Does Social Involvement Enhance the College Experience
Does Social Involvement Enhance the College Experience?
Sha’Vonda Jones
Wesleyan College
December 4, 2012
Introduction:
Social involvement is the means of being involved in things on campus whether it is socially or academically. The means of being socially involved can account for any form of extracurricular engagements outside of the classroom. Social involvement can also mean the same thing as student engagement within an academic setting. “Student engagement represents both the time and energy students invest in educationally purposeful activities and the effort institutions devote to using effective educational practices to induce students to doing the right things (Kuh et al. 2007).” “The concepts of student engagement are all based on the premise that learning in college is related to how students spend their time and energy (Kuh 2003).” “Student engagement is positively related to learning outcomes, academic achievement, and student success broadly defined (Pike et al. 2009).” There are many variables to student engagement that can benefit the college experience. Student engagement can be defined in activities consisting of academic effort, higher order thinking skills, academic integration, active and collaborative learning, interaction with faculty members, and diversity-related experiences. Participation in student engagement activities will be positively linked to the differences in students’ college experiences and learning outcomes. “Learning requires both active participation in a variety of academic and social activities and integration of these diverse experiences into a meaningful whole (Kuh, Pike. 2005).” Past research studies point to the positive influences of student engagement in educationally purposeful activities on learning. “Academic and social engagement, along with integration are presumed to affect learning and intellectual development directly (Kuh, Pike. 2005).” The students’ perception of the college environment may also be
Sha’Vonda Jones
Wesleyan College
December 4, 2012
Introduction:
Social involvement is the means of being involved in things on campus whether it is socially or academically. The means of being socially involved can account for any form of extracurricular engagements outside of the classroom. Social involvement can also mean the same thing as student engagement within an academic setting. “Student engagement represents both the time and energy students invest in educationally purposeful activities and the effort institutions devote to using effective educational practices to induce students to doing the right things (Kuh et al. 2007).” “The concepts of student engagement are all based on the premise that learning in college is related to how students spend their time and energy (Kuh 2003).” “Student engagement is positively related to learning outcomes, academic achievement, and student success broadly defined (Pike et al. 2009).” There are many variables to student engagement that can benefit the college experience. Student engagement can be defined in activities consisting of academic effort, higher order thinking skills, academic integration, active and collaborative learning, interaction with faculty members, and diversity-related experiences. Participation in student engagement activities will be positively linked to the differences in students’ college experiences and learning outcomes. “Learning requires both active participation in a variety of academic and social activities and integration of these diverse experiences into a meaningful whole (Kuh, Pike. 2005).” Past research studies point to the positive influences of student engagement in educationally purposeful activities on learning. “Academic and social engagement, along with integration are presumed to affect learning and intellectual development directly (Kuh, Pike. 2005).” The students’ perception of the college environment may also be
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