Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1996

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Education

Major Professor

Norma T. Mertz

Committee Members

Jeffrey P. Aper, E. Grady Bogue, Kathleen B. deMarrais, Dwight L. Teeter Jr

Abstract

The rights of students to express themselves freely on state university campuses have been debated and affirmed, in most cases, by American federal courts. The issues are not so clear-cut, however, when the discussion shifts to expressive rights for students on private college campuses. The purpose of this study was to examine student expression in one segment of American higher education, evangelical Christian colleges, and explore the ways in which this expression is limited on these campuses.

The study consisted of students, faculty, staff, and administrators at three evangelical Christian colleges. Data were collected from twenty-two individual and focus group interviews involving sixty-five participants from colleges for which pseudonyms were assigned - Alpha College, Beta College, and Delta College. A thirty-seven item survey was developed by the researcher and was given to each interview participant as well as to a randomly selected group of students, faculty, staff, and administrators. One hundred and seventy-four surveys were returned. Artifact data and field notes, together with interview and survey data, formed the basis of the findings.

Seven basic findings emerged from the data. They were: (1) Limitations on student free expression do exist on evangelical Christian college campuses. Ten categories of limitations were identified; (2) Biblical principles and standards are primary considerations when determining the appropriateness of imposing limitations on student expression on evangelical Christian college campuses; (3) A paradox and tension exists between the "Christian" and "college" concepts in defining acceptable standards and limitations of expression on evangelical Christian college campuses; (4) Evangelical Christian colleges perceive themselves to be more tolerant than secular colleges in regard to students' rights to freely express themselves on more conservative/religious issues; (5) Students on evangelical Christian college campuses exercise a peer and self-censorship that is perceived to be more restrictive on student expression than administrative and faculty views and regulations; (6) Students are more conservative than non-students in both their perceptions of the status of free expression and their beliefs about the appropriateness of limitations on student expression on evangelical Christian college campuses; and (7) Various groups within the evangelical Christian college community exercise influence on limitations of student expression on these campuses.

This study informs church leaders as well as educators of the impact of expression issues on both faith and academic inquiry and has significant implications for the spiritual and academic formation of students, policy development of the colleges, and the relationship between the two.

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