ACPA PowerPoint

8/2/2019 ACPA PowerPoint

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Georgianna Martin, Loyola University ChicagoSally Blechschmidt, Loyola University ChicagoGene Parker, University of Iowa


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Session attendees will be able to:

Understand current literature on fraternity/sororitylife and intercultural competence

Reflect on research findings exploring the impact offraternity/sorority affiliation on college studentsdevelopment of intercultural competence

Identify practical applications of these researchfindings to their (a) work with fraternity/sororitymembers and (b) efforts to create culturallycompetent college students


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What comes to mind when you hear thewords fraternities/sororities and

intercultural competence together?

In what ways, if any, have you observedfraternity/sorority members engaging ininterculturally competent behavior?


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The majority of research on membership in fraternities/sororitiescovers topics such as alcohol use, sexual assault education, &hazing, while very little focused on learning outcomes associatedwith a college education (Molasso, 2005)

More specifically, limited research exists on the influence ofmembership on the educational outcome of interculturalcompetence

Membership in a fraternity/sorority associated with negativescores on students openness to diversity during the first year ofcollege (Pascarella, Edison, Nora, Hagedorn, & Terenzini,1996)


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Another study found that fraternity/sororitymembership did not significantly advantage ordisadvantage students growth on interculturalcompetence in the first year of college (Martin,Hevel, Asel, & Pascarella, 2011)

Incongruent findings demonstrate the need tofurther study the unique effects offraternity/sorority membership on interculturalcompetence


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To explore the impact of fraternity/sororitymembership on students development of

intercultural competence over four years ofcollege


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1,263 undergraduate students from 11 four-yearinstitutions participating in the WNS between 2006and 2010 57.1% (n=721) identified as female

42.9% (n=542) identified as male 24.8% (n=313) identified as students of color

75.2% (n=950) identified as white 24.1% (n=304) reported membership in a fraternity (n=135)

or sorority (n=168) Of those students reporting membership in a

fraternity/sorority, 20.4% identified as students of color(n=62) and 79.6% identified as white students (n=242)


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PRETEST DATA

Student backgroundcharacteristics

Student pre-college measure ofintercultural competence using:

(1) Miville-Guzman Universality

Diversity Scale (MGUDS)

(2) Openness to Diversity &Challenge Scale (ODC)

POSTTEST DATA

Data on students collegeexperiences using the NationalSurvey of Student Engagement(NSSE) and the WNS StudentExperiences Survey

Post-test data on studentsdevelopment of interculturalcompetence using the MGUDS &ODC

Wabash National Study Longitudinal, pretest-posttest design


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DEPENDENT VARIABLE

Intercultural competence

operationalized throughtwo measures:

Miville-GuzmanUniversality-Diversity Scale(M-GUDS)

Openness toDiversity/Challenge (ODC)Scale

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

Membership in a fraternity

or sorority

Item asked: Are you amember of a socialfraternity or sorority?

Coded: 1=Yes, 0=No


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Sex

Race/Ethnicity

Parental Education

ACT (or equivalent)

High School Involvement

Precollege AcademicMotivation

High School BingeDrinking

Precollege Political Views

Institutional Type

Participation in CollegeAthletics

Living on Campus

# of Hours Worked on andoff Campus

College Binge Drinking

MGUDS or ODC pretests


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Ordinary least squares regression (OLS)

Estimated the total effect of fraternity or sorority

affiliation on both measures of interculturalcompetence

Estimated the direct effect of fraternity or sorority

affiliation on intercultural competence

Additional analyses to explore the conditional effects offraternity/sorority membership


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a Indicates variable has been standardized.b Model includes the following control variables: male (vs. female), students of color (vs. white), average parental education, ACT score, pre-college academic motivation, high school involvement, pre-college political views, high school binge drinking, pretest, and institutional type

(liberal arts college vs. other institutions)c Reference group is students who reported they did not binge drink.

Intercultural CompetenceMGUDS a

(n=1,263)

Intercultural CompetenceODC a

(n=1,263)

Independent Variables Total Effects b Direct Effects b Total Effects b Direct Effects b

Fraternity or Sorority Member -.010 .000 -.040 -.058

Live on Campus (vs. Lives Off Campus) .140 -.031

Hours Worked On Campus a .007 .008

Hours Worked Off Campus a .025 -.052

Athlete (vs. Not an Athlete) -.013 .112

College Binge Drinking c .015 .042

R2 .439 .443 .330 .335


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Fraternity/sorority affiliation does not appear to have anysignificant unique impact on either measure ofintercultural competence over four years of college

No significant total effects on either measure (MGUDSb= .010 , ODC b=-.040)

No significant direct effects were found on eithermeasure (MGUDS b=.000 , ODC b=-.058)

No significant conditional effects by sex, race, orinstitutional type


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Membership does not appear to have a significant impacton students development of intercultural competenceduring college

Findings suggest that regardless of a fraternity/sororitymembers sex, race, or type of institution attended, anydifferences in growth on intercultural competence were

likely due to chance not membership in afraternity/sorority

Can intercultural competence be measured accuratelywithout an understanding of the others perceptions?


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No significant difference may be a better result than a

negative impact. However, fraternities/sororities are

organizations whose rhetoric purports to hold itsmembers to high standards. Should we expect more thana neutral finding?

Continued research and attention on the contribution offraternities/sororities to the educational mission of ourinstitutions is imperative.


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As educators, what might these findings mean forour work with fraternity/sorority members?

To what standards should we be holdingfraternity/sorority members in regards tointercultural competence?

Given these findings and the limitations of thisresearch, how might educators obtain a moreaccurate measure of fraternity/sorority membersintercultural competence?


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This research was supported by a generous grant from theCenter of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College to theCenter for Research on Undergraduate Education at TheUniversity of Iowa


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Martin, G. L., Hevel, M. S., Asel, A. M., & Pascarella, E. T. (2011). New evidence on theeffects of fraternity and sorority affiliation during the first year of college. Journalof College Student Development, 52(5), 543-559.

Molasso, W. R. (2005). A content analysis of a decade of fraternity/sorority scholarshipin student affairs research journals. Oracle: The Research Journal of the Associationof Fraternity and Sorority Advisors, 1(1), 1-9. Retrieved fromhttp://home.gwu.edu/~billym/Docs/Research/Pubs/Oracle_vol1_iss1_Molasso.pdf

Pascarella, E. T., Edison, M., Nora, A., Hagedorn, L., & Terenzini, P. (1996). Influences

on students openness to diversity and challenge in the first year of college.Journalof Higher Education, 67(2), 174-195.

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