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Efficacy of Participating in a First-Year Seminar on Student Satisfaction and Retention
Abstract
Improving the first-year experience has been part of a broader set of initiatives to respond to concerns about undergraduate education (Astin, Keup, & Lindholm, 2002). This research examined the efficacy of a first-year seminar on student satisfaction and retention at a Research Extensive, urban and public land-grant university. This study used survey data to compare satisfaction levels from a random sample of first-year students with those of students who had enrolled in a first-year seminar. A logistic regression model (e.g., Xiao & House, 2000) was used to determine if seminar participation affected retention. Results indicated statistically significant differences at p ≤ .05 for 15 of the 92 satisfaction items; more positive responses came from students enrolled in a first-year seminar. Results of the logistic regression analysis indicated that participation did not increase the probability of retention; only high school rank was a significant contributor to the prediction of freshman-to-sophomore retention.
... First-Year Seminar courses are designed to enhance the academic and social integration of firstyear college students into the institution (Barefoot & Fidler, 1996; Gordon, 1989). An abundance of research examining the relationship between students participating in FYS and factors such as academic achievement, social integration, and retention is prevalent (Barefoot & Fidler, 1996; Barefoot & Fidler, 1992; Crissman, 2001; Dick, 1998; Fildler & Moore, 1996; Fidler, Neurerer Rotholz, & Richardson, 1999; Gahhagan, 2002 Hendel, 2001 Hoff, Cook & Price, 1996; Linder 2002; Maisto & Tammi, 2001; Odell, 1996; Starke, Harth, & Sirianni, 2001; Upcraft & Gardner, 1989; Williford, Chapman & Kahrig, 2001). The bulk of this research reports FYS having positive effects on grade point average, credits earned, social integration, and retention (Barefoot & Fidler, 1996; Upcraft & Gardner, 1989; Yockey & George, 1998). ...
... However, FYS students with a peer leader were retained at lower percentages than FYS students without a peer leader for 2004 Majority (86% vs. 92%), and 2006 Majority (80% vs. 81%) and Minority (68% vs. 71%). Statistical significance was found for year 2004 Majority students in FYS with a peer leader as having lower persistence rates as compared to Majority (86% vs. 92%) students enrolled in FYS without a peer leader.Barefoot & Fidler, 1996; Barefoot & Fidler, 1992; Crissman, 2001; Dick, 1998; Fildler & Moore, 1996; Fidler, Neurerer-Rotholz, & Richardson, 1999; Gahhagan, 2002 Hendel, 2001 Hoff, Cook & Price, 1996; Linder 2002; Maisto & Tammi, 2001; Odell, 1996; Starke, Harth, & Sirianni, 2001; Upcraft & Gardner, 1989; Williford, Chapman & Kahrig, 2001). Additional results of higher female persistence levels for all three cohort years, regardless of with or without a peer leader, continue to support national higher education statistics. ...
... First-Year Seminar courses are designed to enhance the academic and social integration of first-year college students into the institution (Barefoot & Fidler, 1996; Gordon, 1989). An abundance of research examining the relationship between students participating in FYS and factors such as academic and social integration has been prevalent (Barefoot & Fidler, 1996; Barefoot & Fidler, 1992; Crissman, 2001; Dick, 1998; Fildler & Moore, 1996; Fidler, Neurerer-Rotholz, & Richardson, 1999; Gahhagan, 2002 Hendel, 2001 Hoff, Cook & Price, 1996; Linder 2002; Maisto & Tammi, 2001; Odell, 1996; Starke, Harth, & Sirianni, 2001; Upcraft & Gardner, 1989; Williford, Chapman & Kahrig, 2001). The use of upper-class students in the FYS course has proven to be beneficial (Astin, 1993; Garner, 1996; Hamid, 2001). ...
This case study design evaluated the program outcome effects of a peer leader program within the First-Year Seminar (FYS) on first-to-second year persistence, grade point average performance and academic and social integration levels of first-year, fulltime students. Differences in the characteristics of students on gender and race on the outcome measures were also considered. Analysis from six-year institutional data indicated that the Peer Leader Component option had significant benefits to the FYS Program. Female, male, and Majority students in FYS Programs with the Peer Leader Component had significantly higher first-to-second year persistence and GPA levels than female, male, and Majority students in FYS Programs without the Peer Leader Component. Further, male and Majority students enrolled in FYS courses with a peer leader had significantly higher academic and social integration factor means than male and Majority students in FYS courses without a peer leader. The data provided by this study offered additional educationally significant support for the utilization of peer leaders in the FYS. Minority students in FYS Programs with the Peer Leader Component had higher first-to-second year persistence and GPA levels than Minority student counterparts in FYS Programs without the Peer Leader Component. Further, many to most female and Minority students in FYS with a peer leader had higher retention rates, GPAs and academic and social integration levels than their counterparts in FYS without a peer leader, with some populations of statistical significance. Dissertation Chair: Dr. Wenfan Yan Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Cathy Kaufman and Dr. Robert Millward
... The literature on first-year experience programming mostly focuses on the traditional stand-alone first-year student seminar. The first-year student seminar has been shown to be successful in improving student academic performance (Hyers & Joslin, 1998;Jamelske, 2009), retention (Hyers & Joslin, 1998;Jamelske, 2009;Naylor et al., 2018), and satisfaction (Hendel, 2007). However, to our knowledge, there is no research that has investigated the impact and effectiveness of delivering a hybrid first-year student success course in a co-curricular manner connected to an existing academic course. ...
... There is a large literature that suggests that first-year student success courses have a positive impact on students transitioning from secondary to tertiary education. This literature shows that first-year experience programming is associated with higher academic performance (Hyers & Joslin, 1998;Jamelske, 2009;Vaughan et al., 2014), retention (Hyers & Joslin, 1998);Jamelske, 2009;Miller et al., 2007;Naylor et al., 2018), graduation rates (Schnell et al., 2003) and satisfaction (Hendel, 2007). Student success courses help students to successfully transition to tertiary education by developing relevant academic skills, providing orientation to campus, and helping students transition to life on campus (Mamrick, 2005). ...
