Participation Or Non-Participation of Nontraditional College Students in Campus Activities and/or Organizations

The purpose of this study was to investigate variables related to college student involvement in campus activities and organizations. Variables included personality, and in particular the Big Five Personality traits, nontraditional status, as well as Erikson’s three stages during adulthood: intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation and ego-integrity versus despair. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and self-actualization was also considered. Undergraduate and graduate students (N=150) form the Fort Hays State University completed a series of online questionnaires. Results indicate that involvement in campus activities decreased as nontraditional student status increased. The more nontraditional characteristics students possessed, the less they were involved in campus activities and organizations. No other variables were related to involvement in campus activities and organizations.