Rowan University Rowan Digital Works Theses and Dissertations 8-30-2017 Exploring student use of social networking services (SNS) surrounding moral development, gender, campus crime, safety, & the Clery Act: a mixed methods study Haley Baum Rowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://rdw.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Baum, Haley, "Exploring student use of social networking services (SNS) surrounding moral development, gender, campus crime, safety, & the Clery Act: a mixed methods study" (2017). Theses and Dissertations.edu/etd/2469 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Rowan Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Rowan Digital Works. For more information, please contact graduateresearch@rowan.
EXPLORING STUDENT USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICES (SNS) SURROUNDING MORAL DEVELOPMENT, GENDER, CAMPUS CRIME, SAFETY, & THE CLERY ACT: A MIXED METHODS STUDY by Haley Baum A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Educational Services and Leadership College of Education In partial fulfillment of the requirement For the degree of Doctor of Education at Rowan University July 31, 2017 Dissertation Chair: Monica Reid Kerrigan, Ed. © 2017 Haley Baum Dedications I would like to dedicate this dissertation in the memory of Jeanne Clery and her unwavering parents, Howard and Connie Clery. Furthermore, I dedicate this work to the students who have yet to find their voice; to those who struggle with campus violence and unsafe situations; to those who are different; those who are othered, and questioned in every sense of their humanity simply because of those they are; and to those who persevere, each day, through it all. Finally, this study is dedicated to my grandmother, Ursula Peckerman, my hero, biggest supporter, and inspiration in all that I do.
You are my favorite person. Acknowledgements I am extremely lucky and grateful for the support of so many incredible people throughout this journey. No words could ever adequately express the appreciation I feel for those who stuck by me through the peaks and valleys of it all. Infinite thanks to my committee: Dr.
Johnson and especially to my chair, Dr. Kerrigan, who is an amazing scholar and person. My time spent with Dr. Kerrigan has forever changed me, her passion for research and education inspire me to work harder and be better, and her commitment to students is immeasurable.
Thank you for your time! Thank you to my immediate family: my parents Stanley and Rosalee who taught me about persistence and the value of hard work, my brother Evan and sister in law Beth, two of the most intelligent people I have ever met. In the memory of my grandfather Mel who was a true example of doing the right thing, grandmother Arlene, Aunt Jenny, and great Oma who survived two wars so I could write this. Finally, to my grandmother Ursula, to whom this dissertation is dedicated. Your love and support carried me through.
Special thanks to my partner Colleen, my rock, the one who experienced the sacrifice and joy behind every word of this document more than anyone. Col, thank you for being the best part of me and for treating this process as a goal, for both of us and especially for making me laugh at life and at myself. Thank you for loving me as I am, every day. Thank you to my Stockton colleagues and Rowan cohort.
To the mentors, student affairs professionals, and leaders from whom I have the distinct pleasure of learning. To the students who teach me every day how to be a better leader and person. You have become my family and that is the greatest gift. May my gratitude continue in how I live my life.
iv Abstract Haley Baum EXPLORING STUDENT USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICES (SNS) SURROUNDING MORAL DEVELOPMENT, GENDER, CAMPUS CRIME, SAFETY, & THE CLERY ACT: A MIXED METHODS STUDY 2016-2017 Monica Reid Kerrigan, Ed. Doctor of Education The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to explore college students’ use of social networking services (SNS); examining how and why they communicate about campus safety information. This study took place at Stockton University, a regional state institution in NJ. Undergraduate students took part in an online quantitative questionnaire and then follow up face-to-face qualitative interviews with a section of the questionnaire participants.
Focus was placed on how and why students communicate crime and safety information to discuss how this may relate to their moral development and decision-making. Using Kohlberg and Gilligan as a guide to understand choices made about safety, and in what ways these choices reflect progression of moral development. Gregory and Janosik’s (2003) seven purposes of the Clery Act were used in order to understand if the preventative goals that the Clery Act mandate are being actualized with respect to how current college students communicate and make decisions about safety. Four main themes were identified from this study: students were unaware of the Clery Act, SNS was widely used and impacts information access and sharing, face-to-face communication is preferred for important topics, and students perceived that women use SNS differently and are impacted by crime and safety differently as well.
