A study of the educational, social and non-academic benefits of three different residence hall settings and off-campus lodgings to male college students

Three groups of male residence hall students and one group of male lodging students were compared on the basis of their academic success as measured by the April 1971 final examinations, study habits and attitudes as measured by the Brown-Holtzman Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes, personality traits as measured by the California Psychological Inventory and participation in extra-curricular activities, involvement in community affairs and use of community facilities as measured by check-lists on a questionnaire. Residence hall students were also compared on the basis of their use of the services of the residence proctor, also as measured by check-lists on a questionnaire. The three residence hall groups had significantly better academic results and significantly higher scores on the SSHA than did lodging students. On the variables of participation in extra-curricular activities, involvement in community affairs and use of university and community facilities, residence hall students generally were significantly higher than lodging students although on some of the sub-divisions of the variables, there were no significant differences and on others, lodging students scored significantly higher than one or more of the groups of residence hall students. At least one group of residence students scored significantly higher on the personality traits of responsibility, intellectual efficiency, femininity, socialization, self-control, communality, achievement via independence and flexibility than did lodging students. On the other traits no significant differences appeared, except for the trait of communality on which lodging students scored significantly higher than did one group of residence hall students. Significant inter-residence hall differences were also found on all of the above mentioned variables of the study as well as on the use of the services of the residence hall proctor