Content area
Abstract
Student affairs administrators frequently face conflicting information and crucial deadlines that may influence their decision making. This study examined the effects of time available to decide, administrative level, and problem content on student affairs program evaluation decisions. The 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design included two fixed factors and one repeated measure. The fixed factors were the length of time available to make a decision (short and long timelines), and the administrative level of the decision maker (chief student affairs officer and director of housing). Content of the decision problem was the repeated measure. The presence of high conflict (loss), high quality (irreversibility) and hope for a better answer allowed a comparison of the necessary conditions for the most and least adaptive coping patterns of the conflict model of decision making (Janis & Mann, 1977): vigilance (long time) and hypervigilance (short time).
A national random sample of 120 chief student affairs officers and 120 directors of housing at four-year coeducational colleges and universities were sent vignettes presenting simulated program evaluation problems. The Decision-Making Response Survey measured respondent perceptions of information use and feelings regarding the decision. A doubly multivariate repeated measure analysis procedure identified differences on four response analysis sets: stress, decision, information use, and post-decision feelings. Time and Level were predicted to yield differences, but no differences were expected for Content.
The analysis revealed a Time by Level interaction and a Content main effect for stress. A Level by Content interaction occurred for decision and content main effect was found for information use. There was also a post-decision feelings main effect for Level and Content.
Although the high stress response predictions of hypervigilance were not substantiated, Time, Level, and Content conditions resulted in significant differences in student affairs evaluative information use. Context differences that affect decision maker perceptions and information use have implications for student affairs decision making and evaluators assisting with program decisions.
