Table
of Contents
I)
Introduction and Statement of the
Situation
II) Research
Topic
III) Research
Question
IV) Objectives
V) Research
Design
a)
Type of Research
b)
Method of Research
c)
Research Technique
d)
Type of data to be collected
VI) Methodology
of the Data Collection
a)
Sample
b)
Sample Size
c)
Location and Time
d)
Instrument
VII) Analysis
and Results
VIII)
Bibliography
IX) Appendix
I)
Introduction and Statement of the
Situation
This research topic is based on Texas
State University’s Cat Camp, which “is the only program at Texas State that
will be completely dedicated to our university’s history, points of pride and
traditions,” (Wilburn). As Texas State
University grows and continuously has record breaking freshman classes, it is
apparent there is a need to instill more university knowledge and, in turn,
pride into incoming freshman. This research
was conducted in order to determine whether or not Cat Camp is effective in
introducing school spirit into incoming students, while also publicizing what
the goals of the organization are to others.
II) Research
Topic
As a Texas State student and Cat Camp
counselor I believe it is imperative that freshman are properly welcomed into
the Bobcat family and are knowledgeable about their new home. The organization, formed in 2009, has seen
steadily increasing enrollment and university recognition. Acknowledging this growth resulted in
officials allowing students to “have the opportunity to participate in a
one-day orientation which transitions into Cat Camp on the weekend for the
first time this summer” (Gilchrest). By
researching the effectiveness of the organization it can be determined if it is
promoting increased involvement with new students and how to better endorse the
organization to future students.
III) Research
Question
The
main purpose of the aforementioned research is to determine whether or not
Texas State University’s pride and traditions camp, also known as Cat Camp,
promotes involvement of either the social or academic orientation in freshman.
IV) Objectives
The
problem objectives addressed in this research focus on the students who went to
Cat Camp and their willingness to get involved at Texas State, whether socially
or academically. The research will focus
on social media posts and their interactions with other campers and students.
V) Research
Design
a)
Exploratory research was utilized for
this topic because the researcher was unsure of what data would be collected
and what results would come from said data.
b)
The qualitative research method was
used for this particular research question in order to properly answer how Cat
Camp affected students by focusing on their reactions and feelings towards the
university and getting involved. Because
of the small sample size and the ability for the analysis to be subjective it
was clear that the qualitative method would be more effective.
c)
The research technique applied to the
question was observation. The researcher
felt observation would be effective in order to avoid false information and
misleading statements from subjects.
Using social media to observe freshman allows the researcher to remain
anonymous and avoid any conflicts of interest.
d)
Primary data was collected by the
researcher because no outside sources or previous data collections were
accessed or acknowledged. The data
gathered is based on the researchers own observation and experience.
VI) Methodology
of the Data Collection
a)
This sample was comprised of Texas
State students ranging from 18 to 23 years of age who went to Cat Camp.
b)
The sample contained 50 individuals.
c)
The observations were conducted on
September 26, 2013 via the online social media site Facebook.
d)
The observations drawn from Facebook
were documented by the researcher in a journal in order to organize and
maintain proper record of the collected data.
VII) Analysis
and Results
Observing
individuals on Facebook provides a relatively deep insight into their personal
lives due to the fact that the current generation is very involved in the
social media scene. Everything from
their relationship statues, listings of family members, employment locations,
and past addresses are posted for almost anyone to see. This type of observation is a researcher’s
dream. There is an abundance of
information waiting to be harvested and utilized and there is no time limit or
risk of interference from the researcher’s point of view. Through the study of posted pictures and
statuses and check-ins it was found that the majority of individuals who went
to Cat Camp are doing quite well and are very involved. Organizations from multiple fields were
represented by the campers. The
Associated Student Government and Greek organizations were the most heavily
embodied. These two branches seemed to
bolster involvement from both genders equally, although the males seemed to
hold higher offices. The Greek
organizations also had a large amount of involvement, with almost half of the
sample being involved in Greek organizations.
Not only were these organizations represented, but all aspects of Greek
life made an appearance. The
Interfraternity Council, Panhellinic, and Multicultural Greek societies were
all represented in the observations; although IFC and Panhellinic had more
involvement. Most of the observed
individuals’ involvement focus was socially based. This was expressed through photos posted with
other students at Texas State events such as football games and tailgate, as
well as through photos showing parties and other outings. Many of these photos showed multiple campers
together, showing they kept in touch after their respective camp sessions. The academic involvement seemed to be of a
lesser caliber than social involvement.
There were minimal posts related to classes or academic organizations
despite multiple check-ins at Alkek Library.
On the completely other end of the spectrum, there were a handful of
students who showed no signs of involvement, whether social or academic, on
their profile. This could be because
they do not utilize social media like their peers, or it could be linked to
their inability or unwillingness to socialize with other students. Of these less involved students several of
them showed a reluctance to distance themselves from their family and friends
from their hometown. While the
researcher is not condoning complete alienation, it is apparent that holding on
too tightly to hometown connections affects the student’s ability to
assimilate, or integrate themselves into the university lifestyle. Another topic worthy of notation is the
observation that those individuals who were in relationships from their
hometown had little to no ties to anything Texas State related. Their profiles revealed they continuously
went home to be with non-Bobcats. All in
all the research suggests that students who went to Cat Camp and thoroughly
committed to life at Texas State have increased amounts of social and academic
involvement as well as a healthy amount of Texas State pride. In comparison, those students who went to
camp but have created a barrier for one reason or another between themselves
and their fellow Bobcats exhibit signs of less involvement and school
pride.
VIII)
Bibliography
Gilchrest,
Breann. "NSO leaders prepare students for transition." University
Star [San
Marcos]
05 06 2013, n. pag. Web. 7 Oct. 2013.
Wilburn,
Tersea. "New camp becomes slice of welcome events for Texas State."
University
Star [San Marcos] 02 03 2009, n. pag. Web. 7 Oct. 2013.
IV) Appendix
Observation
Notes
September
26, 2013
Via
Facebook
