Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Influence of Campus Climate and Interfaith Engagement on Self-Authored Worldview Commitment and Pluralism Orientation Across Sexual and Gender Identities

  • Published:
Research in Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which LGBT students were oriented toward pluralism and self-authored worldview commitment, as well as the conditional effects of campus climate and interfaith engagement on pluralism and worldview commitment by sexual orientation and gender identity. Drawing on data from 13,776 student respondents to the Campus Religious and Spiritual Climate Survey at 52 institutions, results indicated the positive role of LGBT identity status in relation to self-authored worldview commitment and pluralism orientation, as well as the differential effects of some aspects of campus climate in shaping pluralism and commitment among LGB students relative to heterosexual students. Implications are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The use of the term trans* is meant as inclusive of those who operate outside of traditional boundaries of gender identity (e.g. transgender, transsexual, gender queer, gender non-conforming).

  2. We use the acronym LGBT as inclusive of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender identity spaces. When speaking solely of sexual orientation, we use LGB.

  3. Cisgender refers to the experience of individuals whose gender identity aligns with their biological sex assigned at birth.

  4. Agnosticism, Atheism, Baha’i faith, Buddhism, Christianity-Latter Day Saint, Christianity-Orthodox, Christianity-Protestant, Christianity-Roman Catholic, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Native American Tradition(s), Non-religious, None, Paganism, Secular Humanism, Sikhism, Spiritual, Unitarian Universalism, Zoroastrianism, Another Worldview.

  5. Mainline and evangelical Christians were distinguished by a question asked of all Protestant Christians, “Do you consider yourself an evangelical or born-again Christian?”

References

  • Abes, E. S., & Jones, S. R. (2004). Meaning-making capacity and the dynamics of lesbian college students’ multiple dimensions of identity. Journal of College Student Development, 45(6), 612–632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abes, E. S., Jones, S. R., & McEwen, M. K. (2007). Reconceptualizing the model of multiple dimensions of identity: The role of meaning-making capacity in the construction of multiple identities. Journal of College Student Development, 48(1), 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Astin, A. W., & Astin, H. S. (2010). Exploring and nurturing the spiritual life of college students. Journal of College and Character, 11(3), 1–9. doi:10.2202/1940-1639.1724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Astin, A. W., Astin, H. S., & Lindholm, J. A. (2011). Cultivating the spirit: How college can enhance students’ inner lives. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2001). Making their own way: Narratives for transforming higher education to promote self-development. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2008). Three elements of self-authorship. Journal of College Student Development, 49(4), 269–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2009). Authoring your life: Developing an internal voice to navigate life’s challenges. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2010). The interweaving of epistemological, intrapersonal, and interpersonal development in the evolution of self-authorship. In M. B. BaxterMagolda, E. F. Creamer, & P. S. Meszaros (Eds.), Development and assessment of self-authorship (pp. 25–43). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beemyn, B. G. (2005). Making campuses more inclusive of transgender students. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education, 3(1), 77–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beemyn, G., & Rankin, S. (2011). The lives of transgender people. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bilodeau, B. (2009). Genderism: Transgender students, binary systems and higher education. Saarbrücken: Verlag Dr. Müller.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bilodeau, B., & Renn, K. A. (2005). Analysis of LGBT identity development models and implications for practice. In R. L. Sanlo (Ed.), Sexual orientation and gender identity. New directions for student services (Vol. 111, pp. 25–40). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. D., Clarke, B., Gortmaker, V., & Robinson-Keilig, R. (2004). Assessing the campus climate for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) students using a multiple perspectives approach. Journal of College Student Development, 45, 8–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, A. N. (2011a). The impact of campus context, college encounters, and religious/spiritual struggle on ecumenical worldview development. Research in Higher Education, 52(5), 441–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, A. N. (2011b). Ecumenical worldview development by gender, race, and worldview: A Multiple-group analysis of model invariance. Research in Higher Education, 52(5), 460–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, A. N., Wickliffe, K., Mayhew, M. J., & Bartell Behringer, L. (2009). Developing an assessment of college students’ spiritual experiences: The collegiate religious and spiritual climate survey. Journal of College and Character, 10(2), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, M., Dzelme, K., Harris, D., & Hecker, L. (2001). Challenges of being simultaneously gay or lesbian and spiritual and/or religious: A narrative perspective. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 29(5), 435–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cass, V. C. (1979). Homosexual identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality, 4, 219–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. The University of Chicago Legal Forum, 139, 139–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • D’Augelli, A. R. (1994). Identity development and sexual orientation: Toward a model of lesbian, gay, and bisexual identity development. In E. J. Trickett, R. J. Watts, & D. Birman (Eds.), Human diversity: Perspectives on people in context (pp. 312–333). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodson, J. E., Montgomery, B. L., & Brown, L. J. (2009). “Take the fifth”: Mentoring students whose cultural communities were not historically structured into U.S. higher education. Innovative Higher Education, 34, 185–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubrow, J. K. (2008). How can we account for intersectionality in quantitative analysis of survey data? Empirical illustration for Central and Eastern Europe. ASK, 17, 85–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eck, D. L. (1993). Encountering god: A spiritual journey from Bozeman to Banaras. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eck, D. (n.d.). What is pluralism? Cambridge, MA: Pluralism Project at Harvard University. http://pluralism.org/pages/pluralism/whatispluralism.

