Ten Years Later: Understanding How Liberal Arts Experiences Influence Well-Being and Civic Engagement

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 12:40 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Division J - Section 1: College Student Learning and Development in College and Beyond Roundtable 1 (Table 6)

Abstract

Students today are questioning their role in society, struggling to find purpose and meaning amidst an increasingly digitized and polarized world. If not resolved, these challenges lead to poor psychological wellbeing, and greatly limit one's capacity for civic engagement. While liberal arts experiences are posited to support this kind of development, scant empirical evidence exists on the value of liberal arts education. Leveraging a nationally representative dataset, we address the following question(s): Do liberal arts experiences have an impact on students’ civic engagement and well-being a decade after graduating from college? To that end, we utilize a unique dataset to examine the effects of student experiences relating to long-term forms of human flourishing.

Author

• Gabe Avakian Orona, Boston College