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Building national capacity in student affairs at a local university in Qatar: A gap analysis
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Running head: BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS AT A LOCAL UNIVERSITY
IN QATAR: A GAP ANALYSIS
by
Ameena A. Hussain
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2018
Copyright 2018 Ameena A. Hussain
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
“My success is only by Allah.” Quran [11:88].
I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to many individuals who made this
journey possible. Foremost, I would like to start with my loving family. For my parents who
brought me to life, thank you for instilling in me the passion for learning and drive for
excellence. To my Baba, you have raised us to be open to the world. Thank you for bringing us
up in an environment that values equality and diversity. It has shaped me towards becoming the
human being and woman I am today. To my Mama, thank you for allowing me to question social
norms. You have introduced me to the concept of challenging status quo at an early age. Also
thank you for always being there for the children and me whenever I am away for work and
studies. To my husband Hamad, thank you for believing in me, pushing me when needed,
supporting my studies and travel and being an exemplary partner and man in my life. For my
children Ahmad and Maria, it is such a gift to be your mom. I know it was not easy for you that
Mama was away or busy studying, so thank you for being patient and showering me with all that
love. You started repeating my words, “Education is important.” You make my heart smile. I
hope that my passion for learning will serve an inspiration to you. Learning is forever! To my
siblings Nasser, Mohammed and Nora, thank you for the continuous encouragement and words
of pride. We are the fantastic four!
I would also like to express the deepest appreciation for the USC family who were part of
this journey. A big thank you goes to my committee chair Dr. Tracy Tambascia. Thank you for
your guidance and patience. I would like to thank my committee members Dr. Mark Robison and
Dr. Cathy Krop for their support, patience and lots of edits. A special thank you goes to Dr.
Robison for introducing me to the program in the first place and for your continuous
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 3
encouragement and belief in me. You kept me going. Also thank you for your insights and
guidance beyond the dissertation. I value your mentorship. I would also like to thank other
influential faculty members such as Dr. Rob Filback and Dr. Monique Datta. I still hear Dr.
Datta’s words “A good dissertation is a finished dissertation.” Last but not least, thank you for
my classmates whom I have enjoyed the journey of learning with.
Another thank you goes to my former colleagues in the student affairs office at Hamad
Bin Khalifa University. Thank you for your time, interest to help and the many conversations
around the topic of this dissertation. A big thank you also goes to Dr. Dennis Roberts, Evan Witt,
Jamil Karam and Dr. Matthew Nelson who exerted much of their time and mind to support me.
A special thank you for the Qatar Foundation and its Chairperson Her highness Sheikha
Moza Bint Nasser for being such an inspirational role model for the women of Qatar. Another
special thank you goes to Dr. Abdulla Bin Ali Al-Thani, Dr. Khalid Al-Khanji, Soud Al-Tamimi,
and Fahad Al-Kuwari who made it possible for me to ‘unlock my potential’.
“My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” Quran [20:114]
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements 2
List of Tables 8
List of Figures 9
Abstract 11
Chapter One: Introducton 12
Organizational Context and Mission 13
Organizational Performance Status 14
Related Literature 16
Importance of the Problem 16
Organizational Performance Goal 17
Stakeholders and Stakeholders’ Performance Goals 18
Stakeholder for the Study and Stakeholder Performance Gap 19
Purpose of the Project and Questions 19
Methodological Framework 20
Definitions 20
Organization of the Study 21
Chapter Two: Literature Review 22
The Significance of Student Affairs 22
Early Years 1636-1850 23
Diversification in Higher Education 1850-1900 24
Shift in Roles of Faculty 1900-1945 25
Evolution of Student Life 1945 to the Present 25
Theory Based Practice 26
Student Development 26
Student Involvement 27
Challenge and Support 27
Campus Environments 28
Psychological Development 28
Foundational Documents 29
Student Personnel Point of View, 1937 29
Student Personnel Point of View, 1949 30
A Perspective on Student Affairs 30
Rise of Professional Associations 33
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators 33
American College Personnel Association 34
Professional Competencies 35
Council for the Advancement in Higher Education Standards 35
ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies 36
How Student Affairs is Practiced Around the World 37
Europe 37
Middle East 39
Preparation of Student Affairs Professionals 40
Academic Preparation Programs 40
Professional Development, Internships and On-The-Job Training 42
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 5
Background of Student Affairs Staff in Qatar 43
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Issues in Building Capacity 44
Knowledge of Qatari Student Affairs Staff 44
Motivation of Qatari Student Affairs Staff 45
Organizational Issues 46
Chapter Three: Methodology 47
Purpose of the Project and Questions 47
Methodological Framework 47
Assumed Performance Issues 48
Preliminary Scanning Data 49
Learning and Motivation Theory 51
Summary 57
Participating Stakeholders 60
Data Collection 60
Survey 60
Interviews 61
Validation of the Performance Causes 61
Summary 62
Data Analysis 62
Trustworthiness of Data 63
Role of Investigator 63
Limitations and Delimitations 64
Chapter Four: Results and Findings 66
Results and Findings for Knowledge Assumed Causes 67
Factual Knowledge 68
Conceptual Knowledge 71
Procedural Knowledge 75
Metacognitive Knowledge 79
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Knowledge Causes 82
Results and Findings for Motivation Causes 82
Intrinsic Value 84
Extrinsic Value 85
Attainment Value 89
Cost Value 93
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Motivational Causes 96
Finding: Impact of Social Commitments Towards Family and Society on Motivation
Regarding Choice of Work and Work Related Decisions 96
Finding: There Are Consequences to Student Affairs Being a New Field in the Local Job
Market, Which Leads to Lack of Societal Value for the Field, Minimal Opportunities for
Job Mobility, and Fewer Senior Position Opportunities in the Local Job Market 97
Results and Findings for Organization Causes 98
Cultural Model: Negative Attitudes 100
Cultural Settings: Lack of Effective Role Models 102
Cultural Settings: Lack of Resources 104
Cultural Settings: Lack of Goals 106
Cultural Settings: Vague Performance Goals 108
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 6
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Organizational Causes 109
Finding: Absence of Local or Regional Graduate Studies Program and/or Training in
Student Affairs 109
Finding: Absence of Personal Development Plans to Build a Career Within the
Organization 110
Summary 110
Chapter Five: Solutions, Implementation and Evaluation 111
Validated Causes Selection and Rationale 111
Knowledge 112
Motivation 112
Organization 113
Summary 113
Solutions 113
Knowledge 115
Motivation 117
Organization 118
Summary 120
Implementation Plan 122
Action Steps and Timeline 122
Stakeholders 124
Communication Plan 126
Other Considerations 126
Evaluation Plan 128
Level 1: Reactions 128
Level 2: Learning 129
Level 3: Transfer 129
Level 4: Impact 130
Limitations 130
Future Research 131
Conclusion 131
References 133
Appendix A: Organizational Mission, Organizational Goal and Stakeholder Performance
Goals 142
Appendix B: Summary of Assumed Needs For Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational
Issues 143
Appendix C: Knowledge and Skill, Motivation, and Organizational Related Matters Table 148
Appendix D: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Causes and Validation Findings 150
Appendix E: Summary of Assumed Motivation Causes and Validation Findings 151
Appendix F: Summary of Assumed Organization Causes and Validation Findings 152
Appendix G: Summary of Assumed Knowlede, Motivation and Organization Causes and
Validation Findings 154
Appendix H: Summary of Addressed Assumed Causes 157
Appendix I: Factual Knowledge Gap and Solution 159
Appendix J: Conceptual Knowledge Gap and Solution 160
Appendix K: Extrinsic Motivation Gap and Solution 161
Appendix L: Cultural Setting Lack of Resources Gap and Solution 162
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 7
Appendix M: Cultural Setting Lack of Goals Gap and Solution 163
Appendix N: Cultural Setting Vague Performance Goals Gap and Solution 164
Appendix O: Summary of Selected Validated Causes and Proposed Solutions 165
Appendix P: Survey Instrument Protocol – Sample Group 167
Appendix Q: Interview Protocol – Sample Group 175
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 8
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Organizational mission, organizational goal and stakeholder performance goals 18
Table 2: Summary of Assumed Causes for Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Issues. 58
Table 3: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Causes and Validation 62
Table 4: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Causes and Validation Findings 67
Table 5: Summary of Assumed Motivation Causes and Validation Findings 83
Table 6: Summary of Assumed Organization Causes and Validation 99
Table 7: Summary of Solutions 114
Table 8: Summary of Selected Validated Causes and Proposed Solutions 120
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 9
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. The gap analysis process. Adapted from Clark and Estes (2008). 48
Figure 2. Responses to survey statements 1, 2 & 3 on knowledge that pertains to the history
and philosophy of student affairs and CAS Standards (2009). 69
Figure 3. I am familiar with student development and student learning related theories. 72
Figure 4. I use student development and student learning related theories in my current
job/role. 73
Figure 5. I know how to look for professional development, training and courses related to
student affairs. 76
Figure 6. I know how to build a personal development plan to advance in the profession of
student affairs. 76
Figure 7. The lack of advanced academic and/or professional knowledge in student affairs
might impact the ability of student affairs staff members to perform well in certain areas. 77
Figure 8. Self-reflection is important to me to be able to improve myself and my performance. 80
Figure 9. I engage in self-reflection to improve myself and my performance. 81
Figure 10. I have a passion for the field of student affairs. 84
Figure 11. I would consider further studies in the field of education or higher education; I would
consider further studies in student affairs (Masters/Ed.D/Ph.D.). 87
Figure 12. I worry I might hurt my chances of employment in other fields if I would invest
time and studies in a specific area like student affairs. 87
Figure 13. Student affairs is my first field of choice for work; I would consider further studies in
student affairs (Masters/Ed.D/Ph.D.). 88
Figure 14. I believe it is important to have foundational knowledge in history and philosophy
of student affairs in the United States as a best practice in order to perform well in my job. 90
Figure 15. I believe it is important to have professional knowledge in student development
theory, student characteristics and the effect of college on students in order to perform well in
my job; I believe it is important to have professional knowledge in organization and
administration of student affairs, assessment, evaluation and research in order to perform
well in my job. 91
Figure 16. I believe it is important for me to have an academic degree in student affairs or
in a relevant field to be able to perform better in my job. 92
Figure 17. During my undergraduate education I was involved in extra-curricular activities. 93
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 10
Figure 18. I believe it is important for me to be involved in student related programs and events
even if it means spending additional hours in the afternoon, evening or weekends at work. 94
Figure 19. I believe working in some areas of student affairs such as Student Life and
Housing takes away from important family time. 95
Figure 20. I am willing to spend additional hours after work in student related programs and
activities; I am willing to come to work on weekends to be involved in student related
programs and activities. 96
Figure 21. I believe my organization appreciates student affairs work. 101
Figure 22. I believe my organization understands the impact of student affairs work on student
learning, development and success; I believe my organization understands the contribution of
student affairs in the university’s overall success. 102
Figure 23. I receive mentoring/coaching from other senior Qatari student affairs administrators
within the organization; There are Qatari professional student affairs staff who are qualified
academically and/or professionally to mentor me. 103
Figure 24. I would have considered an internship or a graduate assistantship in student
affairs if it was offered in Qatar. 104
Figure 25. There is a lack of availability of academic and/or graduate study programs in
student affairs in Qatar or the region. 105
Figure 26. There are opportunities for training, workshops and/or seminars related to
student affairs in Qatar or the region. 105
Figure 27. I have a development plan and I know what my next position in student affairs is. 106
Figure 28. I believe the current structure for the student affairs office provides opportunity
for promotion. 107
Figure 29. I believe the organization should define the academic qualifications required
from Qataris when applying for a position in student affairs; I believe the organization should
define the academic qualifications required from Qatari student affairs staff while on the job. 109
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 11
ABSTRACT
This study utilized Clark and Estes’ gap analysis framework to investigate barriers to building an
academically and/or professionally trained Qatari student affairs workforce at Hamad Bin
Khalifa University. Data collection combined a survey of 32 respondents with nine in-depth
interviews drawn from the same sample. The respondents’ experience in the field spanned 0 to
10 years. The study revealed that respondents lacked education, training and mentorship that
would have provided foundational and conceptual knowledge essential to providing professional
service to students. Another finding was the absence of access to graduate studies programs in
this field that could help build a career trajectory. Solutions developed from this study focus on
growing a skilled Qatari workforce in the field by building an ecosystem within Qatar designed
to support professional development at each stage of a student affairs career.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 12
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTON
In 2008, the General Secretariat for Development and Planning in Qatar issued the Qatar
National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030) aimed to diversify Qatar’s economy and shift it from oil-
based to knowledge-based (General Secretariat for Development Planning, 2008; Vora, 2014).
QNV 2030 focuses on developing human capacity as one of four pillars in addition to economic,
environmental and social developments. For human development to take place, a reform in
education is necessary (RAND Corporation, 2007). The human development pillar in QNV 2030
focuses on developing local talent in the different fields of practice in Qatar (Al-Kuwari, 2012).
US based student affairs is a newly established field introduced by the American branch
campuses in Qatar, and represents one such area of potential growth.
Universities provide an education while also helping individuals grow holistically (Kuh,
2005). This holistic education is essential to create citizens who can build a bright future for
Qatar. According to Checkering and Gamson (1989), a well-rounded education includes six
principles that a university education must provide in and out of the classroom: active learning,
faculty and student interaction, collaboration amongst students, prompt feedback, time on task,
and high expectations. Student affairs professionals are responsible for the students’ experiences
outside of the classroom (Winston, Creamer, & Miller, 2014). They are the first point of contact
for incoming students and continue to shape the student experience as educators in both formal
and informal settings (Moore & Marsh, 2007). Thus, the team plays a significant role in the
educational journey of a student as they support students’ self-exploration and growth (Pascarella
& Terenzini, 2005). Creating a Qatari workforce of effective student affairs professionals is
integral to building capacity in higher education.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 13
Organizational Context and Mission
In efforts to reform higher education, Qatar is a leading country in terms of hosting
international branch campuses, as stated by the Cross-Border Education Research Team of
University of Albany (2015). The establishment of branch campuses introduced the American
model of student affairs practice. Branch campuses operate in different models. Some are fully
funded by the main or mother institution and some are funded by the host government, private
companies, or other organizations in the host country (Altbach & Rumbley, 2007). This is the
most recent and fastest growing model, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries,
which host many branch campuses (Altbach & Rumbley, 2007).
The Qatar Foundation for Science, Research and Community Development (QF) is a
private, non-profit organization that operates under three core mission areas: education, science
and research, and community development. The foundation strives to prepare the people of Qatar
and the region to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world and to make Qatar a leader in
innovative education and research. QF is also home to an elite branch campus assembly model
represented by its flagship project Education City, host to eight branch campuses from the
United States, United Kingdom, and France. The branch campuses are Carnegie Mellon
University in Qatar, Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Texas A&M University at
Qatar, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar,
Northwestern University in Qatar, University College of London Qatar, and HEC Paris in Qatar.
Education City represents a unique model in the branch campus arrangement where the branches
are autonomous institutions supported fiscally by QF. In this model, the host organization also
offers support to the branch campus in the form of facilities and services such as student affairs.
Education City is the physical location for this assembly of branch campuses in addition to one
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 14
home-grown institution called Hamad Bin Khalifa University [HBKU]. With the creation of
Education City, Qatar aims to be an educational hub in the region, attracting local and
international students (Knight, 2011).
HBKU, inaugurated in 2011, is an emerging research university and one of two national
universities. With broad interdisciplinary colleges and various partnership programs, HBKU
offers its students a holistic academic experience that reflects the mission of QF in unlocking
human potential. HBKU creates academic and research programs crossed with traditional
disciplines and international perspectives. It builds on partnerships with local or external
academic institutions to design and offer degrees. Through building and cultivating human
capacity and offering a platform for opportunities to discover innovations, HBKU aims to fulfill
its part in achieving QNV 2030, especially in human development (HBKU, 2015).
Each branch campus has its own operations, from student outreach and recruitment to
teaching and student affairs. As such, each campus offers services for their students. HBKU
student affairs, however, plays a dual role. It offers services for its specific student population as
it is charged by QF, but has the additional responsibility of building inter-institutional
collaboration among Education City campuses for a transcending educational experience that
extends beyond institutional boundaries, especially in student affairs (HBKU, 2011).
Organizational Performance Status
Knowledge is and will increasingly be a catalyst for positive change and economic
growth worldwide. Giving tomorrow’s leaders the entrepreneurial skills they need takes place
long before they enter the workforce. Students need to be encouraged to engage in cross-
disciplinary study and they also need to gain practical experience away from their studies in a
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 15
way that offers them the chance to apply what they learn and to further develop their skills (Kuh,
1995).
Committed to QNV 2030, especially in the areas of human and social development,
HBKU is a testament to this transformation of thinking. HBKU realizes the need to challenge
and customize contemporary education systems. According to the Student Learning Imperative
report (Calhoun, 1996), learning can no longer only refine the mind, but must also serve to
nourish the whole person, necessitating learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Only
then are students likely to attain the knowledge to envision and design their futures and form the
entrepreneurial mindset that enables them to identify prospects and mitigate challenges
(American College Personnel Association [ACPA], 1994). Witnessing the emergence of
knowledge driven-economies around the region and across the globe, HBKU is devoted to
training its students in critical and creative thinking, enabling them to understand and overcome
issues facing current and future generations (ACPA, 1994; HBKU 2011).
For HBKU to be successful in its mission and vision, it is important that the institution
invest in students’ skills and development. These attributes include leadership, environmental
responsibility, knowledge transfer, civic responsibility, counseling services, Qatari culture, and
more. The development of such an institution is a challenge that requires a high level of
coordination, intentionality, and leadership (HBKU, 2011). The HBKU Division of Student
Affairs is an important piece in this process and is taking the necessary measures to ensure that
positive change is embraced and pursued (HBKU, 2011). While HBKU focuses specifically on
graduate and professional students, there are specific needs that have to be addressed to ensure
students’ success (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators [NASPA], 1987).
The student affairs staff at HBKU includes 70 professionals from the United States, Pakistan,
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 16
India, Lebanon, Jordan, and a variety of other locales. Only 27 are Qatari nationals, and they
comprise 38.75% of all student affairs staff.
Related Literature
Student affairs is a part of the institution comprised of offices and departments that
provide services to students (NASPA, 1987). The profession has a set of beliefs that shape the
work within it (NASPA, 1987). Although some research has found that connections among
extracurricular involvement, academic achievement and holistic learning is complex, it still
confirms that student involvement has a modest to high impact on student success (Pascarella &
Terenzini, 2005). Kuh (2005) argued that campus leaders should understand the value student
affairs as a unit plays in complementing the university’s educational mission. Harned and
Murphy (1998) stated that professionals in this field need to provide co-curricular settings that
equip graduates with a set of on-demand skills such as confidence, leadership, and intercultural
fluency. This means they need to have the appropriate knowledge and skills to design those
settings. Winston et al. (2014), discussed three main roles staff members play (a) educator:
supporting the institution’s academic mission; (b) leader: providing vision and guidance for their
specific unit or the whole student affairs division; and (c) manager: overseeing operations.
Importance of the Problem
As stated by QNV 2030, Qatari nationals need to take the lead in the various work sectors
in Qatar. Currently, there is still reliance on a large expatriate workforce in the private and semi-
private sectors (Vora, 2014). To achieve QNV 2030, all sectors are required by the government
to have Qatarization policies. Qatarization means filling positions with Qatari nationals instead
of expatriates (Al-Kuwari, 2012; Vora, 2014).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 17
Currently, only 6.25% of student affairs staff members are academically and/or
professionally qualified. This is a problem because establishing a skilled and qualified workforce
in all fields of practice is essential. Student affairs is an emerging and critical professional
component of higher education. Currently, the student affairs field lacks qualified Qataris who
have the professional knowledge to perform according to best practices in this area. Qatarization
has led to putting Qataris with irrelevant qualifications in leadership positions (Al-Kuwari,
2012). HBKU student affairs need to be positioned well to meet the call for the QNV 2030 in
human development, social development, environmental development, and economic
development. HBKU should take the lead on developing Qataris who are knowledgeable about
“best practices, recent research, theories, and thinking” in the field of student affairs (Winston et
al., 2014, p. 218). Such staff will be better positioned to support students in their academic
journey and prepare them for the future.
The role of HBKU’s student affairs office is to fulfill the vision of the Qatar Foundation
by affirming Qatar’s cultural heritage, building meaningful connections, and encouraging
lifelong learning through fostering community and relationships that deepen student learning
(Without Borders, 2011). Throughout the literature, student affairs departments are described as
in integral party within the university that contributes significantly to the student’s holistic
development (Schuh, Jones, & Harper, 2010). Therefore, HBKU needs to develop Qatari
practitioners who have professional knowledge and understanding.
Organizational Performance Goal
Hamad Bin Khalifa University supports the Qatar Foundation’s mission in achieving its
strategic objectives of developing highly competent Qataris and cultivating a culture of active
citizenship, lifelong learning and interest in research. HBKU is working on achieving the
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 18
strategic objectives of the Qatar Foundation in building human capital and developing highly
competent Qataris in different professional fields. Through competent Qatari student affairs staff
members, HBKU will also cultivate a culture of active citizenship and lifelong learning.
Table 1
Organizational mission, organizational goal and stakeholder performance goals
Hamad Bin Khalifa University Mission
Hamad Bin Khalifa University will develop globally recognized research and offer
programs for equipping Qatari and regional people with the knowledge and skills needed
to compete and succeed in the global economy.
Organizational Performance Goal
By 2023, Hamad Bin Khalifa University will achieve the strategic objective of the Qatar
Foundation in building human capital and developing highly competent Qataris in
different professional fields and student affairs as one. Through competent Qatari student
affairs staff members, HBKU will also cultivate a culture of active citizenship and
lifelong learning.
HBKU Student
Affairs Staff Members
By August 2020, 50%
of Qatari student affairs
staff will be
academically or
professionally qualified
and/or prepared to serve
as student affairs
professionals.
VP Student Affairs
By July 2016, HBKU
VP Office will set clear
and specific
expectations of Qataris
student affairs staff in
terms of qualifications.
HBKU Human Resources
By July 2017, HBKU HR will provide
HR support structures that will support
proper succession planning,
promotions and personal development
plans.
Stakeholders and Stakeholders’ Performance Goals
The stakeholders in the study involve a number of departments and personnel who have
an impact on the creation of a Qatari workforce in student affairs: student affairs staff at HBKU,
the vice president of student affairs and the human resources office at HBKU. The staff members
are the study’s key stakeholders and the primary focus. Their knowledge and views with regards
to student affairs as a professional field are important to this research. The second stakeholder is
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 19
the vice president of student affairs who plays a leadership role in the organization and in the
operations and development of student affairs. The last stakeholder is the human resources
office, which oversees recruitment efforts, policy setting and learning and development for staff
throughout the university.
Stakeholder for the Study and Stakeholder Performance Gap
The joint efforts of all stakeholders contribute to the achievement of HBKU’s overall
organizational goal. However, it is essential to understand the barriers that create a gap in
building capacity within the team. Described by Kuh (1995) as the other curriculum, out-of-the-
classroom experiences are an essential part of students’ educational experience. Subsequently,
having qualified personnel to deliver that experience is as important. Therefore, this study sought
to explore and understand the, knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources needed to
support the creation of a Qatari student affairs workforce at HBKU.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this study was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the root causes of the
low number of academically and/or professionally qualified student affairs staff members at
HBKU. In this study, the term “academically qualified” means having, as a minimum, a master’s
degree in student affairs, higher education, education, adult education, leadership, or a related
field such as counseling, judicial services, or student development. Professional qualifications in
the field refer to the experiences and knowledge acquired by working in a student affairs position
and on-the-job professional development, often under the supervision of a more senior and
experienced professional.
