| This comparative study established the importance of various skills and competencies conceptually related to student affairs practice, as perceived by senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) in the US and UK determined which skills and competencies were and which were not perceived important cross-culturally and identified available professional development methods and the degree of their effectiveness in both countries. The purpose was accomplished by using a survey research methodology and employing a combination of on-line and paper-based data collection methods. The study involved U.S. SSAOs who were members of the National Association of Student Affairs Personnel Administrators (NASPA), and U.K. SSAOs whose institutions were affiliated with the Association of the Managers of Student Services in Higher Education (AMOSSHE). Student affairs administrators from 43 U.S. states and all four U.K. countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) took part in the study.The data-collecting instrument was developed by U.S. researchers, and reviewed by five U.K. SSAOs, who concluded that with minor modifications, this survey could be applicable to the U.K. student affairs context. Descriptive (frequencies, means, and mean differences) and inferential (t-tests) statistics were used for the data analysis.The study determined that both U.S. and U.K. SSAOs perceived the majority of the competencies included in the questionnaire as essential or important, and, therefore, had a distinctly identifiable knowledge and competency base critical to student affairs practice in each country. A large number of competencies were established as important to both U.S. and U.K. SSAOs, suggesting the existence of a cross-culturally consistent general understanding of competence in student affairs. The understanding of competence, however, did not emerge as exclusively uniform between the U.S. and the U.K. groups, suggesting that various political, cultural, and socioeconomic factors contributed to differences in perceptions. While many methods of professional development emerged as available to both U.S. and U.K. SSAOs, few were perceived as highly important, which suggested a critical need to address the quality of existing professional development methods and processes. The study identified important implications to U.S., U.K., and international higher education scholarship and practice, and outlined recommendations for future research. |