The paper uses an experimental approach to investigate whether co-curricular first-year experience programming can have a positive impact on student success related attitudes, skills, and behaviors for first-year university students. We argue that co-curricular first-year experience training in first-year seminars are comparable to stand-alone first year seminars. Using an experimental study design, we found that students who receive a co-curricular first year feel they have more success in understanding the course material, academic performance, managing time, working in groups, and relating to their professors, compared to their counterparts in the control group. Interestingly, we also found that these students achieved a higher level of academic performance during the semester when learning transitioned from in person to online learning. These results suggest that co-curricular training not only helps students develop attitudes, skills, and behaviors associated with student success, but also helps students to work more effectively in online learning environments.
... Analyzing data from first year seminar students from a research extensive public university, Hendel finds no evidence suggesting that first year seminars improve retention. Instead, the evidence in that paper suggests that high school performance was a better predictor of freshman retention (Hendel, 2007). The impact of first year seminar courses on academic performance and persistence is mixed. ...
... The impact of first year seminar courses on academic performance and persistence is mixed. Some studies find that enrollment in such programs improves academic performance, retention, and persistence (Jenkins-Guarnieri et al., 2015;Scnhell & Doetkott, 2003) while others report no effect (Miller & Lesik, 2015;Hendel, 2007). ...
Student retention is a major concern for many universities. We use observational data from a regional university located in Alabama to test whether taking a first-year seminar improves student retention rates. Using a linear probit model, we find that taking a first-year seminar course is negatively correlated with retention rates, after controlling for several confounding effects. We perform survival analysis and find that the students who take first year seminar courses have a better survival rate for retention than those that do not take the course. We also find that other macro and micro economic factors are equally important in improving student retention rates, such as labor market opportunities and competition from similar universities.
... The "massification" of higher education due to the increasing number of local and international students, the impact of online technologies on education, and the increasing importance of quality assurance have resulted in changes to the higher education landscape (Alexandra, 2017;Awang, Kutty, & Ahmad, 2014;Latifah & Mansor, 2007). These developments and changes require empirical investigation into the academic, psychological, and social experiences of first-year students, which may have an impact on student identity and satisfaction in Malaysian HEIs (Hendel, 2007;Normala & Dileep, 2012). This research aims to fill the gap in the literature by investigating the impact of freshmen's expectations, experiences of university, and engagements on student identity and overall course satisfaction in a private university in Malaysia, specifically UCSI University. ...
... the findings of the majority of studies on university experience and student satisfaction, showing the positive relationship to be a reliable one (Hendel, 2007;Larmar & Ingamells, 2010;Lifton et al., 2007;Wilcox et al., 2005). Learning engagement and beyond classroom engagement also affected their satisfaction. ...
First-year undergraduates’ expectations and experience of university and student engagement variables were investigated to determine how these perceptions influence their student identity and overall course satisfaction. Data collected from 554 first-year undergraduates at a large private university were analyzed. Participants were given the adapted version of the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education Survey to self-report their learning experience and engagement in the university community. The results showed that, in general, the students’ reasons of pursuing tertiary education were to open the door to career opportunities and skill development. Moreover, students’ views on their learning and university engagement were at the moderate level. In relation to student identity and overall student satisfaction, it is encouraging to state that their perceptions of studentship and course satisfaction were rather positive. After controlling for demographics, student engagement appeared to explain more variance in student identity, whereas students’ expectations and experience explained greater variance in students’ overall course satisfaction. Implications for practice, limitations, and recommendation of this study are addressed.
... To begin, it is widely agreed that the purpose of FYS is to increase retention through bolstering student engagement and academic success. Rarely is academic success defined, yet outcome research implies that it involves retention (e.g., Friedman & Marsh, 2009), satisfaction with postsecondary life (e.g., Hendel, 2006 Hendel, –2007 Strayhorn, 2009), a high grade point average (e.g., Jamelske, 2009), and the efficiency with which one advances towards degree completion (e.g., Lang, 2007). The means by which these goals are achieved are also consistent. ...
... To begin, it is widely agreed that the purpose of FYS is to increase retention through bolstering student engagement and academic success. Rarely is academic success defined, yet outcome research implies that it involves retention (e.g., Friedman & Marsh, 2009), satisfaction with postsecondary life (e.g., Hendel, 2006 Hendel, –2007 Strayhorn, 2009), a high grade point average (e.g., Jamelske, 2009), and the efficiency with which one advances towards degree completion (e.g., Lang, 2007). The means by which these goals are achieved are also consistent. ...
Abstract
First-year seminars (FYS) have become increasingly prevalent in North American postsecondary institutions. The popularity of such initiatives owes much to the belief that providing unprepared students general life and aca- demic skills can bolster engagement and thereby improve retention. In this paper we argue that, despite their good intentions, many FYS actually per- petuate the kind of disengagement they were designed to alleviate due to their reliance on a narrow, instrumental view of education. To demonstrate, we briefly outline the history and curricula of the FYS movement to draw at- tention to its dependence on marketplace ideals, rationales, and strategies. We demonstrate some of the ways this vision of education impoverishes the university experience and suggest that, in order to be robust, FYS must focus first and foremost on cultivating rich understandings of the broader purposes of higher education and its relation to the good life, both for and beyond one’s own fulfillment.
... Colton et al. (1999) concluded that students who participated in the freshman program at Kutztown University had significantly higher persistence rates than those that did not take the orientation course. However, in Hendel's (2007) assessment of a land-grant, research university, they did not find a significant relationship between participation in orientation programs and student persistence rates. Schnell and Doetkott's (2003) four-year longitudinal analysis yielded significantly higher graduation rates for students at a Midwestern university who took their freshman seminar (51.4%) than those who did not (44.01%). ...
... Topics of great concern for university administrators across the United States are rates of undergraduate student retention and graduation. In an effort to aid new students in their transition to college life and to maximize student retention, first-year orientation courses and living-learning communities are often implemented (Hendel, 2007;Schnell & Doetkott, 2003;Williford et al., 2001). Although a major goal of such programs is to increase student engagement and satisfaction with the university, enhance self-efficacy, and develop self-regulated learning skills, previous studies have not explored whether such programs enhance these aspects of student motivation. ...
