Austin vs. Rendon (Student Involvement Theory)

In order to understand Student involvement, then Astin, A.W. and Rendón are the key people I must know and read their theories.

Student Involvement on Theoretical Perspectives

1.     Astin (1984)’s Involvement Theory

Astin (1984)’s involvement theory posit that outcomes from the college experience are a result of student investment of time and energy in the college experience, although entering characteristics may mediate students’ ability to invest deeply in that experience.

 

Student involvement refers to the quantity and quality of the physical and psychological energy that students invest in college experience. Thus, involvement that students experience may include absorption in academic work, participation in extracurricular activities, and interaction with faculty and other institutional personnel. According to this theory, the greater the student’s involvement in college, the greater will be the amount of student learning and personal development. In order to increase student involvement, any educational policy or practice should be directly related to the capacity of that policy or practice.

 

2.     Rendon (1994) vs. Astin (1984)’s Student Involvement Theory

Astin’s (1984) theory has been critiqued for its assimilation/acculturation framework that underestimates the cost of involvement for minority students (Rendón, Jaloma, & Nora, 2000).

 

Astin’s (1984) theatrical model has addressed the cost of involvement with a focus on the individual’s responsibility to ensure their success, rather than on the institution’s responsibility to provide a more multiculturally affirming environment to ensure student (Tierney, 1992).

 

Astin’s (1993) model assumes that involvement depends primarily on student effort, but Rendón (1994) argues that nontraditional students are more likely to become involved when others from the institution invite their involvement.