Running head: STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

Undergraduate College Student Involvement:

The Benefits of Residence Life Versus Non-Residential Life Leadership Roles
Alyson Cole
Northern Illinois University

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

Abstract
This quantitative study will address the benefits of undergraduate college student
involvement in Residential Life compared to non-Residential Life leadership positions. Sixty
fourth-year seniors who have been involved for at least one year prior to the study in a student
leadership position in either Residential Life or outside of Residential Life will complete a
survey of closed-ended questions with open-ended follow-up questions regarding what they were
trained to handle as a student leader and what experiences theyve had in relation to different
categories (leadership, communication, time management, conflict resolution, decision-making,
etc.) of their position as a student leader.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

Whether students live on campus in the residence halls, or move off campus to an
apartment after fulfilling their live-on requirement, there are often hundreds of leadership roles
undergraduate college students are able to serve in through the institution. Todays college
students are provided so many opportunities to get involved and step into leadership positions in
different areas of campus life, such as Residential Life, Greek Life, and through Student
Involvement, but what are the benefits of getting involved in one area opposed to another? What
skills and experiences are students gaining from getting involved in different areas of campus
life? This study will explore what undergraduate students gain from getting involved in a
Residential Life leadership position compared to a non-Residential Life leadership position.
Many researchers have found that getting involved in leadership roles and being an active
member of clubs and organizations in college is highly beneficial to a students higher education
experience. Research has also found that there are several positive impacts on a students college
career while living in the residence halls. Many students choose to get involved while living in
the residence halls through Residential Life leadership positions such as in-hall government
within the hall they reside (Hall Council), the overarching on-campus student government
(Residence Hall Association), or serving in a paraprofessional role taking charge of one of the
floors of the residence hall community (Resident Assistant).
While many students serve in a leadership role while living in the residence halls, littleto-no research exists regarding the specific benefits of getting involved in Housing and
Residential Life student leadership positions. Students involved in Residential Life leadership
positions are constantly surrounded by the students they serve, as they both live and lead within
the residence halls. Some of these students, for example Resident Assistants, are faced with
handling crisis and conflict situations happening within the residence halls, from suicidal

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

ideation and domestic violence to water pipes bursting and evacuating a burning building.
Students serving in Hall Council and Residence Hall Association student government roles are
working to better the experiences of students within the halls, often times relating programmatic
efforts to retention strategies and learning outcomes of the Housing department.
Exploring the benefits of student involvement within Residential Life in comparison to
student involvement in other areas of campus leadership involvement will help with
understanding what experiences students gain, what tangible skills come from these leadership
positions, and how to better market and train students for these positions. Through
understanding these leadership positions further, professional staff will be able to market the
positions more accurately with a future career centered outlook by showcasing the tangible skills
that will come from the leadership roles. This will also aid in the training and development done
with students in Residential Life leadership positions in order to better prepare them to carry out
certain situations and work towards developing a specific skill set while serving in the role.
Literature Review
Research supports the fact that getting involved in student organizations and holding
leadership positions is beneficial to students undergraduate career as well as the fact that living
in the residence halls is very beneficial to student success throughout college and into a students
future. Schroeder and Mable (1994) discuss the wide variety of advantages to living in the
residence halls, including more involvement and overall satisfaction, academic persistence and
higher graduation rates, personal growth and development, exploration and change in values and
moral judgment, greater academic success, and greater general cognitive growth. Residential
living can be a powerful force in shaping both the essential character and the developmental
impact of an individuals college experience (Schroeder & Mable, 1994, p. 39). Bliming (2010)

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

reflects on twenty years of empirical studies that show seven areas that living in the residence
halls has a significant impact on college students. These seven areas include retention,
participation in extracurricular activities, perceptions of the campus social climate, satisfaction
with the institution, personal growth and development, interpersonal relationships, and faculty
interaction (p. 76). Students living in the residence halls have a greater chance to get involved
with more outside of the classroom in college due to the fact that it is easy for them, and that
students gain several skills and experiences such as, students learn to work with others in small
groups, manage budgets, express their ideas in formal committee meetings, negotiate with
members of the administration, develop, and follow through on projects, and manage others
(p.76-77).
Pascarella and Terenzinis (1991) research reflects the fact that through extracurricular
activities in college, students develop morally, intellectually, and cognitively, while exploring
values and career options. Being a leader in a student organization has been shown to be
associated with higher levels of developing purpose, educational involvement, life management,
and cultural participation (Foubert & Grainger, 2006, p. 170). Cooper, Healy, and Simpson
(1994) conclude that a students involvement in clubs and student organizations has a positive
correlation with many areas of psychological development. Studies show that the specific areas
of psychological development students expand through involvement are establishing and
clarifying purpose, educational involvement, career planning, life management, and cultural
participation (Foubert & Grainger, 2006, p. 180). Kuhs (1995) research showed results that outof-class activities helped develop leadership, decision-making, and time management skills more
than academics in undergraduate students. Statistically, the more hours students spend
participating with a student club or organization, the greater public speaking ability, leadership

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

ability, and interpersonal skills students will gain in college (Astin, 1993).
The overall purpose of this study is to explore the benefits of involvement in student
leadership positions in Residential Life compared to non-Residential Life.
Methodology
Research Design
To find out how getting involved in leadership roles through Residential Life benefits
students differently than getting involved in leadership roles outside of Residential Life, a causal
comparative research design method will be used in this quantitative study. This causal
comparative design will work specifically with sixty undergraduate students who are of senior
class standing, who have been involved in student organizations and held leadership roles for at
least one and a half academic calendar years of their undergraduate career at the time of the
study.
Human Subjects Procedures
I will ask permission of Housing and Residential Life as well as Student Involvement
staff members to gain confidential access to lists of students meeting the criteria of the study in
order to select the sample of students I will conduct the study with. I will take proper steps in
order to be granted permission from the Institutional Review Board to execute this study. Prior
to conducting this study, I will collect informed consent forms from chosen participants, clearly
outlining the procedures, their rights in the study and their option to withdraw at any given time
from the study, the fact that they are volunteering for this study, and their right to know why I am
conducting this study. Participants feedback will not be associated with their given names and
pseudonyms will be given in order to protect the information they choose to share regarding their
student leadership experience. Participants data will not be shared with other participants in the

