Typologies of College Student Interfaith Involvement in the First Year: A Latent Class Analysis

• In Event: Enhancing First-Year Student Success: Insights From Programs and Courses

Abstract

This paper explores how first-year college students engage with formalized social activities and programs that foreground religious, spiritual, and secular (RSS) diversity. By using a latent class analysis of a nationally representative sample of first-year students, the authors describe a typology of five classes of students and outline each group’s defining characteristics. Implications for educators interested in optimizing RSS engagement for all students are discussed.

Authors

• Laura S. Dahl, New York University

• Musbah Shaheen, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Matthew J. Mayhew, The Ohio State University