UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES - GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND INFORMATION STUDIES

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Reinforcing Differences: College and the Gender Gap

Linda J. Sax

Although the field of higher education is saturated with studies on college impact, surprisingly little research examines whether college differentially affects men and women students. It is important to question how and why gender influences the college experience.  Do the factors that influence student development operate differently for male and female students?  In other words, do certain college environments or experiences have stronger or weaker effects on women than on men?

This book (in process) addresses these questions by analyzing the impact of college separately for male and female students.  Data are drawn from a nationally representative sample of approximately 20,000 college women and men who completed both the 1994 CIRP Freshman Survey and the 1998 College Student Survey.  The book examines the impact of college experiences on a comprehensive array of student outcomes in the areas of academic achievement, self-concept, life goals, career development, physical and emotional health, political and social attitudes, and satisfaction with college. 

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