On this page, we have posted research and papers on liberal arts education. Click the red links below to see details on topics.
Why Gather Evidence on the Liberal Arts?
Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education Research
Other Liberal Arts Education Research
Connecting Student Engagement with Liberal Arts Education
Why Gather Evidence on the Liberal Arts?
The Center of Inquiry developed "Defining Liberal Arts Education" to address this question. For many, the terms "liberal arts education" or "liberal education" encompass all of the very best pedagogies, goals, and accomplishments in higher education. Although striving for the "best" is certainly a laudable goal, we propose that a more precise definition of liberal arts education is needed if the term is to distinguish a certain form of education, as opposed to referring to any education that is good or has good components. Learn more about our approach to understanding liberal arts education and the working definition we developed to guide our research by reading the executive summary or full report. (pdf)The Center of Inquiry is leading the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, a large-scale, longitudinal study to investigate critical factors that affect the outcomes of liberal arts education, beginning in fall 2006. We are collaborating with research teams from from the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, and Miami University (Ohio). ACT, Inc. is assisting with the quantitative data collection and reporting.
The following is a list of research and conference papers drawn from the study. Click on links in red to see specific details.
Findings from the First Year (2006) – Two reports on overall findings and effective practices and experiences. Based on data from 3,081 first-year students at 19 institutions who began participating in the study in 2006.
Overall Research – Papers and articles on the development of psychological well-being in students from working-class and middle-class backgrounds, the use of longitudinal research in studying college impact, the effects of liberal arts experiences on outcomes, and the influence of race and socio-economic background on experiences of good practices.
Research from Student Interviews – Papers and articles on self-authorship, skill theory, diversity experiences, moral issues and experiences.
Related Work – Other papers and articles that reference the Wabash National Study, but that do not draw on findings from data or student interviews.
We now have solid evidence that students at institutions emphasizing liberal arts education achieve higher gains than students at other kinds of institutions. Liberal arts students do better in reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing ability, openness to challenge and diversity, and learning for self-understanding, among other things. Our evidence indicates that these positive results accrue from a liberal arts education, but not necessarily from attending a liberal arts college. Furthermore, we find that regardless of the type of institution, students can obtain these benefits by constructing a liberal arts education for themselves.
Do Liberal Arts Colleges Really Foster Good Practices in Liberal Arts Education? (pdf)
By Ernest T. Pascarella, Ty M. Cruce, Gregory C. Wolniak, and Charles F. Blaich
Presented at Association for the Study of Higher Education, November 12–16, 2003 and published in Journal of College Student Development, Vol. 45, No. 1, Jan/Feb 2004.
This study estimated the net effects of liberal arts colleges on 19 measures of good practices in undergraduate education. Liberal arts colleges evidenced stronger positive impacts on a broad range of empirically-vetted good practices in undergraduate education than did either research universities or regional institutions. The impact was most pronounced in the initial year of postsecondary education.
Intercollegiate Athletics and Liberal Arts Education
We believe that in the proper setting and perspective, athletics can make an important contribution to a liberal arts education. Consequently, The Game of Life: College Sports and Education Values by James Shulman and William Bowen sparked our interest. Initially, Charles Blaich and Robert Horton wrote a detailed review (pdf) of the book where they determined that some of Shulman and Bowen’s conclusions could not be applied to liberal arts colleges due to limited data or incomplete analyses. In order to address these issues, we gathered and analyzed data from 10 liberal arts colleges to replicate the analyses from the book. Our conclusions differed dramatically from Shulman and Bowen’s. Our work prompted further discussion of the relationship between intercollegiate athletics and institutional mission, and we expect this debate to continue.
Liberal Arts Colleges and Liberal Arts Education: New Evidence on Impacts
by Pascarella, E. T., Wolniak, G. C., Seifert, T. A., Cruce, T. M., Blaich, C. F. (2005)ASHE Higher Education Report (31).
A monograph summarizing the findings of a study that used two longitudinal datasets on 6,500 students and alumni at more than forty institutions about the effects of liberal arts education and liberal arts colleges on students' intellectual and personal growth. Available from Jossey-Bass.
