Parental Perceptions of University Life and Their

The purpose of this investigation was to: (1) assess parental perceptions of a university environment and compare them wii-h those of students; (2) compare the perceptions of parents of entering freshmen and upperclassmen; and (3) investigate whether or not parental perceptions of the university were independent of how they characterize their own college sons or daughters. Parents completed the College and University Environment Scales and the Adjective Check List on which they described their children. There were wide discrepancies between the environmental perceptions of parents and students, but few differences between parents of entering freshmen and upperclassmen. There were a number of significant relationships between campus perceptions and college son or daughter characterizations for parents of upperclassmen, but only one for freshmen parents. A number of possible reasons are suggested for these results, including selective reporting by students to parents, and reduction of cognitive dissonance on the part of parents. (Author