FACTORS RELATED TO STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN CAMPUS SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS.

This study examines student participation in formal organizations. The five social participation categories were the four quartiles for the sample, labeled as None, Low, Middle--in the order of increasing participation. Chapin Social Participation Scale reports the reliability coefficient as .887. Social adjustment was measured by the Washburne Social Adjustment Inventory. The chi square was employed to test for statistically significant relationships between participation scores and various background factors such as age, employment and marital status. The data for the study were collected from a random sample of students in a large midwestern university. Of the background factors studied, sex, age, marital status, and military status are significantly related to social participation. Women participate more than do men. The older the student, the less likely he is to participate. Among men, traveling time to campus and mode of travel are related significantly to social participation. Women who participate date significantly more than do low participants or non-participants. Men in the middle and low participant categories are more active in sports than those in the high or non-participant categories. Place of residence is an important factor in social participation. For the females, however, the mean social adjustment scores increased with decreased participation.