The effects of academic environment and background characteristics on student satisfaction and performance: the case of South Carolina State University's School of Business

College Student Journal, June, 2003 by David Karemera, Lucy J. Reuben, Marion R. Sillah

The findings indicate that gender and college performance are two independent attributes. That is, the difference or variation in performance between male and female students is just due to chance and does not reflect statistical gender performance discrepancy. In a similar study at a majority white university, Kuh & Hossler (2001a) found no significant gender differences in college performance. The remaining characteristics have varying degrees of association with performance in college.

V. Summary and Concluding Remarks

In this study we examined relationships among students' family characteristics, educational background, college climate and services; and student performance and satisfaction. A survey of students at SCSU School of Business was conducted, and a five-point scale was used to address student preferences and satisfaction with academic programs and various services.

The survey responses show overall student satisfaction with the school services and academic programs. A notable finding is that performance is significantly correlated with satisfaction with academic environment and services received. The findings seem to support the premise that student services exercise positive influence on student outcomes and increase student satisfaction with the University. The existence of professional development programs and internship opportunities are an important and integral part of the student learning experience and development and are associated with better academic performance.

A [X.sup.2] test and Likelihood ratio test statistic were used to test the hypothesis of independence between the various attributes and academic performance. The highlights included the finding that college performance and high school achievements are not independent factors. The probability distribution of majors and the adequacy of library services are found to be significantly associated with college performance. However, while the results reveal an existence of income disparity as well as educational background differences among students' families, there is no statistical evidence of significant association between family income level and academic performance, a finding also consistent with previous research results (Hu and St Johns, 2001. The findings in this study offer important implications for South Carolina State University and other institutions of higher education. The results reveal that, while level of family income was not associated with college performance, the evidence shows that educational and cultural background matter. According to the survey, a large proportion of students with high interest in math and science gravitate toward the Business School at SCSU. The School needs to utilize the opportunity to build on these interests and identify students with characteristics that offer greater likelihood of college success and positive outcomes.

Our results offer additional insights for enhancing recruitment, retention, and graduation rates. Higher education institutions especially HBCUs and other minority institutions need to identify opportunities in which greater collaboration between academic and student affairs units can be used to promote in-class and out-of-class experiences that are mutually reinforcing and supportive of the missions and learning goals. Such experiences as internships, field trips and student travel-abroad opportunities, guest speaker programs, and a variety of residence hall- based activities hold considerable potential for combining in-class and out of-class experiments in ways that promote learning and cognitive development (Terenzini, Pascarella & Blimling, 1996). Overall, the results provide some benchmarks on student satisfaction with academic programs and services and may be useful in student placement, retention, and future college recruiting programs at various colleges and universities.