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An investigation of social involvement, social adjustment, and academic achievement of Black undergraduates attending a four year predominantly white public institution of higher education in northeastern Massachusetts
Abstract
A social involvement measure using subscales from Pace's (1979) College Student Experience Survey and the social adjustment subscale of the College Student Adaptation Questionnaire (Baker and Siryk, 1989) were used to investigate the nature of the relationship between the degree of Black undergraduate students involvement in nonacademic activities (clubs, organizations, and peer interactions) and their social adjustment and academic achievement (GPA) at a four year predominantly White public institution of higher education in northeastern Massachusetts. The major focus was on the correlation between student involvement and social adjustment as they relate to Black students on a predominantly White campus. A statistical program for the social sciences (SPSS-X) was utilized to analyze eleven research questions which were grouped under the following three broad questions: (1) What is the nature of the relationship between involvement, social adjustment, and academic achievement for Black undergraduates? (2) What are the effects of selective Black student characteristics on the measures of involvement, social adjustment, and academic achievement? (3) What are the effects of the racial composition of clubs and organizations on the measures of involvement, social adjustment, and academic achievement after controlling for socioeconomic status and commitment? The data supported the following assumptions: that there is a positive relationship between student involvement and social adjustment; and that one's commitment to college has a significant effect on one's level of social adjustment and involvement. The data, however, did not support assumptions regarding academic achievement, gender differences, academic college of enrollment, and socioeconomic status. There was no intercorrelation between academic achievement and measures of involvement and social adjustment. The findings suggested that social adjustment may be affected by the racial composition of the clubs and organizations students become involved in. Black students involved in predominantly White and predominantly Black clubs and organizations tend to have higher social adjustment scores than those with no involvement or involvement in either predominantly White or predominantly Black clubs and organizations. Recommendations for enhancing student involvement and further research are included.
Subject Area
Higher education|Ethnic studies|Social psychology
Recommended Citation
Scott, Lanett Crews, "An investigation of social involvement, social adjustment, and academic achievement of Black undergraduates attending a four year predominantly white public institution of higher education in northeastern Massachusetts" (1991). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9120937.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9120937