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Introduction

The tragedy of 9-11 was shocking to most Americans.  The events of that day were analyzed, dissected, discussed, debated, and alluded to by Americans more than any other international event since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. At the same time, Americans are, as a rule, much more ignorant of international affairs than their peers in other nations. In particular, American young adults of college age are unaccountably part of this trend. Though they are at the time in their lives when they are arguably most engaged with the larger world around them through higher education, U.S. college-age students still fare worse than their peers in other countries. The disparity between American college-age students and college-age students in other countries is particularly disconcerting since 37% of youth in the United States continue on to higher education compared to only an average of 25.7% in other developed countries (OECD 2007). A litany of depressing statistics illustrate this disparity and general ignorance; we will highlight a few:

The preceding points guide us to a natural question: did the events of 9-11 lead to an increase in the level of international awareness among LDS college students?  One of the authors of this piece (Hudson) conducted an unwitting quasi-experiment on this topic.  To gauge the general level at which she should pitch her lectures in an Introduction to International Relations class at Brigham Young University, Hudson gives a six-question quiz on the first day of class.  We have the results of that quiz, which also asks for information on sex, age, and regional background, for six semesters: Fall 2001 (which quiz was administered just a few days before 9-11), Fall 2003, Fall 2004, Fall 2005, Spring 2007, and Fall 2007.  A total of 1,180 responses were gathered, with scores ranging from 1 to 6, 6 being the highest possible score.

There are some limitations to using these quizzes to address the question of whether the international awareness among LDS college students increased as a result of 9-11. The quiz did not track religious affiliation, although only 1.3% of the student population at BYU are not LDS so it can be assumed the most takers were members of the LDS faith. The students of BYU are noted for their exceptional level of foreign experience, with more than 77% of students speaking a second language compared to only 36% of American students, an average of 7.6% of the student body studying abroad annually, 52% of students having resided in a foreign country for more than a year, and 31% of the student body enrolled in language classes compared to the 8% national average. (David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies 2007). Furthermore, the students taking the quizzes represent a small subset of the University’s  more than 32,000 students.  In particular, those who elect to enroll in an Introduction to International Relations class will generally fall into one of two categories: 1) those taking the class to fulfill a general education requirement on Global Awareness, or 2) those who have a preexisting interest in world affairs and are considering or have decided on International Relations as the focus of their undergraduate education.  These self-selection factors make the sample non-random, with possible bias resulting.

In addition to the selection bias problem, the quiz data have several other limitations.  We have no data for 2002, because Hudson was on leave the semester she would normally have taught the class.  A third limitation is that during the time period examined, Hudson replaced one question on the quiz with what she believed were questions of similar difficulty over the six-year period, because the passage of time rendered some events less salient than they once had been.  (Full copies of each quiz are located in the Appendix.)

Overall Findings

Figure 1: Average Percentage Correct Fall 2001-Fall 2007

fig1

Figure 1 gives a basic representation of our findings. We see a definite and unmistakable difference in the quizzes immediately before and after 9-11. Average scores, our gauge of the level of international awareness, jumps by 10.62%. . This difference is statistically significant at the p=.006 level in OLS regression. This already dramatic jump in awareness was likely even larger considering the downward trend post-9-11 and our lack of data from 2002. However, each successive year shows a decrease in average scores, such that the observed increase in student scores has all but disappeared by 2006, and by 2007, student scores are 1.19% worse than pre-9-11 levels, a non-significant difference. While the 9-11 effect on international awareness is undeniable, it has effectively vanished, despite the continuing occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Table 1 presents the distribution of scores in each semester:

Table 1: Distribution of Scores from 2001-2007

Quiz Scores by Semester

Semester

Score

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Total

Fall 2001

% within Semester

5.6%

16.1%

18.0%

25.5%

16.1%

14.3%

4.3%

100.0%

Fall 2003

% within Semester

4.1%

13.1%

14.9%

15.3%

16.2%

18.0%

18.5%

100.0%

Fall 2004

% within Semester

7.0%

11.6%

16.7%

19.0%

12.8%

20.2%

12.8%

100.0%

Fall 2005

% within Semester

4.0%

14.0%

14.5%

21.5%

19.0%

16.0%

11.0%

100.0%

Spring 2007

% within Semester

9.8%

15.5%

10.3%

18.4%

18.4%

19.0%

8.6%

100.0%

Fall 2007

% within Semester

7.3%

17.0%

16.4%

26.1%

17.0%

10.3%

6.1%

100.0%

Several of the students in each class were non-American, and the results from our data corroborate other research findings.  The non-American students in this quasi-experiment performed, on average, better than the American students (see Table 2). The differences between groups is statistically significant at the 1% level (A chi-square test with 6 degrees of freedom returned 104.915, p = .000) However, though this is the predominant trend, we do find some anomalous semesters.  For example, in Spring 2007, 28.6% of international students scored zero on the exam, compared to only 9% of Americans.

Table 2: Scores of American and International Students

Semester

Origin

 

Score (% Within Each Origin)

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Total

F01

International

 0.0%

 15.4%

 23.1%

 23.1%

 30.8%

 0.0%

 7.7%

 100.0%

American

 6.1%

 16.3%

 17.7%

 25.2%

 15.0%

 15.6%

 4.1%

 100.0%

F03

International

 0.0%

 25.0%

 8.3%

 8.3%

 0.0%

 0.0%

 58.3%

 100.0%

American

 4.3%

 12.4%

 15.2%

 15.7%

 17.1%

 19.0%

 16.2%

 100.0%

F04

International

 8.3%

 25.0%

 0.0%

 16.7%

 8.3%

 33.3%

 8.3%

 100.0%

American

 7.0%

 11.1%

 17.6%

 18.9%

 12.7%

 19.7%

 13.1%

 100.0%

F05

International

 5.9%

 11.8%

 11.8%

 11.8%

 23.5%

 23.5%

 11.8%

 100.0%

American

 3.8%

 14.2%

 14.8%

 22.4%

 18.6%

 15.3%

 10.9%

 100.0%

SP07

International

 28.6%

 14.3%

 0.0%

 14.3%

 14.3%

 14.3%

 14.3%

 100.0%

American

 9.0%

 15.6%

 10.8%

 18.6%

 18.6%

 19.2%

 8.4%

 100.0%

F07

International

 0.0%

 7.7%

 7.7%

 15.4%

 30.8%

 30.8%

 7.7%

 100.0%

American

 8.0%

 16.7%

 17.3%

 27.3%

 16.0%

 8.7%

 6.0%

 100.0%

Responses from each group also follow geographic trends.  American students were more likely to correctly answer questions directly about North America than questions about any other region.  This effect is consistent for each year.  Additionally, American students are more confident about answering questions pertaining to North America, with only 26.76% of North America-related questions left blank compared to 38.12% of international questions left blank. Table 3 presents the results, showing significantly higher scores on questions about the US (“Who is the Secretary of State?”) and North America (“Which countries are members of NAFTA?”).

Table 3: Percent American students responding correctly to questions concerning North America

Semester

Questions not concerning North America

US Secretary of State?

Members of NAFTA?

Fall 2001

44.1%

50.6%

63.6%

Fall 2003

54.5%

80.2%

56.3%

Fall 2004

52.4%

73.3%

41.5%

Fall 2005

53.1%

53.5%

63.5%

Spring 2007

48.0%

64.4%

55.2%

Fall 2007

41.38%

64.9%

53.5%

Additionally, American students are more confident about answering questions pertaining to North America, with only 26.76% of North America-related questions left blank compared to 38.12% of international questions left blank.

The Effects of Age, Sex, and Region

Our data allows us to investigate the effects of three characteristics on quiz score: age, sex, and region.  Examining the standard five regions of the United States, to wit, West, Southwest, Southeast, Northeast and Midwest, we find that the region of the United States from which the American students came made no difference in their scores (p=.871).  However, we find important and strong differences concerning age (p<.0001) and sex (p<.0001).

