RT Article
T1 Exploring Ideologically Diverse Friend Groups Among College Students at a Christian University
JF Christian higher education
VO 23
IS 3
SP 270
OP 291
A1 Patterson, Sarah E.
A1 Madsen, Sarah E.
A1 Alleman, Nathan F.
A2 Madsen, Sarah E.
A2 Alleman, Nathan F.
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/189002855X
AB Ideological diversity, or the “honest consideration of multiple views, often competing for claims that privileges a vigorous or spirited debate of ideologically different ideas which are to be judged on their logical soundness and intellectual merit” (Von Bergen & Bressler, 2017, p. 26), is a growing research interest in the higher education field in recent years. However, minimal research has explored ideological diversity within peer interactions and friend groups, or within the Christian college setting. This exploratory, qualitative, symbolic interactionist study therefore sought to address the following research questions: (1) How do college students at a Christian university develop and maintain ideologically diverse friend groups? and (2) What are the perceived outcomes of such friendships? Findings from interviews with 11 undergraduate students from shared friend groups at a single Christian university revealed how college students become members of ideologically diverse friend groups (IDFGs), how students engaged in conflict within such friend groups, and whether students in IDFGs can influence the student experience in a manner that promotes the field’s aspirations for holistic education (Chambliss & Takacs, 2014; Denson et al., 2017). Our analysis ultimately affirms that IDFGs are meaningful for student development and the overall student experience. Consequently, we conclude this article by providing insights for how Christian higher education professionals might support initiatives and spaces that promote IDFGs on their own campuses.
K1 faith-based learning
K1 college friends
K1 friend groups
K1 viewpoint diversity
K1 Ideological diversity
DO 10.1080/15363759.2022.2127430