Assessing the Efficacy of Analytical Definitions in Hazing Education
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Assessing the Efficacy of Analytical Definitions in Hazing Education by Paul Robert Kittle, Jr. A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Auburn, Alabama December 8, 2012 Keywords: hazing, definition, cognitive, extensional, analytical, bystander Copyright 2012 by Paul Robert Kittle, Jr. Approved by David C. DiRamio, Chair, Associate Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology James E. Witte, Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology Maria Witte, Associate Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology Abstract Hazing is a problem that persists on college campuses and in high schools. According to Nuwer (2011) between 1970 and 2006, there was at least one hazing-related death each year on a college campus. Hazing education and prevention programs, such as speaker series, anti-hazing marketing campaigns, policy enforcement efforts, and sanctioning, which are frequently grounded in an extensional definition of hazing, have been present on college campuses for the past 20 years, yet the incidents of hazing are on the rise (Ellsworth, 2006; Nuwer, 2004). The literature repeatedly states that, due to the lack of a common definition, awareness and prevention efforts are often unsuccessful at increasing students’ awareness of hazing activities or reducing the likelihood that hazing activities will occur (Allan & Madden, 2008; Ellsworth, 2006; Hollmann, 2002; Shaw, 1992; Smith, 2009). Allan and Madden (2008) found that 91 percent of students who have experienced hazing do not identify themselves as being hazed. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not there were differences in students’ ability to identify hazing activities after treatment which consisted of reading either an extensional or analytical definition of hazing. A second purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not there was a difference between the students’ ability to identify hazing activities based on demographic variables. This study was a pragmatic effort to move past the noted barrier of the definition of hazing. The findings of this study indicate that an analytical hazing definition is not as effective as an extensional hazing definition at increasing a students’ ability to recognize hazing activities. ii The findings further indicate that women identify hazing activities more readily than men and participants from the Midwest region of the country consistently identify hazing activities at a higher frequency than Southeast participants. Regardless of definition type, participants demonstrated an increase in their ability to identify hazing activities after reading a treatment text. Although an analytical definition increased participant’s ability to recognize hazing activities, it did so at a rate less than that of the extensional definition which is the current standard. iii Acknowledgments The completion of a doctorate has been a lifelong goal that would not have been possible without the support, encouragement, and faith of many people. To my committee, Drs. David DiRamio, Maria Witte and James Witte, my most sincere thanks. Your unwavering support and encouragement, sometimes shown through humor sometimes through a proverbial swift kick, kept me on task and moving forward. Dr. DiRamio, you and I started on this project in 2005 before I enrolled in my first course. You encouraged me to join the program and agreed to serve as my chair; for that, I am grateful. You have always served as a mentor and confidant and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to study under you. Drs. Witte, you have been steadfast in your support and encouragement. I have enjoyed the opportunity to study under your tutelage and feel privileged to be able to count you as colleagues and mentors. Throughout this program, my family and friends have been a steady source of support. To the classmates with whom I shared projects, notes, frustrations and joys, I simply say, “Thank you”. To my immediate family, I am grateful for your support. Mom, you were a firm believer in my ability to finish and always found a gentle way to nudge me toward the completion of my dissertation, thank you and, “I love you”. To my Dad, I take this opportunity to thank you for the model that you provided me through your hard work and commitment to family. While you were not here to be a part of this process, I know that you looked down and provided guidance, support and encouragement of the heart. iv To my boys, Jonathan, Brock and Mitchell, this has been a journey for all of us. I cannot sum up in words the gratitude that I feel for having been given your love and support to complete this program. This process required me to miss ball games and school events, but through it all, you never complained. Know that I am proud of each of you. Finally, to my wife, Denise, this degree is as much yours as it is mine. Through all of the years you have been a steady source of love and support. While I went to class, you endured the school meetings, homework meltdowns and provided endless chauffeur rides for the boys to get to and from games and practices. I thank you for your encouragement and your unwavering confidence that this was the right thing for us to do for our family. It has been a long process but I am glad that we have done it together, “I love you”. v Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ x List of Illustrations ....................................................................................................................... xi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. xii Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................ 3 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................... 8 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 9 Statistical Hypothesis ........................................................................................................ 9 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................ 10 Assumptions .................................................................................................................... 10 Limitations/Delimitations ............................................................................................... 11 Definitions....................................................................................................................... 11 Organization of the Study ............................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2 Review of Literature ................................................................................................... 14 History of Hazing ............................................................................................................ 15 Hazing and the Military .................................................................................................. 20 Hazing Within Student Organizations ............................................................................ 22 vi Sorority Hazing ............................................................................................................... 23 Fraternity, Marching Band, Sports Team Hazing ........................................................... 24 Pro Hazing Argument ..................................................................................................... 25 Hazing Constructs: Typology and Theoretical ............................................................... 28 Legal Issues ad Hazing ................................................................................................... 29 In Loco Parentis and Hazing Liability ............................................................................ 30 Landowner-Invitee and Hazing Liability ........................................................................ 33 Special Relationship and Hazing Liability ..................................................................... 37 Cognitive development theory and bystander intervention model ................................. 41 Definition Typology........................................................................................................ 44 Bystander Intervention Model ........................................................................................ 45 Current Literature on Hazing Definitions ....................................................................... 46 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 53 Chapter 3 Methods .....................................................................................................................