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The “Party School” Factor: How Messages About Alcohol Use at Universities Influence Prospective Students’ Perceptions

Parker, Jessica Lynn
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1239892411

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, Communication.
This three-phase study was designed to determine what messages prospective students receive about alcohol use and partying at a university, how these messages affect who is most attracted to the university, and whether different types of university messages attract students with different characteristics. Interviews with first-year students at the University of Dayton (UD) revealed that most students heard messages about alcohol use and partying before deciding to attend. A survey of UD undergraduate students, which asked for retrospective reflection on their experiences as prospective students, found a significant correlation between having a positive view of UD after hearing these messages and being party- and alcohol-oriented, as measured by factors such as viewing partying as important, having the intention to drink alcohol in college, and having previous experiences of drinking to intoxication. A survey of high school students showed that a hypothetical university with many weekend activities and strong enforcement of drinking age laws is most attractive to prospective students. A "party school" and a school with many activities but little law enforcement both attracted primarily party- and alcohol-oriented high school students, whereas a school with many activities and strong enforcement was attractive to all types of students. Post-secondary schools with "party school" reputations are encouraged to focus on weekend activity promotion and enforcement of alcohol laws to avoid continually attracting a concentration of heavy drinkers.
Teresa L. Thompson, PhD (Advisor)
James D. Robinson, PhD (Committee Member)
Thomas O. Farnsworth, SM, PsyD, RAS (Committee Member)
116 p.
Academic Guidance Counseling; Behaviorial Sciences; Communication; Community Colleges; Education; Health; Higher Education; Public Health; School Administration
party school; college choice; binge drinking; college students; alcohol; symbolic interactionism

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Parker, J. L. (2009). The “Party School” Factor: How Messages About Alcohol Use at Universities Influence Prospective Students’ Perceptions [Master's thesis, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1239892411

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Parker, Jessica. The “Party School” Factor: How Messages About Alcohol Use at Universities Influence Prospective Students’ Perceptions. 2009. University of Dayton, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1239892411.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Parker, Jessica. "The “Party School” Factor: How Messages About Alcohol Use at Universities Influence Prospective Students’ Perceptions." Master's thesis, University of Dayton, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1239892411

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Dayton and OhioLINK.