Date
4-2020
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)
Chair
Meredith Park
Keywords
Campus Safety, Clery Act, School Shootings, Title IX, Higher Education, Christian
Disciplines
Education | Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Bowen, Bradley Carlton, "Class Standing and Student Perceptions of Safety in Christian Higher Education: A Causal-Comparative Study" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2385.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2385
Abstract
Campus safety has become a significant topic in higher education. A dynamic environment including regulatory changes and notable criminal incidents has resulted in rapid changes in campus policy in the United States. Limited research has been conducted regarding stakeholder perceptions of campus safety, though research is lacking regarding campus safety in Christian higher education. Research is especially lacking among Christian institutions in the southeastern United States and in comparing student perceptions based on class standing. This causal-comparative study examined the results of a survey presented to undergraduate students at a Christian university to answer the question as to whether there are differences in student perceptions of campus safety based on class standing and gender. The adapted Perceptions of College Safety and Security scale was sent to undergraduate students at a suburban Christian university in upstate South Carolina. The survey results were compared via ANOVA based on class standing and again based on gender. The instrument as a whole showed no significant difference between students based on either gender or class standing, leading to a failure to reject the null hypothesis. Individual questions did show significant differences, leading to further discussion and recommendations for future research. Opportunities for future research including comparing student differences in perceptions of campus safety by comparing differences between students attending various Christian institutions in a variety of setting, comparisons of perceptions based on hometown or geographic region, perceptions of students during the college decision-making process, longitudinal studies, and comparisons of perceptions between different types of stakeholders (e.g. parents and students).
