Transcript Parents as Influencers - Lutheran Educational Conference

Parents as Influencers
In The Faith-Based College Search Process
Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA)
Catholic College Admission Association (CCAA)
Presentation Outline
•
Emotional and Spiritual Development Expectations of Today’s College
Student
•
Research: What Matters to Students
•
Communication Pattern between Parents and Students on Issues of
Faith/Spirituality
•
What Matters to Parents
•
Intersection of Student/Parent Priorities
•
Faculty Perspective on Spirituality
•
Alumni Outcome Research
•
Discussion Questions
What Matters in College
•
Although different types of institutions tend to have particular types of
environments, … it is the environment created by the faculty and the
students - rather than the type of institution per se - that really seems to
matter.
• It is time to reassess the impact of college.
- Alexander Astin, What Matters in College?
What Matters in College
• Our review indicates two persistent themes in the research literature on college
effects. The first is the central role of other people in a student’s life,
whether students or faculty, and the character of the learning environments
they create…The second theme is the potency of the student’s effort and
involvement in the academic and non academic systems of the institutions they
attend.
- Ernest T. Pascarella and Patrick T. Terenzini,
How College Affects Students.
Religiously-Affiliated Colleges/Universities
• There are 4,200 degree-granting institutions.
• 2,500 of these are private.
• 900 are identified as religiously affiliated.
U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics
Spirituality in Higher Education: A National Study of
College Students’ Search for Meaning and Purpose
• In 2003 HERI (Higher Education Research Institute) launched a
study to examine the spiritual development of undergraduate
students during their college years. Spirituality in Higher Education:
A National Study of College Students’ Search for Meaning and
Purpose
• Alexander Astin and Helen Astin wrote:
“The project is based in part on the realization that the relative
amount of attention that colleges and universities devote to the
“exterior” and “interior” aspects of students’ development has
gotten out of balance….we have increasingly come to neglect the
student’s inner development---the sphere of values and beliefs,
emotional maturity, spirituality and self-understanding.”
Spirituality Survey Details
• 2004 Survey: Examines student’s background,
educational/occupational aspirations, and values and beliefs with
respect to spiritual and religious matters.
• Data collected from 112,232 college freshmen
• National sample of 236 colleges and universities
• 55% women, 45% men
• 66% attend public colleges/universities
• 17% nonsectarian private institutions
• 8% “Other” Church-Affiliated
• 7% Catholic
• 3% Evangelical
Results
• Today’s college students (four in five) have very high levels of
spiritual interest and involvement.
• They display high levels of religious commitment and involvement.
(Four in five report that they attended religious services in the past
year and discuss religion/spirituality with friends and family.)
• Freshmen have high expectations for the role their institutions will
play in their emotional and spiritual development.
• 75% of the students say that they are “searching for
meaning/purpose in life” and similar numbers report that they have
discussion about the meaning of life with friends.
Parents as Influencers
• Parents and high school students are “jointly” making
college decisions
• “Co-Purchase“ Concept: Millennials Go To College
• Helicopter Parents (www. collegeboard.com/parents)
• Parents play a significant role in the occupational
aspirations and career goal development of their
children. (www.jobweb.com)
Communication Pattern between Parents and Students
on Issues of Faith/Spirituality
• The role of parents in the admissions process
• Boston College Questionnaire about the Undergraduate
Experience
• Religiousness and Spirituality: Parent and Student
Perspectives
• Discussion Items for Families
WHAT MATTERS TO PARENTS
Lutheran Parent Survey Methodology
Surveys mailed to members of ELCA and LCMS churches:
• Parents of 9th grade students
• Parents of 10th grade students
• A total of 3000 surveys mailed
• Qualified families had student in 9th or 10th grade who planned to go
to college; 95% qualified
• Overall response rate of 30%
Parent Profile
• Education
– Not a college graduate
– Public college or university graduate
– Other private college graduate
– Lutheran college graduate
• Gender
– Female
44%
41%
8%
7%
– Male
77%
23%
• Married
89%
• Income
– Less than $50,000
– $50,000-74,999
– $75,000 or more
31%
37%
32%
What Matters to Parents: Experiences
Undergraduate Experiences
Extremely Important*
Campus community
Academic reputation and facilities
Spiritual growth opportunities
Involvement with faculty
Alternative study opportunities
Extracurricular involvement
0%
20%
40%
60%
* % rating a 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=“not at all important,”
and 5=“extremely important”
80%
100%
Spiritual Growth Opportunities
Expected at Lutheran Colleges
Parents: Where Will Students Find. . .
Extremely
Important:
91%
27%
53%
27%
86%
86%
80%
20%
14%
13%
9%
31%
1%
Learning more about
faith
1%
Emphasis on personal
values and ethics
Lutheran college
Meeting people on whom Integration of values and
to model spiritual life
ethics in classroom
Public university
No difference
Parents: Q.11, 13,16 Where do you think students would be more likely to find. . . ?
Most Parents Know Lutheran Colleges
Promote Faculty Involvement
Parents: Where Will Students Find. . .
34%
Extremely
Important:
37%
64%
27%
61%
45%
59%
35%
59%
40%
34%
39%
1%
4%
2%
2%
Mentoring relationships
All classes taught by
professors
Conversations with
professors outside of
class
Professors who challenge
but help students
Lutheran college
Public university
No difference
Parents: Q.13 Where do you think students would be more likely to find. . . ?
Parents Don’t Recognize the Availability of Other Learning
Opportunities at Lutheran Colleges
Parents: Where Will Students Find. . .
11%
Extremely
Important:
33%
9%
69%
63%
60%
28%
24%
16%
Faculty directed research
or independent study
Lutheran college
13%
18%
Internships or other
applied learning
Public university
10%
International study
No difference
Parents: Q.13 Where do you think students would be more likely to find. . . ?
