Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social consciousness of low-income college students in Taiwan: the effects of socioeconomic status and collegiate involvement

  • Published:
Asia Pacific Education Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined the socioeconomic status (SES), collegiate involvement, and social consciousness of low-income college students (LICSs) and higher-income college students (HICSs) in Taiwan. The study analyzed 1,453 LICSs and 1,453 HICSs from 156 colleges in Taiwan. The results showed that the two student groups exhibited different SESs and collegiate involvement; however, their social consciousness was similar. LICSs with highly educated parents and close relationships with their parents were approximately twice as likely to develop a high level of social consciousness as those without. Diverse collegiate involvement showed various effects, and collegiate involvement may neutralize authoritarian parenting on LICSs’ social consciousness. This study helps social and educational systems to design effective interventions to facilitate LICSs’ development of social consciousness.

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

References

  • Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college: Four critical years revisited. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banks, J. A. (2008). Diversity, group identity, and citizenship education in a global age. Educational Researcher, 37(3), 129–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berman, S. (1997a). Children’s social consciousness and the development of social responsibility. New York, NJ: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berman, S. (1997b). Children’s social consciousness and the development of social responsibility. New York: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackburn, W. R. (2012). The sustainability handbook: The complete management guide to achieving social, economic and environmental responsibility. Washington, DC: Environmental Law Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the class-room (p. 1). Washington, DC: ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, W. G., Chingos, M. M., & McPherson, M. S. (2009). Crossing the finish line: Completing college at America’s public universities. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bozick, R. (2007). Making it through the first year of college: The role of students’ economic resources, employment, and living arrangements. Sociology of Education, 80(3), 261–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braxton, J. M., Jones, W. A., Hirschy, A. S., & Hartley, H. V, I. I. I. (2008). The role of active learning in college student persistence. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 115, 71–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braxton, J. M., Milem, J. F., & Sullivan, A. S. (2000). The influence of active learning on the college student departure process: Toward a revision of Tinto’s theory. Journal of Higher Education, 71(5), 569–590.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, R. L. (2005). Measuring university quality. The Review of Higher Education, 29(1), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks-Gunn, J., Klebanov, P. K., & Liaw, F. R. (1995). The learning, physical, and emotional environment of the home in the context of poverty: The infant health and development program. Children and Youth Services Review, 17(1), 251–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chou, C. P. (2007). Beyond tuition: The analysis of college tuition in Taiwan. Journal of Educational Research, 154, 110–123. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Couper, M. P. (2000). Review: Web surveys: A review of issues and approaches. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64(4), 464–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • den Brok, P. J., Levy, J., Rodriguez, R., & Wubbels, T. (2002). Perceptions of Asian-American and Hispanic-American teachers and their students on teacher interpersonal communication style. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(4), 447–467. doi:10.1016/s0742-051x(02)00009-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dugan, J. P. (2006). Involvement and leadership: A descriptive analysis of socially responsible leadership. Journal of College Student Development, 47(3), 335–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, G. J., Yeung, W. J., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Smith, J. R. (1998). How much does childhood poverty affect the life chances of children? American Sociological Review, 63(3), 406–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engberg, M. E., & Allen, D. J. (2011). Uncontrolled destinies: Improving opportunity for low-income students in American higher education. Research in Higher Education, 52(8), 786–807.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grodsky, E., & Jackson, E. (2009). Social stratification in higher education. The Teachers College Record, 111(10), 2347–2384.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grootaert, C., & Van Bastelaer, T. (2002). Social capital: From definition to measurement. In C. Grootaert & T. Van Bastelaer (Eds.), Understanding and measuring social capital: A multidisciplinary tool for practitioners (pp. 41–84). Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (2009). Multivariate data analysis (6th ed.). New York, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, L. (2003). Student feedback [1]. Quality in Higher Education, 9(1), 3–20.

  • Hall, S. L., Forrester, S., & Borsz, M. (2008). A constructivist case study examining the leadership development of undergraduate students in campus recreational sports. Journal of College Student Development, 49(2), 125–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, C.-C. (2008). Resilience of poor college students’ life experiences. Unpublished thesis of National Chi Nan University, Nantou, Taiwan. (In Chinese).

  • Hsueh, J. (2004). Son of Taiwan in the developing society: Poor children and adolescents. Paper presented at the 2004 Annual Meeting of Population Association of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan. (In Chinese).