The analysis focused on causes for this problem due to gaps in the areas of knowledge
and skill, motivation, and organizational related matters. The analysis was initiated by proposing
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 20
a list of possible or assumed causes, and then investigating these analytically to focus on actual
or validated causes. While a complete gap analysis would focus on all stakeholders, this analysis
only examined Qatari staff within the Student Affairs office at HBKU.
As such, the questions that guide this study are the following:
1. What are the knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational barriers to building an
academically and/or professionally prepared Qatari student affairs workforce at HBKU?
2. What are the recommended knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational
solutions to those barriers?
Methodological Framework
Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis, a systematic, analytical method that helps to clarify
organizational goals and identify the gap between the actual performance level and the ideal
performance level within an organization, was applied. Presumed causes for the performance gap
were generated based on personal and institutional knowledge and related literature. Surveys,
interviews, and a literature review were used to validate these causes. Research-based solutions
are recommended and measured in a comprehensive manner.
Definitions
Branch Campus: is used to describe a unit or joint venture operated by the incoming
institution in a host country, where students are awarded qualifications in the name of the
incoming institution (Altbach & Rumbley, 2007)
College: refers to all post-secondary educational institutions.
Competency: is the level of a person’s knowledge, skill, and ability in a specific topic.
Professional Development: is used to describe a learning opportunity to enhance
knowledge and skills for professionals (Winston et al., 2014).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 21
Qatarization: means filling positions with Qatari nationals instead of expatriates (Al-
Kuwari, 2012; Vora, 2014).
Student Affairs: the unit within a university that oversees students’ out-of-the-classroom
life and learning (Winston et al., 2014).
Student Affairs Administration or Practice: is used to describe all specialties within the
field such as student life, residence life, counseling, student conduct, career development
(Winston et al., 2014).
Organization of the Study
Five chapters are used to organize this study. This chapter provided the key concepts and
terminology commonly found in a discussion on transnational higher education or student
development therein. The organization’s mission, goals and stakeholders, as well as the primary
concepts of gap analysis, were presented. Chapter Two offers a review of current literature on
the scope of the study. Topics addressed are student engagement, retention, institutional identity
and student identity. Chapter Three details the assumed causes for this study as well as the
methodology in terms of choice of participants and data collection and analysis. Chapter Four
showcases assessment and data analysis and results. Chapter Five provides solutions, based on
data and literature, for closing the performance gaps as well as recommendations for a solutions
implementation and evaluation plan.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 22
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
To address the issue of building Qatari capacity, it is imperative to recognize the
development of student affairs as a field and profession. Understanding the historical context in
shaping student affairs in the United States is important and relevant as the field is evolving in
Qatar. This context allows understanding that the field is rich in history and content and is
parallel to the advancement of higher education in Qatar.
To create understanding, the chapter starts broadly with the field’s philosophical and
historical foundations. It gives an overview of theories that inform the practice of student affairs,
which strongly validates the importance of academic and formal preparation for professionals in
this field. Then the chapter demonstrates examples of how student affairs is practiced in the
world. The chapter also explores professional development, internships, and on-the-job training
as valuable elements for progression in the field. The chapter then emphasizes student affairs in
Qatar as the dissertation’s primary focus.
The Significance of Student Affairs
Student affairs is the unit on campus that helps students with their journey of self-
exploration and growth, and is an integral component of higher education. The work of student
affairs is based on the principle that learning in not exclusive to the classroom. Learning can
occur anywhere and anytime in and outside of campus. Student experiences outside of the
classroom are as important as what they learn inside the classroom. Student affairs practitioners
take the responsibility of seizing or creating those learning opportunities for the students.
(NASPA, 2015).
As stated by ACPA (2015), student affairs is comprised of offices and departments that
are a part of the institution focused on enhancing student learning and development. Student
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 23
affairs educators teach students leadership skills, risk taking, problem-solving, citizenship, and
independence (NASPA, 2015). Through a variety of programs that touch on service, culture,
diversity, and well-being, student affairs enhances student learning and teaches students how to
give back to the local and global community, and to accept and appreciate differences (ACPA,
2008; Association of College Unions International [ACUI], 2015).
The philosophy of student affairs is articulated in many documents. One of the most
significant works of literature that describes this philosophy is The Student Personnel Point of
View 1937, published by the American Council on Education (ACE). This document captures the
philosophy of practice, which is manifested in the long-standing belief that higher education is
charged with the responsibility of producing citizens who can contribute to the advancement of
their societies. The values of student affairs affirm the commitment the field plays in developing
the whole person. These values include student-centered approaches and policies, lifelong
learning approach, celebration of diversity, acceptance of differences, teaching citizenship, and
on-going assessment (Blimling & Whitt, 1998).
Emergence of Student Affairs as a Field of Practice
Student affairs has evolved as a field of practice over the past century and is also shaped
by the history of higher education in the United States (Schuh et al., 2010). It is important for
campus leaders and for Qatari staff to understand its long history in the work of universities
around the world. The below history demonstrates how student affairs emerged and developed as
a field of practice.
Early Years 1636-1850
In the early years of American higher education, college personnel, including presidents,
faculty and other administrators, were charged with managing students’ lives on campus in
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 24
addition to other responsibilities (Schuh et al., 2010). The presidents and faculty of colonial
colleges were acting in loco parentis, which means in the absence of parents’ presence on
campus, the institution is responsible for the students (Melear, 2003). Around 1780 to 1820,
faculty were also in charge of student accommodations on campus, called dormitories at the
time. The services, attention and care provided to students on campus marked the beginning of
the student affairs profession (Schuh et al., 2010).
The growth of fraternity groups on campuses made the presidents and faculty realize that
college life was more than academics and that students needed more than that during their
college experience (NASPA, 1987; Schuh et al., 2010).
Diversification in Higher Education 1850-1900
A fundamental shift in American higher education occurred in this period. Colonial
colleges shifted from classical colleges into varying institutions, which include research
universities, women’s colleges, technical institutions, liberal arts colleges, and land grant
institutions.
The growing number of diverse institutions meant more responsibilities for the presidents
and the faculty in comparison to the previous decades. This necessitated a shift in
responsibilities. A new administrative role was created to support students outside of the
classroom in terms of housing, activities, general welfare, and discipline, which is the dean of
men and dean of women; however, the focus and priority of education in this half of the century
was mental health, discipline, and religious devotion (Schuh et al., 2010). More services for
students started to emerge after World War I. Those services offered vocational guidance and
health services, including mental and psychological services. This led to a variety of professional
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 25
titles to emerge, such as director of personnel, dean of students, social director, and vocational
counselor (Schuh et al., 2010).
Shift in Roles of Faculty 1900-1945
By the early twentieth century, higher education philosophy started shifting. There was
more focus on student learning in and out of the classroom and building connections between
these two settings. Student life supplemented the student’s development and learning (Schuh et
al., 2010). Another change was regulation and funding of activities. Students were required to
meet a minimum grade point for participation. Deans of men and women positions became very
significant, influential and respected on campus due to the array of responsibilities. After 1918,
the work of student affairs personnel started to mature and become recognized nationally (Schuh
et al., 2010).
In addition, faculty attention shifted from the students to teaching and, particularly
research. That shift made it necessary for a new role to be created to take over the additional
student related responsibilities that were once completed by faculty. For that reason, higher
education administrators created a new type of educational officer to relieve the faculty. With
time, the responsibilities of this position evolved to include discipline, advising, counseling,
financial services, employment, extra-curricular activities and health services. Those educational
officers were called different titles such as “guidance,” “counseling” or “advisory”; however, the
term “personnel” continues and has the strongest correlation to the type of service the position
offered (ACE, 1937).
Evolution of Student Life 1945 to the Present
There were several developments in student affairs during this period. One of these
developments was the emergence of the phenomena of in loco parentis, which means “in the
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 26
place of a parent” (Hogan & Schwartz, 1987). Student affairs professionals were viewed as the
replacement for parents on campus. As stated by Melear (2003), the long-standing viewpoint of
in loco parentis started to change in the 1960s. This movement was mirrored in the role of
student affairs professionals. They played the role of a facilitator and a guide in the learning
experience rather than a care taker, teaching the students the skills and the knowledge needed to
best live the university experience (Melear, 2003).
A shift occurred from focusing only on academics to looking beyond the classroom at the
collective student experience. Much value is placed on the student’s holistic development, and
the student is viewed as the center of the educational mission, focus, and experience at the higher
education institution (Sandeen, 2004). The increase in academic programs and variety attracted
local and international students who varied in background, experience, and needs. In response to
student needs, student affairs started to shift focus from service offerings to student learning and
development (Schuh et al., 2010).
Theory Based Practice
It is vital for campus leaders and Qatari staff to realize that, as a best practice, student
affairs professionals use a set of theories to guide them with their work with students. Most of
these theories developed from disciplines such sociology and psychology (Hamrick, Evans &
Schuh, 2002). These theories are grouped into families or clusters such as developmental
theories, psychosocial development theories, cognitive development theories, social identity
theories, and theories of organization and campus environments (Wilson, 2011).
Student Development
Theories around student development serve as the basis and heart of student affairs work.
The term student refers to higher education students, and the term development indicates a
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 27
change occurring in the student’s life during their time at university. Development was first
defined by Sanford in 1967 as the “organization of increased complexity” (Wilson, 2011, p.6).
His work serves as a major resource for student development in higher education. He looked at
higher education as an institution in charge of producing knowledge and developing human
talent. Then Rodgers extended this definition in 1990 to focus specifically on student
development as the growth of a student’s mental capabilities due to their enrollment in a higher
education institution (Higbee, Arendale, & Lundell, 2005; Schuh et al., 2011; Wilson, 2011).
Student Involvement
Alexander Astin is another significant contributor to the field of student development.
His student involvement theory focuses on three core concepts. The first is student’s inputs
which refer to their background, demographics and experiences as they enter college. The second
is the student’s environment, and this refers to his university and the different kinds of
experiences the student goes through during this time there. The third is the outputs, and this
refers to the set of characteristics, attitudes, beliefs, values and knowledge that the student
encompass after their graduation as a result of their experience (Astin, 1984; Higbee et al, 2005;
Kisker, 2005; Schuh et al., 2010). Astin emphasized that the amount and quality of student
involvement during college impacts their educational and personal development. This reinforces
the important role student affairs plays in student success through the design and provision of
programs that allow and increase student involvement on campus (Astin, 1984; Kisker, 2005).
Challenge and Support
Other theories in student development focus on areas of challenge and support,
dissonance, stages, and developmental trajectory. Sanford is the leading scholar for challenge
and support theory. He argued that a good campus environment would balance between levels of
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 28
challenge and support students get during their university life. Too much support would make
students too comfortable with what they know and too much challenge might cause them to be
overwhelmed. Sanford also acknowledged that levels of challenge and support vary depending
on student year level and cultural background (Wilson, 2011). The challenge and support theory
helps professionals understand what constitutes challenge for college students at each year or
level to provide the suitable support through programs or policies for the various student
populations (Schuh et al., 2011).
Campus Environments
Another set of theories that are relevant and essential to student affairs are those that
address student development in relation to ecology. One renowned scholar who contributed to
the development of such theories is Russian American psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner. His
ecological systems theory deals with the role student identity plays as an influencing
characteristic in the interaction between developing students and their environment to promote
and inhibit development (Torres, Jones, & Renn, 2009). According to Bronfenbrenner,
cognitively challenging and complex activities might lead to deep student engagement.
Bronfenbrenner’s theory provided a foundational knowledge around student engagement and
activity design as it signifies the relationship between the development of a young adult’s
substantive nature and the activity they participate in (Marks, 2000).
Psychological Development
In addition, many theories in student affairs involve the idea of students’ placement in
relation to a continuum or location on a map or chart. The language and terminology might vary
from one theory to the other. What is called vectors by Chickering, stages by Erikson, are called
statuses by Helms, and elements by Baxter Magolda (King, 2010; Schuh et al., 2010). One of
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 29
these theories prevalent theories is Chickering’s seven vectors of development. He describes
those vectors as highways to one’s individuation which affect the formation of one’s identity.
These vectors are developing competence, managing emotions, moving through autonomy
toward interdependence, developing mature interpersonal relationships, establishing identity,
developing purpose, and developing integrity (Chickering & Reisser, 1993).
These theories are meant to serve as guiding points for practitioners when working with
students. Student affairs can use these theories to better understand students and to design
programs that are aligned with the developmental needs of students (Evans, Forney, & Guido-
DiBrito, 1998).
Foundational Documents
Student Personnel Point of View, 1937
The American Education Council (ACE) published the first formal statement on student
affairs in 1937 titled The Student Personnel Point of View. This seminal document was the result
of a meeting attended by academics in effort to emphasize the importance of this field in
supporting the institution’s academic aspects (Doyle, 2004).
In the statement, the student is defined as a whole person who, in addition to intellectual
capability, has “emotional make up, physical condition, social relationships, vocational aptitudes
and skills, moral and religious values, economic resources, and aesthetic appreciations” (ACE,
1937, p. 1). The statement identified 23 services that institutions should have to serve the whole
student (Hartley, 2001). SSPV serves as the guiding document for student affairs. It captures the
importance of the student’s holistic development as part of the university’s mission and desired
outcomes. Regardless of the revisits over the years, the statement sets the principles of the field
in terms of practice, delivery, and outcomes (Hartley, 2001).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 30
Student Personnel Point of View, 1949
The president of ACPA convened a committee that included the same names that were
involved in the creation of The Student Personnel Point of View 1937 such as Esther Lloyd-
Jones, W. H. Cowley, and Donald J. Shank, in 1949. The committee revisited the original
document and made additions regarding student development in relation to society (Roberts,
2012). The additional points the revision advocated for are
Education for a fuller realization of democracy in every phase of living; Education
directly and explicitly for international understanding and cooperation; Education for the
application of creative imagination and trained intelligence to the solution of social
problems and to the administration of public affairs. (ACE, 1949, p. 2)
The 1949 revision was written after World War II, a time in which student affairs dealt
with a more diverse student population. One group represented in the new population dynamic
was the student veterans. This new reality necessitated new and different student needs. This
revision signaled the separation of student affairs from faculty (Evans, 2001). Some original
writers of The Student Personnel Point of View 1937, such as such as Esther Lloyd-Jones, argued
against the results of the division initiated by the 1949 revision (Doyle, 2004).
A Perspective on Student Affairs
This influential document is a recounting of previous foundational documents in the field,
such as Student Personnel Point of View 1937 & 1949. The revisit looks to those guiding
principles in light of changes that the education scene has witnessed since the publication of
those documents (NASPA, 1987). The authors restated that student affairs professionals share a
set of beliefs that characterize their work:
Student affairs units reinforce the academic mission of the institution.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 31
Students are individuals with different experiences, expectations and abilities and each
will have a unique journey at university.
Students must be open to differences such as gender, race, language…etc. They need to
learn to respect and embrace diversity.
Higher education is an environment that does not tolerate hatred or prejudices.
Students think and feel; and how they feel affects their thinking. While in college they are
developing on all levels; intellectually, physically, psychologically, aesthetically,
ethically, and spiritually. Supporting students with these aspects will enhance their
academic experience.
Students learn when they are actively engaged in their university life in and out of the
classroom.
Universities should support students with issues such physical disability, financial
challenges, medical and psychological issues, and learning difficulties so that they do not
interfere negatively with learning.
Healthy interactions between students and their environments shape approaches,
eagerness to learn, and their overall college experience.
Students must be guaranteed the freedom to doubt and questions, so they can explore
ideas and test assumptions. They need to learn how to be critical and give critique.
Citizenship is multidimensional; therefore, students need practical applications of civic
engagements (NASPA, 1987).
Although the role and structures of student affairs offices may vary by college, they
should all support the institution according to the ways listed below:
1. Support the institution’s mission, values and policies.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 32
2. Complement the educational mission of the institution by providing out of the classroom
experiences.
3. Provide services for the students that may include admissions, registration, orientation
programs, financial aid and scholarships, programming, counseling, health care, career
guidance and employment opportunities on campus and housing and residence life.
4. Foster interactions between faculty, students and staff.
5. Help build community on campus through activities, programs, and student unions or
centers.
6. Help build institutional identity through the creation and planning of annual events and
traditions on campus.
7. Foster and build partnership with the community that would support programming such
as service learning programs and that support internship and employment opportunities
for students.
8. Provide programs that support the holistic development of the students; mental,
intellectual, social, psychological, spiritual and physical.
9. Teach students crisis and conflict management and resolution.
10. Assist students with learning difficulties and special needs.
11. Support the participation of student in the institution’s governance.
12. Serve as a contact point and an additional source of information regarding students for
faculty if needed.
13. Provide counseling and judicial services on campus.
14. Provide opportunities for learning that involves citizenship, leadership, service,
multiculturalism, and holistic well-being of the student.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 33
15. Providing supportive and advising role for students in the creation of student
organizations and student government associations.
16. Providing, managing and maintaining residential, dining, recreational and communal
facilities on campus.
17. Providing on-going assessment of programs, services and students on campus. (NASPA,
1987, pp. 12–14)
Rise of Professional Associations
In the early part of the twentieth century, as student affairs professionals began to
organize, some associations started to form. These associations varied in focus. Some are
general, and some are specific. Two of the most recognized associations are NASPA and ACPA.
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) is the leading
advocate, information source, and supporter for the profession worldwide. NASPA is
strengthening the profession through substantive research, high-quality professional
development, strong policy advocacy, and the spread of information for the profession in form of
publications, journals, symposia, and annual conferences (NASPA, 2015).
The initiative of creating this association took place in December 1918 when two deans
in the United States of America met to discuss the establishing of a support group for student
personnel workers. In January 1919, the first meeting of what was referred to as the Conference
of Deans and Advisers of Men was the birth of what is today known as NASPA (Marcus, 1999).
In 1989 NASPA networks were formed, which later evolved into Knowledge Communities to
create knowledge and distribute it to student affairs professionals around the world. Located in
Washington DC, NASPA has grown into a diverse organization with international recognition. It
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 34
has attracted 13,000 members from all over the U.S. states and from 25 additional countries
(NASPA, 2015). The association established itself to be the principal source of leadership,
scholarship, and professional development. Its mission is “to discuss and study the most effective
methods of aiding students in their intellectual, social, moral, and personal
development” (NASPA, 2015; Schuh et al., 2010).
American College Personnel Association
The American College Personnel Association (ACPA), also located in Washington, D.C.,
is another major student affairs association. Its mission is to support and enhance the profession,
to foster college student learning and to generate and disseminate knowledge for professionals,
governmental and nongovernmental institutions, and for the higher education community
(ACPA, 2015). The founding of ACPA goes back to the formation of the National Association of
Appointment Secretaries (NAAS) in 1924. Their job was to help graduating students find
appropriate positions. In the same year NAAS was invited by the National Association of Deans
of Women and attended a convention sponsored by the Department Superintendence of the
National Education Association (Marcus, 1999). With growing membership and responsibilities,
the association changed its name to ACPA. Over the next several decades, ACPA's membership
climbed from 1,000 to 9,400 in 1976 (ACPA, 2015).
ACPA registers more than 8,500 individual and 500 institutional members from across
the U.S. and around the world. Through its annual convention, seminars, conferences,
workshops, symposia, study tours, webinars and online courses the association offers its
members a platform to exchange knowledge and experiences, professional development, and
international and inter-institutional networking opportunities (ACPA, 2015; Schuh et al., 2010).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 35
Professional Competencies
Council for the Advancement in Higher Education Standards
With the development of student affairs as a profession, a need emerged for professional
standards to govern both practice and practitioners. Another need that increased with this
development is the need for accountability measures for this profession. As a result, the Council
for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) was established in 1979 (CAS,
2009). The purpose of CAS was to form a consensus on professional standards (Shutt, Garrett,
Lynch, & Dean, 2012). CAS Standards have developed a set of eight principals that touch upon
five categories taken from theories and models within “human development, group dynamics,
student learning, organizational management, and higher education administration” (CAS, 2009,
p. 8). Eight principles address student’s learning and the environments that foster it:
1. The student must be considered as a whole person.
2. Each student is a unique person and must be treated as such.
3. The student’s total environment is educational and must be used to achieve full
development.
4. Students seek higher education in responsible ways and will, when encouraged to do so,
access appropriate educational resources when they are provided, made known, and
relevant to students’ felt educational and developmental needs.
5. Institutions of higher learning are purposeful and function as social and cultural resources
to provide opportunities for students to learn and develop in holistic ways.
6. The primary responsibility for learning and development rests within the student.
7. Institutions of higher learning reflect the diversity of the societies and cultures in which
they exist.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 36
8. Institutions are responsible for creating learning environments that provide a choice of
educational opportunities and challenge students to learn and develop while providing
support to nurture their development. (CAS, 2009, pp. 8–9)
Higher education institutions can use the CAS standards in assessing their student affairs
offices, services and programs. In addition to assessment, CAS provides a platform for the
profession in terms of the design of its units and functions. On a professional development level,
CAS serves as a framework for the different functional areas and the general knowledge and skill
and interactive competencies with students required within each area (CAS, 2009; Young &
Janosik, 2007).
ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies
The American College Personnel Association (ACPA) commissioned a group of scholars
in student affairs to develop professional rubric for each functional area. Much like the CAS
standards, these competencies are meant to serve as guiding principles for practitioners in the
field (ACPA, 2008) and meant to create a level of accountability in the profession. The field was
very focused on student learning theories and outcomes that a need has surfaced to determine
what we need to know and do as professionals to serve the students (ACPA, 2008). Jointly
NASPA/ACPA has developed a set of 10 competency areas to help professionals identify the
required skills and knowledge needed for a successful performance and for successful results and
experiences for students (Marcus, 1999; Munsch & Cortez, 2014). These are listed below:
1. Advising and helping. It concentrates on advising referral, support, direction, and
guidance.
2. Assessment, evaluation, and research. It addresses the ability to design, implement, and
evaluate qualitative and quantitative data.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 37
3. Equity, diversity, and inclusion. It focuses on creating learning environments that are
inclusive of diverse people and views.
4. Ethical professional practice. It works to integrate ethics into all areas of student affairs
practice.
5. History, philosophy, and values. It pertains to the connection between the premise of the
profession and future growth.
6. Human and organizational resources. It involves the management and empowerment of
student affairs staff.
7. Law, policy, and governance. It focuses on understanding shared governance and legal
constructs.
8. Leadership. It discusses the skills, knowledge, and attitude essential in a leader whom can
anticipate, strategize, and implement change.
9. Personal foundations. It addresses physical, emotional, and environmental introspection.
10. Student learning and development. It involves the ability to apply theory to professional
practice. (Munsch & Cortez, 2014, p. 49)
How Student Affairs is Practiced Around the World
Europe
The Bologna Declaration, which was endorsed by 29 countries, aimed as one of its
resolutions to create globally competitive higher education systems in Europe. As result of that,
the Deutsches Studentenwerk in Berlin called for a follow up conference in 2011. The
conference was titled “Development of the Social Dimension—Stocktaking and Future
Perspectives of Student Services / Student Affairs in the European Higher Education Area” and
was attended by representatives from Europe, North America, Africa, Australia, Asia and the
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 38
Middle East. This wide and diverse representation resulted in benchmarking student affairs work
(Roberts, 2012).
