Does Involvement Really Matter? Indicators of College Student Success and Satisfaction

Theories of involvement and quality of effort posit that student engagement in academic activities is critical to success. College officials invest substantial resources in activities and facilities to encourage student involvement, yet some reports find that many students study few hours per week a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of college student development 2013-11, Vol.54 (6), p.591-611
Main Authors: Webber, Karen L, Krylow, Rebecca Bauer, Zhang, Qin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
College campuses
College Students
Educational activities
Extracurricular Activities
Females
Full Time Students
Grade Point Average
Higher Education
Learner Engagement
Learning
Learning Activities
National Survey of Student Engagement
Questionnaires
Satisfaction
Skills
Student attitudes
Student Experience
Student Participation
Studies
Success
Time
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate Study
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Summary:Theories of involvement and quality of effort posit that student engagement in academic activities is critical to success. College officials invest substantial resources in activities and facilities to encourage student involvement, yet some reports find that many students study few hours per week and commit little time to academic activities. A critical question we must ask is: Does involvement lead to authentic gains in student success? Results from the 2008 National Survey of Student Engagement at one research university found that higher levels of engagement in a variety of curricular and cocurricular activities significantly contribute to cumulative GPA and students' perception of the overall academic experience. Females and full-time students who spent more time preparing for class or otherwise engaging in academic tasks earned a higher GPA and reported higher satisfaction with their overall academic experience. Implications for program planning and resource allocation are discussed.
ISSN:0897-5264
1543-3382
1543-3382
DOI:10.1353/csd.2013.0090