Patterns of participation, modes of exclusion : undergraduate students’ experience of community at a research-intensive university

The purpose of this study was to come to an understanding of the meaning and experience of community for undergraduate students at a research-intensive university. It was assumed that exploring community bounded by disciplinary affiliation would be a valuable approach to understanding this phenomenon within the context of the researchintensive university. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 third year Psychology students pursuing either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree, and a survey designed to explore key aspects of interviewees' experiences was administered to a larger cohort of such students. Students' experiences were examined through the lens of constitutive and individualistic community frameworks, and ideal and actual experiences were compared. The results of this study show that a focus on disciplinary affiliation was a useful approach to understanding the meaning of community. Results document the significant influences of disciplinary affiliation on community membership and belonging. This exploration revealed that issues of community membership, involvement, and belonging were longitudinal processes that entailed complex patterns of participation and modes of exclusion that were influenced by students' aspirations and obligations as well as structural characteristics of the Psychology department and of the research-intensive university. T A B L E OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i i LIST OF T A B L E S vi LIST OF FIGURES vii i A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S ix C H A P T E R ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Background to the Problem 1 Limitations of Past Research 4 Purpose and Assumptions 8 Significance 11 Overview of Chapters 13 C H A P T E R TWO: B A C K G R O U N D A N D C O N T E X T 16 Introduction 16 The University as a "Traditional" Community 18 The Altered University Community 23 Research Function of the University 35 Conclusion 46i i LIST OF T A B L E S vi LIST OF FIGURES vii i A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S ix C H A P T E R ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Background to the Problem 1 Limitations of Past Research 4 Purpose and Assumptions 8 Significance 11 Overview of Chapters 13 C H A P T E R TWO: B A C K G R O U N D A N D C O N T E X T 16 Introduction 16 The University as a "Traditional" Community 18 The Altered University Community 23 Research Function of the University 35 Conclusion 46 C H A P T E R THREE: C O N C E P T U A L I Z I N G C O M M U N I T Y 49 Introduction 49 Community Defined 50 Academic Community 56 Disciplinary Community • 57 Campus Communities 59 Sense of Community 59 Playing with Community 60 Etymology 62 Individualistic and Constitutive Communities 63 Key Concepts 69 Membership 69 Identity. 73 Belonging 77 Summary 81 Research Questions 82 iii C H A P T E R FOUR: S T U D Y DESIGN 83 Introduction 83 The Case Study 7. 83 Data Sources 85 Documents 85 Interviews 86 Data Management 89 Analysis of Interview Data 89 Trustworthiness 91 Questionnaires 94 Representativeness and Response Rate 95 Analysis of Questionnaire Data 97 Delimitations and Limitations 98 Delimitations 98 Limitations 99 The Research Site 100 RIU 102 Psychology at RIU 104 Study Participants 107 Summary 113 C H A P T E R FIVE: I D E A L A N D A C T U A L UNIVERSITY C O M M U N I T Y 115 Introduction 115 Community as Place 120 Symbolic Identification 125 Social Interactions 129 Discussion 141 C H A P T E R SIX: EXPERIENCING C O M M U N I T Y A CONSTITUTIVE PERSPECTIVE 146 Introduction 146 Membership and Identity 147 RIU compared to other Universities 147 Studying Psychology 152 Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts 157 Academic Major Selection 162 Community Involvement 168 Competency Development 169 Transition 173 Membership Status 180 iv Summary 195 Discussion 198 C H A P T E R S E V E N : EXPERIENCING C O M M U N I T Y A N INDIVIDUALISTIC PERSPECTIVE 202 Introduction 202 Remuneration 203 Making the Grades 203 Interpersonal Relationships 215 Paying the Bi l l 218 Studying Relevant Courses 220 Community Investment 222 Researchers and Research Assistants 223 Limited Involvement 234 Summary and Discussion 242 C H A P T E R EIGHT: DISCUSSION A N D CONCLUSIONS 245 Patterns of Participation, Modes of Exclusion 245 Central Findings of the Study 246 Significance of the Research 253 Implications for Theory 255 Implications for Policy and Practice 257 Further Research 265 REFERENCES 269 APPENDICES 288 APPENDIX A . E N R O L M E N T N U M B E R S 289 APPENDIX B. I D E A L A N D A C T U A L ASPECTS OF C O M M U N I T Y 291 APPENDIX C. P S Y C H O L O G Y A N D NON-PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSORS 293 APPENDIX D. INTERVIEW D A T A C O L L E C T I O N 295 APPENDIX E . S U R V E Y QUESTIONNAIRE 301