Restorative Justice as a Tool to Support Men Engaging in High-Risk Behavior with Self Authorship and Sense of Belonging
Date of Award
5-5-2024
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership
Department
Department of Educational Administration
Advisor/Chair
Matthew Witenstein
Abstract
Collegiate men are overrepresented in student conduct systems across the higher education landscape as they are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors when compared with their female counterparts (Laker & Davis, 2011). There is a strong correlation between these high-risk behaviors and the ideology of toxic masculinity (Wagner, 2015). Many collegiate men yearn for a sense of belonging and when they are joining community with each other, it can re-enforce the adoption of this toxic masculine ideology (Harris & Struve, 2009). Restorative Justice while not a new concept, is still a relatively newer practice in higher education. As the toxic masculine ideology is leading to many collegiate men engaging in harmful behavior that is not being sufficiently corrected through historical punitive student conduct practices, this study aimed to see if restorative justice could be used a tool to support men engaging in high-risk behavior and combat toxic masculinity by aiding with their self-authorship and sense of belonging. 16 student conduct professionals from across the country participated in this constructivist phenomenological research and data was collected through semi-structured interviews, to learn from their experiences on challenging and supporting male college students with restorative justice practices and philosophy. Eight themes emerged from this study. The themes are as follows: 1) Versatility of restorative justice; 2) Traditional forms of student conduct have significant limitations; 3) Art of vulnerability; 4) Understanding of community impact; 5) Becoming an agent for change; 6) Finding authenticity; 7) Meaningful change; 8) Building and/or finding community.
Keywords
Restorative Justice, Student Conduct, Self Authorship, Sense of Belonging, Toxic Masculinity, High Risk-Behavior, Masculinity, Higher Education, Justice, Accountability
Rights Statement
Copyright 2024, author
Recommended Citation
Sullivan, Max, "Restorative Justice as a Tool to Support Men Engaging in High-Risk Behavior with Self Authorship and Sense of Belonging" (2024). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 7608.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/graduate_theses/7608
