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76
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION
This was one of few studies to have identified the sources of impact on the
identity development of sorority member students. The participant descriptions of
incidents and ratings provided rich data in regards to the identity development of
sorority member women. This chapter discusses the findings of the study.
First, the findings of this study are discussed in relation to sorority affiliation.
The second section describes the findings in regards to four key factors discussed in
the literature review: student involvement, relationships, crisis and autonomy. Next,
the findings are compared to empirical research on the negative impacts of Greek
affiliation and the conceptual research of Josselson and Chickering and Reisser.
Finally, the limitations of the study, directions for future research, implications for
practice and conclusion are addressed in this chapter.
Sorority Affiliation and Identity Development
Heida (1990) concluded that in regards to Greek organizations the “successes
are harder to detect than the failures” (p.3). In contrast, this study speaks to the many
successes of sorority organizations in providing educationally effective opportunities
to advance the identity development of its members. The results suggest that many
women thrive as a result of their sorority membership. Opportunities for
interpersonal relationships, leadership development and a psychological sense of
community are prevalent in the sorority setting. In addition, the interpersonal
Object Description
| Title | Student perspectives on identity development: describing the experiences sorority members perceive influenced their identity |
| Author | Sarkissian, Vergene |
| Author email | vergenes@usc.edu; sarkv@hotmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Education |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Education |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-05-13 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Restricted until 2 Oct. 2009. |
| Date published | 2009-10-02 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Goodyear, Rodney K. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Malloy, Courtney Espalin, Charles A. |
| Abstract | This qualitative study examined the college related sources of impact that sorority member students perceived affected their identity development. A variant of Flanagan's (1954) Critical Incident Technique was used to ask sorority members (n=70) to describe one or two critical incidents that they believed had affected their sense of self, and then to rate the immediate positivity of the incident, as well its eventual effect on their sense of self. Three doctoral students reviewed the 100 obtained incident reports, from which they developed 14 themes: Participating in rush an/or joining a sorority; Being elected or serving in a sorority leadership position; Dealing with crisis; Receiving the support of sisters with in the sorority network; Being elected or serving in a leadership position in a campus related organization; Learning about myself as a result of a romantic relationship; Making an important, independent decision for myself; Making a commitment to community service and outreach; Sorority affiliated judgment or rejection; Having an experience of failure; Making the transition from home to college; Studying abroad; Receiving personal or career guidance from others; Engaging in a selfless act of compassion. The findings of this study provide valuable insight and knowledge to the potential benefits of sorority affiliation in regards to college women's identity development. The findings also support previous research on women's identity development and suggest gender specific developmental pathways. In congruence with student development research and theory, experiences related to student involvement, relationship, autonomy and crisis were prevalent in the participant responses. The limitations of the study, recommendations for future research and implications for higher education practice are also presented. |
| Keyword | identity development; women's identity development; sorority membership; sorority network; student inolvement; leadership; relationships; mentorship; social capital; crisis; autonomy; study abroad |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Digitized by the University of Southern California |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1619 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Sarkissian, Vergene |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Sarkissian-2435 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume14/etd-Sarkissian-2435.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 84 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 76 CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION This was one of few studies to have identified the sources of impact on the identity development of sorority member students. The participant descriptions of incidents and ratings provided rich data in regards to the identity development of sorority member women. This chapter discusses the findings of the study. First, the findings of this study are discussed in relation to sorority affiliation. The second section describes the findings in regards to four key factors discussed in the literature review: student involvement, relationships, crisis and autonomy. Next, the findings are compared to empirical research on the negative impacts of Greek affiliation and the conceptual research of Josselson and Chickering and Reisser. Finally, the limitations of the study, directions for future research, implications for practice and conclusion are addressed in this chapter. Sorority Affiliation and Identity Development Heida (1990) concluded that in regards to Greek organizations the “successes are harder to detect than the failures” (p.3). In contrast, this study speaks to the many successes of sorority organizations in providing educationally effective opportunities to advance the identity development of its members. The results suggest that many women thrive as a result of their sorority membership. Opportunities for interpersonal relationships, leadership development and a psychological sense of community are prevalent in the sorority setting. In addition, the interpersonal |
