Graduate Program
College Student Affairs
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Semester of Degree Completion
2012
Thesis Director
James Wallace
Thesis Committee Member
Jody Stone
Thesis Committee Member
Josh Lawry
Abstract
As the expectations of assessing student development for student affairs professionals throughout higher education increases, the efforts of residence halls initiatives have been in the spotlight. To reflect upon the intentional means of developing each student, Eastern Illinois University's Housing & Dining Services department created the Panther Success Initiative. The Panther Success Initiative was designed with the expectation that RA staff interact with residents as frequent as possible to gain an understanding and of the residents' personal and academic needs for a successful collegiate experience. Through these interactions, the RA can then provide resources and advocate for the individual students and the community holistically. A means of accountability towards the initiative, the electronic sociogram, was introduced in the fall 2011 semester. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the RAs understanding of their role within the initiative and the effectiveness of utilizing the sociogram. Through a triangulated approach of pre- and post- assessments, quantitative measurements of the sociogram use, and RA interviews, the study sought to find factors that were inhibiting and helping RAs effectively develop communities in reflection to the Panther Success Initiative. Findings from the present study suggest that RAs were able to redefine their role within the Panther Success Initiative when using the sociogram and acknowledged a variety of skills gained from utilizing the tool.
Recommended Citation
Piper, Aubrie L., "Community development through electronic sociograms" (2012). Masters Theses. 788.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/788
