Applying the Theory in Higher Education - A Case Study

In an effort to show how a leader in higher education would apply this theory, we created the following case study below:

As a student affairs specialist it is my obligation to understand what makes the students I am responsible for tick. Lately I have noticed a lack in the knowledge across campus regarding the development of one of our largest populations of students on campus, the men. I took it upon myself to dig deep into the ways student affairs professionals can better serve and prepare our male students. After much research, Davis’ social construction theory regarding college men’s gender identity provided me the framework necessary to ensure we offer male students the support and guidance they require.

Davis suggests academic professionals develop programming designed specifically “to put gender on the radar screen for men”. The goal of this would be to provide a setting where men can learn about and discuss what it means to be a male in college. This would include opportunities to identify the code of communication caveats listed by Davis and find ways to resolve and work though them. Additionally, programming could be utilized to explore issues like the feminine/masculine overlap that many males struggle with on a daily basis.

Another application of Davis’ theory is to give men an outlet for support. Traditionally men do not have a “safety-net” in place on campus. Davis eludes to Pollack’s work stating we as student affairs professionals must be aware of all our students’ dispositions regardless of their gender. Just as other groups on campus have support systems, so too could we provide one for men.

Finally, we must re-think the communication channels and methods when working with our male students. From Davis’s work we learn that men prefer less group talk and more one-on-one communication. This understanding is key for all professionals who engage with students and must be taken seriously if we are to give men the same guidance as our other student populations. Davis also shows how men are able to express themselves better while engaging in a form of activity. Simple methods like taking a student on a brief walk outside of the office can go a long way in “providing alternative pathways of expression” that so many of our males need.

Each of these small applications will go a long way in improving the developmental circumstance of males at our institution. Men struggle through the collegiate experience due in large part to the way they feel about themselves and the way they believe others perceive them to be. As student affairs professionals we can help move men from a social constructed identity, to an identity formed through self-authorship.