How Does the Number of Students Impact the RA Experience?

Twenty-eight percent of RAs have 30 students or less under their responsibility, 49% have 31 to 50 students, and 23% have more than 50 students. Perhaps not surprisingly, resident assistants with more students under their responsibility indicate spending more hours per week working as an RA.

RAs who are responsible for more students are less satisfied with the number of hours they work, but do not differ from those RAs with fewer students on other measures of satisfaction, such as constraints on leaving campus and balancing academics and job responsibilities. Student staff members are equally satisfied with their job training as it relates to effectively carrying out their duties as an RA regardless of the number of students under their responsibility. Furthermore, the number of students for which an RA is responsible does not appear to be related to whether the student staff experience contributes to interpersonal development or other key learning outcomes. However, RAs who are responsible for fewer students report greater levels of respect and acceptance among their residents than RAs with more students. Overall, the number of students for which an RA is responsible does not appear to impact the RA experience dramatically, except for increased work hours, but further research should explore the extent to which it may impact the student resident experience.

The Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I) and EBI Benchmarking Assessments partnered to develop assessment tools for residence life. This research is based on the ACUHO-I/EBI Student Staff Assessment including the academic years 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11. In all, 12,751 student staff members responded to the assessment during the three academic years.

1. Resident Assistants who are responsible for more students spend more time working as an RA.

   • Three out of ten RAs who had responsibility for more than 50 students worked 10 hours or less per week, compared to 41% of those who had responsibility for 30 students or less.

2. Resident Assistants who are responsible for more students are less likely to be satisfied with the hours they work, but equally likely to be satisfied with other aspects of their RA position.

   • RAs who had responsibility for more than 50 students were significantly less likely than other RAs to be satisfied with the number of hours they worked.
   • Interestingly, RAs who had responsibility for more students were more likely to be satisfied with their room accommodations.
   • Satisfaction with the RA position regarding privacy, balancing academics and job, and remuneration was not related to the number of students for whom an RA was responsible.

3. The number of students for which Resident Assistants are responsible is not related to their assessment of the effectiveness of RA job training received.

   • Nearly 60% of RAs, regardless of the number of students for which they had responsibility, indicated their training provided them with the skills necessary to enforce policies effectively to a large degree.
   • About one-half of all RAs reported their training provided them with the skills necessary to plan activities/programs effectively.

4. The number of students for which an RA is responsible does not relate to their interpersonal development.

   • At least 70% of RAs indicated their experience as a student staff member enhanced their ability to listen effectively to their residents, work effectively with their residents, and successfully establish professional relationships.
   • Six out of ten student staff members reported their position enhanced their ability to develop trust among their residents and motivate others. The percentages did not significantly differ based on the number of students for whom they were responsible.

5. Student staff members who are responsible for fewer students report greater respect and acceptance among their residents.

   • Forty-six percent of student staff members who are responsible for 30 or less students indicated their residents were respecting each other’s sleep time, compared to 39% of student staff members with more than 50 students.
   • While 59% of student staff members with 30 or less students indicated a large degree of trust among their residents, only 51% of student staff members with more than 50 students indicated the same.
   • Sixty-one percent of student staff members who are responsible for 30 or less students reported their residents felt accepted by each other, compared to 55% of staff members with more than 50 students.

6. The number of students under a student staff member’s responsibility does not relate to enhancement of staff learning outcomes.

7. Overall satisfaction with the student staff experience is not related to the number of students under the staffs’ responsibility.

   • More than six out of ten student staff members, regardless of the number of students they are responsible for, were satisfied with their experience.
   • Two-thirds of student staff members were inclined to recommend being a student staff member to a close friend.

Conclusion

The number of students for whom an RA is responsible does not appear to impact the RA experience significantly, although there appears to be a difference in hours worked per week and satisfaction with work hours. These differences did not translate into differences in overall satisfaction or achievement of learning outcomes or interpersonal development. However, RAs with fewer students indicated a greater level of respect and acceptance among their residents. This hints at the possibility that the student resident experience may be different based on the number of students for which an RA is responsible.

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