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Advocate Online
In the Know
Annual Freshman Survey
The American Freshman finds a stronger inclination toward social consciousness and community involvement in this year's freshman class compared with previous cohorts.
Freshmen in the class that began college in September 2005 show a marked tendency toward social concern and civic responsibility, say the authors of this year's annual freshman survey. Two-thirds of those surveyed agreed that it is essential or very important to help others who are in difficulty, the highest percentage in the last 25 years.
More than 263,000 incoming freshmen completed the annual national survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles at the beginning of the fall semester, answering hundreds of questions on such topics as their values, recreational habits, political preferences, family situations, and personal finances.
This year's freshmen also continued a downward trend in support for the military. Two-thirds disagree with the statement, “federal military spending should be increased, and 63.1 percent agreed that “only volunteers should serve in the armed forces.”
A new item on the survey found that 63 percent of freshmen believe “dissent is a critical component of the political process.” And, continuing the trend toward heightened social and political consciousness, 12 percent of the freshmen reported working in a local, state, or national political campaign during high school, the highest percentage since 1971, when the reported participation rate was 15.4 percent.
This year's survey also explored the differences between how men and women view higher education. Slightly more men than women said making more money was a “very important” factor in attending college and choosing a particular college (73.5 percent to 69 percent). On the other hand, more women than men said a top reason was “to learn more about things that interest me” (81.4 percent to 73.1 percent).
An equal proportion of men and women said they had decided to attend college to get a better job (72.1 and 72.2 percent, respectively). But their expectations for intellectual and personal development differed. For instance, 71 percent of women, but only 58.3 percent of men, cited gaining a general education and appreciation of ideas as a top motivation.
The annual Higher Education Research Institute survey is the nation's most comprehensive assessment of college student attitudes. For a summary of the survey, to order a copy, or to find out more about the institute go to www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.html.
| From The
Lectern |
I have no question that students who learn, not professors who perform, is what teaching is all about: students who learn are the finest fruit of teachers who teach. Nor do I doubt that students learn in diverse and wondrous ways, including ways that that bypass the teacher in the classroom and ways that require neither a classroom nor a teacher! But I am also clear that in lecture halls, seminar rooms, field settings, labs, and even electronic classrooms—the places where most people people receive most of their formal education—teachers possess the power to create conditions that can help students learn a great deal—or keep them from learning much at all. Teaching is the intentional act of creating those conditions.
— Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach . |
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