v Table of Contents Abstract .v List of Figures. xii List of Tables. xiii Chapter 1: Introduction .8 Significance of the Study .12 Chapter 2: Literature Review .18 Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development .22 Definition of Moral Development Stages .27 Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development .33 Gregory and Janosik’s Seven Purposes of the Clery Act .36 The Clerys Changed Campus Crime Reporting Forever .38 Overview of Clery Reportable Crimes .40 Clery Updates and Amendments .43 Implications of Clery Noncompliance. 46 Defining and Understanding Social Networking Services (SNS) .50 vi Table of Contents (continued) Summary of SNS Referenced in This Study.59 SNS’s Impact on Development and Decision-Making .64 Faculty Updates Reflect Student Use of SNS .79 Sampling and Participants.81 Sampling and Participants.89 vii Table of Contents (continued) Representing and Interpreting Quantitative Data .91 Representing and Interpreting Qualitative Data .93 Validating the Data and Results.100 Questionnaire Data Preparation and Analysis .101 Interview Data Preparation and Analysis .102 Quantitative Participant Background Information .111 Qualitative Participant Background Information .112 Introduction of Findings .113 Questionnaire Responses Around SNS .116 Use of SNS .116 viii Table of Contents (continued) SNS and Crime .118 Use of Clery .121 Clery and SNS.122 Face-to-Face Communication .125 Clery and Gender .127 Quantitative Data Summary.136 Quantitative Finding 1 Expanded: Students are Unaware of the Clery Act .138 Overall Experience with Safety at Stockton .138 Accessing Crime and Safety Information .139 Clery Act Awareness and Use .141 Responsibility and Crime and Safety Information .142 Quantitative Finding 2 Expanded: SNS Used Widely, Impacts Information Access and Safety.143 SNS’s Impact on Perceptions of Safety .146 Questioning Your Own Safety .148 Impact on Campus Safety .151 Quantitative Finding 3 Expanded: Face-to-Face Communication for Safety Concerns .152 If You Feel Unsafe .152 Communicating Safety Information .153 ix Table of Contents (continued) The RA Difference .154 Finding 4: Students Perceive That Women Use SNS Differently, and Are Impacted by Campus Crime and SNS Use Differently.156 SNS Use and Gender .156 Women and Violent Campus Crime .157 Transgender/other Communication and Violent Crime.160 Women Perceived to Care Differently.161 Qualitative Data Summary.166 Chapter 5: Discussion and Implications .167 Discussion of Themes by Research Question .169 Research Question One .178 Research Question Two .182 Research Question Three .189 x Table of Contents (continued) Implications.208 Appendix A: Quantitative Questionnaire Email Protocol .221 Appendix B: Quantitative Instrument .223 Appendix C: Qualitative Interview Protocol .228 Appendix D: Quantitative Research Study Informed Consent Form .230 Appendix E: Qualitative Research Study Informed Consent Form .233 Appendix F: Qualitative Instrument .236 xi List of Figures Figure Page Figure 1.
Visual model for mixed methods sequential explanatory design procedures .79 xii List of Tables Table Page Table 1. Qualitative Interview Participants by Category and Pseudonym. Questionnaire Participant Background Information. Quantitative and Qualitative Findings and Results.
Use of SNS and Crime. Crime and Safety and SNS. Questionnaire Participant Communication Choices. Gender and Clery Act Awareness.
Gender and SNS Use. Greek Life and Clery Act Awareness. Gender and SNS Influence on Safety Decisions. Gender, Safety, and SNS Communication Choice .136 xiii Chapter 1 Introduction Today, in 2017, the way that college students communicate is exceptionally different from just five to 10 years ago (Streeter, 2015).
Millennial students are using social media and technology in ways that no other generation has before them, and they are becoming less mindful of the impact of their free sharing mobile paradigms (Barnes & Lescault, 2011; Prinstein, 2015, as cited in Streeter, 2015). This same generation, has been noted to disregard the need for a landline phone, but flock to Facebook and Twitter, and engage in the sending and receiving of upwards of 50 text messages every day (Barnes & Lescault, 2011). There have been major advancements surrounding how information is accessed and understood, many of which pertain to technology and mobile platforms that allow users instant access to a wide variety of both content and means of communicating (Boyd & Ellison, 2008). This has transformed the way that students interact on campus, and beyond.
In addition, higher education leaders have made changes to the way they engage with students that reflect modern use of technology and social media (McIntire, 2015). As these innovations have transpired, little has been done to explore the impact and influence that these significant changes have on how students communicate and make decisions about safety on campus. I suggest that the shift from face-to-face communication to social networking services (SNS) has affected both student decision-making and behavior surrounding campus crime and safety. The Clery Act, named for Jeanne Clery, a victim of a violent campus crime that occurred in the spring of 1987, dictates how institutions of higher education report and communicate campus crime and safety information.
A fundamental component of the 1 Clery Act is communication and access to preventative information that serves to inform students about their safety (Gregory & Janosik, 2003). There is a considerable gap present in the current research surrounding the effectiveness of the Clery Act in proactively protecting college students and its intended goals as they relate to student communication and moral development. As the Clery Act mandates why, when, and how students receive information about campus crime, a parallel can be drawn between the way that current college students communicate and make decisions about safety and the dramatic shift in communication style from face-to-face to SNS. Wilcox, Jordan, and Pritchard (2007) discussed deficiencies seen with the Clery Act, citing that the Act exists to inform and warn individuals on college campuses but does not accomplish these objectives.
In many cases the Clery Act, and the documentation made by campuses to comply, serves as nothing more than a symbol of what the campus should be doing to protect its community (Wilcox, Jordan, & Pritchard, 2007). In order to make a shift to actualizing what the Clery Act was designed to be and to do, information needs to be gathered on how students are accessing and understanding the important information contained in the Act’s annual security report and various other warning and prevention notices. To understand how higher education leaders can keep our campuses safe, how and why students are making decisions about their own safety, and if these decisions relate to changes in contemporary means of communication must be examined. Through the study, I sought to understand how and why students receive campus crime information to know if SNS is influencing student behavior and moral development 2 around campus crime.
As we have shifted the way we communicate and access information, crimes have changed as well. This can be seen through the rise in sexual assault and sexual violence incidents being reported and recent campus shootings, which have radically increased over the last five years (White House Not Alone Report, 2014).