The Influence of Fraternity and Sorority Involvement: A Critical Analysis of Research

Co-editor: Patrick Biddix
Editor info: Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Publication Date: March 2014
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Synopsis: Despite negative connotations and empirical evidence to support detrimental aspects of fraternity and sorority membership, decades of nationally representative data show students remain interested in joining. Findings revealed an unexpected amount of scholarly research interest on fraternity and sorority involvement, and membership correlates in the last two decades from a variety of disciplines. Despite a disproportionate focus on behavioral correlates, such as alcohol use, hazing and sexual assault, researchers in the past decade have slowly added psychosocial and educational considerations, building toward a more holistic understanding of outcomes related to involvement.