Germany. In Berlin, the Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW), which means German student
work, is an example of a student affairs model of practice from Europe (Ludeman, Osfield,
Hidalgo, Oste, & Wang, 2009). After World War I, the Student Service Organizations,
Studentenwerke (STW), emerged in Germany which is focused on student work. The
responsibility of those organizations at the time was to provide public support to the students in
various areas: cultural, social, economic and health. There are 58 STWs that serve over 2 million
students in over 370 higher education institutions in Germany. STWs support equal opportunities
and access to higher education systems in Germany under the umbrella of DSW. In his article,
Schuh (2014) describes his visit to German universities as part of a Fulbright program. Schuh
observed that there are no student affairs offices in German universities. These organizations are
separate and independent bodies from the universities or colleges they serve, unlike the US
model, where such organizations would be in the form of student affairs offices. STWs provide
services similar to those of student affairs, such as financial services, housing, dining,
counseling, international student support, student activities, and learning difficulties and
disabilities support (Ludeman et al., 2009).
According to the UNESCO report on student affairs and services in international higher
education (2009), qualifications for STW personnel were mainly administrative and relevant to
their field of practice. Most positions require a university degree or vocational training. There
were no formal preparation programs in student affairs offered in Germany; however, the DSW
is charged with the provision of professional development, training and continuing educations
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 39
for STWs staff and organizations. They organize conferences and provide information materials
for the STWs (Ludeman et al., 2009).
STWs’ organizational structure slightly differs from one state to the other over 16 federal
states. Each STW have three governing bodies: the executive director, the board, and the
administrative council. The last two have representation from students and faculty and the
council is in charge of electing the executive director. The STW employs around 15,000 people
with 45% part time staff (Ludeman et al., 2009)
Middle East
In their efforts to rise to become globally competitive in higher education, countries in
the Middle East started to attract Western providers of higher education mostly in the form of
branch campuses (Roberts, 2012).
Qatar. Qatar hosts a number of national and international universities. It is home to
Education City, which is part of the Qatar Foundation that has adopted a vigorous student affairs
model. This has started with the development of American branch campuses starting in 2002.
The branch campuses follows a US based model of practice, and each offer student services and
programs (Roberts, 2012). This practice has influenced the model adapted by the host
organization, the Qatar Foundation. Subsequently, Qatari institutions within Education City
started using the US model, with alterations relevant to its context (Roberts, 2012). In Qatar,
student affairs as a field of practice has been growing since 2002 and has been influencing the
traditional practices model existing in local institutions outside of Education City such as Qatar
University.
Some functions within the student affairs office are financial services, housing, student
employment, career counseling and programing such as leadership development and service
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 40
learning. The student affairs leaders from the different higher education institutions within
Education City put together a collaborative statement entitled Without Borders, describing the
student experience there. The document describes the different services and experiences offered
collectively to the students that contribute to their holistic development. It also highlights the
importance of adopting informed best practices utilizing guiding documents such as CAS
standards. Added to that, the document emphasizes the significance of building a Qatari work
force in student affairs (HBKU, 2011).
Preparation of Student Affairs Professionals
In a paper on preparing new professionals, Renn and Jessup-Anger (2008), stated that in
the United States, though most new student affairs professionals come from various
backgrounds, they share commonalities. These include transitioning from master’s programs,
issues of work life balance, pursuing mentorship, and relationship formation (Renn & Jessup-
Anger, 2008). Another author, Waple (2006), argued that preparation programs should help
provide entry-level professionals with competencies, knowledge and skills necessary for them to
be successful in the job. The skills include communication, organization and administration
skills. The knowledge includes understanding the student development theories and other
relevant learning theories (Silver & Jakeman, 2014).
Academic Preparation Programs
In an article on skills and competencies for entry-level student affairs professionals,
Waple (2006) noted that for the last three decades, there has been a consensus amongst faculty,
practitioners and associations that academic preparation for student affairs professionals is
essential. The article talks about the beginning of formal training in student affairs tracing it back
to 1913 in the Teachers College at Columbia University. This training was designated to train
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 41
deans and advisors of women (Waple, 2006). The curriculum in preparing the dean of women
included courses such as educational psychology, sex education, psychology of religion and
family history.
There is no consensus on what core areas should be taught or covered in student affairs
preparation programs; however, in their article on this subject Pope and Reynolds (1997)
proposed a set of seven core areas that professionals must have adequate knowledge in. They
have also stated that specialized or functional professionals need more in-depth knowledge in
some areas than in others. Those seven areas are
(a) administrative, management, and leadership skills (e.g., fiscal management, resource
use, program planning, supervision); (b) theory and translation skills; (c) helping and
interpersonal skills (e.g., counseling, advising, group dynamics, crisis and conflict
management, campus and community relations); (d) ethical and legal knowledge and
decision-making skills (e.g., problem-solving, knowledge of ethical standards); (e)
training and teaching skills (e.g., consultation, workshop presentations, staff
development); (f) assessment and evaluation skills (e.g., program evaluation, self-study);
and (g) multicultural awareness, knowledge and skills. (Pope & Reynolds, 1997, p. 268)
The Council for Advancement of Standards in Higher Education published a set of
standards and guidelines for master’s programs in higher education in 1964. Those standards
were revisited again in 1967 and later in 2001 (CAS, 2009). The CAS standards and guidelines
for preparation programs described in extensive detail what the programs should have in terms of
program mission, recruitment and admission, curriculum policies, pedagogy, and the curriculum
(CAS, 2009). According to CAS, the curriculum subjects must contain foundational studies,
professional studies and supervised practice. The foundational studies pertain to historical and
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 42
philosophical foundations to student affairs. The professional studies pertain to “(a) student
development theory, (b) student characteristics and the effect of college on students, (c)
individual and group interventions, (d) organization and administration of student affairs, (e) and
assessment, evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306). Supervised practice pertains to
internships in two distinct experiences with a minimum of 300 hours. Young and Janosik (2007)
examined the effectiveness of CAS standards in preparation programs, and reported that not
many studies evaluate the effectiveness of CAS standards on such programs.
Preparation programs numbers doubled from 1999 to 2014, which is a clear indication of
their significance for practice even as these programs vary in terms of focus, courses, length and
type (Ortiz, Filimon, & Cole-Jackson, 2015). According to the authors, a collection of 142
master’s programs that vary in focus is available on NASPA’s website. Examples of focus areas
include leadership, student development, counseling and higher education (Ortiz et al., 2015).
Existing doctoral preparation programs are not specific to student affairs, but have a broader
focus in higher education. However, in the US context, terminal degrees are important for
professional progression and seeking leadership positions (Ortiz et al., 2015).
Professional Development, Internships and On-The-Job Training
Internships are an integral part of preparing student affairs professionals (CAS, 2009).
On-site supervisors are required to provide interns with guidance, coaching and feedback for a
meaningful internship experience. Supervisors should hold at least a master’s degree in student
affairs or a relevant field in addition to successful professional experience and adequate
performance at the institution where the internship takes place (CAS, 2009). In an article on
preparing student affairs educators, Ortiz et al. (2015), stated that the varying types of internships
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 43
have increased since 1996. Currently, there are national and international internships offered
through professional associations such as NASPA and ACPA (Ortiz et al., 2015).
Another form of experience that substitutes for internships is the graduate assistantship,
which also requires supervision and clear learning outcomes (CAS, 2009). Mentoring is another
means of professional development for student affairs professionals (Carpenter & Stimpson,
2007). Other scholars have also emphasized the important role of mentoring for new
professionals. Cooper and Miller (1998), who studied the impact of mentorship on the protégés,
stated that there is a strong correlation between mentorship and career guidance, personal
guidance and role modeling. Nottingham (1998) argued that self-reflection is another powerful
tool for professional development. The ability to understand one’s self is essential to improving
themselves and to work positively with others especially in the context of student affairs
(Nottingham, 1998). Winston and Creamer (1998) suggested staff supervision is another
important professional development factor that takes place on regular basis as other professional
development opportunities such as conferences and workshops. They propose that such
synergetic supervision can contribute to meeting organizational as well as individual needs
(Winston & Creamer, 1998).
Background of Student Affairs Staff in Qatar
Education City student affairs members come from diverse backgrounds (Ludeman et al.,
2009). The branch campuses hire their staff from the main campus. Some of those individuals
are professional student affairs staff members, especially those holding leadership positions.
Entry-level staff members vary in terms of qualification and academic preparation. Some hold
master’s degree in student affairs and some are potential graduate students from main campus,
using their service in Qatar as an overseas professional development opportunity. However, most
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 44
Qatar Foundation student affairs staff have no background in the field and come from diverse
professional backgrounds. They are welcomed in the organization in an effort to build Qatari
capacity (Ludeman et al., 2009).
Currently, there are no graduate preparation programs for student affairs in Qatar. To
bridge the gap, HBKU has created an in-house certificate program that offers basic and
foundational knowledge in the field and in higher education. This program is available for non-
Qatar Foundation staff members from the rest of the higher education community in Qatar as
well.
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Issues in Building Capacity
Knowledge of Qatari Student Affairs Staff
Qatari student affairs staff members do not have deep understanding of the field, its
historical origins or philosophical foundations. They come from different academic backgrounds,
which are mostly not related to education. According to CAS (2009), student affairs
professionals should have graduate education in the field or relevant disciplines to deliver high-
quality student-oriented services. Staff members must possess certain knowledge, competence
and skills to be successful in meeting the needs of the diverse students on campus.
Qatari student affairs staff members have no knowledge of major theories that serve as
the foundation for student learning and development. Such knowledge is essential to providing
learning-outcomes based and educationally purposeful programs and services (Kuh, 2009).
HBKU aspires to provide a world-class educational experience in and out of the classroom, and
this entails that team members meet certain minimal knowledge requirements. Research has
proven that student engagement leads to higher levels of learning and staff are the main
stakeholder tasked with this responsibility on campus (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 45
Motivation of Qatari Student Affairs Staff
On the professionalization of student affairs, Arminio, Roberts, and Bonfiglio (2009)
argued that staff should exhibit understanding of the field and a commitment to lifelong learning.
Qatari staff are interested in positions that involve them in responsibilities and teach them skills
that can be transferred if they choose to leave student affairs. This would ensure career flexibility
when they move out. They worry that, if they stay long at HBKU, they will not have many
options in the job market if they decide to leave. Their experiences will be so specific that they
cannot be transferable. Student affairs is not a big professional field in Qatar.
Local staff are not motivated by the untraditional work hours associated with many
responsibilities in student affairs. This affects family and social life commitments, which are
integral to the culture. Qatari staff are interested in positions seen as valuable and prestigious in
the community, and certain responsibilities like programing, housing, and student employment
do not fall under this category.
There are a few local higher education institutions in the country: Qatar University (QU),
HBKU, and Community College of Qatar (CCQ). If staff invest time and education in this field
and then leave HBKU, they have little options to work in other higher educational institutions.
HBKU being part of QF is the most attractive higher education institution in which to work. QU
is the national university; however, pay rates are not high, which does not make it attractive for
Qataris. CCQ is the only community college. Being a small institution, it is not attractive for
Qataris in general. The rest of the higher education institutions are international branches that
have a preference for expatriate workforce or are not attractive for Qataris because their years of
work are not considered for retirement compensation in the Qatar Labor Law.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 46
Organizational Issues
Sandeen (2011) argued that the institution’s regard for its student affairs unit has an
impact on the unit’s contribution. There is no support structure in the organization to promote or
help pursue student affairs as a career, and there is a lack of academic preparation programs or
graduate degrees that would support staff pursuing further studies in this field. There is no
pipeline in the organization for growth in the unit. Lack of mentorship culture amongst Qataris is
a by-product of rapid Qatarization. Therefore, new Qatari leaders do not have skills and
sometimes require specialized knowledge to coach or mentor.
The unit of student affairs at HBKU is the least supported in terms of resource
allocations: budget for operations, budget for professional development, manpower (hiring).
Online or distance degrees are not recognized in Qatar, and no student affairs master’s
degree is offered in Qatar or in the region. Staff choose other areas for further studies instead of
education and student affairs because the organization lets them. There are no explicit
expectations from the organization for staff to pursue knowledge in this field. There is no clear
expectation from HBKU regarding areas of knowledge for which they are willing to sponsor
staff education. Staff choose the most popular degree programs that meet the needs of the labor
market and the most convenient. Most staff enroll in MBA programs.
Human resources at HBKU do not require relevant qualifications for job positions such
as student affairs, and often degrade the qualifications for such professional positions. This is not
supporting the creation of a knowledge base in certain fields. That keeps Qataris in the
framework of career flexibility, rather than the professionalizing of the field, which is hurting the
establishment of a true knowledge economy.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 47
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the causes of
the low number of Qatari student affairs staff at HBKU with relevant academic qualifications
and/or prior professional training in the field, based on HBKU’s human resources records. The
analysis focused on causes for this problem due to gaps in the areas of knowledge and skill,
motivation, and organizational related matters. This study began with a list of possible or
assumed causes. These were investigated and analyzed to focus on actual or validated causes.
The stakeholders in this analysis are the Qatari student affairs staff in HBKU at Education City.
The questions that guide this study are the following:
1. What are the knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational barriers to building an
academically and/or professionally prepared Qatari student affairs workforce at HBKU?
2. What are the recommended knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational
solutions to those barriers?
Methodological Framework
The gap analysis process designed by Clark and Estes (2008) was implemented. Gap
analysis is a systematic, problem-solving approach to measure gaps between the individual or
team performance and the organization’s high-level goals. The process starts with outlining
measurable goals. Once the goals are identified, the next step in the process is determining the
performance gaps. The following step is hypothesizing about the possible causes for those gaps.
Then, those causes are validated and prioritized, followed by the last two steps which are
developing solutions and evaluating outcomes (Clark & Estes, 2008). The gap analysis process is
shown in Figure 1.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 48
Figure 1. The gap analysis process. Adapted from Clark and Estes (2008).
Assumed Performance Issues
According to Clark and Estes (2008), the gap analysis serves as a systematic problem-
solving tool to improve performance and reach organizational goals. Rueda (2011) explained that
the gap analysis process is a way to determine organizational goals both long terms and short
term, evaluate them, and define the gaps between the levels of actual performance to the desired
levels of outcome. Many organizations, when addressing rising problems or issues, provide
solutions based on assumptions that are not validated. Due to the lack of an evidence-based
strategy in determining root causes, most of those assumed causes may not be the reason behind
the problem. In addition, some underlying causes may be missed. Consequently, the solutions
designed to resolve the issue will be misaligned and not help fix the real problem. The
performance gaps’ causes should be comprehensively investigated through three components: (a)
scanning (informal) interviews with stakeholders; (b) learning, motivation, and
organization/culture theory; and (c) review of the relevant literature on student affairs. Causes
from related literature are discussed in Chapter Two but are included in the tables in Chapter
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 49
Three. What follows is a discussion of the knowledge, motivation, and organizational assumed
causes for the low number of academically or professionally trained Qatari student affairs
professionals at HBKU.
Preliminary Scanning Data
Preliminary findings were formulated through personal observation, informal interviews,
and interactions with Qatari and expatriate student affairs staff members at HBKU. These
findings focused on the lack of a professionally or academically trained Qatari student affairs
workforce in HBKU and Qatar at large. The causes are categorized in terms of knowledge and
skills, motivation, and organization.
Knowledge and skills. The field of student affairs is a relatively new profession in Qatar.
As stated in Learning Reconsidered (ACPA, 2004), student affairs professionals require a certain
education to prepare them to have a positive impact on the college student experience.
Acknowledging the fact that the educational needs may vary from one position to the other, there
is fundamental knowledge that all staff should have. Those fundamentals include historical and
philosophical foundations of higher education and student affairs, student learning and
development theories, in addition to understanding the role their unit plays in fostering student
learning (ACPA, 2004). To be agents of a proper learning environment, all professionals,
regardless of what area or position they serve in, should have cognitive, interpersonal,
intrapersonal and practical competence (ACPA, 2004). Qatari staff lack academic knowledge of
the history, theories, practices and values associated with the field and the role student affairs
plays in complementing an institution’s academic mission. In addition, they lack awareness and
understanding of the professional competencies required, including understanding and applying
student development and leadership development theories. For such professional knowledge,
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 50
Qatari staff rely on expatriate colleagues because their knowledge is limited to basic
administrative tasks. This is not a sustainable practice as it does not help build Qatari capacity in
student affairs.
Motivation. Observations, personal interactions with Qatari staff and involvement in job
placement interviews in the office of student affairs showed that most Qatari staff members come
from academic backgrounds and degree programs that do not include higher education or
education in general. They accept student affairs jobs for various reasons; one can be the
attractive compensation package of the job offer and another can be the prestige of being
associated with the reputable names of Qatar Foundation and or HBKU. Qatari staff lack interest
in the field, and they do not understand why it is important or how to build this field of practice.
For instance, they seldom talk about interest in working with students, the importance of working
with students, or the importance of their work in contributing to the overall student learning and
development. They do not link the role the student affairs units play in building Qatari capacity
and feeding into efforts to build a knowledge economy. As stated in the Student Learning
Imperative (Calhoun, 1996), learning, personal development and student development are
inseparable. Calhoun (1996) also argued that experiences and services offered by the unit of
student affairs contribute to the holistic development of students who are the leaders of
tomorrow. However, Qatari staff do not acknowledge the need and value of building a
knowledgeable Qatari work force in this field.
Organization. HBKU lacks the infrastructure that can help build a solid student affairs
unit in terms of human resource practices and strategy. Aside from the non-credit Qatar
Foundation Student Affairs Certificate Program, which is mainly theoretical, there are no
graduate degrees, formal practical training programs, or local chapters of professional
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 51
organizations to formally prepare and share knowledge within Qatar. There is little chance for
advancement within HBKU student affairs office as the organizational structure is flat not
providing a pipeline for progression. Although HBKU and QF support graduate or advanced
study, Qatari staff do not choose degree programs in the field of student affairs or education as
such programs are not available locally. In addition, HBKU’s administration does not mandate
acquiring a degree in education for career advancement. HBKU’s administration does not
provide clear expectations for degree programs they financially sponsor. Consequently, Qatari
student affairs staff choose the most popular graduate degree programs that could benefit them in
the labor market and or the most convenient. One of the most popular degrees that Qatari staff
consider is an MBA in place of disciplines related to their job responsibilities. Although HBKU
aims to fulfill QNV 2030 (General Secretariat for Development Planning, 2011) by transforming
Qatar to a knowledge based economy, it does not invest in creating a professional field that
promotes life-long learning and student development.
Hunt and Michael (1983) argued that mentorship is an integral tool for training,
development and professional progression. However, a culture of mentorship is lacking in the
organization as the new and mid-level Qatari student affairs professionals do not see the value
and purpose of seeking a mentor. Due to Qatarization efforts, which means increasing the
number of Qataris in different positions nation-wide, most senior Qatari staff do not have in-
depth academic knowledge, understanding, or expertise in the field. Therefore, they are in no
position to offer mentorship to junior staff.
Learning and Motivation Theory
Causes of knowledge, motivation, and organization were assumed based on learning and
motivation theory. The different types of knowledge include factual, conceptual, procedural, and
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 52
metacognitive (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). According to Clark and Estes (2008), the
behavioral indications of motivation include choice, persistence, and mental effort. Finally, the
organizational design is manifested through cultural factors including external settings and
contexts (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Knowledge and Skills. The knowledge dimension is represented by the four different
types of knowledge: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive (Anderson & Krathwohl,
2001).
Factual knowledge. This refers to basic knowledge or facts such as contexts, domains
and terminology (Rueda, 2011). Qatari staff do not have basic knowledge of the field. They also
lack in-depth understanding and academic preparation in the history of higher education and
student affairs. They do not know how this field emerged and where and what reasons impacted
its creation. Another factual knowledge item that Qatari staff lack is understanding the different
available units of practice within the field and the knowledge and competencies required for
each. They lack knowledge that such information exists and is provided by the (CAS Standards)
or professional associations such as the National Association of Student Affairs Practitioners
(NASPA), or ACPA.
Conceptual knowledge. This refers to the knowledge of principles, categories,
generalizations, or theories in relation to a particular area (Rueda, 2011). Kuh (2009) argued
there is a positive correlation between student involvement on campus and their development,
persistence, and academic attainment. However, Qatari staff lack knowledge and understanding
of the field’s philosophy and values, of why it was created and of how it contributes to the
students’ holistic development. They lack knowledge in the theories of student learning, student
development and leadership. They lack understanding of the correlation between student
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 53
development and learning. They do not understand what it means to be life-long learners and
how to promote this concept in theory and practice amongst peers and students. They also lack
comprehension of co-curricular programing and its role in developing college students and
complementing the institution’s academic mission.
Procedural knowledge. This refers to knowledge of how to do something (Rueda, 2011).
Qatari staff do not know how to build career trajectory in student affairs. Qatari staff do not
know how to rely on themselves for professional development in the field or designing their
career trajectory. The Qatari staff know how to perform the administrative responsibilities listed
in their job descriptions, but lack the in-depth knowledge needed to make their work meaningful
for themselves or their students. They also lack an understanding of how to contribute
knowledge to the field and to advance it by adding the Qatari perspective and practice of student
affairs. Another procedural knowledge that is absent is baseline evaluation and assessment
methods and how to implement them on their work to measure impact.
Metacognitive knowledge. This refers to the awareness of one’s ability and perception of
cognitive processes (Rueda, 2011). Qatari staff know they lack deep understanding of the field
and what it entails in terms of philosophy, history, theories, and necessary related literature. This
causes lack of confidence which reflects on their perceptions of their ability to perform
programing, counseling, advising, and mentoring tasks. They also lack the competencies
required to design strategy, learning outcomes and best practices for their respective units within
student affairs. As mentioned, certain competencies, knowledge and skills are required of student
affairs professionals to be able to reach the desired outcome of their specific jobs (NASPA,
2004). For instance, these professionals need to think in complex ways to be able to develop
cognitive complexity in students’ thinking. They also need to have a comprehensive
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 54
understanding of higher education context to be able to enhance knowledge acquisition and
application. They must appreciate diversity and be familiar with social justice theory and social
identity theory and interpersonal communication to be able to encourage humanitarianism. The
previously mentioned knowledge and skills are a few examples of what is required of staff to be
able to deliver their role successfully (ACPA, 2004; NASPA 2004). Qatari staff know they lack
these knowledge and skills, which makes them focus more on administrative tasks and rely on
expatriate colleagues.
