A Critical-Incident Job Analysis of the University Housing Resident Assistant Position

Abstract

93 subjects participated in a job analysis of the University Housing Resident Assistant position using the critical incident technique. The job analysis indicated that good Resident Assistants could be distinguished from poor ones along 13 separate dimensions. These dimensions were interest in residents, availability, responsibility, fairness, self-adherence to the rules, social skills, programming, self-confidence, rule enforcement, authoritarianism, counseling skills, self-control, and confidentiality. The most important categories were interest in residents and availability. The current findings were discussed in relation to both previously reported research findings and potential future applications.