From NASPA we have a study relating students' openness to diversity (specifically multiethnic diversity) to living on campus. The short of it: students who live on campus are more open to diversity than commuters. This is probably because they are pretty much stuck with it (diversity) and it's normal behavior to develop close bonds with people we live and work with. There is some theoretical base for this perspective.
There are a lot of issues with this one . . . commuters were underrepresented. Women and minorities were overrepresented. The researcher only received a sample size of 30% on his survey, and it is a single-method study. DJM would say: acceptable, but weak.
Still, there is enough here to indicate that living on campus helps open one's mind to her peers, and the effort on the part of Residential Ed to promote relationship-building and openness is probably not a waste of time. That's a relief!
Pike, G. (2009). The differential effects of on- and off-campus living arrangements on students' openness to diversity. NASPA Journal, 2009, Vol. 46, No. 4.
Note: I found this on the ERC database and the full text is available from there.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Binge Drinking in Hong Kong
I found this article noteworthy because it trends opposite from American universities: second-year students indicate significantly higher binge drinking than their first-year counterparts. The authors cite several sources indicating that high-risk alcohol use is on the rise throughout Hong Kong, though it is still well behind American usage.
I wonder what this says about some of the side effects of our open culture in the West? I also wonder about the research methods that led to a conclusion that only 18-19% of youth in China drink alcohol. Am I just assuming that can't be right because of my northeastern American frame of reference?
The study has a few issues . . . the sample size for second-year students is much smaller. I don't know what the retention rates are for typical Asian universities; high attrition seems likely. Still, the samples are pretty big compared to a lot of education research.
Kim, J., Chan, K., Chow, J., Fung, K., Fong, B., Cheuk, K., Griffiths, S. (2009). University binge drinking patterns and changes in patterns of alcohol consumption among Chinese undergraduates in a Hong Kong university. Journal of American College Health, Nov/Dec 2009, Vol. 58 Issue 3, p255-265.
Retrieved from the ERC database (which has full text available).
I wonder what this says about some of the side effects of our open culture in the West? I also wonder about the research methods that led to a conclusion that only 18-19% of youth in China drink alcohol. Am I just assuming that can't be right because of my northeastern American frame of reference?
The study has a few issues . . . the sample size for second-year students is much smaller. I don't know what the retention rates are for typical Asian universities; high attrition seems likely. Still, the samples are pretty big compared to a lot of education research.
Kim, J., Chan, K., Chow, J., Fung, K., Fong, B., Cheuk, K., Griffiths, S. (2009). University binge drinking patterns and changes in patterns of alcohol consumption among Chinese undergraduates in a Hong Kong university. Journal of American College Health, Nov/Dec 2009, Vol. 58 Issue 3, p255-265.
Retrieved from the ERC database (which has full text available).
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