings show wide variation in the…

The few studies focusing on the relationships between higher education expenditures and student outcomes have produced contradictory results. This study hypothesized that the lack of consistent relationships is a function of the fact that the effects of expenditures on outcomes are mediated by student engagement. Furthermore, it is expected that…

Examined the relationship between the expenditure patterns of over 300 colleges and universities and changes in students' perceptions of their leadership abilities over a 4-year period. Found, unlike earlier studies, a statistically significant albeit modest influence of expenditure patterns on students' leadership abilities. Different results may…

A longitudinal study, based on Holland's theory of occupational choice, found accentuation of initial group differences for artistic abilities in both male and female college students and for enterprising abilities of male students within academic subenvironments. Data support Holland's theory that students' initial selection of academic…

Examined are the specific differences in the salary reward structures of eight clusters of academic disciplines included in Biglan's three-dimensional model of the academic profession. A total of 1,320 faculty at a large research university responded to the Faculty Activity Analysis questionnaire regarding the time spent in 11 categories of…

A study compared the preferences of students, faculty and administrators in a public, four-year college for five types of institutional goals. Significant differences were found between these campus groups on all five types of institutional goals. Findings are discussed in relationship to previous research, and future research needs are suggested.…

Findings suggest that Holland's theory of vocational choice can assist in the interpretation of goal priorities within the academic community. Suggestions indicate how this theory might be employed by university administrators and in subsequent research on the administration of academic departments and the roles of their chairmen. (Editor/PG)

This study represented an initial effort to explore the potential of the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) as an instrument for the measurement of job satisfaction in institutions of higher learning. The JDI is a standardized measure of five dimensions of job satisfaction that has been used in noneducational organizations. (Editor/PG)

A longitudinal study of over 2,000 graduates from eight college types generally supports the validity of Holland's premise: that model environments reinforce the characteristic predispositions and attitudes of their corresponding personality types. There are implications for the study of inter- and intra-institutional diversity. (MSE)

The effect of administrative service as department chair on the scholarly careers of academic chemists is explored through an analysis of their publication and doctoral student productivity records over a two-decade period. The results indicate no significant difference in the productivity levels of the experimental and control groups. (Author/MLW)

The relationship between the citation rates and perceived quality of education journals was examined and the results showed a weaker relationship than reported in studies of other disciplines. Implications for subsequent research on the complex process of knowledge diffusion and utilization are discussed. (Author/MLW)

A study of social origin and educational measures in occupational status attainment of former college students found that status attainment in professional careers is related more to cognitive attributes of the college attended and educational performance. Nonprofessional career status is related more to affective attributes of the college…