A Structural Model of the Relationship Between Student-Faculty Interaction and Cognitive Skills Development Among College Students

• In Event: 65.037 - Motivation, Purpose, and College Student Outcomes

Abstract

Using structural equation modeling, this study attempted to explain the psychological (or motivational) as well as sociological mechanisms through which student-faculty interaction facilitates students’ cognitive skills development. Particularly, to address the psychological elements of the effects of student-faculty interaction, this study incorporated two major concepts of Ryan and Deci’s (2000) self-determination theory, autonomy and relatedness. Findings of the study suggest that the pathways from student-faculty interaction to a desired college outcome (cognitive skills in this case) seem more complex than those hypothesized in traditional college impact theories or models (which relied on mostly sociological perspectives). This study found that student-faculty interaction improves students’ autonomy and relatedness, which enhances their academic engagement, which in turn promotes cognitive skills development.

Authors

• Young K. Kim, Azusa Pacific University

• Carol A. Lundberg, Azusa Pacific University