Motivation. Motivation is defined as the “the process whereby goal-directed activity is
instigated and sustained” (Rueda, 2011, p.38). There are three motivational indicators: active
choice, persistence and mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Active choice. Active choice occurs when people actively choose to pursue a certain goal
(Clark & Estes, 2008). Bandura (1989) argued that self-efficacy plays a role in the motivation
levels of an individual. Hence, people’s choices are affected by the value they associate with the
goal and or the task. There are different kinds of values; intrinsic which refers one’s personal
enjoyment, extrinsic which refers to use and utility, attainment which refers to importance, and
last cost which refers to the resources and effort associated with this goal or task (Bandura,
1989). There are some intrinsic interests that serve as motivational barriers for Qatari staff. One
of these is lack of interest in the field of education in general. This affects the choices they make
when they join student affairs. They concentrate on administrative aspects rather than
educational aspects. They lack interest in investing in education and student affairs as a career,
and are interested in management based responsibilities, such as financial services, recruitment
and other administrative roles. This way they get exposure and experience in responsibilities that
teach them skills that can be transferred elsewhere if they choose to leave the field. This would
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 55
ensure career flexibility for them when they move to other positions. Nontraditional work hours
associated with responsibilities such as programing and housing also impede them from making
staying in their positions long-term.
Persistence. Persistence is focusing attention and efforts on pursuing a goal (Clark &
Estes, 2008). Qatari staff do not invest effort in developing themselves in the field in terms of
academic preparation. In other parts of the world such as the United States, a master’s degree is a
minimum qualification for junior level staff. Qatari staff members worry that if they stay long at
HBKU, they will not have other job options if they decide to leave. If they work in student
affairs for the long-term, their experiences will be so specific that they might not be transferable,
as this field is not a big professional field in Qatar. There are only a few national and private
universities, with limited positions.
Mental effort. Novel goals require mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). Choosing and
persisting must be complemented by sufficient mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). The field of
student affairs is relatively new in Qatar. Qatari student affairs staff in HBKU have not received
formal training in the field and have no prior experience they can relate to. As stated in Clark and
Estes (2008), mental effort is affected by confidence. Most Qatari staff lack confidence due to
the fact that they are bot trained or have no experience. Because this field is new, they will need
to exert a great deal of mental effort in understanding the nature of the job in addition to how to
perform certain tasks. Another issue that is related to mental effort is lack of utilization of
resources such as the resource library in the student affairs office and professional associations’
websites, webinars or publications. However, most staff members do not mind going on business
trips to conferences, which is the only professional development they believe is beneficial.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 56
Organization. Cultural settings and cultural models are the two dimensions of an
organization (Rueda, 2011). Cultural models stand for the beliefs, attitudes and values of
members in the organization and they are generally invisible and automated (Rueda, 2011). In
Qatar, higher education is largely influenced by academics who adopt old concepts of education
that focus on in-classroom learning and disregard the student’s holistic development.
Subsequently, HBKU as an organization has no formal culture that appreciates the work or value
of student affairs. Aside from the student affairs office, there is no value and little understanding
of student development theories, life-long learning, or leadership concepts. In evidence of the
above, as a university, HBKU has not defined the qualities and values it aspires to instill and
nurture in its students. HBKU has not defined what kind of educational experience it offers and
how that experience will help shape their future as graduates. The unit is the least supported in
terms of resources. It is of the main units that has been significantly affected by budget cuts, and
these cuts subsequently affected professional development allocations. Qatar serves as a role
model for an oil economy that invests in education to become a knowledge economy. The vision
exits; however, implementation of that vision, especially in the education sector is not aligned as
should be. The mission of Qatar Foundation is unlocking human potential. In that light,
educational efforts should focus on the individual’s holistic development. Hence, the role of
student affairs could be more important to Qatar and its people in this time of change towards a
knowledge oriented approach for a better future. Due to the lack of value for the impact of the
work, there is no opportunity for growth for staff members in general. The organizational
structure is flat, which negatively affects the opportunity for promotion and horizontal movement
across positions.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 57
A cultural setting is the specific context of where behavior is enacted (Rueda, 2011).
There is also a lack of local or regional availability of academic preparation programs or
graduate degrees in student affairs. This might be a challenge for Qatari staff members to choose
when considering further studies. Currently, most Qatari staff consider masters degrees offered
by the branch campuses in Education City. Those degrees vary in nature from MBAs to JDs;
however, most of those degrees are irrelevant to education or student affairs.
At HBKU, the lack of a mentorship culture amongst Qataris is a byproduct of rapid
Qatarization. Therefore, new Qatari leaders do not have mentoring skills and sometimes require
specialized knowledge to coach or mentor. Another cultural setting that is creating challenges is
the human resources department at HBKU. Human Resources are not requiring certain
qualifications for positions in student affairs, which degrades the qualifications for such
professional positions. This is not supporting the creation of a knowledge base in certain fields.
In conclusion, using learning theories to address the knowledge, motivation, and
organization assumed causes helped towards providing effective research-based solutions.
Summary
A summary of the sources of assumed causes categorized as knowledge, motivation, and
organization is found in Table 2.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 58
Table 2
Summary of Assumed Causes for Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Issues
Assumed Causes
Sources Knowledge
Motivation
Organization
Preliminary
Scanning Data
(informal
knowledge about
the organization)
Qatari staff lack
professional
understanding of the
field which impacts the
sustainability of the
practice immensely
Qatari staff lack the
interest in the field and
they do not understand
importance of building
this field of practice in
Qatar
The organization lacks
in the infrastructure that
can help build a solid
student affairs practice
in terms of its human
resource practices and
the lack of proper
strategic planning
Learning and
Motivation
Theory
Factual:
Qatari student affairs
staff lack foundational
knowledge that guide
the work of student
affairs. These pertain
to history and
philosophy of student
affairs in the United
States as a best practice
(CAS, 2009).
Conceptual:
Qatari student affairs
staff lack the
professional
knowledge of student
affairs that pertains to
“student development
theory, student
characteristics and the
effect of college on
students, organization
and administration of
student affairs, and
assessment, evaluation
and research” (CAS,
2009, p. 306)
Procedural:
Qatari student affairs
staff do not know how
Value Intrinsic:
Qatari student affairs
staff lack the passion
to gain in-depth
knowledge in student
affairs.
Value Extrinsic:
Local higher education
environments provide
limited mobility
options and
possibilities. Qataris
are interested in jobs
that would ensure
career flexibility and
transferable skills.
Value Attainment:
Qatari student affairs
staff do not see the
importance of
acquiring foundational
and professional
knowledge in student
affairs to perform well.
Value Cost:
Qatari student affairs
staff do not see value
in spending evenings
or weekends involved
Cultural Model -
Negative Attitudes:
Campus leaders do not
understand the value
student affairs as a unit
plays in complementing
the educational mission
of the university.
Cultural Setting - Lack
of effective role models:
There are not mentors
who support self-
development in building
skills, improving
performance and
maximizing the
individual potential.
Cultural Setting – Lack
of resources:
Lack of local or
accredited degree in
student affairs.
Cultural Setting - Lack
of effective role models:
Absence of supervised
practice in the form of
graduate assistantships
or internships in student
.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 59
Table 2, continued
to build career
trajectory in student
affairs.
Metacognitive:
Qatari student affairs
staff members lack
self-reflection which is
essential to improve
themselves and work
positively with others
(Nottingham, 1998).
in student related
programs because it
impacts their family
and social life
commitments.
affairs in the
organization.
Cultural Setting – Lack
of goals:
Lack of job
advancement and
succession planning
within the unit of
student affairs in the
organization.
Cultural Setting - Vague
performance goals:
The organization has no
requirements in terms of
academic and/or
professional
qualifications for student
affairs positions
encumbered by Qataris
Related Literature
21
st
century student
learning is not just
restricted to in-
classroom teaching,
but also finds place
everywhere in an
outside the campus
(NASPA, 2015).
Winston et al. (2014),
talk about three main
roles that the student
affairs staff member
plays (a) educator:
supporting the
academic mission of
the institution, (b)
leader: providing
vision and guidance for
their specific unit or
the whole student
affairs division, and (c)
manager: overseeing
operations.
Student affairs staff
should see themselves
as professional
educators who share
the same responsibility
alongside with faculty,
academic
administrators and
other staff members
(ACPA, 2008).
Kuh (2005) argues that
campus leaders should
understand the value
student affairs as a unit
plays in complementing
the educational mission
of the university.
A mentor can be defined
as an overseeing
individual who supports
self-development in
building skills,
improving performance
and maximizing the
individual potential
(Parsloe, 1992).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 60
Participating Stakeholders
The participating stakeholders for the gap analysis are all HBKU Qatari student affairs
staff members who have worked at HBKU for up to 10 years. Those who worked for more than
10 years are more professionally prepared and clearly stayed in the field. Only 31 of 32 staff
members were eligible to participate in the study. There is one staff member who is exempted
from participating, and that is the vice president of student affairs, the person in the most senior
position. Additionally, the individual holding the position at the time of this study had a PhD in
counseling and experience in the field. The number of staff members eligible to participate
makes up 44.28% of the overall student affairs staff. Participants vary in terms of academic
background. Some of the most common degrees participants held are in engineering, business
administration, human resources, and international politics. Only one participant has a master’s
degree in student affairs. The other 30 had no academic preparation or degrees relevant to the
field. Six of the 30 participants hold leadership positions. All staff members who met the above
criteria were asked to participate in the project by completing the survey and had the opportunity
to volunteer for an interview.
Data Collection
Permission was obtained from the University of Southern California’s institutional
review board. To validate the presumed knowledge, motivation, and organizational causes, an
online survey and in-person interviews were conducted. Each is discussed next.
Survey
Once approval was granted, an on-line survey was distributed in January 2016. To be
inclusive and reach out to the 32 Qatari student affairs staff members, the online survey option
was the most suitable tool. The survey was administered in English. The survey consisted of 38
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 61
items and included a combination of Likert scale items and demographic questions. The Likert
scale items listed four response options: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree.
Survey items assessing knowledge, motivation, and organization were grounded on instruments
pulling from the work of Krathwohl (2002), Clark and Estes (2008), Pintrich (2003), Clark
(1998), Mayer (2008), Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001), Schein (2010), and Rueda (2011).
Responses were collected anonymously. All responses, demographical information
collected, and results were maintained on a password-protected laptop. No individual identifiable
demographic information was collected during the survey. The survey instrument can be found
in Appendix C.
Interviews
In the survey, there was an option for staff members to volunteer to participate in an
interview. Those who were willing to be interviewed sent an individual email to the conductor of
the study for interview set-up. Everyone who indicated an interest was interviewed. Interviews
consisted of 23 questions and lasted for a maximum of one hour to give a more in-depth
perspective and opportunity for the interviewee to take their time in answering the questions.
Interviews were conducted in English and took place at the HBKU Student Center. A semi-
structured interview protocol guided each interview. The interviewer obtained permission to
record the interview for later transcription and coding purposes. The sample of interviewees was
intended to reflect the diversity of experience and background for Qatari staff. The interview
protocol can be found in Appendix D.
Validation of the Performance Causes
The remaining sections of Chapter Three outline how assumed causes were validated to
ascertain which require solutions and which turn out not to be needs, and as such, do not require
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 62
solutions. A mixed methods approach was taken for the validation of performance gaps in this
study. Data validation methods included analysis of a survey and individual interviews of the
sample group. The mixed methods resulted in an in-depth validation of performance needs,
substantiated by the analysis output. A summary of how each need was validated is shown in
Table 3.
Table 3
Summary of Assumed Knowledge Causes and Validation
Survey Interviews
Assumed knowledge causes Y Y
Assumed motivation causes Y Y
Assumed organizational causes Y Y
Summary
Summary tables of knowledge, motivation, and organizational gaps and their
corresponding assumed causes are found in Appendix A. These gaps were assessed, validated or
invalidated, to inform solution generation for improving the quality of Qatari personnel
qualifications at HBKU student affairs office. A mixed methods methodology that includes a
survey instrument and structured interviews was used. Responses were collected, and statistical
analyses conducted based on survey results, and select interview findings incorporated for
further qualitative analysis.
Data Analysis
Once all survey results were submitted, a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted.
Interview results were transcribed, and coded into themes that connect with the knowledge,
motivation, and organization categories. An in-depth assessment was performed that
complemented the statistical output.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 63
Trustworthiness of Data
The data of this study is trustworthy, and measures were taken to ensure that. The first
measure is the triangulation of data coming from the survey and interviews (Merriam, 2009).
Second is that the survey items are based on reliable and valid instruments, drawing from the
work of Krathwohl (2002), Clark and Estes (2008), Pintrich (2003), Mayer (2008), Schein
(2010), Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001), and Rueda (2011). Third, the survey was anonymous,
and the interviews were confidential (Merriam, 2009). Finally, member checks were conducted
to confirm the interpretation of both the survey and interview protocols are accurate and truthful.
Role of Investigator
I am the Director of Student Life at HBKU. I oversee two main areas: student
engagement and the student center. Through those two main units I help build community at
HBKU. Through programs, events and services, Student Life promotes holistic student
development and life-long learning. I also serve in the student affairs leadership team and report
directly to the vice president of student affairs. In this capacity I provide advice and consultation
with regards to student affairs role in HBKU and at Education City. As one of the first two
Qataris to gain professional experience in the field as practiced in the United States, I take it as a
responsibility to help support and promote the establishment of such a workforce in HBKU. As a
director of a unit, I am in charge of developing and training young Qatari staff members to feed
the pipeline and to build Qatari capacity in the field. This way, I contribute to building Qatari
capacity and a knowledge economy which are primary objectives for QF.
Qatari student affairs staff members were made aware of my role as a principal
investigator. To ensure survey respondents’ anonymity, certain measures were taken. Survey and
interview protocols informed staff members that the main purpose of this project was to collect
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 64
information to improve the organization and that all information gathered during this process
was anonymous and used for that purpose only. Staff members were ensured that no identifiers
were collected to guarantee participant confidentiality at highest levels. In addition, it was
confirmed to staff members that participation is totally voluntary and there are no consequences
for not choosing not to participate. HBKU staff members were informed that I was conducting
this project as a doctoral candidate and that the Qatari staff members were made aware that it is
the vice president of student affairs who has the authority to decide what to do with the findings
of this study. Some interviewees might have been my subordinates. This might have affected
how their answers to the questions. In addition, some participants might not have been honest in
their answers to avoid showing they did not have the knowledge or required skills. That was
mitigated by providing survey questions that did not sound interrogative to subordinates and not
offensive to peers.
Limitations and Delimitations
The project design caused some limitations. First, participants’ answers limited the
project by their honesty and social desirability bias, which influences them to give answers they
believe are socially desirable and not a true presentation of their experience. This is the case both
in interview and survey contexts. Second, the assumption that all participants understood and
interpreted the interview and survey question as intended limits the project. Third, participants
have had someone else complete the survey, as it was online. Fourth, statistical analysis was
founded on a correlational, not causational, relationship.
The focus of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the root causes of the
organizational problem of building a Qatari professional student affairs workforce. The major
delimitation is the context of this project which is specific to HBKU and speaks to the
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 65
organization’s mission and organizational goal; therefore, it cannot be generalized. However,
other organizations can use the gap analysis process to measure and improve performance (Clark
& Estes, 2008).
Another delimitation is the project examined experiences of one key stakeholder group
that may not be representative of those of others. Other stakeholder groups’ experiences and
roles are important, but an in-depth investigation of those was outside the scope of this study.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 66
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS
This section reports the results and findings obtained from the data. Quantitative and
qualitative data were collected through surveys and interviews. The data were analyzed and
synthesized to understand the knowledge, motivation, and organizational causes of the low
number of academically and/or professionally qualified Qatari student affairs staff members in
HBKU.
The first step was to conduct the survey, which was available to participants for three
weeks (Clark & Estes, 2008). Sixteen participants answered the knowledge and motivation
questions, and 15 answered the organization questions. The survey consisted of 48 items. Aside
from the demographic questions, the survey used a Likert scale with four response options:
strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. The demographic information collected
included age, gender, educational background, and years of experience. The purpose of
collecting this information was to determine any relationship between survey findings and the
demographic information. However, no relationship was found and the demographic information
is not included in the analysis in Chapter Four. In the survey, participants were asked if they
wanted to volunteer for an interview. The interviews took place after the survey was completed
so that participants understood the interview was a continuation and supplement to the survey.
All nine staff members who volunteered were interviewed. Interviews took place over the course
of three weeks and each interview lasted between 30 and 60 minutes.
This chapter presents the results in the categories of knowledge, motivation, and
organization with synthesized key findings. The chapter concludes with a summary of overall
findings for solution development in the next chapter.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 67
Results and Findings for Knowledge Assumed Causes
Table 4 summarizes the validated assumed knowledge causes in both the survey and
interviews. Table is 4 is followed by a detailed description of the process and findings.
Table 4
Summary of Assumed Knowledge Causes and Validation Findings
Knowledge Assumed Causes
Supported
by Survey
Results
Supported
by
Interview
Findings
Validated
Factual: Qatari student affairs staff lack foundational
knowledge that pertains to history and philosophy of
student affairs in the United States as a best practice
(CAS, 2009).
Not
Validated
Validated
Validated
Conceptual: Qatari student affairs staff lack the
professional knowledge of student affairs that
pertains to “student development theory, student
characteristics and the effect of college on students,
organization and administration of student affairs,
and assessment, evaluation and research” (CAS,
2009, p. 306).
Not
Validated
Validated Validated
Procedural: Qatari student affairs staff do not know
how to build career trajectory in student affairs.
Not
Validated
Not
Validated
Not
Validated
Metacognitive: Qatari student affairs staff lack self-
reflection which is essential to improve themselves
and work positively with others (Nottingham, 1998).
Not
Validated
Not
Validated
Not
Validated
Anderson and Krathwohl’s (2001) knowledge framework was used as a basis to identify
the assumed causes in four knowledge dimensions: factual, procedural, conceptual and
metacognitive (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). In the survey, 10 items pertained to assumed
knowledge causes. Among those 10, three questions are on factual, two on conceptual, three on
procedural, and two on metacognitive knowledge. In the interview, three questions pertained to
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 68
factual, three to conceptual, six to procedural, and two to metacognitive knowledge. Qualtrics
was used to analyze the survey results. Then, the information was compared and synthesized
with interview findings to validate the knowledge assumed causes.
Factual Knowledge
Factual knowledge is information associated with concrete ideas and truths, such as terms
and facts (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). The assumed cause for the gap in factual knowledge
was that Qatari staff members do not have foundational knowledge about the work of student
affairs. This knowledge pertains to the history and philosophy of student affairs in the United
States as a meaningful and valued practice on university campuses (CAS, 2009).
Survey results. Three statements on factual knowledge were included in the survey. The
first statement was “I have learned about the philosophy of student affairs.” All participants
indicated agreement with this statement. The second statement was “I have learned about the
historical foundations based on which student affairs have emerged as a field,” and 68.75%
indicated agreement. The third statement was “I have read foundational documents in student
affairs such as Student Personnel Point of View 1937, The Learning Imperative, and Principles
of Good Practice.” The purpose of including this statement was to measure scholarly knowledge
of student affairs philosophy and history. The answers to this statement indicate 62.5% of
participants had not read these documents. These answers are demonstrated in Figure 2.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 69
Figure 2. Repospnses to survey statements 1, 2, & 3 on knowledge that pertains to the history
and philosophy of student affairs as in CAS standards (2009).
Participants’ responses to the questions are contradictory. Their answers to the first two
survey statements suggest that they have some knowledge of the philosophy and history of
student affairs. However, their answer to the third statement suggest they have not read seminal
documents in the field. These documents talk about the emergence and philosophy of the field o
and how it evolved from a focus on services to a much robust field that concerned with the
student’s overall development. This leads to the assumption that their definition of knowledge in
the field is not scholarly or research-based
100.00%
68.75%
37.50%
0.00%
31.25%
62.50%
0.00%
20.00%
40.00%
60.00%
80.00%
100.00%
120.00%
I have learnt about
the philosophy of
Student Affairs.
I have learnt about
the historical
foundations based on
which Student
Affairs has emerged
as a field.
I have read
foundational
documents in Student
Affairs such as
Student Personnel
Point of View 1937,
The Learning
Imperative, and
Principles of Good
Practice.
Agree
Disagree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 70
Interview results. Three questions were asked to further investigate knowledge of the
history and philosophy of student affairs in the United States as a best practice (CAS, 2009). In
response to the question as to what kind of knowledge they thought a staff member should have,
no interviewees mentioned terms such as philosophy or history. One participant said, “work with
students and make a difference in their lives” and “provide opportunities and support for
students.” In response to what guides their work, answers included “I don’t have a specific
thing,” “personal mission,” and “Qatari culture.”
The question regarding what knowledge, skills, or experience they thought made a staff
member qualified confused some interviewees and required further explanation. Some answers
were off-point: “first of all, they should have events knowledge and communication.” Another
staff member said, “Student affairs staff should, since they are acting more with different people,
from students and other entities in the country, they should be more confident in reaching out to
people, adaptable.” Those answers indicated a shallow understanding of knowledge in the field.
The interviewees’ responses indicated that their knowledge of the field is based on
logical interpretation and common sense rather than reflecting academic and/or professional
knowledge based on best practices or research. This finding is further validated by answers to the
third survey question on reading seminal documents in the field, for which a majority of that
62.5% answered that they had not read such documents. In the survey, a majority, 62.5%,
confirmed that they had not read seminal documents. Their answers to the interview questions
further support the assumption that they have general common sense knowledge of the field.
Factual knowledge findings. The survey results indicated that respondents demonstrate
knowledge in key factual areas that pertain to history and philosophy of student affairs in the
United States as a best practice (CAS, 2009). However, the interview questions that were
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 71
designed to further investigate the survey answers found that Qatari staff do not have the
foundational factual knowledge of student affairs. This is clearly supported by interview
statements that demonstrate lack of knowledge of seminal documents and terminology hence
understanding of the field.
Across the survey and interview analysis there was some evidence suggesting it was
partially validated, but that this evidence was not sufficiently compelling to consider the cause
‘validated’ overall. Therefore, the factual assumed of lack of knowledge in history and
philosophy of student affairs in the United States as a best practice (CAS, 2009) is not validated.
Conceptual Knowledge
Conceptual knowledge pertains to knowledge of principles, categories, generalizations, or
theories in relation to a particular area (Rueda, 2011). Conceptual knowledge transfers factual
knowledge to deeper understanding and interpretation of information (Anderson & Krathwohl,
2001). The assumed cause for the gap in conceptual knowledge was that Qatari staff members
do not have the professional knowledge of student affairs that pertains to “student development
theory, student characteristics and the effect of college on students, organization and
administration of student affairs, and assessment, evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306)
to deliver world-class operations and student-oriented services.
Survey results. In order to validate this assumed cause, two statements were designed.
The first statement was “I am familiar with student development and student learning related
theories.” The answers varied across the scale. Most participants responded that they agreed with
the statement, with 62.5% agreed and 18.75% strongly agreed. The second statement was “I use
student development and student learning related theories in my current job/role.” The majority
of the responses agreed with this statement, with 68.75% agreeing and 12.5% strongly agreeing.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 72
Figures 3 and 4 below show that respondents have the conceptual knowledge required of
an individual in a student affairs profession as reflected by the survey answers. This indicates
that the survey answers do not validate the assumed cause that they do not have the professional
knowledge that pertains to “student development theory, student characteristics and the effect of
college on students, organization and administration of student affairs, and assessment,
evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306).
Figure 3. I am familiar with student development and student learning related theories.
6.25%
12.50%
62.50%
18.75%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 73
Figure 4. I use student development and student learning related theories in my current job/role.
Interview results. Three interview questions were asked to further build on the survey
responses on the factual knowledge gap. The questions were “Tell me in your own words what
student affairs mean to you,” “Student affairs is a different field than human resources or
business administration. For example, what do you think you need to know about college
students or higher education administration or universities to be successful?” and “Are you
familiar with any student development and student learning theories, and, if so, which ones?”