... rticipated in an incoming cohort group. They did note that cohort groups had some positive influence for students entering college at risk. Crissman (2001 Crissman ( – 2002) did not find any added positive influence on retention rates from linking the first year seminar with an English composition class at a small Northeastern liberal arts college. Hendel (2006 Hendel ( –2007) reports no effect of first year seminar participation on overall student satisfaction or 1-year retention in an analysis at a large urban research institution. Overall, the evidence suggests that students involved in some type of organized first year intervention report higher levels of satisfaction and involvement in ca ...
... Crissman (2001 Crissman ( – 2002) did not find any added positive influence on retention rates from linking the first year seminar with an English composition class at a small Northeastern liberal arts college. Hendel (2006 Hendel ( –2007) reports no effect of first year seminar participation on overall student satisfaction or 1-year retention in an analysis at a large urban research institution. Overall, the evidence suggests that students involved in some type of organized first year intervention report higher levels of satisfaction and involvement in campus activities, achieve higher grades and are more likely to be retained and graduate. ...
In 1997 a medium-size Midwestern public university in the U.S. initiated a first year experience program. The program is designed
to infuse added curricular and extracurricular components into core courses in an effort to integrate students into the university
community. This article examined the FYE impact on grade point average (GPA) and retention after 1year for the fall 2006
cohort of entering students. The findings suggest no positive FYE effect on retention, but on average FYE students earned
higher GPAs than non-FYE students. Reducing the sample to include only courses identified as goal compatible FYE courses yielded
a positive effect on retention and also accentuated the GPA differential. The estimated positive FYE impact on retention was
larger for below average students (especially females) and smaller for above average students.
... (Hendel, 2007;Kuh, 2009 (김은경, 차봉준, 2018;Chickering & Gamson, 1987;Pascarella et al, 2004;Pascarella et al., 2006). 이러한 활동 중심의 신입생 세미 나는 학생들에게 동기를 부여함으로써 도전적인 활동에 학생들이 참여하도록 하는 것으로 보고된다 (Padgett et al., 2013). ...
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of the “Developmental Academic Advising Seminar” for first-year university students which was developed based on student engagement. To this end, the following three steps were taken. First, this study reviewed previous literature on academic advising and designed a developmental academic advising seminar centered on student engagement. Second, the seminar was provided to first-year university students for two hours per week for the first five weeks at “A” University in the Seoul metropolitan area. Third, the differences before and after the seminar participation were analyzed through the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test after conducting a pre- and post-test on learning motivation and educational effectiveness for participants. In addition, through interviews, the effects of the seminar were examined in terms of quality. The research results were as follows. First, developmental academic advising seminars showed a positive effect on increasing learning motivation, helping academic and career design, and improving satisfaction of faculty teaching methods and educational content. Second, academic advising focused on diverse student activities, helping them with self-reflection and their understanding of others. The results of this study suggest that teaching first-year university students should be conducted based on presentations and discussions focusing on student engagement, professional academic advising on self-reflection, and academic and career path designing, all of which are closely related to university life, rather than professor-centered lectures. This study is meaningful in that it was conducted for a small group of freshmen in order to analyze the contents of individual students' learning motivation and to make changes in educational effectiveness.
... özellikle akademik ve öğrenci başarı stratejilerini artırma içerikli oluşumlara dönüşmeye başlamaktadır (Hendel, 2007;414). ...
... It is a statistical method used for analyzing the training data with one or more independent variables that determine an outcome. Logistic Regression is a reliable prediction method commonly used in educational settings [17] [18] [19]. It calculates the probability of a categorical variable (e.g., letter grade, pass/no-pass) from a number of predicting variables [20]. ...
... This pattern is contrary to Permzadian and Credé's (2016) finding (based on studies with varying research designs) that first-year seminars have stronger relationships at two-year colleges. Recent research that uses multiple regression or simply examines bivariate relationships has obtained a mix of positive and non-significant results, with no obvious patterns associated with institutional type or other factors (e.g., Barton and Donahue 2009;DeAngelo 2014;Hendel 2007;Jamelske 2009;Lang 2007;Miller et al. 2007;Singell and Waddell 2010). ...
First-year seminars are frequently designed to help students adjust to and succeed in college. Although considerable literature has explored this topic, many previous studies may have notable problems with self-selection, since students who choose to participate are likely more motivated academically than those who do not. Therefore, this study used quasi-experimental analyses within a large, longitudinal, multi-institutional dataset to explore the link between seminar participation and several student success outcomes. Overall, the use of propensity score analyses substantially alters the results, such that first-year seminars are positively associated with first-year college satisfaction, but they have no effect on fourth-year satisfaction, college grades, retention, or four-year graduation within the full sample. This lack of impact is largely consistent regardless of whether the seminar is designed to engage students in academic inquiry or to promote orientation and academic success. Additional analyses observed some differential effects of first-year seminars by race/ethnicity, ACT score, and sex; the most consistent finding is that first-year seminars appear to promote the college grades and college satisfaction of Black students. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
... Studies have consistently shown that high school GPA is predictive of student success outcomes in logistic models (Burgette & Magun-Jackson, 2008;Hendel, 2007;Kuh et al., 2008;Sperry, 2014). This finding was not supported in the final models of this study. ...
College student retention and graduation are important to students, institutions, and the community. Institutions must commit to understanding why students persist and depart in order to address student success. As a result, institutions and governmental entities have increased the emphasis they place on using data to improve student success and degree completion. An abundance of research suggests that background factors (such as high school GPA and ACT score) combined with environmental factors (such as one’s major and first semester GPA) are predictive of student success. However, the literature has yet to explore the value of ROC curve analysis as a statistical technique to improve decision making. The purpose of this study was to identify the variables that best predicted satisfactory academic progress and degree completion, and model the use of ROC curve analysis.
