Journal article
The forgotten minority: examining religious affiliation and university satisfaction
Higher education, Vol.65(6), pp.745-760
06/01/2013
DOI: 10.1007/s10734-012-9574-8
Abstract
Researchers and practitioners generally discuss disparities in university student satisfaction and graduation rates in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. However, religious affiliation constitutes another important-yet often overlooked-form of identity that may be associated with student outcomes. In the context of Christian privilege in the United States, students from marginalized religions and those who do not identify with any organized religion can face significant challenges on university campuses and throughout society. Using a 4-year longitudinal sample of 3,098 undergraduates at 28 institutions, this study conducted hierarchical linear modeling analyses to examine the extent to which university satisfaction varies as a function of students' religious affiliation (or lack thereof). Even when controlling for various individual and institutional characteristics, students who do not identify with any religious group have the lowest university satisfaction, whereas Protestant students have the highest satisfaction. Group disparities in satisfaction are also observed for race/ethnicity, gender, parental education, and academic preparation. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The forgotten minority: examining religious affiliation and university satisfaction
- Creators
- Nicholas A. Bowman - Bowling Green State UniversityCynthia Toms Smedley - University of Notre Dame
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Higher education, Vol.65(6), pp.745-760
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10734-012-9574-8
- ISSN
- 0018-1560
- eISSN
- 1573-174X
- Number of pages
- 16
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/01/2013
- Academic Unit
- Educational Policy and Leadership Studies; Public Policy Center (Archive); Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984283578702771
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