Similar to the results on factual knowledge, the responses indicated surface level
knowledge of the field gathered from local work experience, regardless of how long participants
worked in the field. When asked to “tell me in your own words what student affairs mean to
you,” some answered, “how to support students and what they go through at this stage,” “how to
create student organizations,” and “knowledge about students.” For the question regarding how
student affairs is a different field than human resources or business administration and what they
thought needed to know about college students or higher education administration or universities
6.25%
12.50%
68.75%
12.50%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 74
to be successful, some participants had difficulty answering the question, some answered briefly,
and others gave answers such as “tough question,” “difficult question,” and “student services.”
As for the question of whether they were familiar with student development and student learning
theories, some interviewees had attended the HBKU Student Affairs Certificate Program, which
is a local training program for new members in the field. Most did not demonstrate higher levels
of knowledge in their answers. Their responses included statements such as “I took the certificate
and I used to know [them]” and “I'm sure I do, but I don't know the name of them.”
The interviewees’ answers support the assumption that they lack the professional
knowledge that pertains to “student development theory, student characteristics and the effect of
college on students, organization and administration of student affairs, and assessment,
evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306) to deliver world class operations and student-
oriented services.
Conceptual knowledge findings. Although the survey answers did not validate the
conceptual knowledge questions, the interviews answers did. The interview questions on
conceptual knowledge were designed to further validate the answers to the survey questions in
the same dimension. Therefore, in consolidating both survey answers and the interviews, the
assumed cause is partially validated. However, since there is no overwhelming evidence across
both the survey and interviews, then it is not validated that respondents do not have the
conceptual knowledge that pertains to “student development theory, student characteristics and
the effect of college on students, organization and administration of student affairs, and
assessment, evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 75
Procedural Knowledge
Procedural knowledge is defined as knowledge of how to do something (Rueda, 2011). It
is a systematic activity that includes routines and procedures (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).
The procedural knowledge gap was limited to one assumed cause, which is lack of Qatari student
affairs staff knowledge on how to build a career in student affairs.
Survey results. The assumed cause was assessed through three statements. The first
statement was “I know how to look for professional development, training and courses related to
student affairs.” As demonstrated in Figure 4, most responses varied between agree, which was
56.25% and strongly agree, with 18.75%. However, 25% disagreed, which suggests that one-
third of respondents do not know how to pursue professional development in the field. The
second statement was “I know how to build a personal development plan to advance in the
profession of student affairs.” Similar to the previous statement responses, and as demonstrated
in Figure 5, the majority agreed (43.75%) and strongly agreed (31.25%). On the other end, 25%
disagreed (18.75%) or strongly disagreed (6.25%). The third statement was “The lack of
advanced academic and/or professional knowledge in student affairs might impact the ability of
student affairs staff members to perform well in certain areas.” Half of the participants strongly
agreed, and 31.25% agreed with the statement, as demonstrated in Figure 7.
All answers to the survey statements in this section demonstrate the participants’
acknowledgement of the importance the right academic and/or professional knowledge to
perform well. Therefore, based on the survey responses, the assumption that Qatari student
affairs staff do not know how to build a career path in the field is not validated. On the contrary,
responses indicate that participants know how to plan professional development in the field and
build personal development plans.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 76
Figure 5. I know how to look for professional development, training and courses related to
student affairs.
Figure 6. I know how to build a personal development plan to advance in the profession of
student affairs.
0.00%
25.00%
56.25%
18.75%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
6.25%
18.75%
43.75%
31.25%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 77
Figure 7. The lack of advanced academic and/or professional knowledge in student affairs might
impact the ability of student affairs staff members to perform well in certain areas.
Interview results. Six interview questions were developed in order to validate the
assumed cause that Qatari student affairs staff members do not know how to build career
trajectory in student affairs. Four questions were about building career trajectory and
professional development. One question asked respondents to talk about what they would do to
build career path or trajectory in student affairs. Another asked, aside from attending
conferences, what other ways they thought might be good professional development
opportunities. A third asked what they anticipated would be their future role within student
affairs and how they were preparing for that role. Lastly, they were asked what the highest role
they aspired to in student affairs was and why. Two other questions helped solicit information on
mentoring in the field for professional guidance. Those questions asked if they were interested in
having a mentor and what mentorship meant to them.
In answering the question about what they would do to build a career path or trajectory in
student affairs, four interviewees preferred further studies (master’s or doctorate) in student
0.00%
18.75%
31.25%
50.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 78
affairs, education or specialized masters/PhD such as counseling to be eligible for career
advancement in the field such as “Pursue masters in SA or relevant field,” and “specialized
masters or PhD such as counseling is needed.” No interviewees mentioned creating personal
development plans in coordination with the supervisor and/or concerned parties at the
organization for future growth in the profession. Also, when asked, aside from attending
conferences, what other ways they thought might be good professional development
opportunities, the interviewees said, “Study tours,” “Training,” Internships in one of Education
City universities.” All of these activities are highly reliant on other stakeholders to provide the
knowledge and less responsibility on the learner to acquire knowledge on their own.
For the question on whether they were interested in having a mentor, eight interviewees
confirmed the benefit of having a mentor for guidance on advancement in the field, but the rest
declared that they did not have a mentor. However, two interviewees had mentors and shared
their positive experience on the value they gained from having one. According to the
interviewees, the professional mentors helped them learn how and where to look for knowledge
in student affairs and provided guidance on how to plan a future in the field. One participant
said, “helped me achieve the highest level in HBKU Student Affairs Certificate.” Another
participant said, “in any period of our life, we need a mentor.” Also, another participant
described that “It’s a good idea. I’m still a beginner in student affairs. Knowing someone who
knows way more than you do is always a good idea. You’re always going to learn from their
experience. They’ll give insight about student affairs that you didn’t know.”
Another significant finding is based on the answers related to the two questions on the
future role in student affairs. To answer the question on what they anticipated would be their
future role within student affairs and how they were preparing for that role, all interviewees
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 79
showed uncertainty about their future in the field due to several reasons related to motivational
and organizational issues addressed in the motivation and organization sections of this chapter.
One participant said, “Not sure where I see myself in a number of years,” and another said,
“Hard question to answer because things are not clear in the organization and structure keeps on
changing.” Another participant described, “Hard to see oneself in a position with all the constant
changes.” To answer the question on what the highest role they aspired to in student affairs was
and why, four interviewees said they envisioned themselves working beyond student affairs
saying, “In student affairs, um, why not bigger?” and “I would choose some-something that is
more targeting, a bigger scope.” One participant said, “A vice president,” and another said, “I
feel I need a degree to back me up. I need to have the knowledge and skills to be able to run a
unit.”
Procedural knolwedge findings. Both survey and interview answers do not validate the
assumed cause which is lack of Qatari student affairs staff knowledge on how to build a career in
student affairs. The answers to the interview questions did not show evidence of lack of ability
to design career path; however, the answers indicated causes that are organizationally related
such as absence of development plans and uncertainty in the continuously changing structure.
Metacognitive Knowledge
Metacognition pertains to one’s approach to his or her learning and thinking (Rueda,
2011). Examples of metacognition are in the form of task assessment, self-regulation and
evaluation (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). The assumed cause in this knowledge gap is that
Qatari student affairs staff members lack self-reflection, which is essential in order to improve
themselves and work positively with others especially in the context of student affairs
(Nottingham, 1998).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 80
Survey results. The assumed cause was assessed through two statements. The first
statement was “Self-reflection is important to me to be able to improve myself and my
performance.” The majority of participants responses indicated agreement with the statement
with, 31.25% agreeing and 50% strongly agreeing. The second statement was “I engage in self-
reflection to improve myself and my performance.” Most participants’ responses indicated
agreement with the statement, with 50% agreeing and 37.5% strongly agreeing. This assumed
cause is not validated, as the responses did not support the assumption.
Figure 8. Self-reflection is important to me to be able to improve myself and my performance.
6.25%
12.50%
31.25%
50.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 81
Figure 9. I engage in self-reflection to improve myself and my performance.
Interviews results. Two interview questions were asked in order to validate the assumed
cause. The first one is “In what ways do you engage in self-reflection to improve in your role in
student affairs?” All nine interviewees agreed that they do perform self-reflection. One
participant answered, “I tend to write my to-do list and some to-do lists are strategic and how can
I do one step towards what I want to achieve in the future, such as, for example, applying for
graduate study, for instance.” Another participant said “I think it's important to me. Uh, I don't
do it perfectly, but I try to engage in it. I do it through my, you know, my prayer, my religious
pray. It interests me a lot and I want to also start doing meditation. I think that helps you become
more mindful and reflective.” The second question was “Can you talk about the competencies
that you think a student affairs staff member should have to be able to perform well in the job?”
Answers included statements such as “excellence orientation” and “quality of work, adaptability,
problem-solving, decision-making.”
6.25% 6.25%
50.00%
37.50%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 82
Metacognitive knowledge findings. The interviewees’ answers did not validate the
assumed cause. Since both the survey and the interview answers did provide evidence that
validates the cause, this cause is not validated.
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Knowledge Causes
Analysis of survey results and interview responses revealed the following findings. These
findings were prioritized based on their importance for building a Qatari work force in student
affairs at HBKU.
Finding: Shallow knowledge and partially mistaken understanding of the field of
student affairs. There is a contradiction between the survey and interview responses in the
knowledge dimension. Although the survey responses showed minimal knowledge gaps,
especially in the factual and conceptual dimensions, the interviews responses confirmed that
such gaps exist. The majority of interviewees exhibited shallow knowledge, even those who had
work experience of more than 5 years. The current knowledge among most staff is based on
individual logical interpretation. There is a lack of knowledge that student affairs as a field is
based on research that informs its best practices. Not a single response in the interviews in the
knowledge section made mention of any connection between student affairs and research.
Respondents believe the knowledge required of staff is a collection of administrative work and
events. Therefore, they do not actively seek further knowledge. This does not serve the
university’s goal and ambition of becoming a beacon for best practices in the region.
Results and Findings for Motivation Causes
Table 5 summarizes all motivational results and findings. Then it is followed by a
description on the motivation findings in relation to the assumed causes based on the results of
the survey and the interviews.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 83
Table 5
Summary of Assumed Motivation Causes and Validation Findings
Motivation Assumed Causes
Supported by
Survey
Results
Supported
by Interview
Findings
Validated
Intrinsic Value: Qatari student affairs staff
members lack the passion for the field of student
affairs.
Not
validated
Not
Validated
Not
Validated
Extrinsic Value: Local higher education
environments provide limited mobility options
and possibilities. Therefore, Qataris are
interested in jobs that would ensure career
flexibility and transferable skills.
Validated Validated Validated
Attainment Value: Qatari student affairs staff do
not see the value of acquiring foundational and
professional knowledge in student affairs in
order to perform well.
Not
Validated
Not
Applicable
Not
Validated
Attainment Value: Qatari student affairs staff do
not have value for extra-curricular activities due
to lack of participation in such activities during
their undergraduate education.
Not
Validated
Not
validated
Not
Validated
Cost Value : Qatari student affairs staff do not
want to spend additional hours, evenings, or
weekends to be involved in student related
programs because it impacts their family and
social life.
Not
validated
Validated Validated
Motivation is the force that drives people to actively choose to engage in an activity that
is impacted by internal, sociocultural and environmental factors (Clark & Estes, 2008). The
assumed causes probed Qatari student affairs staff motivation as it relates to the different
dimensions of value: Intrinsic, extrinsic, attainment and cost (Rueda, 2011). According to Rueda
(2011), the more an individual values an activity, “the more likely he or she chooses, persists and
engage in it” (p. 43). In the survey, 17 questions pertained to assumed motivation causes.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 84
Among these, two questions were on intrinsic value, six on extrinsic value, four on attainment,
and four on cost value. In the interview, four questions were designed to validate the assumed
causes in motivation.
Intrinsic Value
Intrinsic value refers to the interest one has in an activity (Rueda, 2011). The assumed
cause for the intrinsic value gap was that respondents do not have passion for student affairs.
Survey results. To validate this assumed cause, two statements were designed. The first
statement is “I have a passion for the field of student affairs.” A majority of 75% agreed they had
a passion for the field. The second statement was “I am interested in reading news and articles
about student affairs, participating in discussions and attending conferences and courses in the
field” achieved similar results with 43.75% agreeing and 31.25% strongly disagreeing.
Figure 10. I have a passion for the field of student affairs.
Interview results. Two questions were asked to further build on the survey responses on
the intrinsic value gap. The first question was “How did you come to work in HBKU’s student
0.00%
25.00%
50.00%
25.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 85
affairs?” All answers showed that the participants did not know such a field existed, did not
actively seek a position in this field, and landed in the field by coincidence. One participant said,
“It never came to my mind that I would begin in education field.” Another participant said, “I
initially was only meant to work in student affairs for a little while and then transfer into another
department to see where I fit best, but I started working in student affairs and I felt like I
wouldn’t want to try any other things. I feel like I enjoy what I do so I chose to stay” The second
question was “In what ways have you continued to gain new knowledge and understanding in
student affairs over time?” The answers varied in content and examples were given of training,
webinars, conferences and such as one interviewee who said, “this year I attended a session” or
another who said “From others' mistakes or from, to me, sometimes, when I hear a student have
a problem, I do go and, and read stuff to fix this problem.” One interviewee said, “Because I love
this field, I made a commitment to go and get my master’s degree in student affairs.” The
assumed cause was validated by the answers for the first question but the answers for the second
question answers did not validate the assumed cause. Therefore, the assumed cause that
participants did not have passion for the field was not validated.
Intrinsic value findings. Answers to both survey and interview questions did not
validate the assumed cause.
Extrinsic Value
Extrinsic value refers to an activity’s worth based on external factors (Rueda, 2011). The
assumed cause for the intrinsic value gap was that local higher education environments provide
limited mobility options and possibilities for those who work in student affairs. Therefore,
Qataris are interested in other jobs that would ensure career flexibility and transferable skills.
This is why it is assumed that Qatari student affairs staff members do not plan a career in student
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 86
affairs or have interest in pursuing further studies in student affairs, education or other related
fields.
Survey results. To validate this assumed cause, six statements were designed. The first
statement was that “student affairs is my first field of choice for work.” A majority, 68.75%,
disagreed with that statement that student affairs was not their first field of preference for work.
The second statement was “I see myself working in student affairs long term.” The responses to
this statement were evenly split between 50% disagree/strongly disagree and 50% agree/strongly
agree. This indicates that 50% of participants are not interested in working in student affairs for
the long term. A majority, 68.75%, disagreed with the statement “I worry I might not have other
student affairs job options if I leave my organization.” The majority, 87.50%, also agreed that
they “would consider further studies in the field of Education or Higher Education.” However,
50% disagreed, with the statement that they “would consider further studies in student affairs
(master’s/Ed.D./Ph.D.)” As for the statement “I worry I might hurt my chances of employment in
other fields if I would invest time and studies in a specific area like student affairs” a majority of
56.25% of participants agreed. This implies that most respondents’ motivational levels are
impeded by external factors.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 87
Figure 11. I would consider further studies in the field of Education or Higher Education; I
would consider further studies in student affairs (Masters/Ed.D./Ph.D.).
Figure 12. I worry I might hurt my chances of employment in other fields if I would invest time
and studies in a specific area like student affairs.
18.75%
25.00%
43.75%
12.50%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 88
Figure 13. Student affairs is my first field of choice for work; I would consider further studies in
student affairs (Masters/Ed.D/Ph.D.).
Interview results. One question was asked to validate whether local higher education
environments provide limited mobility options and possibilities: “What do you think of the
education field in Qatar, specifically higher education, in terms of career options and
opportunities for Qataris?” One participants said, “options for Qataris are very limited and
especially if we are not talking about entry-level positions.” Another mentioned, “it’s not huge,
and it’s not desirable by the Qatari society. A lot of the people don’t know what is student
affairs.” A third stated, “I can still work in education, but if I choose student affairs, it will be
more narrowed, and it will be very difficult for me to get maybe leadership position.” The
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 89
interview responses validated the assumed cause. Most survey answers supported, and interview
answers further validated, the assumed cause.
Attainment Value
Attainment value refers to the importance of doing well in the activity (Rueda, 2011).
Two assumed causes were developed to assess this gap. The first one is Qatari student affairs
staff members do not see the importance of acquiring foundational and professional knowledge
in student affairs in order to perform well. This pertains to the history and philosophy of student
affairs in the United States as a best practice, in addition to “student development theory, student
characteristics and the effect of college on students, organization and administration of student
affairs, and assessment, evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306). The second assumed
cause was Qatari student affairs staff members do not value offering extra-curricular activities to
students at HBKU due to their own lack of participation in such activities during their
undergraduate education.
Survey results. The responses for “I believe it is important to have foundational
knowledge in history and philosophy of student affairs in the United States as a best practice in
order to perform well in my job” was agreed or strongly agreed with by of 68.75% of
participants.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 90
Figure 14. I believe it is important to have foundational knowledge in history and philosophy of
student affairs in the United States as a best practice in order to perform well in my job.
The question, “I believe it is important to have professional knowledge in student
development theory, student characteristics and the effect of college on students to perform well
in my job” scored a 100% rating of agreement. In response to the next item in this group, 81.25%
agreed that they “believe it is important to have professional knowledge in organization and
administration of student affairs, assessment, evaluation and research in order to perform well in
my job.” For the last item, “I believe it is important for me to have an academic degree in student
affairs or in a relevant field to be able to perform better in my job,” participants scored evenly:
50% agreed or strongly agree and 50% disagreed or strongly disagreed.
18.75%
12.50%
50.00%
18.75%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 91
Figure 15. I believe it is important to have professional knowledge in student development
theory, student characteristics and the effect of college on students in order to perform well in
my job; I believe it is important to have professional knowledge in organization and
administration of student affairs, assessment, evaluation and research in order to perform well in
my job.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 92
Figure 16. I believe it is important for me to have an academic degree in student affairs or in a
relevant field to be able to perform better in my job.
The responses for “during my undergraduate education I was involved in extra-curricular
activities” were almost evenly divided between 56.25% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing and
43.75% agreeing or strongly agreeing. Neither of the assumed causes for the attainment value
were validated.
0.00%
50.00%
31.25%
18.75%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 93
Figure 17. During my undergraduate education I was involved in extra-curricular activities.
Interview results. One question was developed to assess the assumed cause, that Qatari
student affairs staff members do not value extra-curricular activities due to lack of participation
in such activities during their own undergraduate education. Although most lacked having that
personal experience as students, almost all interviewees acknowledged that they “think being
involved in student activities as a student might help student affairs staff have a better
understanding for the value of the work of student affairs and its contribution to students.” One
interviewee answered, “the involvement of students in the student affairs activities will definitely
help appreciation.” Another said, “Definitely. Because this gives the students the chance to get
know the student affairs more.” Therefore, this assumed cause was not validated.
Cost Value
Cost value refers to “the cost of the activity in terms of time, effort of other dimensions”
(Rueda, 2011, p. 42). The assumed cause for the cost value gap was that Qatari student affairs
18.75%
37.50%
12.50%
31.25%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 94
staff members do not see value in spending additional or evening work hours to be involved in
student related programs because it impacts their family and social life.
Survey results. To validate this assumed cause, four statements were designed. In the
survey, 68.75 % of participants said that they “believe it is important for me to be involved in
student related programs and events even if it means spending additional hours in the afternoon,
evening or weekends at work.”
Figure 18. I believe it is important for me to be involved in student related programs and events
even if it means spending additional hours in the afternoon, evening or weekends at work.
Additionally, a majority of 93.75% agreed that they “believe working in some areas of
student affairs such as Student Life and Housing takes away from important family time.”
Additionally, 43.75% of participants disagreed with “to spend additional hours after work in
student related programs and activities” and 62.5% disagreed with “to come to work on
weekends to be involved in student related programs and activities.” This demonstrates the value
of family and social life in the local community. The results suggest that although the Qatari
6.25%
25.00%
62.50%
6.25%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 95
student affairs staff see the importance of additional hours in working with students, they are not
motivated to do it as it conflicts with other personal and societal values. According to the results
of survey, this assumed cause is partially validated.
Figure 19. I believe working in some areas of student affairs such as Student Life and Housing
takes away from important family time.
0.00%
6.25%
56.25%
37.50%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 96
Figure 20. I am willing to spend additional hours after work in student related programs and
activities; I am willing to come to work on weekends to be involved in student related programs
and activities.
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Motivational Causes
Two findings emerged from survey and interview data synthesis.
Finding: Impact of Social Commitments Towards Family and Society on Motivation
Regarding Choice of Work and Work Related Decisions
Survey answers suggest that Qatari student affairs staff are not willing to spend time at
work away from family, although in a previous statement in the survey, 43.75% of respondents
stated they were willing to spend additional hours after work. There is a connection between the
two statements answers. Staff showed willingness to spend additional hours at work for further
work requirements because they understood the importance of being involved in student related
programs outside of traditional work hours. However, they were not willing to work on
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 97
weekends, as that is family time. The interview responses further support this finding. The
interviewees said that those additional work hours “can be stressful, you have obligations
whether it’s immediate family, extended family, other commitments.” Another interviewee said,
“that’s why it becomes stressful. Should I do obligation to my work? Or do I do this obligation to
my family? And it becomes a competition where it’s supposed to be healthy.” Another
interviewee said that his mother complains, “we can see you in the evening, but now we don’t
see you.”
Finding: There Are Consequences to Student Affairs Being a New Field in the Local Job
Market, Which Leads to Lack of Societal Value for the Field, Minimal Opportunities for
Job Mobility, and Fewer Senior Position Opportunities in the Local Job Market
Lack of societal value for the field. This evident through interview responses such as
“the careers in student affairs are limited. It’s not very appealing for the people because they
don’t understand that or don’t see developments on the role.” Another interviewee said, “my
mother until now doesn’t know what I’m doing.” A third said, “I think this is common with
many Qataris who are in student affairs. It is a new career in the region, and you will not find
much appreciation.”
Minimal opportunities for job mobility. This is supported by survey by 56.25% of the
respondents who agreed that they worry they might hurt their chances of employment in other
fields if they invest time and studies in a specific area like student affairs. Interview responses
further supported this finding such as “student affairs is fairly new to Qatar. We need to take
student affairs seriously and we need to start doing more about it. As a Qatar staff leaving HBKU
or student affairs will leave very small opportunities if I’m seeking a student affairs job.”
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 98
Low senior positions opportunities in the local job market. This evident through
interview responses such as “if we want to go beyond entry-level positions or mid-level
management they get very limited and they are just a few.” Another statement to support this is
“I can still work in education, but if I choose student affairs, it will be more narrowed, and it will
be very difficult for me to get maybe leadership position” and “I was thinking about continuing
in student affairs, but, currently, I know there will be no new positions. I think, right now, I’m
over qualified for my current positions.”
Results and Findings for Organization Causes
This study explored organizational causes that are rooted in the culture and context of the
organization using the framework that Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) have provided on
cultural settings and models. Cultural models stand for the beliefs, attitudes and values of
members in the organization and they are generally invisible and automated (Rueda, 2011). The
cultural models in the context of this study pertain to negative attitudes. Cultural settings are the
specific context of where behavior is enacted (Rueda, 2011). The cultural settings in the context
of this study pertain to role models, resources, and organizational and performance goals.