Other studies have shown that older students are more internationally aware than younger students, scoring higher on the National Geographic surveys by 6%-11% (National Geographic 2002). Furthermore, in our own study over the time period examined, older students increased their awareness more than younger students. For example, the percentage of 18 year olds scoring highest marks increased by 8.7% while the percentage of 21 year olds increased 21.0% from pre- to immediately post-9-11.  The explanation for these findings may be as simple as the oft-noted phenomenon of having more of an interest in the larger world as one matures.  For LDS students, this effect can be more pronounced as most students who spend a year or more abroad do so pursuant to a mission for the Church, which for males is more or less obligatory and which for females is optional.  This mission takes place when the young men are 19-21.  For those missionaries serving overseas, we find there is a distinctive jump in international awareness derived from this experience, for we find that 22 year olds receiving perfect scores increased from 2001 to 2003 by 20.8%, far outpacing the increased understanding of students between the ages of 18 and 21 during that same time period, whose percentage of students scoring highest marks only increased 11.8%.

However, it is arguably our findings on gender which cause us the most concern.  In the studies previously mentioned, such as the National Geographic Surveys, strong gender differences in awareness are noted.  For example:

 
We find the same strong gender effect in our study.  Table 4 illustrates the differences in scores by gender (p<.0001). Interestingly, men see a 20.4% increase in the percentage scoring highest marks immediately after 9-11 and maintain this higher percentage through 2005, while women only see a 4.1% increase that has disappeared by 2004 (see Table 5).

Table 4: Performance by Gender

Performance by Gender

 

 

Score

Total

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Gender

% within Gender

10.0%

21.7%

18.2%

20.2%

14.1%

12.1%

3.7%

100.0%

% within Gender

3.6%

9.4%

13.3%

20.6%

17.9%

19.7%

15.5%

100.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 5: Performance Improvement by Gender Post-9-11

Performance Improvement by Gender

Semester

 

 

Score

Total

 

 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

 

 

F01
01

Gender

F

% within Gender

9.1%

25.8%

16.7%

19.7%

16.7%

9.1%

3.0%

100.0%

M

% within Gender

3.2%

9.5%

18.9%

29.5%

15.8%

17.9%

5.3%

100.0%

F03

F

% within Gender

7.1%

24.7%

16.5%

16.5%

12.9%

15.3%

7.1%

100.0%

M

% within Gender

2.2%

5.9%

14.0%

14.0%

18.4%

19.9%

25.7%

100.0%

F04

 F

% within Gender

12.8%

19.1%

19.1%

18.1%

11.7%

18.1%

1.1%

100.0%

M

% within Gender

3.7%

7.3%

15.2%

19.5%

13.4%

21.3%

19.5%

100.0%

F05

F

% within Gender

6.1%

15.9%

22.0%

26.8%

15.9%

8.5%

4.9%

100.0%

M

% within Gender

2.5%

12.7%

9.3%

17.8%

21.2%

21.2%

15.3%

100.0%

F07

F

% within Gender

11.3%

23.9%

18.3%

21.1%

12.7%

7.0%

5.6%

100.0%

M

% within Gender

4.3%

11.8%

15.1%

29.0%

20.4%

12.9%

6.5%

100.0%

SP07

 F

% within Gender

14.3%

22.2%

15.9%

19.0%

15.9%

12.7%

.0%

100.0%

M

% within Gender

6.4%

11.0%

7.3%

18.3%

20.2%

22.9%

13.8%

100.0%

 

In our sample, female students were much less internationally aware than males.  Even their increase in performance immediately after 9-11 disappears more swiftly than that of the male students.  Again, given the unique aspects of BYU mentioned above, one might be tempted to chalk this up to the obligatory nature of missionary service for young males in LDS culture, compared with the optional nature of such service for young females. However, when we examine males and females prior to age 19 (the age at which young men go on missions), the same gender difference can be noted, with 18 year old males scoring 8% higher than 18 year old females. We are at a loss to explain why young females appear to be so much less internationally aware than their male peers, yet our findings mirror the disparity between the sexes seen in American society at large.

Just a few days before the publication of this issue of SquareTwo, the New York Times ran an article on LDS missionaries in Uganda. One of those who commented on the article, "Mr. B. in Kansas," raised some questions in a similar vein that warrant some reflection on the part of our faith community:

Given the gender inequities within LDS, I would have appreciated a bit more focus on the fact that the great majority of these missionaries are men and an analysis of what the implications of that are. For instance, my understanding is that many of these men, with the language skills and connections they developed during their missionary time, go into international business. Women, who may not have the same opportunity to go abroad, therefore may not have the same employment opportunities.
             
