The relationship between roommate rapport and social skills development of first semester female college freshmen

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between low, medium and high degrees of roommate relationship rapport and the developmental growth on social skills as defined by the Intimate Relationships with Opposite Sex (IRS), Mature Relationships with Peers (MRP) , and Tolerance (TOL) subtasks of the Student Development Task Inventory (SDTI).

The developmental approach to student affairs emphasizes the importance of understanding the nature of students' interactions on college campuses and providing optimal environments for promoting developm.ent. One of the most important environments that provides for opportunities of student interaction occurs within the campus residence halls. Student personnel professionals are seeking to be actively involved in educating and developing the whole student. Residence Life administrators have been encouraged to pursue research on how freshmen react to their residence hall living arrangements because the living environment affects social development, academic success, student retention and attrition, and attitudes toward the college experience. The roommate relationship provides the most potent opportunity for studying student development.