This study utilized a quantitative approach and secondary data from the institutional research office of a State University System institution in Florida. The findings of the study include the following: (1) logistic regression was successful in identifying factors that were predictive of each outcome, which were further refined using ROC curve analysis; (2) ROC curve analysis successfully discriminated the success/non-success groups based on predicted probability scores and a cumulative risk index; and (3) if a student has more than two risk factors in their profile, they are likely to not achieve any of the outcomes.
... An additional suggestion is to create a mandatory freshman seminar class that helps students adjust to the transition to college. Many universities have already implemented such programs, and research has found them to be successful in increasing academic retention and graduation (Cambridge-Williams, Winsler, Kitsantas, & Bernard, 2013;Hendel, 2007;Schnell & Doetkott, 2003). However, many of these courses are not mandatory for students and they often focus more on academic components. ...
The study of nonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU) on college campuses is of importance, as college students tend to engage in NMPDU more often than their same-age peers not attending college. Typical correlates of NMPDU include need for alertness, perception of peer use, desire to get high, and use of other drugs including alcohol and marijuana. Few studies have explored the relationship between strain, depression, and NMPDU among college students. Using general strain theory as the theoretical framework, the current study aims to add to the literature on NMPDU by exploring the role that strain and depression play in the prevalence of nonmedical prescription stimulant, tranquilizer/sedative, and pain reliever use at a midsized university. Results support the relationship proposed by strain theorists for both nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers and tranquilizers/sedatives, but not stimulants. Policy implications and future areas of research are discussed.
... Barefoot (2000) claimed that most first-year seminar research tended to widely focus on student retention and performance. A few studies, such as those by Hendel (2001), Hendel (2007), and Erickson and Stone (2012) found that first-year seminars had no direct impact on student retention in the second year. However, most research has reported a positive impact on student retention and performance (Fidler,1991;Fidler and Moore,1996;Strake et al., 2001;Lang, 2007;Jamelsk, 2009;Sidle and McReynolds, 1999). ...
Purpose
This study intends to add to the existing body of literature on the impact of a newly implemented first year seminar in the College of Law and Business. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects the course have on students in regard to three aspects: student awareness and utilization of resources, interaction patterns, as well as, general interests and attitudes toward higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology of the assessment included analysis of a survey that has been conducted by the end of Spring 2014 semester. A quasi-experimental design was implemented to measure the impact of the intervention on students’ awareness and utilization of resources, interactions, general interests, and attitudes toward higher education. Through the SPSS application, the Mann Whitney U Test, and χ² tests were used to check for significant differences while comparing the means or frequencies for both groups. For the three questions, the authors have used the 90 percent confidence level and the standard significance level p-value of 0.05 or less for statistical analysis.
Findings
The results indicated that the course had a highly significant positive impact on student attitudes and awareness of campus resources but had less significant impact on student interactions and utilization of resources. The results in this study reveal a positive impact for the first-year seminar course on student satisfaction and attitudes toward higher education as well as their awareness of campus resources. However, in terms of the course impact on student interaction, results conveyed that students who have participated in the first-year seminar course show a slightly better interaction rate with instructors, academic advisors, and close friends than those in the control group.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study was that the sample was small. Nonetheless, it has provided valuable insights into the understanding of the social and academic impact of first-year seminars on student engagement; through the use of comparison groups, this study increased the validity of prior research.
Practical implications
The first-year seminar course evaluated in this study demonstrated the potential to support and enhance student social and academic engagement during the first year of college. Based on the results in this study, the study team recommended some revisions to the current first-year seminar model (UNIV P100 Skills for University Success). The team proposed three models for subsequent first-year seminars at this university.
Originality/value
This study adds to the existing literature by examining the impact of a newly implemented first-year seminar course at the College of Law and Business at this university on both academic and non-academic aspects from the students’ perspective. These aspects were selected as retention and GPA effects have been widely explored; therefore, the focus is on the less studied emotional and social factors associated with student success and retention. The results from this study can act as a guide for universities intending to introduce a first-year seminar course as it gives clear guidelines on design, content, and course implementation, which can be useful in enhancing general student motivation and attitudes toward academic study and higher education in general.
... They have found substantial evidence indicating that first-year seminar initiatives increase persistence to not only the second year of college but to degree completion. Interestingly, the results of the study done by Hendel (2007) indicated that the first year seminar did not increase the probability of retention; only high school rank was a significant contributor to the prediction of freshmen to sophomore retention. The same study revealed that students who participated in the first year seminar had experienced a greater sense of community during their first year which may contribute to retention into a second year. ...
The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which first year business students' views of several advising resources and the degree of challenge students faced with respect to college life had on their retention in a business education program. Several statistical analyses found that a significantly higher percentage of students who said they would not return the following semester indicated that their advisor was less willing to answer questions and were much less satisfied with the support from their advisor. Additionally, students who expressed having challenges with some aspects of college life such as being away from home, adjusting to dorm life, and maintaining relationships with persons from home were more likely to say that they would not return the following semester. This study also investigates how gender and major affect college life adjustment and retention for business students during their first year of college.
... Students who report spending most of their time away from campus pursuing work typically have lower GPAs than students who spend most of their time on campus (Brint & Cantwell, 2010), and the former report having lower expectations about academic success (Nonis et al., 2006). Many students in their first semester enroll in college orientation courses (e.g., University 100), which can improve student self-regulated learning, help seeking, retention, and academic performance (Cambridge-Williams, Winsler, Kitsantas, & Bernard, 2013;Cleary & Zimmerman, 2004;Hendel, 2007;Schnell & Doetkott, 2003). However, students continue to have issues with self-regulated learning and goal-setting beyond their first semester. ...
How students manage their time is critical for academic performance and is an important component of self-regulated learning. The purpose of the present study was to examine relationships among first-year college students’ (N = 589) time use, academic self-regulation, and target and actual grade point average (GPA) at three time points. Findings showed that students planned and spent less time on academics than socializing and work obligations in their first semester. Students generally planned to spend more time on academics in the second semester. Academic time use (planned and actual academic hours) related to higher self-regulated learning and target GPA in the first and second semester. Students who were farther away from their first-semester target lowered their second-semester target GPA instead of planning more time in academics. Students exceeding their target first-semester GPA planned to socialize more in the second semester. Orientation and transition programs that assist students may need to revisit time management and planning midway through the year to address potentially inadequate self-regulated learning in the first year of college.