  • Engberg, M. E. (2007). Educating the workforce for the 21st century: A cross-disciplinary analysis of the impact of the undergraduate experience on students’ development of a pluralistic orientation. Research in Higher Education, 48, 283–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, N., & Broido, E. (2002). The experiences of lesbian and bisexual women in college residence halls: Implications for addressing homophobia and heterosexism. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 6(3/4), 29–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garber, L. (2002). Weaving a wide net: The benefits of integrating campus projects to combat homophobia. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 6(3–4), 21–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garvey, J. C., & Inkelas, K. K. (2012). Exploring relationships between sexual orientation and satisfaction with faculty and staff interactions. Journal of Homosexuality, 59(8), 1167–1190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garvey, J. C., Taylor, J. L., & Rankin, S. R. (2014). An examination of campus climate for LGBTQ community college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 39(6), 527–541.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, J. M., Mottet, L. A., Tanis, J., Harrison, J., Herman, J. L., & Keisling, M. (2011). Injustice at every turn: A report of the national transgender discrimination survey. Washington, DC: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart, J., & Lester, J. (2011). Starring students: Gender performance at a women’s college. NASPA Journal About Women in Higher Education, 4(2), 193–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurtado, S., Milem, J. F., Clayton-Pederson, A. R., & Allen, W. R. (1998). Enhancing campus climates for racial/ethnic diversity: Educational policy and practice. The Review of Higher Education, 21(3), 279–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaschik, S. (2014). The right to expel. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/25/2-christian-colleges-win-title-ix-exemptions-give-them-right-expel-transgender.

  • Jones, S. R., & McEwen, M. K. (2000). A conceptual model of multiple dimensions of identity. Journal of College Student Development, 41(4), 405–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lease, S. H., Horne, S. G., & Noffsinger-frazier, N. (2005). Affirming faith experiences and psychological health for Caucasian lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(3), 378–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Love, P. G. (1998). Cultural barriers facing lesbian, gay, and bisexual students at a Catholic college. The Journal of Higher Education, 69(3), 298–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Love, P., Bock, M., Jannarone, A., & Richardson, P. (2005). Identity interaction: Exploring the spiritual experiences of lesbian and gay college students. Journal of College Student Development, 46(2), 193–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahalingam, R. (2007). Culture, power and psychology of marginality. In A. Fuligni (Ed.), Contesting stereotypes and creating identities Social categories, social identities, and educational participation (pp. 42–65). New York, NY: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayhew, M. J. (2012). A multi-level examination of college and its influence on ecumenical worldview development. Research in Higher Education, 53(3), 282–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayhew, M. J., & Bryant Rockenbach, A. N. (2013). Achievement or arrest? The influence of the collegiate religious and spiritual climate on students’ worldview commitment. Research in Higher Education, 54(1), 63–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayhew, M. J., Rockenbach, A. N., & Bowman, N. A. (in press). The connection between interfaith engagement and self-authored worldview commitment. Journal of College Student Development.

