Jessica K Sheets | University of Arkansas (original) (raw)
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Papers by Jessica K Sheets
In recent years, various sources have expressed widespread concern surrounding whether undergradu... more In recent years, various sources have expressed widespread concern surrounding whether undergraduate students are learning enough in college and whether institutions of higher education are teaching foundational skills effectively (Arum & Roksa, 2011). Before assessing whether postsecondary institutions are succeeding in their jobs of educating students, however, an underlying question must be addressed: how much growth should we expect to observe in students during their college years? (Pascarella, Blaich, Martin, & Hanson, 2011). Proponents of liberal education, such as the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), have contributed answers. AAC&U has called for postsecondary institutions to embrace its essential learning outcomes for student success in the twenty-first century, including “knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, intellectual and practical skills, personal and social responsibility, and integrative learning”—outcomes designed...
The journal of faculty development, 2018
This quantitative study examines how faculty service morale is related to faculty’s social identi... more This quantitative study examines how faculty service morale is related to faculty’s social identities, organizational environments, and the three dimensions of faculty work-lives proposed by Johnsrud and Rosser (2002): professional priorities and rewards, administrative relations and support, and quality of benefits and services. Findings suggest that identity characteristics, organizational environments, administrative relations and support, and quality of benefits and service all play important roles in predicting faculty service morale.
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 2018
Background While it may appear that university leaders’ public advocacy is somewhat punctuated in... more Background While it may appear that university leaders’ public advocacy is somewhat punctuated in today's political environment, campuses have long been symbolic epicenters of civic discourse about contentious social issues in the United States. Scholarly discourse about university leaders’ advocacy has centered on when or how leaders have chosen to use it to facilitate productive interactions with political leaders and other strategic constituencies. Largely absent from these discussions is evidence detailing whether senior campus leaders’ public advocacy has any discernible effects on the campus climate and educational environment. Research Question In this analysis, we ask: Does public and vocal advocacy for educational values by senior campus leaders translate into cultivating a campus climate that corresponds to the values and messages being communicated in the leaders’ rhetoric? What, if any, educational impact results from campus leaders’ public advocacy? Research Design ...
Research in Higher Education, 2016
Using a census sampling, this analysis evaluates the campus structures and practices that are pre... more Using a census sampling, this analysis evaluates the campus structures and practices that are predictive of a campus being affiliated with stakeholder legal advocacy regarding the Fisher Supreme Court affirmative action case of 2013. Findings reveal that a campus utilizing selective admissions operated as a sufficient, but not a necessary, requirement to prompt stakeholders to take a legal position in the case. Also, campuses that enrolled and graduated the largest percentages of nonwhite students were inclined to have stakeholders submit amicus briefs advocating support for UT-Austin and the use of race in selective college admissions.
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2017
Undocumented college students in the United States face many obstacles as a function of their imm... more Undocumented college students in the United States face many obstacles as a function of their immigration status. This article considers the organizational and administrative practices associated with the work of campus diversity administrators (CDOs) in contributing to the educational experiences of undocumented college students. Recent scholarship has emphasized that campus administrators possess the capacity to act as institutional agents to influence how campuses respond to and support marginalized students. Our article presents an argument that begins to draw connections between substantive inclusive organizational action and everyday administrative routines. We conclude by offering a set of propositions that hold promise for how CDOs can engage in work routines that advance the cause of inclusion for undocumented students.
Research in Higher Education, 2015
This mixed-method analysis presents a model of college students' civic commitments and capacities... more This mixed-method analysis presents a model of college students' civic commitments and capacities for community action. Quantitative findings indicate that after controlling for background characteristics, campus contexts, and college experiences, students' acquisitions of commitments to and skills for contributing to the larger community are largely influenced by the extent to which students perceive their campus as one that advocates for its students to be active and involved citizens. Qualitative findings convey the behaviors and types of speech that students view as legitimate public advocacy by peers, faculty, and administrators. Qualitative insights also reveal the ways in which students' exposure to campus-based public advocacy influences their civic skills, and their understandings of social responsibility.
The International Journal of Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement, Sep 28, 2014
This study used data from a longitudinal, national study of recent college students to examine th... more This study used data from a longitudinal, national study of recent college students to examine the estimated effects of students' participation in service-learning on six liberal arts outcomes. Findings indicate that service-learning was a positive, significant predictor for students' political and social involvement. Service-learning did not have a significant effect on students' growth regarding critical thinking, moral reasoning, inclination to inquire and lifelong learn, intercultural effectiveness, or psychological well-being.
