Assessment of the North Texas State University Campus Environment Through Perceptions of Institutional Characterisitcs Held by Selected Subgroups of the Student Body Page: 26

                                
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environmental press and of the impact of the similarity of
experiences of group members. It was expected that the per-
ceptions of a particular group would show a high degree of
agreement but that there would be considerable differences
among groups. Using as subjects one hundred introductory psy-
chology students at Syracuse University, responses were com-
pared on CCI and the Stern Activities Index (AI). Pearson
Product Moment correlations failed to show significant rela-
tionships between corresponding AI and CCI scales. Differ-
ences in objectivity of individual items produced no discern-
able differences in the influence of need on the responses,
while items of "low exposuren value were much more influenced
by need than were those about more widely shared experiences.
The CCI was utilized in a study by Fisher (23) at Brigham
Young University, the purpose of which was "to determine if
there is a difference between the studentfs preconceived idea
of the university environment and the university as it really
is, and to determine if there is a relationship between the
congruence or dissonance of these factors and the student's
achievement, satisfaction, and persistence at the university"
(23, p. 1), The responses of incoming freshmen were secured
for data on "expectations" of the campus environment and were
compared with responses of sophomore students for perceptions
of the "actual" environment. Some of the findings are reported
to have been consistent with the social and academic goals and
objectives of the university, and some were not. In either