Parents See No Difference
in Extracurricular Opportunities
Parents: Where Will Students Find. . .
11%
Extremely
Important:
12%
13%
74%
8%
74%
66%
59%
39%
18%
17%
9%
8%
Involvement in
academic clubs
Participating in
music or theatre
2%
Volunteering or
community service
Lutheran college
Public university
21%
13%
Participating in
intramural sports
No difference
Parents: Q.11 Where do you think students would be more likely to find. . . ?
What Matters to Parents: Outcomes
Undergraduate Outcomes
Extremely Important*
Sense of purpose in life
Critical thinking and
communication skills
Career preparation
Strong personal values
Interpersonal skills
Spiritual development
Contributing to the community
Being well-off financially
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
* % rating a 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=“not at all important,” and 5=“extremely important”
100%
What Matters to Parents: Bottom Line
Characteristics of College
Extremely Important *
Affordable Cost
Employment Opportunities
Graduation in Four Years
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
* % rating a 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=“not at all important,” and 5=“extremely important”
100%
Of these outcomes, parents:
– recognize Lutheran colleges are better at developing
strong personal values and integrating faith with
other aspects of life
– accurately note there is no difference between
Lutheran colleges and public universities in
preparing graduates to be well-off financially
– concluded there were no differences for all other
outcome areas, even though Lutheran college
graduates gave higher ratings than public university
graduates on each of them
Faith-based colleges must:
– document their academic rigor and practical value
– educate parents about the importance of an
involving educational experience
– explain the availability of financial aid
– make college more affordable through financing
options
Intersection of Student/Parent Priorities
• Parent Priorities
Spiritual growth opportunities
Sense of purpose in life
Strong personal values
Spiritual development
Contributing to the community
• Student Priorities
Interest in emotional and spiritual development
Searching for meaning/purpose in life
High degree of involvement in religion
Religious beliefs provide strength, support, and guidance
Faculty Perspective on Spirituality
• HERI Survey of faculty attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
“Spirituality and the Professoriate”
• 40,670 faculty surveyed at 421 colleges/universities
• The spiritual dimension of life is highly relevant
• 3 in 5 college professors (64%) say that they consider themselves
to be “a religious person.”
• Spirituality Scale: 64% of the faculty at religious colleges have high
spirituality scores, compared to 33% of faculty in public universities
Highly Spiritual Faculty
• Highly spiritual faculty express a much more positive outlook about
their jobs and their lives (59%) than their less spiritual colleagues
(36%).
• Highly spiritual faculty support the use of “student-centered”
pedagogical approaches such as cooperative learning, group
projects, and reflective writing
• 57% of college/university faculty disagree with the statement that
“the spiritual dimension of faculty members’ lives has no place in the
academy.”
Comparative Alumni Studies
• LECNA Comparative Alumni Study in 1999, updated in 2004
www.lutherancolleges.org/research
• CCAA Comparative Alumni Study 2006
• Snapshot of those results…….
A Comparative Advantage Alumni Study
A Majority of Classes Taught by Professors
87%
81%
38%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.1 Please tell me how much you personally benefited from your college offering . . . rating “benefited very much” (top
box on a five-point scale)
High Quality, Teaching-Oriented Faculty
57%
56%
27%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.1 Please tell me how much you personally benefited from your college offering . . . rating “benefited very much” (top
box on a five-point scale)
Professors Often Challenged Students, But
Personally Helped Them Meet the Challenge
80%
77%
47%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.2 How often did your college experience include the following? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=never
and 5=always)
Faculty Personally and Academically
Interested in Students
85%
75%
40%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.12 How much do you agree or disagree with the following? (rating a 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=strongly
disagree and 5=strongly agree)
Professor Served as Mentor or
Role Model in College
67%
59%
43%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q. 4 Who, if anyone, did you meet at your college who was a mentor or role model for you?
Extensive Classroom Discussions
74%
71%
48%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.2 How often did your college experience include the following? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=never
and 5=always)
Participated in Off-Campus or
International Study
51%
35%
26%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Q. 5 While in college, did you participate in . . . ?
Lutheran Colleges
Volunteer or Community Service Activities
64%
59%
44%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Q.6A Were you involved in any of the following?
Lutheran Colleges
Academic Clubs and Activities
48%
45%
33%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Q.6A Were you involved in any of the following?
Lutheran Colleges
Frequent Interaction with Students
with Similar Values
83%
83%
61%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.2 How often did your college experience include the following? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=never
and 5=always)
Friendships Often Developed from
Classroom Experiences
66%
63%
52%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.2 How often did your college experience include the following? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=never
and 5=always)
Integration of Values and Ethics
in Classroom Discussions
75%
68%
27%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.2 How often did your college experience include the following? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=never
and 5=always)
College Helped Integrate Faith
with Other Aspects of Life
57%
56%
12%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.12 How much do you agree or disagree with the following? (rating a 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where
1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree)
Writing Effectively
80%
78%
62%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.10 How effective was your college in helping you develop . . .? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=not at
all effective and 5=extremely effective)
Leadership
70%
66%
52%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.10 How effective was your college in helping you develop . . .? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=not at
all effective and 5=extremely effective)
Developing Moral Principles
that Can Guide Actions
80%
77%
35%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.10 How effective was your college in helping you develop . . .? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where 1=not
at all effective and 5=extremely effective)
A Sense of Purpose in Life
74%
73%
57%
CCAA Colleges and
Universities
National Flagship
Public Universities
Lutheran Colleges
Q.10 How effective was your college in helping you develop . . .? (rating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, where
1=not at all effective and 5=extremely effective)