Higher Education, 2014
ABSTRACT
Higher Education, 2014
ABSTRACT
Journal of College Student Development, 2016
This study utilizes data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNS) - a longi... more This study utilizes data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNS) - a longitudinal, pretest/posttest design study - to examine the effects of participation in an internship on end-of-fourth-year GPA. The study further examines if whether demographic or institutional characteristics moderate the relationship. The findings demonstrate that college students who participated in internships are more likely to experience gains in GPA
In recent years, various sources have expressed widespread concern surrounding whether undergradu... more In recent years, various sources have expressed widespread concern surrounding whether undergraduate students are learning enough in college and whether institutions of higher education are teaching foundational skills effectively (Arum & Roksa, 2011). Before assessing whether postsecondary institutions are succeeding in their jobs of educating students, however, an underlying question must be addressed: how much growth should we expect to observe in students during their college years? (Pascarella, Blaich, Martin, & Hanson, 2011). Proponents of liberal education, such as the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), have contributed answers. AAC&U has called for postsecondary institutions to embrace its essential learning outcomes for student success in the twenty-first century, including “knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, intellectual and practical skills, personal and social responsibility, and integrative learning”—outcomes designed...
The journal of faculty development, 2018
This quantitative study examines how faculty service morale is related to faculty’s social identi... more This quantitative study examines how faculty service morale is related to faculty’s social identities, organizational environments, and the three dimensions of faculty work-lives proposed by Johnsrud and Rosser (2002): professional priorities and rewards, administrative relations and support, and quality of benefits and services. Findings suggest that identity characteristics, organizational environments, administrative relations and support, and quality of benefits and service all play important roles in predicting faculty service morale.
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 2018
Background While it may appear that university leaders’ public advocacy is somewhat punctuated in... more Background While it may appear that university leaders’ public advocacy is somewhat punctuated in today's political environment, campuses have long been symbolic epicenters of civic discourse about contentious social issues in the United States. Scholarly discourse about university leaders’ advocacy has centered on when or how leaders have chosen to use it to facilitate productive interactions with political leaders and other strategic constituencies. Largely absent from these discussions is evidence detailing whether senior campus leaders’ public advocacy has any discernible effects on the campus climate and educational environment. Research Question In this analysis, we ask: Does public and vocal advocacy for educational values by senior campus leaders translate into cultivating a campus climate that corresponds to the values and messages being communicated in the leaders’ rhetoric? What, if any, educational impact results from campus leaders’ public advocacy? Research Design ...
Research in Higher Education, 2016
Using a census sampling, this analysis evaluates the campus structures and practices that are pre... more Using a census sampling, this analysis evaluates the campus structures and practices that are predictive of a campus being affiliated with stakeholder legal advocacy regarding the Fisher Supreme Court affirmative action case of 2013. Findings reveal that a campus utilizing selective admissions operated as a sufficient, but not a necessary, requirement to prompt stakeholders to take a legal position in the case. Also, campuses that enrolled and graduated the largest percentages of nonwhite students were inclined to have stakeholders submit amicus briefs advocating support for UT-Austin and the use of race in selective college admissions.
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2017
Undocumented college students in the United States face many obstacles as a function of their imm... more Undocumented college students in the United States face many obstacles as a function of their immigration status. This article considers the organizational and administrative practices associated with the work of campus diversity administrators (CDOs) in contributing to the educational experiences of undocumented college students. Recent scholarship has emphasized that campus administrators possess the capacity to act as institutional agents to influence how campuses respond to and support marginalized students. Our article presents an argument that begins to draw connections between substantive inclusive organizational action and everyday administrative routines. We conclude by offering a set of propositions that hold promise for how CDOs can engage in work routines that advance the cause of inclusion for undocumented students.
Research in Higher Education, 2015
This mixed-method analysis presents a model of college students' civic commitments and capacities... more This mixed-method analysis presents a model of college students' civic commitments and capacities for community action. Quantitative findings indicate that after controlling for background characteristics, campus contexts, and college experiences, students' acquisitions of commitments to and skills for contributing to the larger community are largely influenced by the extent to which students perceive their campus as one that advocates for its students to be active and involved citizens. Qualitative findings convey the behaviors and types of speech that students view as legitimate public advocacy by peers, faculty, and administrators. Qualitative insights also reveal the ways in which students' exposure to campus-based public advocacy influences their civic skills, and their understandings of social responsibility.
The International Journal of Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement, Sep 28, 2014
This study used data from a longitudinal, national study of recent college students to examine th... more This study used data from a longitudinal, national study of recent college students to examine the estimated effects of students' participation in service-learning on six liberal arts outcomes. Findings indicate that service-learning was a positive, significant predictor for students' political and social involvement. Service-learning did not have a significant effect on students' growth regarding critical thinking, moral reasoning, inclination to inquire and lifelong learn, intercultural effectiveness, or psychological well-being.
Higher Education, 2014
ABSTRACT
Higher Education, 2014
ABSTRACT
Journal of College Student Development, 2016
This study utilizes data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNS) - a longi... more This study utilizes data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNS) - a longitudinal, pretest/posttest design study - to examine the effects of participation in an internship on end-of-fourth-year GPA. The study further examines if whether demographic or institutional characteristics moderate the relationship. The findings demonstrate that college students who participated in internships are more likely to experience gains in GPA