... • Logistic Regression (Log Reg) is a reliable prediction method commonly used in educational settings (e.g., Braunstein, Lesser, & Pescatrice, 2008;Eckles & Stradley, 2012;Hendel, 2007). It calculates the probability of a categorical variable (e.g., letter grade, pass/no-pass) from a number of predicting variables (Kutner, Nachtsheim, Neter, & Li, 2004). ...
Using predictive modeling methods, it is possible to identify at-risk students early and inform both the instructors and the students. While some universities have started to use standards-based grading, which has educational advantages over common score-based grading, at–risk prediction models have not been adapted to reap the benefits of standards-based grading in courses that utilize this grading. In this paper, we compare predictive methods to identify at-risk students in a course that used standards-based grading. Only in-semester performance data that were available to the course instructors were used in the prediction methods. When identifying at-risk students, it is important to minimize false negative (i.e., type II) error while not increasing false positive (i.e., type I) error significantly. To increase the generalizability of the models and accuracy of the predictions, we used a feature selection method to reduce the number of variables used in each model. The Naive Bayes Classifier model and an Ensemble model using a sequence of models (i.e., Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors, and Naive Bayes Classifier) had the best results among the seven tested modeling methods.
... Logistic Regression (Log Reg) is a reliable prediction method commonly used in educational settings (e.g., Braunstein, Lesser, & Pescatrice, 2008;Eckles & Stradley, 2012;Hendel, 2007). It calculates the probability of a categorical variable (e.g., letter grade, pass/no-pass) from a number of predicting variables (Kutner, Nachtsheim, Neter, & Li, 2004). ...
... • Logistic Regression (Log Reg) is a reliable prediction method commonly used in educational settings (e.g., Braunstein, Lesser, & Pescatrice, 2008;Eckles & Stradley, 2012;Hendel, 2007). It calculates the probability of a categorical variable (e.g., letter grade, pass/no-pass) from a number of predicting variables (Kutner, Nachtsheim, Neter, & Li, 2004). ...
... Research assessing the effects of first-year seminar programs on second-year persistence has been mixed as many researchers have found a positive impact (Goodman & Pascarella, 2006;Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005;CSRJ150024.3d (CSR) [PREPRINTER stage] Tobolowsky, 2006) while others have found no difference (Clark & Cundiff, 2011;Hendel, 2007;Koutsoubakis, 1999). Valentine et al. (2011) conducted a meta-analysis of studies examining the impact of intervention programs geared toward high-risk admit students or students on probation. ...
Higher education administrators, faculty, and staff expend great effort to increase the academic success and retention of college freshmen. Underprepared college freshmen are of particular concern given their high risk for dropping out. While interventions such as specific orientation programs, remedial/developmental coursework, and special advisement are utilized to increase retention of these students, one area that appears promising is the provision of counseling. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of individual counseling, grade point average (GPA), and failing remedial and other courses on underprepared freshmen's retention rates. Analysis of variance and logistic regression analyses revealed that counseling for 3 to 4 hours in the fall had a positive impact on fall GPA, and failing fall remedial courses was the most significant predictor of whether a student was retained or not. However, in the spring, GPA, the number of credits completed, and the number of remedial courses taken were the best predictors.
... The increase of programs aimed at first year students is significantly related to students' academic success [21]. Hendel [30] examined the effects on first semester grades of students participating in learning communities and found that membership in learning communities was positively associated with higher grade point averages. First year experience programs are considered an essential part of ensuring the success of first time in college students [31]. ...
Virtually every institution of higher education in the United States is faced with the issue of student retention and success. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a development course toward retention and academic achievement. Specifically, this study focused on the Student Development Course (SDEV) offered at a community college in central Texas, serving 15,000 students. The course focuses on both life skills and study skills, including familiarity with college regulations, communication and study skills, goal setting, priority management, reading for comprehension, note-taking, test-taking, creativity, establishing relationships, and the power of a positive attitude. The research design involved the analysis of existing transcript data that are maintained by the college in its student registration and information data base. Participants included 1557 first-time-in-college students who were required to take a college development course either on campus or online. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance, post hoc analyses, and bivariate correlations. Results were statistically significant. Students who took the developmental course tended to stay in college over a four term time frame. Additionally, it was statistically significant that they had grade point averages at a C or better. Gender was not statistically significant, however ethnicity was. This supports theory suggesting that comprehensive integration programs can lead to student success. Issues for future consideration should include quality of faculty instruction, external forces, academic advising, and student accountability. Finally, researchers could compare students who complete a first-year-in-college program at a community college and continue to four-year institutions.
... Topics of great concern for university administrators across the United States are rates of undergraduate student retention and graduation. In an effort to aid new students in their transition to college life and to maximize student retention, firstyear orientation courses and living-learning communities are often implemented (Hendel, 2007;Schnell & Doetkott, 2003;Williford et al., 2001). Although a major goal of such programs is to increase student engagement and satisfaction with the university, enhance self-efficacy, and develop self-regulated learning skills, previous studies have not explored whether such programs enhance these aspects of student motivation. ...
Nationwide, almost a third of 1st-year college students do not return to begin their sophomore year, and the 5-year graduation rate for undergraduates is only around 40%. It is important for universities to implement interventions, such as freshman transition courses, to help new students adjust to college life and succeed, and it is critical that such programs are evaluated to see if they are reaching their goals. The present study examined short-term self-efficacy and self-regulated learning, and long-term academic performance, retention, and graduation rates over 7 years for 1st-year students enrolled in George Mason University's "University 100"orientation courses (N = 284) and demographically similar students who did not take the course (N = 299). Results indicate strong effects of University 100 course participation on academic retention and graduation - 90% of University 100 students returned to school for their sophomore year whereas this was true for only 78% of comparison students. Five years later, 75% of the students involved in the orientation course were still in school or graduated compared to 60% of students not enrolled in the course. The graduation rate after 7 years for those in the orientation course was 70%, compared to 56% for comparison students. Effects on retention and graduation were even stronger for sections of University 100 that involved Living-Learning Communities. Finally, those in University 100 courses had higher academic self-efficacy and self-regulated learning and these motivational variables mediated the positive effects of the program on graduation and retention.
