A study of apprehensions of black and white faculty members toward teaching in Virginia community colleges

Abstract

The problem addressed by this study was that of determining whether significant differences existed among selected apprehensions concerning work, church, social, and family life of sample groups drawn from the black and white faculties in selected Virginia Community Colleges where student population are no less than 10 percent black. The subjects consisted of 256 community college faculty of which 190 faculty members responded. These subjects consisted of 75 black faculty members and 181 white faculty members in 9 selected Virginia Community Colleges. The study utilized the descriptive-survey research design to define and interpret the problem under investigation: (1) the willingness of the faculty members of the opposite race, (2) the kinds of people with whom black and white faculty members were most willing and unwilling to associate, and (3) the apprehensiveness of the faculty members and the intensity of such apprehension in campus-related situations. To answer the first concern of the study, a twenty-item questionnaire containing a rating scale was constructed. The rating scale was designed to ascertain the attitudes of faculty members in Different Role Behavior Situations. To respond to the second concern of the study, a list of twentyseven items were derived from pertinent literature. The subjects were asked to indicate by selecting only one response from two categories consisting of six items each and from "yes" or "no" in fifteen attitude situations. To respond to the third concern of the study, a twenty-item questionnaire containing a numerical rating scale was constructed. The rating scale was designed to ascertain the apprehensions of faculty members with respect to campus-related situations and determine the relative intensity of each. The Statistical Package Program SPSSH, Version 6.01 and contributed programs in the computer user's library at Virginia Western Community College were used to test chi-square between groups. Further, analysis of data using the Wilcoxan and Friedman tests also contributed to the computer user's library at Virginia Western Community College were used. The analysis was done on the Hewlett-Packard System 3000 in the computer center at Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke, Virginia. The findings revealed a relationship in the data to support conclusions concerning the varying degrees of apprehension related to role behavior, interpersonal reactions, and campus-related situations. These conclusions are summarized below. In the area of role behavior as it related to levels of apprehension expressed by respondents the following conclusions can be drawn:

The analysis of the data suggests that there exists a relationship between years teaching experience and the respondent's expressed level of apprehension about associating with members of the opposite race. Since this relationship was indicated by the chi-square test, but not confirmed by the Wilcoxan test further study in this area is needed before a conclusion can be reached.

The data analysis indicated a relationship between degree of apprehension a respondent expressed about associating with members of the opposite race and the respondent's own race. Additional analysis of the data indicates that blacks are less apprehensive than whites.

The analysis suggests there is a relationship between the respondent's sex and the degree of apprehension expressed concerning association with members of the opposite race. Males appeared to be more apprehensive than females collectively. Also, white males appear to be more apprehensive than black males and white females more apprehensive than black females. Additional investigation into the question suggest there is a relationship between sex and the degree of apprehension among whites. The data did not show a statistically significant relationship between sex and degree of apprehension among blacks. Analysis of individual survey items suggested a relationship between sex and the degree of apprehension in two social situations: (a) joining a club where most of the members are women and (b) joining a church where half of the members are of the opposite race.

The examination of the responses related to different kinds of interpersonal reactions revealed the following trends: The data suggests a relationship between race and characteristics of individuals of the opposite race with whom the respondents would be most willing to associate. The data did not produce statistically significant findings that a relationship exists between race and the characteristics of individuals of the opposite race with whom the respondents would be most unwilling to associate. Neither did the analysis suggest a relationship between sex and characteristics of individuals of the opposite race with whom the respondents would be most willing or unwilling to associate. An examination of the data related to campus-related situations suggested that:

There is a relationship between degree of apprehension expressed and race, with blacks being more apprehensive than whites.

There is a possible relationship between degree of apprehension expressed and sex with white females expressing less apprehension than black females.