Following is a description of the organization findings in relation to the assumed causes based on
survey and the interview results. Fourteen survey items pertained to assumed organizational
causes. Among those, four questions are on cultural models, and 10 on cultural settings. The
interviewees included five questions.
The results and findings from the various sources of data showed that five assumed
causes were validated. Table 6 presents a summary validated and not validated assumed causes
for the organizational gap. Then followed by a detailed description on the survey and interview
results.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 99
Table 6
Summary of Assumed Organization Causes and Validation
Organization Assumed Causes*
Supported by
Survey
Results
Supported by
Interview
Findings
Validated
(Y/N)
Cultural Model – negative Attitudes
Qatari student affairs staff lack the passion for
the field of student affairs.
N
Y
PY
Cultural Settings - lack of availability of senior
Qatari student affairs staff who are academically
and/or professionally qualified to supervise
and/or mentor other junior Qatari student affairs
staff.
N NA N
Cultural Settings - lack of effective role
Absence of supervised practice opportunities in
the form of graduate assistantships or internships
in student affairs within the organization.
N NA N
Cultural Settings - lack of resources
Lack of local accredited graduate programs in
student affairs.
Y NA Y
Cultural Settings - lack of goals
Lack of job advancement and succession
planning within the unit of student affairs.
Y Y Y
Cultural Settings - vague performance goals
Absence of academic and/or professional
qualifications requirements when hiring Qataris
for student affairs positions
N N N
Cultural Settings - vague performance goals
Absence of academic and/or professional
qualifications requirements for current Qatari
student affairs staff.
Y Y Y
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 100
Cultural Model: Negative Attitudes
The assumed cause for this gap was that lack of understanding and appreciation at the
university for student affairs negatively influenced Qataris’ willingness to invest in the field.
Survey results. To validate this assumed cause, four statements were designed. The
results for the statement “I believe my organization appreciates student affairs work” were
similar on both sides of the spectrum, as 46.66% disagreed (disagree and strongly disagree) and
53.33% agreed (agree and strongly agree). Additionally, 60% of respondents agreed (between
agree and strongly agree) that “the organization understands the impact of student affairs work
on student learning, development and success.” A majority (73.33%) believed that the
“organization understands the contribution of student affairs in the university’s overall success.”
In response to the survey statement, “I believe other staff members outside of student affairs
office appreciate the contribution and the role the unit plays in achieving the goals of the
university,” 60% of respondents agreed (agree and strongly agree). Based on those responses, the
assumed cause was not validated.
Interview results. Two questions were asked to validate the assumed cause. In
answering the question regarding the extent to which they thought the organization appreciated
and understood the important role of all student affairs units, six participants believed that the
university did not see student affairs as one of the important or strategic functions due to changes
in structures and priorities. Participants said, “they don’t see how this is benefiting students,” “At
this point, it’s not the priority because the university is developing, and the focus is developing
capacity in the faculty, the schools, the programs,” and “I think there were some unfortunate
choices made.”
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 101
The second question asked, “To what degree do you think that impacts your decision to
invest in a career in student affairs?” The answers further supported the idea that student affairs
work is not valued. As an example, one participant said, “What’s missing from here is just the
clarity of what people are going to do next,” and another said, “I can see brilliant people, very
qualified people leaving this position.” Based on the interview responses, the assumed cause was
validated.
Figure 21. I believe my organization appreciates student affairs work.
13.33%
33.33% 33.33%
20.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 102
Figure 22. I believe my organization understands the impact of student affairs work on student
learning, development and success; I believe my organization understands the contribution of
student affairs in the university’s overall success.
Cultural Settings: Lack of Effective Role Models.
There are two assumed causes for this gap. One was lack of availability of Qatari
professional student affairs staff who are academically and/or professionally qualified to
supervise and/or mentor other junior Qatari staff members.
Survey results. To validate this assumed cause, two statements were designed. A
majority of 66.67% of respondents agreed (agree/strongly agree) that they “receive
mentoring/coaching from other senior Qatari student affairs administrators within the
organization.” Also 73.34% confirmed there are “Qatari professional student affairs staff who are
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 103
qualified academically and/or professionally to mentor (them).” The survey responses did not
validate this assumed cause.
Figure 23. I receive mentoring/coaching from other senior Qatari student affairs administrators
within the organization; There are Qatari professional student affairs staff who are qualified
academically and/or professionally to mentor me.
The other assumed cause was absence of supervised practice in the form of graduate
assistantships or internships in student affairs in the organization. In the survey, 66.67% of
respondents agreed that “[they] would have considered an internship or a graduate assistantship
in student affairs if it was offered in Qatar.” This cause is validated, as the responses show t an
interest in being involved in such a setting; however, there is a lack of availability of such
opportunities.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 104
Figure 24. I would have considered an internship or a graduate assistantship in student affairs if
it was offered in Qatar.
Cultural Settings: Lack of Resources
The assumed cause for this gap was lack of local or regional availability of academic or
graduate preparation programs in student affairs.
Survey results. To validate this assumed cause, two statements were developed. A
majority of 66.67% of participants agreed that “there is a lack of availability of academic and/or
graduate study programs in student affairs in Qatar or the region.” In the survey, 73.33% agreed
that there are no “opportunities for training, workshops and/or seminars related to student affairs
in Qatar or the region” which validates the assumed cause.
13.33%
20.00%
46.67%
20.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 105
Figure 25. There is a lack of availability of academic and/or graduate study programs in student
affairs in Qatar or the region.
Figure 26. There are opportunities for training, workshops and/or seminars related to student
affairs in Qatar or the region.
13.33%
20.00%
46.67%
20.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
20.00%
53.33%
26.67%
0.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 106
Cultural Settings: Lack of Goals
The assumed cause for this gap was lack of job advancement and succession planning
within the unit of student affairs in the organization.
Survey results. To validate this assumed cause, three statements were developed. A
majority of 73.34% participants agreed that they “would have considered an internship or a
graduate assistantship in student affairs if it was offered abroad.” Additionally, a majority of
93.33% participants agreed that they do not have “a development plan and know what my next
position in student affairs is.” No survey respondents agreed with “the current structure for the
student affairs office provides opportunity for promotion.” Therefore, this assumed cause is
validated.
Figure 27. I have a development plan and I know what my next position in student affairs is.
33.33%
60.00%
0.00%
6.67%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 107
Figure 28. I believe the current structure for the student affairs office provides opportunity for
promotion.
Interview results. One question was asked to validate the assumed cause related to the
lack of job advancement and succession planning within the unit of student affairs in the
organization. The question was “To what extent does the current structure for the student affairs
office provide opportunity for promotion? Why or why not?” Eight interviewees provided
answers that support the assumed cause. One said, “the structure is nicely done for entry level.
You can see where you are and how you can move up, but, for senior levels, I’m not really sure.”
Another stated, “I don’t think the current structure provide promotion.” A third mentioned, “to
have a position, you have to fight for it.” Lastly, one stated, “structure keeps on changing.”
Based on the majority of the responses, the assumed cause was validated.
33.33%
66.67%
0.00% 0.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 108
Cultural Settings: Vague Performance Goals
There are two assumed causes for this gap. One is that the organization has no
requirements in terms of academic or professional qualifications for student affairs positions
when hiring Qataris.
Survey results. To validate this assumed cause, one statement, “the organization should
define the academic qualifications required from Qataris when applying for a position in student
affairs,” was developed. The majority of respondents (73.34%) agreed to the statement. The
second statement was “the organization has no requirements in terms of academic or professional
qualifications for student affairs positions for Qatari staff during their employment.” In the
survey, 80% of participants agreed to the statement. Therefore, this assumed cause is validated.
Interview results. Two questions were asked to validate that the organization has no
requirements in terms of academic qualifications for student affairs positions for Qatari staff
while hiring them and during their employment. The first question was “To what extent do you
think the organization sets the right academic and/or professional requirements for student affairs
positions when hiring Qataris?” Eight interviewees agreed with answers such as “I don’t think
there’s a plan,” and “no clear track of development of Qataris that I can think of.”
The second question was “To what extent you think the organization should be involved
in encouraging Qatari employees to pursue further studies relevant to the field of student affairs
or education while serving in their positions?” The assumed cause was validated as most answers
were supportive of the principle. Examples are “I think it’s important and crucial” and “I think
they should be. Yeah, they have to encourage other people to go on, getting a certificate in
student affairs.” Both survey and interview results validated this assumed cause.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 109
Figure 29. I believe the organization should define the academic qualifications required from
Qataris when applying for a position in student affairs; I believe the organization should define
the academic qualifications required from Qatari student affairs staff while on the job.
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Organizational Causes
Two major findings emerged from synthesis of data for both survey and interview results.
Finding: Absence of Local or Regional Graduate Studies Program and/or Training in
Student Affairs
The survey and the interview responses underlined the need for an academic program
offering in the region. This finding intersects with findings in the knowledge dimension, which
validated that there is a foundation knowledge gap in student affairs. Additionally, it intersects
with the motivation factor of the interest to pursue further studies in the field.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 110
Finding: Absence of Personal Development Plans to Build a Career Within the
Organization
The survey and interviews responses highlighted the need for the organization to develop
and adopt a policy on development plans for employees. Those plans will foster career growth
and eliminate the vague or lack of performance goals for individuals.
Summary
The survey results and interview findings validated the assumed causes in the dimension
of knowledge and skills, motivation, and organization based on the gap analysis framework
(Clark & Estes, 2008). Among the 17 assumed causes, 13 were validated and four were not
validated.
The next chapter presents potential solutions for the validated knowledge, motivation,
and organizational causes. All solutions offered in the next chapter are evidence-based and
derived from research.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 111
CHAPTER FIVE: SOLUTIONS, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION
Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) will develop globally recognized research and
offer programs for equipping Qatari and regional people with the knowledge and skills needed to
compete and succeed in the global economy. In order to do that, by 2023 HBKU will achieve the
strategic objective of Qatar Foundation in building human capital and developing highly
competent Qataris in different professional fields. Through competent Qatari student affairs staff
members, HBKU will also cultivate a culture of active citizenship and lifelong learning.
In this study, 16 assumed causes were thought to be contributing to the low number of
Qatari student affairs staff members who are academically and/or professionally qualified. These
assumed causes were identified and investigated through the gap analysis framework (Clark &
Estes, 2008). The previous chapter provided findings that validated 13 of the 16 assumed causes.
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss findings, recommendations, implementation and
evaluation plans.
The gap analysis separates the categories of knowledge, motivation, and organization to
clearly identify the root causes of the problem. However, as the findings in Chapter Four
revealed, the dimensions of knowledge, motivation, and organization do not operate in isolation.
There is connectedness between all of these factors. The proposed solutions are organized in
order of impact and importance with each proposed solution enforced by the following one.
Though each solution will have a specific outcome, overlap in deployment is expected. An
implementation and evaluation plan is proposed after the discussion of proposed solutions.
Validated Causes Selection and Rationale
The existence of knowledge, motivation, and organization gaps was supported by data
collected in the surveys and interviews. Those gaps impede building Qatari capacity in student
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 112
affairs at HBKU. There are three main criteria for selecting the validated causes for solutions.
The first is the significance of the assumed cause. The second is the impact of the validated
assumed cause on the other assumed causes. Third is the feasibility of creating solutions for the
validated cause.
Knowledge
Analysis of survey and the interview data showed that the respondents lack factual and
conceptual knowledge. The validated causes are addressed because there is a gap between
current Qatari student affairs staff knowledge in the field and what they should know about the
field from a best practice point of view. Factually, these staff members did not demonstrate
foundational knowledge about the history and philosophy of student affairs in the United States
(CAS, 2009). In the survey, 62.5% of participants disagree with the statement about reading
seminal documents such as Student Personnel Point of View 1937, The Learning Imperative, and
Principles of Good Practice. The interview answers further affirmed this knowledge gap. The
interviewees were asked to elaborate more on the foundation knowledge that a staff member
should have. The answers demonstrated shallow knowledge that is mostly based on individual
interpretation and common sense. By bridging the knowledge gap, the staff will have better
understanding for the field and more appreciation for the value and importance of the work of
student affairs.
Motivation
In the motivation dimension, extrinsic value was validated and cost value was partially
validated. Therefore, extrinsic value was selected to address. The cost value is affected by the
fact that the field is new in Qatar, and this will require time to change. Time and growth of
higher educational institutions in the country will simultaneously impact the development of
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 113
student affairs as a professional field in the job market. Addressing the extrinsic value will, with
time, positively affect how Qataris view this field of practice. Additionally, addressing the
knowledge gaps will positively affect the motivation gaps.
Organization
In the organization dimension, three validated causes are selected: lack of resources, lack
of goals, and vague performance goals. Those are important to address to help bridge the
organizational gaps. The resources gaps, when addressed, will consequently affect the
knowledge gap in providing programs that will create knowledge.
Summary
Six validated causes capturing the categories of knowledge, motivation, and organization
are prioritized for recommendations. Those causes are chosen based on their significance,
impact, and feasibility.
Solutions
By analyzing and synthesizing the data from the categories of knowledge, motivation,
and organization, key findings have emerged. Those findings have been used as a basis to
develop solutions for the six prioritized assumed causes. The following section address those
solutions in details and in the framework of knowledge, motivation, and organization. Table 7
provides a summary of proposed solutions for each category.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 114
Table 7
Summary of Solutions
Category Cause Proposed Solution
Knowledge –
Factual
Lack of foundational
knowledge that pertains to
history and philosophy of
student affairs in the United
States as a best practice
(CAS, 2009).
Design training on history and philosophy
of student affairs for all Qatari student
affairs staff.
Knowledge –
Conceptual
Lack of professional
knowledge of student affairs
that pertains to “student
development theory, student
characteristics and the effect
of college on students,
organization and
administration of student
affairs, and assessment,
evaluation and research”
(CAS, 2009, p. 306).
Provide training for Qatari student affairs
staff that includes:
student development theory;
student characteristics and the effect
of college on students;
organization and administration of
student affairs;
administrative, management, and
leadership skills;
fiscal management, resource use,
program planning, supervision;
counseling, advising, group
dynamics, crisis and conflict
management, campus and
community relations; multicultural
awareness;
ethical and legal knowledge and
decision-making skills (e.g.,
problem-solving, knowledge of
ethical standards);
training and teaching skills (e.g.,
consultation, workshop
presentations, staff development);
assessment and evaluation skills and
research.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 115
Table 7, continued
Motivation –
Extrinsic Value
Local higher education
environments provide limited
mobility options and
possibilities. Therefore,
Qataris are interested in jobs
that would ensure career
flexibility and transferable
skills.
Increase the task value for investing in a
career in student affairs through clear and
open communication from HR and VP of
student affairs as an expectation from Qatari
student affairs staff.
Cultural Setting
- Lack of
Resources
Lack of local accredited
graduate program in student
affairs.
Provide local accredited further studies
program in student affairs.
Cultural Setting
- Lack of Goals
Lack of job advancement and
succession planning within
the unit of student affairs.
Identify the academic and professional
qualification gaps of current Qatari staff
student affairs staff and design development
plans accordingly.
Cultural Setting
Gap - Vague
Performance
Goals
Absence of academic and/or
professional qualifications
requirements for current
Qatari student affairs staff.
Establish clear academic and professional
qualifications requirements for each student
affair position.
Knowledge
The solutions provided in this section are based on three sources of research. The first is
Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) revised Bloom’s taxonomy framework. The framework
classifies knowledge into four types: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive. Qatari
staff demonstrated lack of factual and conceptual knowledge. Therefore, a solution to address the
gap in those two dimensions was developed. Second is the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis
framework. There are four possible solutions (information, job aids, training or education)
depending on relevant past experiences, expertise, and knowledge from routine practice. Third, a
literature review will inform how the recommended solution can be adapted based on best
practices in the field. Qatari staff demonstrated gaps in both factual and conceptual knowledge as
follows:
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 116
1. Factual: Lack of foundational knowledge that guide the work of student affairs. These
pertain to history and philosophy of student affairs in the United States as a best
practice (CAS, 2009).
2. Conceptual: Lack of professional knowledge of student affairs that pertains to
“student development theory, student characteristics and the effect of college on
students, organization and administration of student affairs, and assessment,
evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306) in order to deliver world class
operations and student-oriented services.
Factual gap and solution. To address both the factual knowledge gap, Qatari staff will
need to have the foundation knowledge required of practitioners. In relation to the Anderson and
Krathwohl (2001) framework, Qatari staff will need to have basic facts about the field. Those are
defined by CAS as a source of best practices (CAS, 2009). CAS has published a set of standards
and guidelines for master’s programs in higher education. According to CAS, the curriculum
must contain foundational studies that pertain to historical and philosophical foundations of
student affairs (CAS, 2009). Clark and Estes (2008) recommended education as a solution to
bridge this gap. Also, according to literature, this training or preparation program should provide
entry-level professionals with competencies, knowledge and skills necessary for them to be
successful in the job (Waple, 2006).
Conceptual gap and solution. As for the conceptual gap, according to the Anderson and
Krathwohl (2001) framework, Qatari staff will need to conceptual knowledge which pertains to
professional knowledge in the student affairs. According to CAS this pertains to “(a) student
development theory, (b) student characteristics and the effect of college on students, (c)
individual and group interventions, (d) organization and administration of student affairs, (e) and
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 117
assessment, evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306). For the last three decades, there has
been a consensus amongst student affairs faculty, practitioners and associations that academic
preparation is essential (Waple, 2006). From Clark and Estes (2008) framework point of view,
the solution is to provide education for the Qatari staff members to fill this gap. There is no
consensus on which core areas should be taught or covered in student affairs preparation
programs; however, according to Pope and Reynolds (1997), there are a set of seven core areas
in which professional must have adequate knowledge:
(a) administrative, management, and leadership skills (e.g., fiscal management, resource
use, program planning, supervision); (b) theory and translation skills; (c) helping and
interpersonal skills (e.g., counseling, advising, group dynamics, crisis and conflict
management, campus and community relations); (d) ethical and legal knowledge and
decision-making skills (e.g., problem-solving, knowledge of ethical standards); (e)
training and teaching skills (e.g., consultation, workshop presentations, staff
development); (f) assessment and evaluation skills (e.g., program evaluation, self-study);
and (g) multicultural awareness, knowledge and skills. (Pope & Reynolds, 1997, p. 268)
Motivation
The survey results and interview findings revealed that local higher education
environments provide limited mobility options and possibilities. Subsequently, Qataris are
interested in jobs that would ensure career flexibility and transferable skills. This is why Qatari
staff members do not plan a career in this field or have interest in pursuing further studies in
student affairs, education, or related fields.
Extrinsic value. The solution is derived from Pintrich’s (2003) principle on higher levels
of value motivate individuals. The solution is to increase the task value for investing in a career
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 118
in student affairs. Student affairs staff should exhibit understanding of the field and commitment
to lifelong learning (Arminio et al., 2009). According to Weiner (2000 & 2010), members value
organizational change because they embrace the benefits produced by the organizational change.
The organization, through human resources and the vice president for student affairs, should
communicate that openly as an expectation from Qatari staff. Clear development plans and
objectives should be set for each Qatari staff member to fulfill the requirements of each position
(Clark & Estes, 2008). Those plans and objectives should be accompanied by clear and accurate
feedback from supervisors (Pintrich, 2003). Over time, Qatari staff will begin to value acquiring
the required knowledge for the field and investing in their career development in student affairs.
Gradually, Qataris will start pursuing further development goals independently (Bandura, 1997).
Organization
Organizational resources, policies and structures are not aligned with the goals of
building Qatari human capacity in student affairs which impedes the achievement of this goal
(Rueda, 2011). Sandeen (2011) argued that how an institution regards its student affairs unit
affects the unit’s contribution.
Cultural setting: Lack of resources. If the policy is not supported by effective
resources, this creates a gap to achieve the desired performance goal (Clark & Estes, 2008).
There are no accredited student affairs preparation programs or further degrees offered in Qatar.
This creates a challenge for some to travel and leave family behind. The only available program
is the HBKU Student Affairs Certificate which is a locally developed program aiming to give
staff a quick orientation in the field. The program should be enhanced to a fully-fledged master’s
program accredited by HBKU. The challenge with the certificate is that it is not considered
locally as an accredited further studies program.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 119
Cultural setting: Lack of goals. According to Clark and Estes (2008), structures and
processes should be aligned with organization goals. There is no pipeline in the organization for
growth in the unit of student affairs. Human Resources at HBKU does not ask for the relevant
qualifications from Qataris for certain job positions such as student affairs. This degrades the
qualifications for such professional positions and does not support the creation of a knowledge
base. This keeps Qataris in the frame of career flexibility rather than job trajectory, which
hinders the establishment of a knowledge economy. Therefore, human resources should identify
the academic and professional qualification gaps of current Qatari staff members and set
development plans accordingly.
Cultural setting: Vague performance goals. There are no explicit expectations from the
organization for their Qatari staff to pursue knowledge in the field. Therefore, these employees
choose other areas for further studies because the organization allows them. They choose the
most popular fields or degrees in terms of labor market preference, such as MBA programs. It is
important for any university, especially an emerging one as HBKU, to build the right reputation
in terms of student experience and outcomes. Therefore, the caliber of both faculty and staff is
essential. Student affairs are the first point of contact for incoming students and continue to
shape the student experience as educators and teachers in both formal and informal settings
(Moore & Marsh, 2007). Thus, this team within a university plays a significant role in students’
educational journey as they support students in self-exploration and growth (Pascarella &
Terenzini, 2005). As such, Qatari staff should have the right qualifications to perform
successfully. Therefore, the solution is to set clear academic and professional qualifications
required for each student affairs position at HBKU.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 120
Summary
Solutions for six validated causes capturing the categories of knowledge, motivation, and
organization are detailed below. Table 8 provides a summary of the selected validated causes and
the proposed solutions for each.
Table 8
Summary of Selected Validated Causes and Proposed Solutions
Category Gap Proposed Solution
Knowledge –
Factual
Lack of foundational
knowledge that guide
the work of student
affairs. This pertains
to history and
philosophy of student
affairs in the United
States as a best
practice (CAS, 2009).
Provide training session on history and
philosophy of student affairs.
Knowledge –
Conceptual
Lack of professional
knowledge of student
affairs that pertains to
“student development
theory, student
characteristics and the
effect of college on
students, organization
and administration of
student affairs, and
assessment, evaluation
and research” (CAS,
2009, p. 306) in order
to deliver world class
operations and
student-oriented
services.
Provide training that includes hybrid
content from CAS standards and other
research-based practices that includes
information such as:
student development theory;
student characteristics and the effect
of college on students;
organization and administration of
student affairs;
administrative, management, and
leadership skills;
fiscal management, resource use,
program planning, supervision;
counseling, advising, group
dynamics, crisis and conflict
management, campus and
community relations; multicultural
awareness;
ethical and legal knowledge and
decision-making skills (e.g.,
problem-solving, knowledge of
ethical standards);
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 121
Table 8, continued
training and teaching skills (e.g.,
consultation, workshop
presentations, staff development);
assessment and evaluation skills and
research.
Motivation –
Extrinsic Value
Local higher education
environments provide
limited mobility
options and
possibilities.
Subsequently, Qataris
are interested in jobs
that would ensure
career flexibility and
transferable skills.
