The Assimilation and Integration Processes: A Study of the Commitment Patterns During Students' Entry Into College

• Main Author: Pastori, Suzanne M.
• Format: Others
• Published: PDXScholar 1993
• Subjects: Portland State University > Students; College students > United States > Attitudes; Communication; Speech and Rhetorical Studies
• Online Access: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4693; https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5764&context=open_access_etds

This study examined the heuristic value of applying the organizational model of Jablin, Putnam, Roberts, and Porter (1987), who studied newcoming employees assimilating into an organization, to the study of newcoming students integrating into an educational institution. Three hundred and fifty-five college students were surveyed. I used an adapted version of Mowday, Porter, and Steer's (1982) Organizational Commitment Questionnaire. Two hypotheses were tested. Hypothesis One states: The higher the level of expressed commitment the more likely it is that the student will express the intention to remain. Hypothesis Two states: Within Terms One, Two, and Three, the higher the level of expressed commitment, the more likely it is that the student will express an intention to remain. A Pearson Correlation test revealed no significant correlation between commitment and intent to remain for either hypotheses. The high percentage of the subjects who reported that they were 80 to 100 percent certain that they intended to remain and receive their degree yet whose commitment levels were low, suggest that personal goal commitment to receiving their degree is stronger than commitment to the institution. Commitment to the institution was not supported. Therefore, it was determined that the organizational model had little heuristic value in leading to a clearer understanding of the integration process of college students. However, the survey was distributed to students attending an urban university. This element alone may be a mitigating factor in students' institutional commitment.