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

study, and participants will be asked not to share information during the study during the time
period it is conducted.
Sampling
The target population for this study is undergraduate students at a large Midwestern
public four-year institution who are of senior (fourth year) class standing, who have been
involved in student organizations and held leadership roles for at least one year of their
undergraduate career prior to the academic year the study takes place. This way, all students will
have been involved in a leadership position for a minimum of one and a half academic calendar
years at the time of the study. I will receive a list of students who meet these criteria from the
Housing and Residential Life department as well as the Student Involvement office on campus. I
will measure age in this study and ensure that the groups are as similar as possible in terms of
gender identity, sexual identity, age, race, and ethnicity by matching these traits as best as
possible between both Residential Life student leaders and non-Residential Life student leaders.
Sixty total students will be selected to participate in the study. Thirty of the students will
be specifically involved in Residential Life leadership (Resident Assistant, Residence Hall
Association Executive Board, or Hall Council Executive Board), while the other thirty students
may be involved in any non-Residential Life leadership involvement (Pan-Hellenic/InterFraternal Council Executive Board, Registered Student Organization Executive Board, Campus
Activities Board Executive Board, etc.).
Procedure
This causal comparative study will take place over the course of the month of
participants second semester of their senior year of college in order to allow all students to have
been involved for a minimum of three academic semesters. Surveys will be distributed via

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

student e-mail and notice letters reminding students to check their e-mail to complete the survey
will be sent via campus mail one week after the survey is sent.
I will conduct closed-ended surveys with open-ended follow-up questions regarding the
student leadership experience. Questions will be divided into categories. Examples of questions
in the survey will include the following:
1. Have you been trained to respond to mental health issues amongst others? (Yes or No)
1a. Have you dealt with mental health issues amongst others in your leadership role? (Yes or
No)
If students answered yes to #1, they will answer this follow-up question: What specifically
did you learn in training about how to address mental health issues as a student leader?
If students answered yes to #2, they will answer this follow-up question: What mental
health issues amongst others were you faced with responding to as a student leader and how
did you approach this situation?
If students answered no to #1, but yes to #2, they will be asked how they responded to the
mental health issue. This specific question will help gauge where students are
developmentally in handling situations like this and what topics could be addressed to train
student leaders on handling these situations appropriately.
Students will be asked a series of questions similar the ones listed above about a variety
of leadership topics/categories such as conflict resolution, delegating tasks, event planning,
executing programs/events, communication, diversity and inclusion, and time management.
Data Collection
First, I will analyze the information provided in the surveys and look for trend categories
among the open-ended questions using inductive procedures. Next, I will use deductive data

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

collection procedures to statistically analyze the findings from the first step in the process. A
factor analysis will narrow down the overall categories and trends in order to record how many
students experienced certain things, were trained on certain topics, and developed certain skills
during their time as a student leader either in Residential Life or Student Involvement. I will
compare the results of the Residential Life student leadership role responses to the Student
Involvement student leadership role responses and look for which experiences and skills weigh
heavier in each, and note the similarities. Findings of this study will be displayed in a table
listing the categories (dependent variables) and the types of student leadership involvement
(independent variables) and how they compare to one another.
Internal Validity
Some threats to internal validity in this study include pre-existing leadership experience
and maturation, selection, and mortality. Participants have held a leadership position for at least
one year prior to the academic year that the study takes place, but that does not mean that some
participants may not have held leadership positions and/or taken part in leadership development
opportunities for several years prior to the study, therefore pre-existing leadership experience and
maturation are threats to internal validity. Selection is a threat to internal validity because
people factors could influence the outcome of the study. Since the survey is being sent via email, students could easily drop from the study without any notice at any time throughout the
semester; therefore mortality is a threat to internal validity.
External Validity
The main threat to external validity in this study is interaction of setting and treatment.
Due to the fact that this study takes place at a large, public 4-year institution in the Midwest does
not mean that this study can be generalized to fit all other institutions, even those that share

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

10

geographic location, size, and type. The student leadership role may be outlined differently and
students may be trained differently depending on the institution.
Limitations
This study is limited to students attending one specific institution and does not reflect the
specific benefits gained in Residential Life leadership positions for undergraduate students at
different types of institutions. This study is only taking place during one semester and cannot
reflect the experiences of students before or after the time period that the study takes place.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN RESIDENTIAL LIFE

11

References
Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college?: Four critical years revisited (Vol. 1). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bliming, G. (2010). The resident assistant (7th ed., pp. 75-88). Dubuque, IA: Kendall

Hunt.

Cooper, D. L., Healy, M. A., & Simpson, J. (1994). Student development through involvement:
Specific changes over time. Journal of College Student Development, 35, 98102.
Foubert, J. D., & Grainger, L. U. (2006). Effects of involvement in clubs and organizations on
the psychological development of first-year and senior college students. NASPA Journal,
43(1).
Gellin,A.(2003).Theeffectofundergraduatestudentinvolvementoncriticalthinking:Ameta
analysisoftheliterature19912000.JournalofCollegeStudentDevelopment,44(6),746
762.
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How college affect students. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Schroeder, C. C., & Mable, P. (1994). Realizing the educational potential of residence halls
(pp. 22-43). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.