  • Mayhew, M. J., Simonoff, J. S., Baumol, W. J., Wiesenfeld, B. M., & Klein, M. W. (2012). Exploring innovative entrepreneurship and its ties to higher educational experiences. Research in Higher Education, 53(8), 831–859.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCall, L. (2005). The complexity of intersectionality. Signs, 30, 1771–1800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCarn, S. R., & Fassinger, R. E. (1996). Revisioning sexual minority identity formation: A new model of lesbian identity and its implications for counseling and research. Counseling Psychologist, 24, 508–534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKinney, J. S. (2005). On the margins: A study of the experiences of transgender college students. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education, 3(1), 63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milem, J. F. (2003). The educational benefits of diversity: Evidence from multiple sectors. In M. J. Chang, D. Witt, J. Jones, & K. Hakuta (Eds.), Compelling interest: Examining the evidence on racial dynamics in higher education (pp. 126–169). Stanford, CA: Stanford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel, E., & Meyer, C. (2010). Defining religious pluralism: A response to Robert McKim. Journal of College and Character, 11(2). http://www.naspa.org/publications/journals/journal-of-college-and-character.

  • Pizzolato, J. E. (2003). Developing self-authorship: Exploring the experiences of high-risk students. Journal of College Student Development, 44, 797–812.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pizzolato, J. E. (2005). Creating crossroads for self-authorship: Investigating the provocative moment. Journal of College Student Development, 46, 624–641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rankin, S. (2003). Campus climate for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people: A national perspective. Cambridge: The Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reason, R. D., Terenzini, P. T., & Domingo, R. J. (2006). First things first: Developing academic competence in the first year of college. Research in Higher Educaion, 47(2), 149–175. doi:10.1007/s11162-005-8884-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinsmith-Jones, K. (2013). Transsexualism as a model of spiritual transformation: Implications. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 9(1), 65–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rockenbach, A. B., & Mayhew, M. J. (2013). How the collegiate religious and spiritual climate shapes students’ ecumenical orientation. Research in Higher Education, 54(4), 461–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rockenbach, A. N., Mayhew, M. J., Morin, S., Crandall, R., & Selznick, B. (2015). Fostering the pluralism orientation of college students through interfaith action and informal peer engagement. Review of Higher Education, 39, 25–58.

  • Spring Arbor University (2014). Student handbook. http://2yskz12ufu7l2va2ns2tirdn75i.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Undergraduate-Student-Handbook.pdf.

  • Stage, F. K. (2007). Answering critical questions using quantitative data. New Directions for Institutional Research, 13, 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umbach, P. D., & Kuh, G. D. (2006). Student experiences with diversity at liberal arts colleges: Another claim for distinctiveness. Journal of Higher Education, 77, 169–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development, North Carolina State University, 300 N Poe Hall, Box 7801, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7801, USA

    Alyssa N. Rockenbach

  2. Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA

    Tiffani A. Riggers-Piehl

  3. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    Jason C. Garvey

  4. New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Marc A. Lo & Matthew J. Mayhew

Authors
  1. Alyssa N. Rockenbach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tiffani A. Riggers-Piehl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jason C. Garvey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marc A. Lo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Matthew J. Mayhew
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alyssa N. Rockenbach.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rockenbach, A.N., Riggers-Piehl, T.A., Garvey, J.C. et al. The Influence of Campus Climate and Interfaith Engagement on Self-Authored Worldview Commitment and Pluralism Orientation Across Sexual and Gender Identities. Res High Educ 57, 497–517 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-015-9395-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-015-9395-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation