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Measuring the Effect of Fraternity/Sorority Affiliation

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Measuring the Effect of Fraternity/Sorority Affiliation ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: COLLEGE IMPACT ON SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE TAKING: MEASURING THE EFFECT OF FRATERNITY/SORORITY AFFILIATION Matthew L. Supple, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Directed By: Assistant Professor Julie J. Park, Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between fraternity/sorority affiliation and social perspective taking. Social perspective taking (SPT) is the ability to see how things look both cognitively and emotionally from another’s point of view, and SPT has been determined to be a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite for moral reasoning. As individuals go to college and their social environments become more complex, it is reasonable to expect this change will stimulate the consideration of perspectives that are different than their own and lead to higher-level moral reasoning. One aspect of the college experience that has the potential to foster moral development and its developmental predecessor, SPT, is fraternity/sorority affiliation. Fraternities and sororities are values-based organizations that should be enhancing the moral development of members, as evidenced by frequent inclusion of moral and ethical principles in their founding values. The 2009 Multi-institutional Study of Leadership (MSL) served as the dataset for this study. The MSL was designed to examine the influences of higher education on college student leadership development, including leadership-related outcomes such as cognitive skills and social perspective taking. Within this dataset, a sample of 44,207 participants completed the SPT scale. Using an adapted version of Astin’s (1993) Input- Environment-Outcome college impact model as the conceptual framework for this study, six research questions were analyzed to determine the relationship between SPT scores and several environmental variables. Analyses of variance and blocked hierarchical regression were used to analyze the data. Based on the findings of the current study, it is clear fraternities and sororities attract students with lower SPT scores. In addition, fraternity/sorority affiliation has a statistically significant negative association with SPT scores. It is therefore incumbent on national fraternity/sorority headquarters, as well as colleges and universities, to identify ways to foster social perspective taking skills among members of fraternities and sororities. The current study found that taking part in socio-cultural issues discussions, regularly doing community service, participating in service or advocacy groups, and getting involved in several student organizations all contribute to higher SPT skills. COLLEGE IMPACT ON SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE TAKING: MEASURING THE EFFECT OF FRATERNITY/SORORITY AFFILIATION By Matthew L. Supple Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2015 Advisory Committee: Assistant Professor Julie J. Park, Chair Associate Professor Kimberly Griffin Professor Dennis Kivlighan Associate Professor Robin Sawyer Associate Professor John Dugan, Loyola University Chicago © Copyright by Matthew L. Supple 2015 Dedication To my mother, who always wanted a doctor in the house. To my wife, who always wanted me back in the house. And to my daughters, who always wanted a treehouse. ii Acknowledgments I’ve heard the doctoral process described many times as a marathon. Although I’ve never attempted to run 26.2 miles, as a runner and as a doctoral student, I found this analogy, while not perfect, both helpful and instructive in providing a framework to acknowledge many aspects of the PhD process. Like most marathon runners approach the race, I approached the doctoral program with excitement and trepidation. There were many significant milestones along the journey (e.g., finishing coursework; passing comps; successfully proposing and then defending the dissertation, etc.), each involving many people who kept me going. First and foremost, thank you to my family – my parents, siblings, and grandparents are all responsible for “teaching me to run” and instilling in me the desire to “keep running” through their commitment to education. And thank you to my own two daughters for keeping me on the run, long after my dissertation is complete! Most importantly, I simply could not have undertaken this journey without my life partner and soul mate, Brooke Lecky Supple. Having you as a “training partner” and knowing you had been through the process, you understood the challenges, and you persevered over time in your own doctoral marathon was indescribably helpful. So was the unconditional love and support you provided throughout the experience. Forever I do… There was also one person who ran with me every step of the way: my dear friend and colleague, Donna Lim. You can never know just how many times you lifted my spirits and carried me forward in this process, or how many times you motivated me to keep going. I am humbled to have run alongside you for the past eight years, and I am iii honored to have crossed the finish line only seconds behind you after such a long race. You were an awesome running mate. I also owe a tremendous debt to the faculty who served as “course officials” – always keeping me headed in the right direction, always there to provide clarification and direction, and always ready to intervene whenever I began to stray from the path. Thank you to all of the faculty, and special thanks to Susan Jones, Stephen Quaye, Vivian Boyd, Sharon Fries-Britt, Gretchen Metzelaars, Jeff Harring, Melanie Killen, Corbin Campbell, and Rhondie Voorhees. Special thanks also to my committee – Robin Sawyer, Dennis Kivlighan, John Dugan, Kim Griffin, and Julie Park. Two faculty members in particular – my “personal trainers” if you will – deserve additional recognition and appreciation for being exceptionally important in keeping me on task and on course – my advisor Susan Komives and my chair Julie Park. Thank you both for your patience and fortitude in working with me over the years! Sorry it took so long! As the miles wore on and the years passed, I relied heavily on other “runners” – most notably my cohort, Claire Robbins, Nicole Long, Beth Niehaus, and Donna Lim, as well as other cohorts that came and went while I plodded along, “passing me by” as they finished their own marathons in faster times. There is a certain comradery that forms among doctoral students, similar I assume to the bond that forms among marathon runners. Suffice it to say, we all “feel the pain” of the marathon in similar ways and help make meaning of the experience with each passing mile. Thank you to each and every doctoral student with whom I “ran” during the past eight years – your influence was more important than you know! iv As I entered the final stretch of the marathon – writing my dissertation – four people in particular helped keep me going: Ann Ho Becks, Jessica Bennett, Kristan Cilente Skendall, and Nicole Long. Without you four, I’m not sure I could have finished the race. Thank you. There were also many supporters and “volunteers” who “staffed the water stations” throughout the marathon, providing nourishment and helping sustain my efforts. These individuals included my supervisors, mentors and colleagues over the years – Corin Gioia Edwards, Terry Zacker, Marsha Guenzler-Stevens, Dru Bagwell, Dick Stimpson, Jim Osteen, Mike Hayes, John Zacker, and Linda Clement. I owe each of you a debt of gratitude. I also benefitted from past marathon runners in the profession who provided wisdom and sage advice on how to manage the process more effectively and efficiently – Mike McRee, Gentry McCreary, and Laura Osteen. Each of you holds a special place in my heart. And finally, there were countless other people who cheered for me as I ran along, lifting my spirits and reminding me I could, in fact, finish the process. To all of these people, thank you! v Table of Contents Dedication........................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents............................................................................................................. vi List of Tables.................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures.................................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1: SUMMARY OF THE STUDY 1 Introduction......................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem.................................................................... 6 Definition of Terms............................................................................. 9 Purpose of the Study........................................................................... 11 Significance of the Study.................................................................... 12 Theoretical Perspective....................................................................... 13 Research Questions............................................................................. 17 Conclusion........................................................................................... 18 Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................
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