This embedded case study leveraged Rendón's (1994) validation theory as well as theories connecting self-reflection and transformative learning (e.g., Mezirow, 1990, 1997) to examine an autobiographical reading and writing course designed for low-income, first-year students in a comprehensive college transition program at an institution in the…

In this book, the authors bring together in one place essential information about college students in the US in the 21st century. Synthesizing existing research and theory, they present an introduction to studying student characteristics, college choice and enrollment patterns, institutional types and environments, student learning, persistence,…

Our multi-institutional study addresses the question: How do college students' backgrounds, collegiate engagement, and perceptions of the campus climate relate to the development of an activist orientation? Activism is framed as engagement in collective, sociopolitical action and measured using the Activism Orientation Scale (AOS). Meaningful…

This study examined the student characteristics, student engagement, and the campus climate for civic learning and engagement. Using 13,780 student responses to the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory (PSRI) at 23 institutions, the study used multilevel modeling to identify key relationships. Three key findings emerged: students'…

This study explored whether three broad areas promoted students' mental health: perceptions of the climate related to civic learning, experiences on campus, and civic engagement. Campus climates for civic learning including the development of ethical and moral reasoning and the importance of contributing to community were the strongest predictors…

Utilizing data from 15 institutions that participated in the 2013 and 2014 administrations of the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory (PSRI), this study employed a multilevel modeling approach to examine the relationship of students' perceptions of their climate for learning to their scores on the Openness to Diversity and Challenge Scale…

In this article, Robert D. Reason defines personal and social responsibility as a five-component outcome of college, presents a case for thinking about educating for personal and social responsibility through the lens of campus climate that eschews the hunt for a single intervention, and encourages the marshaling of multiple resources in multiple…

The conversation about essential learning outcomes of college has never been more active or important. Although much of the attention on learning outcomes is narrowly focused on cognitive outcomes, especially critical thinking, the need to educate students for personal and social responsibility has never been clearer. In this article the author…

Writing a comprehensive review of research on student persistence is a Herculean task. The publications that feature persistence as a primary outcome measure are almost innumerable. Moreover, literature reviews of persistence research have been published periodically in the higher education literature. The author uses these existing reviews as the…

This chapter examines color-blind campuses that perpetuate White transparency and racially cognizant environments that reveal and challenge notions of color blindness. Recommendations are offered to help White students respond to the realities of Whiteness and move beyond color-blind racism.

Using a campus climate assessment instrument developed by Rankin (1998), we surveyed students (n = 7,347) from 10 campuses to explore whether students from different racial groups experienced their campus climates differently. Students of color experienced harassment at higher rates than Caucasian students, although female White students reported…

This chapter reviews the current theoretical understanding of the development of social justice attitudes and related concepts.

The authors explore the relationships between social justice attitudes and actions, the social construction of identity, and cognitive development.

Using a campus climate assessment instrument developed by Rankin (1998), we surveyed students (N = 7,347) from 10 campuses to explore the different experiences with harassment and campus climates reported by men and women. Both men and women reported experiencing harassment, although women experienced harassment at statistically significantly…

This chapter discusses the difficulties associated with developing a social justice ally identity and provides practical suggestions to overcome them.