College student behavior: A qualitative investigation of students’ experience and future behavior related to the study conduct process

Abstract

High profile behavioral problems have motivated a national call for accountability by colleges and universities to better manage these issues to maintain safe and supportive campus communities. The current literature supports the use of the student conduct process as the main student behavioral intervention, but limited research has been published that examine the outcomes associated with the process. This study examines the experiences of students who participated in the conduct process and influence on their learning and future behaviors. The study also compares the experiences of students to the expressed outcomes of the professionals who administer the process. This study utilizes a qualitative research design to provide a reflective understanding of administrators’ desired outcomes pertaining to the conduct process and students’ experiences and meaning-making after participating in the same process. The study exams students’ perceptions of learning and ways future behaviors are influenced due to participating in the conduct process. This study takes place at a large four-year public urban institution located in the Northeast and includes interviews with students who participated in the student conduct process between August 2012 and September 2014 and of administrators that oversee the disciplinary proceedings at the same university. The findings from this study reveal similarities and differences between administrators and students that may provide useful in exploring ways to further prevent disciplinary issues and support students when behaviors occur beyond what is already being offered. Additionally, findings demonstrate that learning is occurring, which students attribute to interactions with administrators, active sanctions involving peer interactions, and learning to critically think through future decisions before making them. Furthermore, students’ claims that the conduct process is educational aligns with responses shared by administrators, but are not fully substantiated, due to a lack of formal outcomes and assessment measures that could validate the overall effectiveness of the conduct process.