Issue
27(1)
Liberal
Arts Colleges and Liberal Arts Education. New
Evidence on Impacts.
ASHE Higher Education Report.
(2005). E. Pascarella, G.C. Wolniak,
T.A.D. Seifert, T.M.Cruce, and C.F. Blaich. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 168 p. $26.00. ISBN #
0-7879-8123-0.
Review by: Jennifer
Daood
College
of Nursing
University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
In
Liberal Arts Colleges and Liberal Arts Education ,
Pascarella and associates discuss the effects of liberal arts
colleges and liberal arts education on students' developmental
and intellectual growth. The findings of this study may surprise
the reader.
Liberal
arts colleges and proponents of a liberal arts education seek
to cultivate strong teachings and provide supportive environments
for student learning. A common mission for liberal arts colleges
is the education of students regarding the importance of diversity
and making a contribution to the local and global community. In
addition, liberal arts education promotes educational values such
as knowing how to learn, listen, analyze and lead. With these
purposes in mind, liberal arts colleges strive to make a positive
impact on their students' personal and intellectual development.
The
study discussed in this text shed light on the positive outcomes
of a liberal education. The authors found that the greatest impact
on students' personal and intellect growth occurred predominantly
in the first academic year. Interestingly, when the study examined
the impact of liberal arts colleges and liberal arts education
on alumni, the findings show some significance. For instance,
liberal arts alumni reported a stronger satisfaction with their
undergraduate experience than students who graduated from a regional
or research university. Alumni from liberal arts colleges also
reported that their undergraduate experience had a stronger impact
on their intellectual and personal growth than did alumni from
research based universities. In addition, alumni from liberal
arts colleges also felt a stronger sense of citizenship.
Nevertheless,
Pascarella and Associates are quick to emphasis that even though
their findings found liberal arts colleges and liberal arts education
to have some significance on students learning, the combination
of teaching and supportive environment can, and does, happen at
research universities.
This
book is recommended to those who enjoy reading research studies.
Few studies provide data that stretches across 40 institutions
and includes 6500 students. This study demonstrates that liberal
arts colleges and liberal arts education continue to provide good
practices that all institutions can emulate regardless of institutional
type.