Research on the Connections between Socioeconomic Status and Academic Major at Liberal Arts Colleges
Kimberly Goyette and Ann Mullen recently published a study on the connection between students' social and economic backgrounds and the academic majors they choose. We discuss these findings and consider the implications for liberal arts colleges.
Connecting the Dots: Multi-Faceted Analyses of the Relationships between Student Engagement Results from the NSSE, and the Institutional Practices and Conditions that Foster Student Success (pdf)
By George D. Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, Ty Cruce, Rick Shoup, and Robert M. Gonyea
This study, from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University Bloomington, looks at the relationships between student engagement and measures of college success for students from different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It connects colleges’ NSSE results with student demographics and data about students’ academic preparation, first-year grades, and retention to the second year. The study found that engagement in educationally effective practices has a compensatory effect on grade point average and persistence to the second year for students of color and lower ability students.
Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP)
The Center of Inquiry worked with the National Survey of Student Engagement Institute for Effective Educational Practice (NSSE Institute) and its Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project. The NSSE survey identifies institutions that are particularly effective at creating a strong learning environment; the DEEP study attempts to determine how those learning environments are created and sustained. Our partnership with DEEP ensured that the studies of effective practices include a significant number of institutions with a strong liberal arts character. Center of Inquiry researchers were part of the site visit teams for several of the project’s 20 selected campuses. Our work then shifted to analyzing data collected during these visits. We are beginning to use this data to better understand effective liberal arts education. In June 2004, the Center of Inquiry held a colloquium for representatives from the 12 baccalaureate-granting institutions that participated in DEEP to discuss how this information can be used most effectively on their campuses.
George Kuh and his associates at the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University have written a book about the DEEP project. Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter describes policies, programs, and practices that institutions used to enhance student achievement. For more information, or to purchase this book, visit Jossey-Bass online.
Expectations and Engagement: How Liberal Arts College Students Compare with Counterparts Elsewhere (pdf) A special report prepared for the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College
By Robert M. Gonyea, George D. Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, Ty Cruce, and Thomas F. Nelson-Laird
Faculty Do Matter: The Role of College Faculty in Student Learning and Engagement (pdf)
By Paul D. Umbach and Matthew R. Wawrzynski
This study explores the relationship between faculty practices and student engagement. Findings suggest that students report higher levels of engagement and learning at institutions where faculty members use active and collaborative learning techniques, engage students in experiences, emphasize higher-order cognitive activities in the classroom, interact with students, challenge students academically, and value enriching educational experiences. In general, faculty at liberal arts colleges are the most likely to engage their students.
Institutional Selectivity and Good Practices in Undergraduate Education: How Strong is the Link? (pdf)
By Ernest T. Pascarella, Ty Cruce, Paul D. Umbach, Gregory C. Wolniak, George D. Kuh, Robert M. Carini, John C. Hayek, Robert M. Gonyea, and Chun-Mei Zhao
Forthcoming in The Journal of Higher Education.
Academic selectivity plays a dominant role in the public's understanding of what constitutes institutional excellence or quality in undergraduate education. This study analyzed the effect of college selectivity on documented good practices in undergraduate education and found no meaningful relationship between selective admissions and the quality of college teaching.
Student Experiences with Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges: Another Claim for Distinctiveness (pdf)
By Paul D. Umbach and George D. Kuh
Paper prepared for presentation at the 43rd Annual Association for Institutional Research Forum, May 18–21, 2003, Tampa, FL.
While the evidence of the impact of diversity on educational outcomes is promising, we know relatively little about the factors and institutional conditions that promote and enhance students' experiences with diversity. This study used data from the 2002 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement to explore the impact of organizational and individual characteristics on student experiences with diversity-related activities. In addition, this study examines how diversity experiences interact with other student outcomes such as personal and educational growth, satisfaction, and participation in active and collaborative learning activities. Findings from this study suggest that liberal arts colleges create distinctive learning environments for students in terms of diversity experiences.
Umbach and Kuh developed this paper into an article, "Experiencing Diversity: What Can We Learn from Liberal Arts Colleges?" published in Liberal Education (Winter 2005; Vol 91, Num 1). Issues of this AAC&U journal are available for purchase until sold out. Individual issues are $10 for members, $14 for non-members.