This is why Qatari
student affairs staff
members do not plan a
career in student
affairs or have interest
in pursuing further
studies in student
affairs, education or
other related fields.
Increase the task value for investing in a
career in student affairs. The organization
through HR and VP of student affairs
should communicate that openly as an
expectation from Qatari student affairs
staff.
Cultural Setting –
Lack of Resources
Lack of local or
regional availability of
academic or graduate
preparation programs
in student affairs.
Provide accredited further studies program
in student affairs locally.
Cultural Setting –
Lack of Goals
Lack of job
advancement and
succession planning
within the unit of
student affairs in the
organization.
Identify the academic and professional
qualification gaps of current Qatari staff
members in the office of student affair and
set development plans accordingly.
Cultural Setting -
Vague Performance
Goals
The organization has
no requirements in
terms of academic
and/or professional
qualifications for
student affairs
positions for Qatari
staff during their
employment.
Establish clear academic and professional
qualifications required for each student
affair position at HBKU.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 122
Implementation Plan
The proposed solutions will be integrated and delivered through a five year plan. Those
solutions support the development of Qatari human capacity in student affairs at HBKU. The
implementation plan includes action steps, timeline, stakeholders communication plan and other
implications.
Action Steps and Timeline
- Re-define academic qualifications for each student affairs position that is expected to be
encumbered by a Qatari while benchmarking against US student affairs model of practice.
Then, create alternative options for what is relevant and realistic for the local context in Qatar
while minimizing the difference as much as possible.
Time: 3 months starting April 2017
- Endorse such hiring measures by leadership to ensure compliance within the organization.
Strict expectations should be set by the university leadership to ensure that all key parties
such as student affairs and human resources offices are following the redefined hiring
qualifications.
Time: Endorsement by August 2017
- Inform all relevant stakeholders in the hiring process of new hiring guidelines. Those
stakeholders include the vice president of student affairs, student affairs directors and
assistant directors, human resources key stakeholders, and search committees.
Time: Announcement by September 2017
- Set control mechanisms in human resources that guarantee the quality of hiring Qataris in
student affairs positions.
Time: 1 month starting October 2017
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 123
- Evaluate the level of knowledge, skills and professional experience of current Qatari student
affairs staff members.
Time: 3 months starting November 2017
- Compare the knowledge and skill level of each Qatari student affairs staff member with the
knowledge requirements for their current position to measure the gap.
Time: 1 month starting December 2017
- Set knowledge and skill targets for each Qatari student affairs staff member as part of their
personal development plan.
Time: In an ideal setting, this should be done at the beginning of the appraisal cycle so that
individuals can be held accountable for their efforts in pursuing those goals. The evaluation
takes place at the end of the appraisal cycle. The appraisal cycle starts in July and ends in
June of every year. This can be done by December 2017.
- Design training and professional development plans to minimize the existing knowledge gap
locally, regionally and internationally.
Time: This should be done after defining targets regarding knowledge and skills between
January and February 2018.
- Monitor individuals’ progress in the development plans and review those plans as necessary.
Time: This will be on ongoing basis during implementation.
- Explore and advocate for the design of training and professional development plans to
minimize the existing knowledge gap locally, regionally and internationally.
Time: This will take a year starting June 2017.
- Explore and advocate for the possibility of providing an accredited graduate program/degree
in higher education administration and/or student affairs on a local level. As a national
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 124
institution, HBKU has been a pioneer in the practice of student affairs so it is highly
recommended for HBKU to take the lead on this.
Time: This will take a year starting June 2017.
- Create a student affairs structure that allows career trajectory for Qatari staff members.
Time: This might take a fiscal year, from July 2017 to June 2018, as it is contingent to the
results of earlier steps and leadership support.
- Set next target position for each Qatari staff member in student affairs with a development
plan to help meet the knowledge and skill qualifications for that position.
Time: This should be part of each individual’s development plans.
Stakeholders
Task force. A task force comprised of Qatari and expatriate student affairs professionals
who have expertise in the field should run an evaluation exercise to measure the knowledge and
skills gap. A third party can be invited to be part of this exercise. It can be staff members from
some of the various branch campuses within Education City. This will help in terms of providing
external expertise, fresh outlook, and objectivity, and strengthening the ties with university
partners. The task force will set the targets. Those targets need to be endorsed by both the vice
president for student affairs and human resources. Then, those targets will be cascaded to the
concerned Qatari staff member through their supervisor for monitoring, support, and evaluation.
The steps of defining the required knowledge, evaluating the knowledge gap and
proposing specific development plans for each position and or individual will require time, effort
and understanding of the field. Therefore, an expert/consultant in student affairs should be
invited to help define the academic qualifications for each position in student affairs and needed
personnel development courses to meet those qualifications in consultation with internal student
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 125
affairs members. This will create a task force with the external expert as the project
manager/leader. Internal staff members should include leadership positions, Qataris who have
been in their positions for 5 years or more, and professional expatriate staff members for their
expertise in the field. The student affairs leadership positions are represented by the vice
president of student affairs, directors, assistant directors, and supervisors. This task force should
run an evaluation exercise to measure the knowledge and skills gap. Diverse expertise is
sufficient to redefine realistic academic qualifications and professional development to fill
current gaps. HBKU’s leadership, academic planning unit, and the vice president of student
affairs should be involved in this effort.
Human resources. On a human resources level, the human resources manager and
recruitment personnel should be involved in the academic and professional definition process, as
they can provide valuable input on the labor market and the pool of candidates’ skills and
knowledge. The vice president of operations should approve and endorse this, as he oversees the
human resources office. Kuh (2005) argued that campus leaders should understand the value
student affairs as a unit plays in complementing the university’s educational mission. The human
resources unit is also in charge of co-developing staff members’ personal development plans in
partnership with the supervisors in the student affairs office.
Search committee. A search committee should be formed for the hiring for any
positions. The search committee should comply with the defined academic and professional
requirements.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 126
Communication Plan
Once the policy is implemented, a communication plan should be executed by human
resources. An internal message should be circulated within human resources for future hiring
purposes.
Additionally, another communication plan should be designed by the vice president for
student affairs, in collaboration with human resources, to inform the student affairs team of the
new hiring requirements. This communication will help raise awareness internally of the purpose
and importance of this policy. The communication plan may include email messages and a staff
presentation of the new policy.
Other Considerations
Obtain support from university leaders. In order to implement those policy solutions,
buy-in from several constituents in the organization will be needed. Those parties are HBKU’s
provost, the vice president for student affairs and human resources management. There will also
be financial implications due to the expenses associated with professional development, training
and further studies. Added to that, other new policies will need to be created to support the career
path policy and these entail policies such as succession planning and talent management. These
policy changes will also require time and patience from the involved stakeholders for the results
to be reached and viewed.
In addition, the implementation of these policies will require the identification of
different leaders at different stages to actively drive and champion this change (Kuh, 2005).
Therefore, the human resources needed to help execute the proposed implementation plan vary
from one action step to the other. As a beginning, the president, the provost, and the vice
president of student affairs should endorse the three proposed solutions to get the support needed
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 127
to implement those solutions. The implementation will require different levels of involvement,
time, and effort from staff across the organization. Once there is a unified agreement amongst the
leadership team, the rest of the required resources such as funding and training can be explored.
All in all, the efforts of implementing the proposed plan will require different support
levels from different stakeholders internally and externally. It will also create new
responsibilities for some existing positions within the university leadership, human resources,
and the student affairs office.
Develop capacity for program assessment. Currently, there is no position in student
affairs that is specialized for assessment or evaluation. It is recommended that, in the long term,
a position be developed to help in that effort and to develop local practices.
Invest resources and funding. The proposed solutions involve financial costs in
implementation, which will need to be explored with the leadership. These costs likely include
tools, facilities, structures and the provision of an external consultant. The latter will require a
space, laptop, and phone. They also carry financial implications for consultancy services. The
cost of the consultant will be determined through human resources and will require the
involvement of the procurement office.
Another point to consider is regarding the cost of the identified training needed to bridge
the knowledge gap. Some of the training will be external and involve staff attending training
programs, institutes and/or conferences for student affairs organizations. Most of those are set in
the United States. Subsequently, staff travel will cost both time away from the office and money.
If HBKU is to explore collaborating with an institution to deliver a graduate degree in higher
education administration, this will entail the following:
Signed partnership
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 128
Local accreditation for the program through concerned local institutions such as the
Higher Education Institute
Faculty and a program administrator(s)
Space to give classes
Cost associated with the above
Space for other interested parties/universities for Qatar and the region
Evaluation Plan
Proposed solutions should be evaluated after implementation to determine their
effectiveness in closing the knowledge, motivation, and organization gaps.
The basis for the evaluation plan will be Kirkpatrick’s (2006) four levels of evaluation
plan. Level one measures reactions, which refers to how participants like a particular program
(Kirkpatrick, 2006). Level two measures learning and the impact of the program on participants
(Kirkpatrick, 2006). Level three measures behavior, which refers to the application of the
knowledge and the training (Kirkpatrick, 2006). Level four, which is the final level, measures the
results and that is the ultimate goal to determine if the solution has achieved the desired result
(Kirkpatrick, 2006).
Level 1: Reactions
The first level of evaluation will measure how Qatari student affairs staff respond to
change. If HBKU is successful in implementing the solutions to develop a learning organization
that supports professional development towards certain career goals, the expected reaction is
staff will notice the availability of the training programs and workshops. To evaluate staff
reactions, specific elements need to be identified as useful to measure, and, accordingly,
feedback should be collected through a simple instrument such as a survey (Kirkpatrick, 2006).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 129
The survey should be distributed after the training program to the staff who participated
in it for immediate feedback. The survey should use questions for which answers can be
quantified, such as Likert scale (Kirkpatrick, 2006). Sample questions can include “There is
availability of local training programs is student affairs” and “The university has taken measure
in providing local professional development opportunities in the field of student affairs.” The
survey results should be evaluated to measure the training program’s success. If results reveal the
desired results are not achieved, the training, or solution, needs to be reviewed and changed
(Kirkpatrick, 2006).
Level 2: Learning
The second level of evaluation measures the learning that took place from the training,
which visibly affects the respondents’ skill set and knowledge (Kirkpatrick, 2006). A good way
to measure this learning is a pre- and post- survey tool. Prior to the training, the survey will
solicit feedback from staff about their knowledge set. The results will be used as a baseline to
compare knowledge before training with knowledge acquired after training. The post-survey
should have questions that measure points of view on the new knowledge. Examples of questions
for the post-survey include short-answer questions such as “List some new knowledge you
learned after the training?” and “In what ways does this training help you to become better at
your job? List three items.” Those questions should be close to the ones asked at the pre-survey
for easy comparison. The results should be used to review and evaluate the training program and
what intervention if any needs to take place (Kirkpatrick, 2006).
Level 3: Transfer
The expected outcome in the behavior level is that the Qatari student affairs staff
members will have an understanding of “excellence” and incorporate that in their practices
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 130
within their different roles in the student affairs office. If it is assumed that the proposed
solutions are effective, the level three evaluations will indicate that the Qatari student affairs staff
are adapting best practices in the field and are working towards building a career in the pipeline
within the office of student affairs.
Level three evaluation measures should take time. Behavior does not change
immediately. A suggested time frame is over the period of four months for four years. This time
frame will give enough time for staff to finish the training program and also have time to move
within the pipeline in new positions and promotions.
Level 4: Impact
The fourth, and final, level evaluates culture change amongst staff to the belief that the
field is based on best practices, and proper knowledge to perform well and advance in the field
must be acquired. The assessment of impact is the ability of staff members to contribute to the
field in the form of publications on the local practice of student affairs. Another measure is their
continuation in the field and promotion to the different positions.
Limitations
The design of the project caused some limitations. First, the participants’ answers may
have been biased because participants sometimes give answers they believe to be socially
desirable and not a true presentation of their experience. This is the case both in interview and
survey contexts. Second, the assumption that all participants understood and interpreted the
interview and survey question as intended is another limitation. There is also the possibility that
participants had someone else complete the survey as it is online. Third, analysis of survey data
involved only descriptive statistics.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 131
The focus of this project is to conduct a gap analysis to examine the root causes of the
organizational problem of building a Qatari professional student affairs workforce. The major
delimitation is the context of this project which is specific to HBKU and speaks to the
organization’s mission and organizational goal; therefore it cannot be generalized. However,
other organizations can use the application of the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis process to
measure and improve performance.
Another delimitation is that the project examined one key stakeholder group’s
experiences that may not be representative of those of other stakeholder groups. Other
stakeholder groups’ experiences and roles are important. However, an in-depth investigation of
those was outside the scope of this study.
Future Research
There is little research on student affairs in the Gulf Council Countries in general and
Qatar in particular. Future research can include student affairs roles and positions and what
functions can be adapted to the customize them to meet local culture expectations in terms of
work requirements. Additionally, building on that could be exploring the idea of whether all
student affairs positions should be Qatarized or if some should continue to be administered and
filled by non- Qataris.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to conduct a gap analysis in the areas of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational resources necessary to build Qatari capacity in student affairs at
HBKU. Qatar National Vision 2030 aims for Qataris to take the lead in the different work
sectors. Currently, only 6.25% of Qatar student affairs staff members are academically and/or
professionally qualified in the field. This is a problem because establishing a skilled and
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 132
qualified Qatari workforce in all fields of practice is essential. Student affairs is an emerging
professional field in Qatar and a critical one being a component of higher education. The field
currently lacks qualified Qataris who have the professional knowledge to perform according to
best practices. Qatarization has led to putting Qataris with irrelevant qualifications in leadership
positions (Al-Kuwari, 2012).
HBKU’s Qatari student affairs staff need to be positioned well to meet the call of the
QNV 2030 in human development, social development, environmental development, and
economic development. HBKU should take the lead on developing Qataris who are
knowledgeable about “best practices, recent research, theories, and thinking” (Winston et al.,
2014, p. 218). Such qualified staff members will be better positioned to support students in their
academic journey and prepare them for the future. The role of HBKU’s student affairs staff is to
fulfill the vision of Qatar Foundation by affirming Qatar’s cultural heritage, building meaningful
connections, and encouraging lifelong learning through fostering community and relationships
that deepen student learning (Without Borders, 2011).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 133
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BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 142
APPENDIX A
Organizational Mission, Organizational Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Hamad Bin Khalifa University Mission
Hamad Bin Khalifa University will develop globally recognized research and offer
programs for equipping Qatari and regional people with the knowledge and skills needed
to compete and succeed in the global economy.
Organizational Performance Goal
By 2023, Hamad Bin Khalifa University will achieve the strategic objective of Qatar
Foundation in building human capital and developing highly competent Qataris in
different professional fields and student affairs as one. Through competent Qatari student
affairs staff members, HBKU will also cultivate a culture of active citizenship and
lifelong learning.
HBKU Student
Affairs Staff Members
By August 2020, 50%
of the student affairs
Qatari staff will be
academically or
professionally qualified
and/or prepared to serve
as student affairs
professionals.
VP of Student Affairs
By July 2016, HBKU
VP office will set clear
and specific
expectations of student
affairs staff in terms of
qualifications.
HBKU Human Resources
By July 2017, HBKU HR will provide
HBKU HR support structures that will
support proper succession planning,
promotions and personal development
plans.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 143
APPENDIX B
Summary of Assumed Needs For Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Issues
Assumed Causes
Sources Knowledge
Motivation
Organization
Preliminary
Scanning Data
(informal
knowledge
about the
organization)
The Qatari staff lack
professional
understanding of the
field which impacts
the sustainability of
the practice
immensely
Qatari staff lack the
interest in the field
and they do not
understand
importance of
building this field of
practice in Qatar.
HBKU lacks in the
infrastructure that can
help build a solid
student affairs practice
in terms of its human
resource practices and
the lack of proper
strategic planning.
Learning and
Motivation
Theory
Factual: Qatari
student affairs staff
members do not have
foundational
knowledge that guide
the work of student
affairs. These pertain
to history and
philosophy of
student affairs in the
United States as a
best practice (CAS,
2009).
Conceptual: Qatari
student affairs staff
members do not have
the professional
knowledge of student
affairs that pertains
to “student
development theory,
student
characteristics and
the effect of college
on students,
organization and
administration of
Value Intrinsic:
Qatari student affairs
staff members do not
have the passion to
gain in-depth
knowledge in student
affairs .
Value Extrinsic:
Local higher
education
environments
provide limited
mobility options and
possibilities.
Subsequently,
Qataris are interested
in jobs that would
ensure career
flexibility and
transferable skills.
This is why Qatari
student affairs staff
members do not plan
a career in student
affairs or have
interest in pursuing
further studies in
Cultural Model -
Negative Attitudes:
Lack of understanding
and appreciation
within the
organization for the
field of student affairs
negatively influences
Qataris’ willingness to
invest in the field.
Cultural Setting -
Lack of effective role
models:
Lack of availability of
Qatari professional
student affairs staff
who are academically
and/or professionally
qualified to supervise
and/or mentor other
junior Qatari staff
members.
Cultural Setting –
Lack of resources:
Lack of local or
regional availability of
academic or graduate
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 144
student affairs, and
assessment,
evaluation and
research” (CAS,
2009, p. 306) in
order to deliver
world class
operations and
student-oriented
services.
Procedural:
Qatari student
affairs staff members
do not know how to
build career
trajectory in student
affairs
Metacognitive:
Qatari student
affairs staff members
lack self-reflection
which is essential in
order to improve
themselves and work
positively with
others especially in
the context of student
affairs (Nottingham,
1998).
student affairs ,
education or other
related fields.
Value Attainment:
Qatari student
affairs staff members
do not see the
importance of
acquiring
foundational and
professional
knowledge in
student affairs in
order to perform
well. These pertain
to history and
philosophy of
student affairs in the
United States as a
best practice, in
addition to “student
development theory,
student
characteristics and
the effect of college
on students,
organization and
administration of
student affairs, and
assessment,
evaluation and
research” (CAS,
2009, p. 306).
Value Cost:
Qatari student
affairs staff members
do not see value in
spending additional
or untraditional work
hours to be involved
in student related
programs because it
impacts their family
and social life.
preparation programs
in student affairs.
Cultural Setting -
Lack of effective role
models:
Absence of supervised
practice in the form of
graduate assistantships
or internships in
student affairs in the
organization.
Cultural Setting –
Lack of goals:
Lack of job
advancement and
succession planning
within the unit of
Student Affairs in the
organization.
Cultural Setting -
Vague performance
goals:
The organization has
no requirements in
terms of academic
and/or professional
qualifications for
student affairs
positions encumbered
by Qataris.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 145
Related
Literature
21
st
century student
learning is not just
restricted to in-
classroom teaching,
but also finds place
everywhere in an
outside the campus
(NASPA, 2015).
Winston, Creamer &
Miller, (2014), talk
about three main
roles that the student
affairs staff member
plays (a) educator:
supporting the
academic mission of
the institution, (b)
leader: providing
vision and guidance
for their specific unit
or the whole student
affairs division, and
(c) manager:
overseeing
operations.
Student affairs staff
should see
themselves as
professional
educators who share
the same
responsibility
alongside with
faculty, academic
administrators and
other staff members
(ACPA 2008).
Kuh (2005) argues
that campus leaders
should understand the
value student affairs
as a unit plays in
complementing the
educational mission of
the university.
A mentor can be
defined as an
overseeing individual
who supports self-
development in
building skills,
improving
performance and
maximizing the
individual potential
(Parsloe 1992).
Assumed Causes
Sources Knowledge
Motivation
Organization
Preliminary
Scanning Data
(informal
knowledge
about the
organization)
The Qatari staff lack
professional
understanding of the
field which impacts
the sustainability of
the practice
immensely
Qatari staff lack the
interest in the field
and they do not
understand
importance of
building this field of
practice in Qatar.
HBKU lacks in the
infrastructure that can
help build a solid
student affairs practice
in terms of its human
resource practices and
the lack of proper
strategic planning.
Learning and
Motivation
Theory
Factual: The Qatari
staff lack in-depth
understanding and
academic preparation
in the history of
higher education and
Active Choice:
Qatari chose
positions in Student
Affairs that have
managerial
responsibilities and
Cultural Model:
At HBKU, the lack of
a mentorship culture
amongst Qataris.
Cultural setting:
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 146
student affairs. They
do not know how
this field emerged
and where and what
reasons impacted its
creation. Conceptual:
The Qatari student
affairs staff lack
understanding of the
holistic development
of students and
student learning
concepts or theories.
Procedural:
Qatari student affairs
staff do not know
how to rely on
themselves for
professional
development in the
field of or designing
their career
trajectory.
Metacognitive:
Qatari student affairs
staff members lack
confidence in
knowledge of
professional areas in
the field and related
literature which
reflects on their
perception of ability
to perform certain
tasks.
that provide career
flexibility in the
market.
Persistence:
Qatari staff are not
persisting in learning
because they do not
want to minimize
their chances of
working in other
fields.
Mental effort:
The field of student
affairs is new in
Qatar and Qatari
staff will need to
place a lot of mental
effort in
understanding the
nature of the job in
addition to how to
perform certain
tasks.
Human Resources at
HBKU does not ask
for the right
qualifications for
certain job positions
as in the case of
Student Affairs office
and degrade the
qualifications for such
professional positions.
Related
Literature
21
st
century student
learning is not just
restricted to in-
classroom teaching,
but also finds place
everywhere in an
outside the campus
(NASPA, 2015).
Student affairs staff
should see
themselves as
professional
educators who share
the same
responsibility
alongside with
faculty, academic
administrators and
A mentor can be
defined as an
overseeing individual
who supports self-
development in
building skills,
improving
performance and
maximizing the
individual potential
(Parsloe 1992).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 147
other staff members
(ACPA 2008).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 148
APPENDIX C
Knowledge and Skill, Motivation, and Organizational Related Matters Table
Knowledge (4)
# Assumed Causes Type
F C P MC
1 Qatari student affairs staff members do not have foundational knowledge
that guide the work of student affairs. These pertain to history and
philosophy of student affairs in the United States as a best practice (CAS,
2009).
x
2 Qatari student affairs staff members do not have the professional knowledge
of student affairs that pertains to “student development theory, student
characteristics and the effect of college on students, organization and
administration of student affairs, and assessment, evaluation and research”
(CAS, 2009, p. 306) in order to deliver world class operations and student-
oriented services.
x
3 Qatari student affairs staff members do not know how to build career
trajectory in student affairs.
x
4 Qatari student affairs staff members lack self-reflection which is essential in
order to improve themselves and work positively with others especially in
the context of student affairs (Nottingham, 1998).
x
Motivation (5)
# Assumed Causes Type
VI VE VA VC
1 Qatari student affairs staff members do not have the
passion for the field of student affairs
x
2 Local higher education environments provide limited
mobility options and possibilities. Subsequently, Qataris
are interested in jobs that would ensure career flexibility
and transferable skills. This is why Qatari student affairs
staff members do not plan a career in student affairs or
have interest in pursuing further studies in student
affairs, education or other related fields.
x
3 Qatari student affairs staff members do not see the
importance of acquiring foundational and professional
knowledge in student affairs in order to perform well.
