Roommate Compatibility and Group Cohesiveness as Influenced by the Amount and Types of Awarded Financial Aid

Abstract

Problem. In what way is the compatibility between students assigned as roommates on the basis of the amount and types of awarded financial aid packages similar and dissimilar to the compatibility between students assigned as roommates through the traditional freshmen procedure utilized at Drake University? What is the extent of the difference in group cohesiveness amoung the members of the two groups of students assigned as roommates in both the experimental and control groups? Procedure. In July 1976, through the use of a computer print-out, an experimental group of twenty-eight pairs and a control group of twenty-seven pairs of male and female freshmen students were matched as roommates for the 1976-77 academic year on the basis of awarded financial aid packages and through the roommate selection procedure utilized at Drake University. The groups were housed in a co-edcational residence hall at Drake University. Through personal interviews, chi-square (x2) tests, and tabulations of roommate changes and numbers of students returning as roommates to Drake University for the 1977-78 academic year, an attempt was made to determine whether the amount and types of awarded financial aid packages influenced roommate compatibility and group cohesiveness in a Drake University residence hall. Findings. Chi-square (x2) test findings appeared to be significant at the .05 level for a difference between total experimental and control groups on compatibility and at the .01 level for a difference between experimental men and control men for compatibility and between experimental men and control men for cohesiveness. Conclusions. Within severe limitations, findings appeared to show that roommate compatibility and roommate cohesiveness were greater for those students assigned together as roommates on the basis of awarded financial aid when combined with traditional roommate assignment procedures at Drake University. Recommendations. It is recommended that, in future studies, a larger sample be studied; an "objective" opinionnaire be used instead of individual interviews; and that students in state institutions be utilized as the research population.