Conclusions

In conclusion, we are tempted to lament the overall international awareness of LDS college students, and to ask what leads to these dismal results.  Over the time period examined, 2001-2007, only about 11% of the students in our sample were able to answer 6 general questions about international affairs.  This ranged from a low of 4.3% pre 9-11 to a high of 18.5% in 2003, our first post-9-11 data point.  But it should be noted that by 2007, the percentage had dropped back down to 6.1%.  Apparently, the “normal” percentage hovers around 5%.  Based on our results, normally only about 5% of LDS university students can correctly answer 6 general questions about international affairs.  The average score in 2001 was 2.9; the average score in 2007 was 2.8, with students actually performing more poorly than before 9-11. 

We also found that international LDS students are more internationally aware than American LDS students.  American LDS students perform better on questions specifically concerning their country and its immediate neighbors than questions not so concerned.  Though we find no differences in the performance of students from various regions of the United States, we do find strong age and gender effects.  While the age effects might be explained intuitively, with older students’ greater maturity leading them to be more aware than younger students, the gender differences are harder to explain. In our study, females demonstrate significantly less international awareness than their male peers.

This lack of awareness is particularly concerning in light of the doctrines concerning gaining knowledge and the unique mission of BYU. In Doctrine and Covenants 130:19 we are taught, “If a person gains knowledge in this life, he has an advantage in the world to come,” underlining the importance of learning. Also informed by a doctrinal injunction to take the gospel “into all the world” (D&C 58:64) and the nature of the worldwide Church, Latter-day Saints should be focused outwards, beyond themselves and beyond their country of citizenship. In the US, this is generally the case: 51% of LDS think the US should be active in world affairs and 49% believe the best way to ensure peace is through good diplomacy (Pew Forum, A Portrait of Mormons in the US, 2009). However, our findings show there is a lack of knowledge about details of what these policies entail. Brigham Young stated, “Our education should be such as to improve our minds and fit us for increased usefulness; to make us of greater service to the human family,” and it is with increased knowledge and awareness that we can be better citizens of the world and proclaimers of gospel principles.

 

References

National Geographic. (2002) Global Geographic Literacy Survey. Available at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geosurvey2002/download/RoperSurvey.pdf . (Accessed 24 January 2008).

National Geographic. (2006) 2006 Geographic Literacy Study. Available at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/pdf/FINALReport2006GeogLitsurvey.pdf. (Accessed 24 January 2008).

Oganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2007) Education at a Glance
2007. Available at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/4/55/39313286.pdf. (Accessed 14 March 2008).

Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. (2001) A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S.
Available at http://pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/A-Portrait-of-Mormons-in-the-US--Social-and-Political-Views.aspx#foreign. (Accessed 5 December 2011).

Pew Research Center for People and the Press. (2007) What Americans Know: 1989-
2007. Available at http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/319.pdf. (Accessed 26 January 2008).

U.S. Department of Education. (2006) A Test of Leadership: Changing the Future of U.S.
Higher Education. Available at www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/ reports/pre-pub-report.pdf. (Accessed 4 March 2008).


Appendix: Questions Asked By Semester

Fall 2001
1. Who is the president of Russia?
2. Who is the secretary-general of the United Nations?
3. Which ethnic group attempted to ethnically cleanse Kosovo?
4. What territory was returned to China in July 1997?
5. What countries are in NAFTA?
6. Who is the US Secretary of State?

Fall 2003, 2004, 2005
1. Who is the president of Russia?
2. Who is the secretary-general of the United Nations?
3. Who is Slobodan Milosevic and where is he now?
4. What territory was returned to China in July 1997?
5. What countries are in NAFTA?
6. Who is the US Secretary of State?

Spring 2007, Fall 2007
1. Who is the president of Russia?
2. Who is the secretary-general of the United Nations?
3. Who is Muhamed Yunus, and what award did he recently receive?
4. What territory was returned to China in July 1997?
5. What countries are in NAFTA?
6. Who is the US Secretary of State?

 



Full Citation for this Article: Hudosn, Valerie M. and Channing Hancock (2012) "The Effect of 9-11 and Gender on the International Awareness of Latter-day Saint College Students," SquareTwo, Vol. 5 No. 1 (Spring), http://squaretwo.org/Sq2ArticleHudsonHancockGeography.html, [give access date].

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