... Each student participated in a mandatory individual academic advising session at least once per semester (Hendel, 2007;Hrabowski III & Maton, 2009). (Normally, academic advising on this campus is optional at the request of the student.) ...
This study focuses on the im-pact of a sophomore seminar on STEM majors' desire to pursue a science career. This seminar was a component in a broader scholarship program and fo-cused on helping students gain a more in-depth understanding of the process of science, ex-posing students to a range of career options, and providing opportunities for outside of class student-faculty/scientist interac-tions. Interviews and reflection papers by the fifteen students who completed the seminar sug-gest that the most common ben-efits from the course involved development and refinement of career decisions, fomenting of self confidence and empower-ment, and awareness of avail-able resources to assist in the pursuit of a STEM career. The students very clearly indicated the importance and impact of a wide range of informal interac-tions between themselves and/ or faculty or other scientists, helping the students put a per-sonal face on those who have previously pursued a science career. Additionally, the expo-sure to these scientists and their stories, along with a more com-plete discussion about the pro-cess of science (including fund-ing, dissemination and ethics), spurred three of fifteen students to favorably reconsider the pos-sibility of research as a career option.
... 8, 11 -19 However, all of these studies do not control for much beyond gender, race, and pre-enrollment academic qualifications, and most recent research using logistic regression shows no evidence of a relationship. 20 Finally, most studies have not adequately evaluated the long-term impact of engaging in a first-year seminar on retention while controlling for known factors related to retention. Here, we assess the relationship between engaging in first-year seminars on semester, one-year and two-year retention while controlling a host of student characteristics. ...
University administration looks to the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) to efficiently conduct systematic analyses to understand why students leave and what interventions are effective. In response, OIR used SAS to build a database to follow incoming cohorts of degree-seeking students over time at the institution. Here, we demonstrate its power in conducting a retention analysis that was used as evidence to support an extensive expansion of the first-year seminar programming. Results show that certain at-risk student groups are less likely to voluntarily participate in a first-year seminar. First semester participation was related to retention after controlling for other factors. Objectives of the Research:
... Andrade (2007) reviews such first year "learning communities" and concludes that such programs attain positive results but that research is limited. Hendel (2007) found that students that participated in a first year seminar were more satisfied with various aspects of their school experience, yet were not more likely to stay in college than students who did not attend the first year seminar. Cutright (2005Cutright ( -2006 reports mixed findings from a ninecommunity-college consortium project designed to improve student retention. ...
Student retention and performance in higher education are important issues for educators, students, and the nation facing critical professional labor shortages. Expectancy and goal setting theories were used to predict academic performance and college student retention. Students' academic expectancy motivation at the start of the college significantly predicted cumulative GPA at the end of their first year. Compared to students who did not return, students that returned for their sophomore year reported greater peer competition with respect to academic goals, perceived good grades to be more attractive, and reported more effort to get good grades. Students' SAT scores and high school grade point average were significantly related to both cumulative GPA and retention after the first year. Study implications are discussed with an emphasis on the motivational set of college applicants, in conjunction with more traditional criteria (e.g., high school GPA) that together may increase student performance and retention.
... Attention centered on interactive and causal links between student background, educational and institutional commitment, and academic and social integration. These studies gave rise to validation analyses that focused on identifying constructs with the best set of complementary variables to maximize model explanation (Berger and Braxton, 1998;Braxton, Sullivan, and Johnson, 1997;Cabrera, Castaneda, Nora, and Hengstler, 1992;Cabrera, Nora, and Castaneda, 1993), while others concentrated on the impact of specific factors on retention, such as assimilation courses (Hendel, 2001;Sidle and McReynolds, 1999), selected program major (St. John, Hu, Simmons, Carter, and Weber, 2004;Mau, 2003), admission status (Laden, Matranga, and Peltier, 1999), student ethnicity and gender (Grandy, 1998;Leppel, 2002), classroom-based learning experiences (Braxton, Milem, and Sullivan, 2000;Tinto, 1997), institutional support services (Lau, 2003), intention to leave (Okun, Benin, and Brandt-Williams, 1996), academic and social integration (Beil, Reisen, and Zea, 1999), and pre-collegiate academic preparation (Cambiano, Denny, and De Vore, 2000). ...
To reflect academic challenges and enrollment patterns of today’s freshmen, this study measures the impact of high school
preparation, first-year academic performance, multi-institution enrollment, and financial aid support on second-year persistence.
Using multi-year cohorts at a public research university, results confirm the importance of including first-year math experience,
math intensity of the declared major, simultaneous enrollment at another college/university, and second-year financial aid
offers when measuring freshmen retention. The positive impact of a large-scale, state-funded scholarship program in widening
access to college must be balanced against findings that show academic performance and readiness to take on and pass first-year
math to be more important than aid in explaining freshmen dropout and transfer-out during both first and second semesters.
Middle-income students with greater levels of unmet need face an elevated departure risk, while academically well-prepared
freshmen with unmet need are more likely to transfer to other institutions.
This research aims 1) to study factors that affect the learning of Computer Programming of Junior High-schoolstudents, and 2) to study the Machine Learning Techniques in analytics of factors that affect the learning ofComputer Programming of Junior High-school students. Data were used came from the survey of 411 JuniorHigh-school students. The preliminary analysis using the document research and collect from 2 round ofexperts confirmed and leading the selected factors to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and then to analytics by5 Machine Learning Techniques which were K- Nearest NeighborsTechnique, Logistic Regression Technique,Decision Tree Technique, Support Vector Machine Technique, and Naïve Bayes Technique.Results found that,1) The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) by Correlation Coefficient found that there were 11 factors ofInstructor, 4 factors of learning environment, 5 factors of learning media, and 11 factors of learner which affectto learning Computer Programming.2) The results of using Machine Learning Techniques found that there were Logistic RegressionTechnique, Decision Tree Technique, and Naïve Bayes Technique showed the highest accuray in Gender class,and there were Decision Tree Technique, and Naïve Bayes Technique showed the highest accuray in Level ofstudy class.