These pertain to history and philosophy of student
affairs in the United States as a best practice, in addition
to “student development theory, student characteristics
and the effect of college on students, organization and
x
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 149
administration of student affairs, and assessment,
evaluation and research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306)
4 Qatari student affairs staff members do not have value
for extra-curricular activities due to lack of participation
in such activities during their undergraduate education.
x
5 Qatari student affairs staff members do not see value in
spending additional or untraditional work hours to be
involved in student related programs because it impacts
their family and social life.
x
Organization (7)
# Assumed Causes Type
Cultural Model Cultural Setting
1 Lack of understanding and appreciation within the
organization for the field of student affairs
negatively influences Qataris’ willingness to
invest in the field.
x
Negative
attitudes
2 Lack of availability of Qatari professional student
affairs staff who are academically and/or
professionally qualified to supervise and/or
mentor other junior Qatari staff members.
x
Lack of effective
role models
3 Lack of local or regional availability of academic
or graduate preparation programs in student
affairs.
x
Lack of resources
4 Absence of supervised practice in the form of
graduate assistantships or internships in student
affairs in the organization.
x
Lack of effective
role models
5 Lack of job advancement and succession planning
within the unit of student affairs in the
organization.
x
Lack of goals
6 The organization has no requirements in terms of
academic and/or professional qualifications for
student affairs positions when hiring Qataris.
x
Vague
performance
goals
7 The organization has no requirements in terms of
academic qualifications for student affairs
positions for Qatari staff during their employment.
x
Vague
performance
goals
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 150
APPENDIX D
Summary of Assumed Knowledge Causes and Validation Findings
Knowledge
Category Assumed Cause Validated
Not
Validated
Factual Qatari student affairs staff members do not have
foundational knowledge that guide the work of
student affairs. These pertain to history and
philosophy of student affairs in the United States
as a best practice (CAS, 2009).
Conceptual Qatari student affairs staff members do not have
the professional knowledge of student affairs
that pertains to “student development theory,
student characteristics and the effect of college
on students, organization and administration of
student affairs, and assessment, evaluation and
research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306) in order to deliver
world class operations and student-oriented
services.
Procedural Qatari student affairs staff members do not know
how to build career trajectory in student affairs.
Metacognitive Qatari student affairs staff members lack self-
reflection which is essential in order to improve
themselves and work positively with others
especially in the context of student affairs
(Nottingham, 1998).
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 151
APPENDIX E
Summary of Assumed Motivation Causes and Validation Findings
Motivation
Category Assumed Cause Validated
Not
Validated
Intrinsic Value
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
have the passion for the field of student
affairs.
Extrinsic Value
Local higher education environments
provide limited mobility options and
possibilities. Subsequently, Qataris are
interested in jobs that would ensure career
flexibility and transferable skills. This is
why Qatari student affairs staff members
do not plan a career in student affairs or
have interest in pursuing further studies in
student affairs, education or other related
fields.
Attainment Value
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
see the importance of acquiring
foundational and professional knowledge
in student affairs in order to perform well.
These pertain to history and philosophy of
student affairs in the United States as a
best practice, in addition to “student
development theory, student characteristics
and the effect of college on students,
organization and administration of student
affairs, and assessment, evaluation and
research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306)
X
Attainment Value
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
have value for extra-curricular activities
due to lack of participation in such
activities during their undergraduate
education.
X
Cost Value
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
see value in spending additional or
untraditional work hours to be involved in
student related programs because it
impacts their family and social life.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 152
APPENDIX F
Summary of Assumed Organization Causes and Validation Findings
Organization Category Assumed Cause Validated
Not
Validated
Cultural model: Negative
attitudes.
Lack of understanding and
appreciation within the
organization for the field of
student affairs negatively
influences Qataris’ willingness to
invest in the field.
X
Cultural settings: Lack of
effective role models.
Lack of availability of Qatari
professional student affairs staff
who are academically and/or
professionally qualified to
supervise and/or mentor other
junior Qatari staff members.
X
Cultural settings: Lack of
effective role models.
Absence of supervised practice in
the form of graduate
assistantships or internships in
student affairs in the
organization.
Cultural settings: Lack of
resources.
Lack of local or regional
availability of academic or
graduate preparation programs in
student affairs.
Cultural settings: Lack of
goals.
lack of job advancement and
succession planning within the
unit of student affairs in the
organization.
Cultural settings: Vague
performance goals.
The organization has no
requirements in terms of
academic and/or professional
qualifications for student affairs
positions when hiring Qataris.
Cultural settings: Vague
performance goals.
The organization has no
requirements in terms of
academic and/or professional
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 153
qualifications for student affairs
positions for Qatari staff during
their employment
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 154
APPENDIX G
Summary of Assumed Knowledge, Motivation and Organization Causes and Validation Findings
Knowledge
Category Assumed Cause Validated
Not
Validated
Factual Qatari student affairs staff members do not
have foundational knowledge that guide
the work of student affairs. These pertain
to history and philosophy of student affairs
in the United States as a best practice
(CAS, 2009).
Conceptual
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
have the professional knowledge of student
affairs that pertains to “student
development theory, student characteristics
and the effect of college on students,
organization and administration of student
affairs, and assessment, evaluation and
research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306) in order to
deliver world class operations and student-
oriented services.
Procedural Qatari student affairs staff members do not
know how to build career trajectory in
student affairs.
Metacognitive
Qatari student affairs staff members lack
self-reflection which is essential in order to
improve themselves and work positively
with others especially in the context of
student affairs (Nottingham, 1998).
Motivation
Category
Intrinsic Value
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
have the passion for the field of student
affairs.
Extrinsic Value
Local higher education environments
provide limited mobility options and
possibilities. Subsequently, Qataris are
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 155
interested in jobs that would ensure career
flexibility and transferable skills. This is
why Qatari student affairs staff members
do not plan a career in student affairs or
have interest in pursuing further studies in
student affairs, education or other related
fields.
Attainment Value
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
see the importance of acquiring
foundational and professional knowledge
in student affairs in order to perform well.
These pertain to history and philosophy of
student affairs in the United States as a
best practice, in addition to “student
development theory, student characteristics
and the effect of college on students,
organization and administration of student
affairs, and assessment, evaluation and
research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306)
Attainment Value
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
have value for extra-curricular activities
due to lack of participation in such
activities during their undergraduate
education.
X
Cost Value
Qatari student affairs staff members do not
see value in spending additional or
untraditional work hours to be involved in
student related programs because it
impacts their family and social life.
Organization
Category
Cultural model:
Negative attitudes.
Lack of understanding and appreciation
within the organization for the field of
student affairs negatively influences
Qataris’ willingness to invest in the field.
X
Cultural settings:
Lack of effective
role models.
Lack of availability of Qatari professional
student affairs staff who are academically
and/or professionally qualified to supervise
and/or mentor other junior Qatari staff
members.
X
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 156
Cultural settings:
Lack of effective
role models.
Absence of supervised practice in the form
of graduate assistantships or internships in
student affairs in the organization.
Cultural settings:
Lack of resources.
Lack of local or regional availability of
academic or graduate preparation programs
in student affairs.
Cultural settings:
Lack of goals.
lack of job advancement and succession
planning within the unit of student affairs
in the organization.
Cultural settings:
Vague
performance goals.
The organization has no requirements in
terms of academic and/or professional
qualifications for student affairs positions
when hiring Qataris.
Cultural settings:
Vague
performance goals.
The organization has no requirements in
terms of academic and/or professional
qualifications for student affairs positions
for Qatari staff during their employment
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 157
APPENDIX H
Summary of Addressed Assumed Causes
Category Type Selected Validated Cause
Knowledge Factual Qatari student affairs staff members do not have
foundational knowledge that guide the work of
student affairs. These pertain to history and
philosophy of student affairs in the United States
as a best practice (CAS, 2009).
Knowledge
Conceptual
Qatari student affairs staff members do not have
the professional knowledge of student affairs that
pertains to “student development theory, student
characteristics and the effect of college on
students, organization and administration of
student affairs, and assessment, evaluation and
research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306) in order to deliver
world class operations and student-oriented
services.
Motivation
Extrinsic Value
Local higher education environments provide
limited mobility options and possibilities.
Subsequently, Qataris are interested in jobs that
would ensure career flexibility and transferable
skills. This is why Qatari student affairs staff
members do not plan a career in student affairs or
have interest in pursuing further studies in student
affairs, education or other related fields.
Organization
Cultural settings: Lack
of resources
Lack of local or regional availability of academic
or graduate preparation programs in student
affairs.
Organization
Cultural settings: Lack
of goals
Lack of job advancement and succession planning
within the unit of student affairs in the
organization.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 158
Organization
Cultural settings:
Vague performance
goals
The organization has no requirements in terms of
academic and/or professional qualifications for
student affairs positions for Qatari staff during
their employment.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 159
APPENDIX I
Factual Knowledge Gap and Solution
Factual Knowledge Gap Proposed Solution
Lack of foundational
knowledge that guide the work
of student affairs. This pertains
to history and philosophy of
student affairs in the United
States as a best practice (CAS,
2009).
Provide training session on history and philosophy of
student affairs.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 160
APPENDIX J
Conceptual Knowledge Gap and Solution
Conceptual Knowledge Gap Proposed Solution
Lack of professional
knowledge of student affairs
that pertains to “student
development theory, student
characteristics and the effect of
college on students,
organization and administration
of student affairs, and
assessment, evaluation and
research” (CAS, 2009, p. 306)
in order to deliver world class
operations and student-oriented
services.
Provide training that includes hybrid content from CAS
standards and other research-based practices that includes
information such as:
student development theory;
student characteristics and the effect of college on
students;
organization and administration of student affairs;
administrative, management, and leadership skills;
fiscal management, resource use, program planning,
supervision;
counseling, advising, group dynamics, crisis and
conflict management, campus and community
relations; multicultural awareness;
ethical and legal knowledge and decision-making
skills (e.g., problem-solving, knowledge of ethical
standards);
training and teaching skills (e.g., consultation,
workshop presentations, staff development);
assessment and evaluation skills and research.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 161
APPENDIX K
Extrinsic Motivation Gap and Solution
Extrinsic Motivation Gap Proposed Solution
Local higher education
environments provide limited
mobility options and
possibilities. Subsequently,
Qataris are interested in jobs
that would ensure career
flexibility and transferable
skills. This is why Qatari
student affairs staff members
do not plan a career in student
affairs or have interest in
pursuing further studies in
student affairs, education or
other related fields.
Increase the task value for investing in a career in student
affairs. The organization through HR and VP Student
Affairs should communicate that openly as an expectation
from Qatari student affairs staff.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 162
APPENDIX L
Cultural Setting Lack of Resources Gap and Solution
Cultural Setting Gap:
Lack of Resources
Proposed Solution
Lack of local or regional
availability of academic or
graduate preparation programs
in student affairs.
Provide accredited further studies program in student affairs
locally.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 163
APPENDIX M
Cultural Setting Lack of Goals Gap and Solution
Cultural Setting Gap:
Lack of Goals
Proposed Solution
Lack of job advancement and
succession planning within the
unit of student affairs in the
organization.
Identify the academic and professional qualification gaps of
current Qatari staff members in the office of student affair
and set development plans accordingly.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 164
APPENDIX N
Cultural Setting Vague Performance Goals Gap and Solution
Cultural Setting Gap:
Vague Performance Goals
Proposed Solution
The organization has no
requirements in terms of
academic and/or professional
qualifications for student affairs
positions for Qatari staff during
their employment.
Set clear academic and professional qualifications required
for each student affair position at HBKU.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 165
APPENDIX O
Summary of Selected Validated Causes and Proposed Solutions
Category Gap Proposed Solution
Knowledge –
Factual
Lack of foundational
knowledge that guide
the work of student
affairs. This pertains
to history and
philosophy of student
affairs in the United
States as a best
practice (CAS, 2009).
Provide training session on history and
philosophy of student affairs.
Knowledge –
Conceptual
Lack of professional
knowledge of student
affairs that pertains to
“student development
theory, student
characteristics and the
effect of college on
students, organization
and administration of
student affairs, and
assessment, evaluation
and research” (CAS,
2009, p. 306) in order
to deliver world class
operations and
student-oriented
services.
Provide training that includes hybrid
content from CAS standards and other
research-based practices that includes
information such as:
student development theory;
student characteristics and the effect
of college on students;
organization and administration of
student affairs;
administrative, management, and
leadership skills;
fiscal management, resource use,
program planning, supervision;
counseling, advising, group
dynamics, crisis and conflict
management, campus and
community relations; multicultural
awareness;
ethical and legal knowledge and
decision-making skills (e.g.,
problem-solving, knowledge of
ethical standards);
training and teaching skills (e.g.,
consultation, workshop
presentations, staff development);
assessment and evaluation skills and
research.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 166
Motivation –
Extrinsic Value
Local higher education
environments provide
limited mobility
options and
possibilities.
Subsequently, Qataris
are interested in jobs
that would ensure
career flexibility and
transferable skills.
This is why Qatari
student affairs staff
members do not plan a
career in student
affairs or have interest
in pursuing further
studies in student
affairs, education or
other related fields.
Increase the task value for investing in a
career in student affairs. The organization
through HR and VP Student Affairs should
communicate that openly as an expectation
from Qatari student affairs staff.
Cultural Setting –
Lack of Resources
Lack of local or
regional availability of
academic or graduate
preparation programs
in student affairs.
Provide accredited further studies program
in student affairs locally.
Cultural Setting –
Lack of Goals
Lack of job
advancement and
succession planning
within the unit of
student affairs in the
organization.
Identify the academic and professional
qualification gaps of current Qatari staff
members in the office of student affair and
set development plans accordingly.
Cultural Setting -
Vague Performance
Goals
The organization has
no requirements in
terms of academic
and/or professional
qualifications for
student affairs
positions for Qatari
staff during their
employment.
Set clear academic and professional
qualifications required for each student
affair position at HBKU.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 167
APPENDIX P
Survey Instrument Protocol – Sample Group
Hello. My name is Ameena Hussain and I am a doctoral candidate in the Rossier School of
Education at University of Southern California. I am conducting this survey as part of my
research on building Qatari capacity in student affairs in HBKU.
You are cordially invited to participate in the study.
If you agree, you are invited to:
- Complete an anonymous online survey of questions that is anticipated to take no more
than 15 minutes to complete.
- Participate in an in-person interview. The interview is voluntary, and anticipated to last
approximately 45 minutes. You do not have to answer any questions you don’t want to; if
you don’t want the interview to be taped, handwritten notes will be taken.
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. Your identity as a participant will
remain confidential at all times during and after the study.
If you would like to participate in the survey, please begin the survey via the link.
If you would like to participate in the in-person interview pick the option as provided in the
survey link.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at amehussain@qf.org.qa or 44540355.
Thank you in advance for your participation.
Ameena Hussain
Doctoral Candidate - Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
Demographic Information (7 Questions)
1. How many years have you been working in student affairs?
- Less than one year
- 1-3 years
- 4-5 years
- Over 5 years
2. What is your highest degree obtained?
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Master’s Degree
- Doctoral Degree
- Other, please specify…
3. If obtained, what field of studies is your Bachelor’s degree?
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 168
4. If obtained, what field of studies is your master’s degree?
5. If obtained, what field of studies is your Doctoral degree?
6. What is your gender?
7. What is your age?
- 20-24
- 25-30
- 31-35
- 36-40
- Over 40
Knowledge (10 Questions)
1. I have learnt about the philosophy of student affairs.
Agree
Disagree
2. I have learnt about the historical foundations based on which student affairs has emerged
as a field.
Agree
Disagree
3. I have read foundational documents in student affairs such as Student Personnel Point of
View 1937, The Learning Imperative, and Principles of Good Practice.
Agree
Disagree
4. I am familiar with Student development and student learning related theories.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
5. I use student development and student learning related theories in my current job/role.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
6. I know how to look for professional development, training and courses for student affairs.
Strongly Disagree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 169
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
7. I know how to build a personal development plan to advance in the profession.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
8. The lack of advanced academic or professional knowledge in student affairs might impact
the ability of student affairs staff members to perform well in certain areas.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
9. Self-reflection is important to me to be able to improve myself and my performance.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
10. I engage in self-reflection to improve myself and my performance.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
Motivation (17 Questions)
1. I have a passion for the field of student affairs.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
2. I am interested in reading news and articles about student affairs, participating in
discussions and attending conferences and courses in the field.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 170
3. Student affairs is my first field of choice for work.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
4. I see myself working in student affairs long term.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
5. I worry I might not have other student affairs job options if I leave HBKU.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
6. I would consider further studies in the field of Education or Higher Education.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
7. I would consider further studies in student affairs (Master/Ed.D/Ph.D.).
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
8. I worry I might hurt my chances of employment in other fields if I would invest time and
studies in a specific area like student affairs.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
9. I believe it is important to have foundational knowledge in history and philosophy of
student affairs in the United States as a best practice in order to perform well in my job.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 171
10. I believe it is important to have professional knowledge in student development theory,
student characteristics and the effect of college on students in order to perform well in my
job.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
11. I believe it is important to have professional knowledge in organization and
administration of student affairs, and assessment, evaluation and research in order to
perform well in my job.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
12. I believe it is important for me to have an academic degree in student affairs or in similar
educational sectors to be able to perform better in my job.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
13. During my undergraduate education I was involved in extra-curricular activities.
Agree
Disagree
If your answer is yes, please list some of these activities.
14. It is important for me to be involved in student related programs and events even if it
means spending additional hours in the afternoon or evening at work.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
15. I believe working in some areas of student affairs such as Student Life and Housing takes
away from important family time.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
16. I am willing to spend additional hours after work in student related programs and
activities.
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 172
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
17. I am willing to come to work on weekends to be involved in student related programs and
activities.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
Organization (13 Questions)
1. I believe HBKU as an organization appreciates student affairs work.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
2. I believe HBKU as an organization understands the impact of student affairs work on
student learning, development and success.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
3. I believe HBKU as an organization understands the contribution of student affairs in the
university’s overall success.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
4. I believe other HBKU staff members outside of student affairs appreciate the contribution
and the role the unit plays in achieving the goals of a world class university.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
5. I receive mentoring/coaching from Qatari senior student affairs administrators within the
organization.
Strongly Disagree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 173
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
6. There are Qatari professional student affairs staff who are qualified academically or
professionally to mentor me.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
7. There is a lack of availability of academic and/or graduate study programs in student
affairs in Qatar or the region.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
8. There are opportunities for training, workshops and/or seminars related to student affairs
in Qatar or the region.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
9. I would have considered an internship or a graduate assistantship in student affairs if it
was offered.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
10. I have a development plan and I know what my next position in student affairs is.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
11. I believe the current structure for the student affairs office provides opportunity for
promotion.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 174
12. I believe the organization should define the academic qualifications required from Qataris
when applying for a position in student affairs.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
13. I believe the organization should define the academic qualifications required from Qatari
student affairs staff while on the job.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 175
APPENDIX Q
Interview Protocol – Sample Group
Instructions
Good morning (afternoon). Thank you again for participating in this study and for answering the
survey questions. The purpose of the interview is to get an in-depth understanding of your
perceptions, views and experiences in the field of student affairs as a Qatari student affairs
practitioner. There are no right or wrong or desirable or undesirable answers. I would like you to
feel comfortable with saying what you really think and how you really feel. Participation in this
study is completely voluntary. Your identity as a participant will remain confidential and
anonymous at all times. Our conversation will last no more than an hour.
Your participation is completely voluntary. We can skip any question you want at any time, and
you may stop the interview at any time. Any identifiable information obtained in connection with
this study will remain confidential. Your responses will be coded with a false name (pseudonym)
and maintained separately from your answers.
If you are comfortable with it I would like to record our conversation and the recording will be
destroyed after it is transcribed. Are you comfortable if I record the conversation?
Do you have any questions?
Ready to begin?
Knowledge (14 Questions)
1. What kind of knowledge do you think a student affairs staff member should have?
2. What guides your work in student affairs?
Probing question:
Are there any philosophies or beliefs that guide your work?
3. What knowledge, skills or experience do you think makes a student affairs staff member
qualified?
4. Tell me in your own words what student affairs mean to you.
5. Student affairs is a different field than human resources or business administration for
example, what do you think you need to know about college students or higher education
administration or universities to be successful?
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 176
6. Are you familiar with any student development and student learning theories, and, if so,
which ones?
Probing question:
Tell me about how you use them in your current job/role.
7. Talk about what you would do to build career path or trajectory in student affairs?
8. Aside from attending conferences what other ways you think might be good professional
development opportunities?
9. Are you interested in having a mentor? Why or why not?
10. What does mentorship mean to you?
Probing question:
What would you look for in a mentor?
11. What do you anticipate will be your future role within student affairs? How are you
preparing for that role?
12. What is the highest role you aspire to in student affairs? Why?
13. In what ways do you engage in self-reflection to improve in your role in student affairs?
14. Can you talk about the competencies that you think a student affairs staff member should
have to be able to perform well in the job?
Motivation (4 Questions)
1. How did you come to work in HBKU’s student affairs?
2. In what ways have you continued to gain new knowledge and understanding in student
affairs over time?
Probing question:
Any specific activities you have engaged in?
3. What do you think of the education field in Qatar specifically higher education in terms
of career options and opportunities for Qataris? Probe: How about the opportunities in
student affairs, specifically?
4. Do you think being involved in student activities as a student might help student affairs
staff have a better understanding for the value of the work of student affairs and its
contribution to students? Why or why not?
BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS 177
Organization (5 Questions)
1. To what extent do you think the organization appreciates and understands the important
role of all student affairs units?
2. To what degree do you think that impacts your decision to invest in a career in student
affairs?
3. To what extent does the current structure for the student affairs office provide
opportunity for promotion? Why or why not?
4. To what extent do you think the organization sets the right academic and/or professional
requirements for student affairs positions when hiring Qataris?
5. To what extent you think the organization should be involved in encouraging Qatari
student affairs staff to pursue further studies relevant to the field of student affairs or
education while serving in their positions?
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
This study utilized Clark and Estes’ gap analysis framework to investigate barriers to building an academically and/or professionally trained Qatari student affairs workforce at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Data collection combined a survey of 32 respondents with nine in-depth interviews drawn from the same sample. The respondents’ experience in the field spanned 0 to 10 years. The study revealed that respondents lacked education, training and mentorship that would have provided foundational and conceptual knowledge essential to providing professional service to students. Another finding was the absence of access to graduate studies programs in this field that could help build a career trajectory. Solutions developed from this study focus on growing a skilled Qatari workforce in the field by building an ecosystem within Qatar designed to support professional development at each stage of a student affairs career.
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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Hussain, Ameena Abdulmajeed
(author)
Core Title
Building national capacity in student affairs at a local university in Qatar: A gap analysis
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Global Executive
Publication Date
01/25/2018
Defense Date
07/18/2016
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
building capacity,Education City,Hamad Bin Khalifa University,Higher education,knowledge economy,local,National,OAI-PMH Harvest,Qatar,Qatar Foundation,student affairs,University
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Tambascia, Tracy (
committee chair
), Krop, Cathy (
committee member
), Robison, Mark (
committee member
)
Creator Email
aahussai@usc.edu,hussain.nina@gmail.com
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-464522
Unique identifier
UC11266736
Identifier
etd-HussainAme-5972.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-464522 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
etd-HussainAme-5972.pdf
Dmrecord
464522
Document Type
Dissertation
Rights
Hussain, Ameena Abdulmajeed
Type
texts
Source
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(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...
Repository Name
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Repository Location
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Tags
building capacity
Education City
Hamad Bin Khalifa University
knowledge economy
local
Qatar Foundation
student affairs