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Degree

Master of Education, University of Toledo, Higher Education, 2009.

Abstract

The research question this thesis answers is why do students choose to attend selected Midwestern Christian liberal arts institutions for their education. The literature indicates that there are many different factors influencing college choice, and there are three different phases of college choice: the decision to go to college, of where to apply, and of where to enroll. This study will address all three stages, but focus on the third. To answer the research question, 20 first-year college students were interviewed using an interview guide for 30 minutes each, 10 at a Midwestern Christian liberal arts college and 10 at a Midwestern Christian liberal arts university. The interviews were transcribed and data was lifted from the transcriptions through a typological content analysis, which allowed the researcher to compare the themes of college choice found in the research to those in the literature. The final chapter examines how the influences indicated by the study participants have implications for the endurance of Christian liberal arts colleges in our current time and also has recommendations for further study.

Subject Headings

Educational sociology; Higher education; Religious education

Keywords

Christian liberal arts; christian; college choice; student choice; liberal arts; Midwestern college; spirituality; factors determining choice

Committee / Advisors

Dr. David Meabon (Committee Chair)
Dr. Snejana Slantcheva-Durst (Advisor)

Pages

86p.

Document number: toledo1239673636
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1239673636

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