Purpose
The goals of this research study included evaluating the outcomes of Interdisciplinary Science Threshold Experience (InSciTE) on student experience of science discipline, level of sense belongingness to a large Faculty of Science (FoS), outcomes in learning science literacy skills and whether a student's background played a role in the differences of effects of the high-impact teaching practices. InSciTE was designed to facilitate the transition from high school to a large research-intensive university, and specifically to a FoS with over 6,000 undergraduate students.
Design/methodology/approach
The FoS in a Canadian university engaged in the development of a *9 credit program bundling foundational statistics and chemistry courses with integration of aspects of mathematics and biology or physics to create a new first-year, academic interdisciplinary experience called InSciTE. This project-based curriculum emphasized teamwork and leadership, and presented complex interdisciplinary challenges facing today's world. A team-teaching environment consisting of instructors, a lab coordinator and teaching assistants was instrumental for the core InSciTE courses. In addition, the authors utilized a variety of learning practices with interdisciplinary themes to meet the learning outcomes. Course activities included field experience and tours, blended learning and flipped lectures, guest speakers, discovery-based lab activities, group discussions and projects, a capstone research project, and a combination of formative and summative assessments. The authors proposed two hypotheses for the evaluative study; first that the high-impact practices (HIP) will improve students’ experiences and belongingness to science faculty, and second that InSciTE facilitates learning of scientific literacy skills. To assess the effectiveness of InSciTE, the authors used two surveys, the first being the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS), which measures skills related to major aspects of scientific literacy: recognizing and analysing the use of methods of inquiry that lead to scientific knowledge and the ability to organize, analyse, and interpret quantitative data and scientific information. The second survey examined student belongingness, motivation and autonomous learning, combined with demographic data questions.
Findings
The results suggest that InSciTE students reported higher feelings of relatedness, group membership, and career aspirations and performed better on the TOSLS compared to students in other science courses.
Originality/value
As a leader in interdisciplinary science, the FoS at a Canadian university developed a full-year course bundling foundational statistics and chemistry courses with integration of some aspects of mathematics and biology or physics to create a new first-year, academic interdisciplinary experience called InSciTE. This project-based curriculum emphasized teamwork and leadership, and presented complex interdisciplinary challenges facing today's world aiming to facilitate transition from high school to a research-intensive university.
This article describes the role that linguists can play in the retention of first year and first generation college students through both collaborative and cross-disciplinary work. By drawing on our academic training, linguists can design materials and implement programs both within and outside of our home academic departments that not only affirm students’ linguistic identities and home languages (National Council of Teachers of English 1974; Smitherman 1995), but also simultaneously engage them in overt discussion about the academic discourse community and ways to negotiate multiple linguistic terrains. An example of this type of engagement and material development is discussed in this article, which examines three learning modules that use an electronic badge system. The modules and badges allow students to explore linguistic diversity and discuss the different ways of “being” (including language) that they encounter in their new academic community. Coupled with these three badges for first year students, additional materials have been developed and implemented for student tutors at the university writing center. These materials better contextualize the linguistic diversity that student tutors encounter as they come into contact daily with linguistic diversity, primarily in the form of Southern U.S. English and African American English varieties.
From the perspective of data mining, international studies of early-warning for learning were reviewed in terms of numbers of publication, years of publication, discipline distribution, the use of data mining, and hot topics, ect. The results revealed that, the numbers of publication are increasing year by year; the topic is all the more interdisciplinary; data mining is taken as the major method; the hot topics are the parameters of early-warning, detection of initial time and the model of early-warning. Some implications were given as well.
Retention rates of students in a business school Freshman Year Experience (FYE) course were compared to overall University retention rates for two successive years. Slightly higher retention was experienced by the business FYE students than for the University overall. Student responses to exit survey questions were compared to retention activity to assess any potential relationships. Contrary to existing theoretical models, no significant correlations existed between measures of academic skill building and retention, and between student connectedness and retention. Significant correlation did exist between student academic expectations and intention to return.
This report highlights findings from the 57 institutions across five states that participated in our 2011-12 pilot administration of two surveys designed to measure the extent to which institutions have adopted policies consistent with the available literature on first-year student success. With these surveys, one each for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs policies, we created 34 a-priori scales reflecting related clusters/families of policies (e.g., Attention to Advising; Orientation Structure; Assessment Data Use). Each scale reflects the extent to which institutions have aligned their policies with the broad conclusions from the currently available research literature on first-year student success. A scale score of one indicates an institution’s complete adoption of all measured policies and a score of zero indicates that an institution has not adopted any of the measured policies related to a particular policy cluster. It may be most useful to think of the scale scores as approximations, where a score of 0.5 indicates that an institution has done approximately one half (50%) of what it could be doing to align its policies with the available research. Higher scores indicate more complete adoption of policies and practices aligned with the current literature on first-year student success.
Aggregated across all 57 participating institutions and across all 34 measured policy scales, institutions in the five-state LIPSS pilot study have done approximately one-half of what they could be doing to align their policies with the available research on first-year student success. This singular point of reference, although informative, masks considerable variability in the extent to which specific policies have been adopted. For example, all 57 participating institutions had some form of “early alert” system in place, most of which include systematic efforts to identify students experiencing both academic and personal difficulty. Likewise, every institution offers a formal orientation program for first-year students; the vast majority of schools require all of their first-year students to attend an orientation session. In contrast, few participating institutions provide differentiated orientation programs based on student characteristics (e.g., honors students, student-athletes, students with disabilities).
Notwithstanding these relatively clear findings related to early alert systems and new-student orientation, the results from this pilot study paint a complex picture of institutional policy alignment with available research on first-year student success.
Coordination of the first year of college: Although many institutions have developed division-wide or institution-wide mechanisms to coordinate the first-year experience, the composition and/or reporting lines of this coordinating structure (e.g., committee, office, individual) may not be maximizing the potential for high-level, cross-divisional collaboration.
