Date of Award
2008
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
Abstract
Social class is the hidden diversity on most college campuses. Although extensive research has demonstrated that social class is a strong predictor of access to college, retention, academic performance and college completion in higherEducation, little is known about the effect of social class on the college student experience as measured by student engagement and satisfaction. Grounded in Bourdieu's work on social and cultural capital, the premise of this study was to explore the interplay of campus culture and student social class culture. The goal was to identify aspects of the campus culture that impede or encourage engagement and satisfaction and to ultimately improve the outcomes of students from lower socioeconomic classes. In this study, social class was operationalized using three variables; parentalEducation level, high school poverty rate, and median household income. Student engagement and satisfaction were assessed using items on the National Survey of Student Engagement. Student engagement was operationalized using the perceived frequency of student-faculty interactions and the perceived quality of relationships with faculty. Student satisfaction was measured using a composite score of two survey items. Some of the results of the study were inconsistent with the literature suggesting that the institutional culture of the university in this sample may be supportive of the success of students from low social class backgrounds. Results were examined in light of student attitudes, campus activities, and the psycho-social characteristics of faculty on this campus.
Recommended Citation
Mospens, Susan M., "The Effect Of Social Class On First -Year College Student Engagement And Satisfaction" (2008). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1077.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1077