Socio-academic integrative moments: Rethinking academic and social integration among two-year college students in career-related programs
R Deil-Amen - The Journal of Higher Education, 2011 - Taylor & Francis
The Journal of Higher Education, 2011•Taylor & Francis
The major models of persistence include Tinto's Theory of Student Departure (1975, 1987,
1993), Astin's Theory of Involvement (1984), and Pascarella's model (1985). All the models
were developed based on traditional students in traditional residential institutions. However,
Tinto's theory, despite its origins, leaves room for an examination of students' institutional
experiences in a way that does not necessarily need to be dependent on the traditional
college-student lifestyle. 1 Building on Durkheim (1951), a conceptual cornerstone of the …
1993), Astin's Theory of Involvement (1984), and Pascarella's model (1985). All the models
were developed based on traditional students in traditional residential institutions. However,
Tinto's theory, despite its origins, leaves room for an examination of students' institutional
experiences in a way that does not necessarily need to be dependent on the traditional
college-student lifestyle. 1 Building on Durkheim (1951), a conceptual cornerstone of the …
The major models of persistence include Tinto’s Theory of Student Departure (1975, 1987, 1993), Astin’s Theory of Involvement (1984), and Pascarella’s model (1985). All the models were developed based on traditional students in traditional residential institutions. However, Tinto’s theory, despite its origins, leaves room for an examination of students’ institutional experiences in a way that does not necessarily need to be dependent on the traditional college-student lifestyle. 1 Building on Durkheim (1951), a conceptual cornerstone of the theory is that a subjective sense of belonging and membership is a fundamental component of student decisions and outcomes. Students choose to persist when they perceive intellectual and social congruence, or a normative fit between the student and the values, social rules, and academic quality of the college community. This congruence with the academic and social systems of the college reinforces a student’s commitment to their institution and educational goals. Tinto referred to this as “academic integration” and “social integration,” and described lack of integration as isolation, or incongruence between a student and the intellectual and social communities in the college, which hinders commitment and leads to withdrawal. This sociology grounds the model, now the “most studied, tested, revised, and critiqued in the literature”(Braxton & Hirschy, 2005). Over 700 studies have cited the model, creating a Tintonian Dynasty (Bensimon, 2007).
Most studies find social and academic integration matter, to some extent, for persistence among four-year students (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991, 2005) but the relative importance of each form of integration is contested. Some research highlights the importance of in-class academic experiences (eg, Braxton, Milem, & Sullivan, 2000; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Nora, Cabrera, Hagedorn, & Pascarella, 1996), but Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon (2004) found a lack of empirical backing for the influence of academic integration in residential universities. They suggest serious revisions to Tinto’s model, including dropping academic integration from the model and conceptually expanding toward six factors that influence social integration for residential students. Nevertheless, several studies find the two forms of integration to be interconnected (Tinto, 1998). When both forms occur, students are even more likely to persist (Stage, 1989), and one form of integration can act as a vehicle for the other form of integration, with high levels of social integration compensating for weaker academic integration (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1983; Stage, 1989; Tinto, 1975).
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