  • Huang, Y., & Chang, S. M. (2004). Academic and co-curricular involvement: Their relationship and the best combinations for student growth. Journal of College Student Development, 45(4), 391–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahne, J. E., & Sporte, S. E. (2008). Developing citizens: The impact of civic learning opportunities on students’ commitment to civic participation. American Educational Research Journal, 45(3), 738–766.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser, H. F. (1958). The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 23(3), 187–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser, H. F. (1960). The application of electronic computers to factor analysis. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20, 141–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, M. A., Connor, A., Kun, K. E., & Salmon, M. E. (2008). Social responsibility: Conceptualization and embodiment in a school of nursing. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 5(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R. W. (2011). Positive development in a disorderly world. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(2), 317–334. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00707.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luoh, M.-C. (2002). Who are NTU students? Differences across ethnic and gender groups and urban/rural discrepancy. Taiwan Economic Review, 30(1), 113–147. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Luoh, M.-C. (2004). Educational opportunities and family background in Taiwan. Taiwan Economic Review, 32(4), 417–445. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma, Y. (2009). Family socioeconomic status, parental involvement, and college major choices: Gender, race/ethnic, and nativity patterns. Sociological Perspectives, 52(2), 211–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLoyd, V. C. (1998). Socioeconomic disadvantage and child development. American Psychologist, 53(2), 185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLoyd, V. C., Kaplan, R., Purtell, K. M., Bagley, E., Hardaway, C. R., & Smalls, C. (2009). Poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage in adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Contextual influences on adolescent development (Vol. 2, pp. 444–491). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mead, G. H. (1910). Social consciousness and the consciousness of meaning. Psychological Bulletin, 7(12), 397–405. doi:10.1037/h0074293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muraskin, L., & Lee, J. (2004). Raising the graduation rates of low-income college students. Washington, DC: Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemi, H. (2002). Active learning: A cultural change needed in teacher education and schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(7), 763–780.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng, S.S. (2006). The university junior student survey at the 2006 academic year of the Taiwan Integrated Postsecondary Education Database. Retrieved May 21, 2013 from https://www.cher.ntnu.edu.tw/wp-content/uploads/file/report/report_92_edu1.pdf.

  • Perna, L. W., & Titus, M. A. (2005). The relationship between parental involvement as social capital and college enrollment: An examination of racial/ethnic group differences. The Journal of Higher Education, 76(5), 485–518. doi:10.1353/jhe.2005.0036.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pike, G. R., Kuh, G. D., & Massa-McKinley, R. (2009). First-year students’ employment, engagement, and academic achievement: Untangling the relationship between work and grades. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 45(4), 560–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renn, K. A., & Ozaki, C. C. (2010). Psychosocial and leadership identities among leaders of identity-based campus organizations. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 3(1), 14–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutten, E. A., Schuengel, C., Dirks, E., Stams, G. J. J., Biesta, G. J., & Hoeksma, J. B. (2011). Predictors of antisocial and prosocial behavior in an adolescent sports context. Social Development, 20(2), 294–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sax, L. J., & Wartman, K. L. (2010). Studying the impact of parental involvement on college student development: A review and agenda for research. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, 25, 219–255. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-8598-6_6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlitz, M. M., Vieten, C., & Miller, E. M. (2010). Worldview transformation and the development of social consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 17(7–8), 18–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, L., & Cleary, B. (2006). The influence of service learning on students’ personal and social development. College Teaching, 54(4), 307–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snavely, L. (Ed.). (2012). Student engagement and the academic library. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stott, K. A., & Jackson, A. P. (2005). Using service learning to achieve middle school comprehensive guidance program goals. Professional School Counseling, 9(2), 156–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taiwan Integrated Postsecondary Education Database. (2006). Survey procedure. Retrieved from https://www.cher.ntnu.edu.tw/?p=169.

  • Vandemoortele, J. (2004). Are the MDGs feasible? In R. Black & H. White (Eds.), Targeting development: Critical perspectives on the millennium development goals and international development targets (pp. 124–144). London: Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wadsworth, M. E., & Compas, B. E. (2002). Coping with family conflict and economic strain: The adolescent perspective. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 12(2), 243–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2004). What kind of citizen? The politics of educating for democracy. American Educational Research Journal, 41(2), 237–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Q., Ni, X., Liu, J., & Zhao, J. (2011). Research on psychological health of poor college students. In Y. Wang (Ed.), Education management, education theory and education application (pp. 445–449). Berlin: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Policy and Administration, National Chi Nan University, 1 University Road, Puli, Nantou, Taiwan

    Ching-Ling Wu

Authors
  1. Ching-Ling Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ching-Ling Wu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wu, CL. Social consciousness of low-income college students in Taiwan: the effects of socioeconomic status and collegiate involvement. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 15, 237–246 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-014-9316-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-014-9316-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation