04/01/2014

The Value of Greek Life Membership and Career Development

By Mary-Catherine McClain

The Study

 

In addition to exploring several gaps within the literature, the present research sought to move beyond common stereotypes (e.g., stuck up, cocky, party animal, slut, stupid) associated with Greek-letter organizations to examine potential advantages of being involved in sororities or fraternities (DeBard, Lake, & Binder, 2006).

 

The primary research question of the study explored how membership in a Greek-letter organization influenced career development outcomes across the following areas: vocational identity (Holland, 1997); career decision-making self-efficacy (Lent, 2005); and goal instability (Robbins and Patton, 1985). Grade point average served as a moderating variable. Participants included 436 senior students, 231 of them non-affiliated and 205 actively affiliated with a sorority or fraternity at a large public university. Results demonstrated that members of Greek-letter organizations reported higher levels of vocational identity, career decision-making self-efficacy, and goal directedness than non-Greek members. Men and women did not differ significantly on the career development variables tested. In other words, gender had no effect for either group. It should also be noted that non-Greek members (M = 3.43) reported a slightly higher GPA than Greek members (M = 3.38), although no statistically significant difference was found.

 

Key Benefits

 

  1. Vocational Identity: Establishing a sense of self is related to involvement in student communities and social organizations (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Astin, 1996). Sororities and fraternities provide members opportunities to identify interests, learn about different cultures, and interact with others, whether during philanthropy events or recruitment/rush, or while mediating chapter disputes, competing in intramural sports, or voting on chapter policies and procedures.

 

  1. Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy: Social persuasion, vicarious learning, emotional arousal, and performance accomplishments are key factors that foster higher levels of self-efficacy. Greek life provides countless experiential learning opportunities and avenues to receive social support, all of which can foster positive self-efficacy beliefs. Similarly, members are often paired with a big brother or big sister for encouragement and have access to upperclassmen, often serving as academic tutors or mentors. Winning Greek week, raising money for philanthropy organizations, or building homecoming floats represent examples of potential performance accomplishments.

 

  1. Goal Instability: Students who possess values, life goals, and overall goal directedness are more likely to be motivated and successful in the future (Oishi, 2000). A strong sense of self, which typically leads to higher levels of self-efficacy, is related to better motivation. On the other hand, confusion about the self is associated with more difficult college adjustment, disorientation, and goal instability (Castillas et al., 2006). Members of Greek-letter organizations demonstrate goal commitment when they pay financial dues, attend chapter meetings, or meet curfew requirements if living in a house. Likewise, due to numerous chapter obligations and events, members likely have to learn better time-management skills. Similarly, academic probation may be used to enforce better study habits.

 

Implications for Practice

 

 

 

 

 

In summary, research suggests that membership in Greek communities can provide an enriched environment that not only builds a sense of connection and friendships, but also a deeper vocational identity, higher self-efficacy, and more goal directedness. Leadership, academic support, and alumni networking represent other key benefits of participating in sororities and fraternities.

 

 

References

 

Astin, A.W. (1996). Involvement in learning revisited: Lessons we have learned. Journal of College Student Development, 37, 123-134.

 

Casillas, A., Schulz, E., Robbins, S. B., Santons, P.J., & Lee, R. M. (2006). Exploring the meaning of motivation across cultures: IRT analyses of the goal instability scale. Journal of Career Assessment, 14, 472-489 doi:10.1177/1069072705283764

 

Chickering, A. W., & Reisser L. (1993). Education and identity (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

 

DeBard, R., Lake, T., & Binder, R. (2006). Greeks and grades: The first-year experience. NASPA Journal, 43, 56-68. doi:10.2202/1949-6605.1571

 

Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL:  Psychological Assessment Resources.

 

Lent, R. W. (2005). A social cognitive view of career development and counseling. In S. D. Brown & R.W. Lent, (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 101-127). New York: Wiley.

 

Oishi, S. (2000). Goals and cornerstones of subjective well-being: Linking individuals and cultures. In E. Diener & M. Suh (Eds.), Culture and subjective well-being (pp. 87-112), Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. doi:10.1177/01461672012712010

 

Reardon, R. & Bertoch, S. (2011). Revitalizing educational counseling: How career theory can inform a forgotten practice. The Professional Counselor, 1, 109-121.

 

Robbins, S. B., & Patton, M. J. (1985). Self-psychology and career development: Construction of the superiority and goal instability scales. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32, 221-231. doi:10.1037//0022-0167.32.2.221

 


 

Meet Mary-Catherine McClain at the NCDA 2014 Global Career Development Conference in Long Beach, CA. Her Roundtable Presentation, Greek Life Membership and Career Development Outcomes (#5-11) is Friday, June 20, 2014, 2:30 pm.


 

Mary Catherine McClainMary-Catherine McClain is a pre-doctoral intern at the Johns Hopkins University Counseling Center in Baltimore, MD. She is also a doctoral candidate in the Combined Counseling Psychology and School Psychology program at Florida State University, and will complete a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Georgia next year. Mary-Catherine’s professional interests include substance abuse treatment, eating disorders, career counseling, ADHD coaching, and identity exploration. She may be reached at the Johns Hopkins University Counseling Center, 3003 North Charles Street, Suite 200, Baltimore, Maryland. Phone: 864-934-2322; Email: mcmmcclain@gmail.com

 

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