The effect of attending college on students' political ideology has been a controversial topic for many decades. In this study, we explored the relationship between attending a liberal arts college and students' political views. Compared to their counterparts at other 4-year institutions, liberal arts college students began postsecondary education…

Over the last several decades student affairs and assessment scholars who study college impact have utilized a number of different research design and statistical procedures in an attempt to control for the characteristics and propensities that lead students to self-select themselves into a particular intervention or experience. This is…

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, 1988 (NELS: 88), this paper documents differences in the socioeconomic plans of students in two-year and four-year colleges. We found attendance at a two-year college led to a modest but statistically significant disadvantage in socioeconomic plans. However, the impact of attending a…

Originally published in January 1989, reviews a longitudinal study that compared changes in critical thinking over a one-year period between matched groups of college and non-college students. Results indicate that students who attended college for one year scored higher in critical thinking than the matched group of students who did not attend.…

This document presents the variable definitions utilized in a study of the impacts of two- and four-year college attendance on learning orientations. The authors identify the specific survey items that compose the four orientations to learning explored in this study (i.e., openness to diversity/challenge, learning for self-understanding, internal…

The influence of previous college involvement, organizational characteristics, early career experiences, and current self-concept on the intention of college dropouts to resume their college education is examined. (Author/MLW)

The influence of the first year of college on the development of critical thinking was assessed. Matched groups of students who attended and who did not attend college were compared on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal over a 1 year period. Secondary school level of thinking and other covariates (e.g., aptitude, socioeconomic status,…

A variable causal model was used to estimate the influence of college on the development of humanitarian/civic involvement values. The findings suggest the importance of social involvement during college as a positive influence on the humanizing of values. Influential types of social involvement differed by student race and gender. (Author/MLW)

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, this study of 3,171 individuals 13-14 years after high school graduation found, when educational attainment is held constant, students initially enrolling in a 2-year vs. 4-year colleges are not significantly disadvantaged in occupational and economic attainments.…