Faculty engagement with first-year students: Although most schools offer first-year seminars and have early alert systems that promote course-related interaction between faculty members and students, policies supporting or encouraging student-faculty interaction outside of the classroom are less common. Policies requiring or systematically rewarding faculty members for such engagement are particularly uncommon.
Information dissemination: Institutions appear quick to share relevant information with key stakeholders (i.e., students, parents, guidance counselors), often front-loading information before students even attend their first class. But fewer than half of the surveyed institutions reiterate those early messages to students after classes have begun.
Assessment: Most participating institutions have engaged in formal and wide-spread data collection activities related to institutional research, program assessment, and course evaluations. Far less common, however, is the use of such data for instructional development, academic planning, and resource allocation.
Academic advising satisfaction is highly correlated with retention in higher education. Thriving Quotient survey responses were collected from undergraduate students at a private, liberal arts college in the Pacific Northwest. Using a multiple regression analysis, this study examined what student characteristics and collegiate environments affect student satisfaction with academic advising. The results indicate that campus residency, amount of time spent in student–faculty interaction, and the quality of student–faculty interaction are statistically significant factors in academic advising satisfaction.
College student retention and performance in higher education are important issues for educational institutions, educators, and students. The purpose of this study was to determine if student needs for achievement, affiliation, autonomy, and dominance measured by the Needs Assessment Questionnaire (Heckert et al., 2000) could predict academic performance and retention beyond traditional measures (high school grade point average and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores) to predict college student academic performance and retention. After controlling for demographics, high school grade point average, and SAT scores, students' needs for achievement and autonomy at the start of college significantly predicted cumulative GPA at the end of their first year. Students' high school grade point average, SAT scores, or motivation did not predict retention after 1 year. Study implications are discussed with a focus on improving the prediction of positive college student outcomes.
Many researchers assessing the efficacy of educational programs face challenges due to issues with non-randomization and the likelihood of dependence between nested subjects. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate a rigorous research methodology using a hierarchical propensity score matching method that can be utilized in contexts where randomization is not feasible and dependence between subjects is a concern. Although propensity score matching is not new in helping to create quasi-experimental models, many studies limit propensity score matching to student-level variables. To address this limitation in educational research, this study extends propensity score matching to the next level so that hierarchical modeling techniques can be used to help minimize error due to the likelihood of dependence between nested students. A large-scale educational program that targets first-semester freshmen was used to illustrate the utility and value of the methodology. This type of program is typical in higher education where student self-selection creates difficulty in assessing its true effects on student achievement; however, by using a rigorous methodology, administrators can have higher confidence when making programmatic and budgetary decisions.
The present study utilizes a multilevel approach to assess the effects of four different types of intervention on college student retention, focusing on the interaction effects between the student characteristics and the types of intervention. The program effects on a 3-year trend are also explored. The findings of the present study reveal that the social integration programs improved the first-year retention rates for female students, the advising programs and the social integration programs worked better in the first year for students from more selective colleges within the university, and the first-year experience programs had a significant lasting effect across the 3 years on retention for elder students and male students. It is also found that the advising programs were significantly more effective on the first-year retention rates than the general orientation programs. This study provides empirical evidence for researchers and administrators in higher education to improve the effectiveness of intervention programs for students with specific characteristics.
In an effort to provide insight into a strategy for increasing student retention, students enrolled in a first year seminar were paired with a matched comparison group, and retention of the 1,853 students in the two groups was compared over a period of four years. Results indicated significantly greater retention over a period of four years for students enrolled in the seminar. Review of the literature indicates that while such seminars are gaining in popularity, longitudinal studies of their effectiveness using matched comparison groups are lacking. In addition to expanding the research base of the first year seminars, this article also presents the background of the seminar and studies regarding the first year seminar that are relevant to retention.
Evidence from two longitudinal student databases collected nearly a decade apart suggests that undergraduate education in the United States has been "transformed" in many ways that are consistent with national reform efforts that emerged during the 1980s. Institutions have strengthened their capacity to foster faculty-student interaction, student-student interaction, and student engagement in community service. Institutions show diminished capacity, however, to foster academic engagement and social activism among students.
This article describes the psychological processes that lead to academic and social integration based on a retention model proposed by the authors (Bean & Eaton, 2000). It also describes how successful retention programs such as learning communities, freshman interest groups, tutoring, and orientation rely on psychological processes. Four psychological theories form the basis for our recommendations: attitude-behavior theory which provides the overall structure of the theoretical model, and coping behavioral (approach-avoidance) theory, self-efficacy theory, and attribution (locus of control) theory that lead to academic and social integration.
Research has shown that two effective programs that positively impact upon new students' retention are first year seminars and clustering two or more academic courses together. This article discusses the results of one institution's approach to increasing student retention. The study analyzed the impact of clustering a first year seminar with an English composition course on new students' retention rates at a small, independent college in the northeast. The study, using multivariate regression models, showed no statistical difference in retention rates between students taking a clustered first year seminar and students taking a nonclustered first year seminar. This article discusses reasons that may account for the inconsistency with the literature, and closes with implications of the study and future research ideas.
This article builds on the assumption that colleges and universities are organizations and subsequently that the organizational perspective provides important insights for improving retention on college and university campuses. A review of existing organizational studies of undergraduate persistence serves as the basis for ten empirically-based recommendations for practice that are designed to help campus leaders improve the effectiveness of retention efforts on campus.
This study examined the effectiveness of different topics/activities included in a freshman orientation course in enhancing the students' perception of their successful adjustment to college life and the impact of these subjects on the student level of persistence. The results support the Tinto stage model of persistence since the elements of the orientation course most highly correlated to persistence were topics and activities dedicated to: 1) the development of strong social networks (with both faculty and students) and 2) integration into the institution. Results also suggest that certain topics/activities should be included in orientation courses in order to help students become more effective in dealing with their external relationships as specified in the Astin attrition model. Specifically, results indicate that if a student did not have exposure to study skills, advising information, curriculum planning, group activities, and campus tours, they were less likely to re-enroll.