The purpose of the study was to identify what individual and institutional characteristics affect
the level of student-faculty interaction (SFI). To achieve this objective, two-level hierarchical
linear model analysis was employed. The sample was 18,195 undergraduate students attending 32
four-year universities who responded to the 2012 National Assessment of Student Engagement in
Learning conducted by Korean Educational Development Institute. The dependent variable was
SFI, which was about the frequency of interaction between students and faculty members.
Individual-level independent variables included gender, father’s education level, mother’s educational
level, year in college, major fields, participation in classes, interaction with other members in
college, and perception on college’s supportive environment, and institutional-level independent
variables consisted of location, institutional type, and size. The results of analysis revealed that
parts of the individual-level variables, namely gender, year in college, engineering major,
participation in classes, interaction with other members in college, and perception on college’s
supportive environment, had a significantly positive effect on SFI, and that location, among
institution-level variables, significantly affected SFI. Related policy implications were discussed.