Results of the 2005
Your First College Year (YFCY) Survey:
Spotlight on Student Adjustment & Satisfaction
Victor Sáenz & De’Sha Wolf
Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA
Sunday, February 26, 2006
25th Annual Conference on the First Year Experience
Atlanta, GA
1
Presentation Goals

Overview of CIRP Freshman Survey

Introduce the YFCY survey as a longitudinal follow-up to the
CIRP Freshman Survey
•
Share descriptive findings from the 2005 YFCY national
aggregate data, with a focus on college adjustment and
satisfaction
•
Discuss how institutions can utilize HERI longitudinal data to
assess various aspects of the first-year experience
2
Higher Education Research Institute
CIRP
Funded
Research
Cooperative Institutional
Research Program
Freshman
Survey
YFCY
Faculty Survey
CSS
•Atlantic Philanthropies
•Templeton Foundation
•National Institutes
of Health
3
CIRP Freshman Survey

Largest and longest-running national study of American
college students…2006 is 40th Anniversary

Initiated in 1966 at the American Council on Education;
Housed at HERI (UCLA) since 1973

Administered annually to over 400,000 incoming freshmen
at more than 600 colleges and universities nationwide

Since 1966: 12 million students; 1,800 institutions
4
CIRP
Freshman Survey Items







Demographic Characteristics
Expectations for College
High School Experiences
Degree Aspirations & Career Plans
College Finances
Attitudes, Values, & Life Goals
Reasons for Attending College

FRESHMAN TRENDS (1966 – present)
5
CIRP Trends:
Entering College Freshmen
Value: Keeping Up to Date with Political Affairs
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Percent
"very important" or "essential"
19661969197219751978198119841987199019931996199920022005
6
CIRP Trends:
Entering College Freshmen
"Very I mportant" Reason for Attending College:
"My Parents Wanted Me To Go"
70
60
50
40
30
Percent
20
10
0
197619781980198219841986198819901992199419961998200020022004
7
CIRP Trends:
Entering College Freshmen
Grade Inflation
50
40
A- or
higher
30
Percent
20
10
C+ or
lower
0
1966 19701973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 19972000 2003
8
CIRP Trends:
Entering College Freshmen
Contrasting Values
Be very w ell off financially
80
60
40
Percent
Develop a meaningful philosophy of life
20
0
1967
1973
1979
1985
1991
1997
2003
9
CIRP Trends:
Entering College Freshmen
Reason for Attending College:
"To Be Able To Make More Money"
80
Men
70
60
Women
50
40
30
20
Percent "very important"
10
0
1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003
10
CIRP Freshman Trends
 Socio-historical
 Consistent
 Changing
context
trends over time
student profile over the last 40
years (e.g, values, reasons for going to college, etc.)
 What
about students’ first year of college
experiences?
11
Your First College Year (YFCY)

Developed in 2000 in conjunction with the Policy Center on
the First Year of College

Designed as a follow-up to the CIRP Freshman Survey;
may also be used as a stand-alone instrument

Over 1/3 of the YFCY survey items directly post-test items
on the CIRP Freshman Survey

In 2005, surveyed over 40,000 students at 200+ institutions
nationwide
12
YFCY Major Themes
 Academic
and social adjustment
 Sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction
 Academic, residential, and employment
experiences
 Plans for the next academic year
 Patterns of behavior
 Life goals
 Self-concept and feelings of personal success
13
Institutions in 2005 YFCY*
Participation in the 2005 YFCY by Institutional Type
Institutional Type
Public Universities
Private Universities
Public Four-Year Colleges
Nonsectarian Four-Year Colleges
Catholic Four-Year Colleges
Other Religious Four-Year Colleges
Two-Year Colleges
Total
*Data are unweighted.
N
23
15
16
36
19
32
3
144
14
Students in 2005 YFCY*
Demographic Characteristics
Female Students
N
16,626
Percent of Total
65.8
White
Asian/Pacific Islander
African American
Latina/o
American Indian
Other Race
16,685
2,368
2,743
2,288
555
610
66.1
9.4
10.9
9.1
2.2
2.4
On Campus
Off Campus
21,768
3,367
86.6
13.4
*Data are unweighted.
15
Results: 2005 YFCY
Student Self-Ratings of Success
70
60
Completely Successful
50
Unsuccessful
40
Percent
30
20
10
0
Developing
close
friendships
with other
students
Understanding
what your
professors
expect of you
academically
Adjusting to
the demands
of college
Utilizing
campus
services
available to
students
Developing
effective study
skills
Managing
your time
effectively
Getting to
know faculty
16
Results: 2005 YFCY
Academic Activities During the First Year of College
Percent
Studied or did homework:
Less than six hours per week
Attended class/labs:
Eleven or more hours per week
39.0
78.3
Frequently or "Occasionally":
Studied with other students
Discussed course content with students outside of class
Spoke up in class
Skipped class
Turned in course assignments late
88.1
85.8
76.1
32.7
15.7
Frequently felt:
Bored in class
That your courses inspired you to think in new ways
43.5
24.1
17
CIRP vs. YFCY
(longitudinal results)
How
do students change during
the first year of college?
18
CIRP, YFCY,
& the I-E-O Model
Environments
YFCY
(e.g., place of residence
during the first year, interactions
with peers and faculty, curricular
and co-curricular experiences)
Inputs
CIRP Freshman Survey
Outcomes
YFCY
(e.g., academic performance
in high school, financial concerns
prior to college entry,
expectations for college,
degree aspirations,
self-concept in high school)
(e.g., satisfaction with college,
social/emotional adjustment, sense
of belonging)
19
Longitudinal Results:
2004 CIRP & 2005 YFCY
Expectations vs. Reality Among First-Year Students
Expectation*
Percent of students responding…
"Some chance"
That they
or "very good engaged in this
chance" that
activity in the
they will
first year
Difference
Participate in organized demonstrations
31.6
39.0
7.4
Participate in volunteer or service work
74.6
61.5
-13.1
Make at least a "B" average
96.9
79.8
-17.1
Seek personal counseling
36.7
18.6
-18.1
Change major field
49.0
30.4
-18.6
Transfer to another college
20.1
1.1
-19.0
Be satisfied with this college
96.3
74.3
-22.0
Get a job to help pay for college expenses
81.3
54.0
-27.3
Participate in student clubs or groups
86.1
57.9
-28.2
*Expectation measures refer to all of college and are not limited to just the first year.
20
Longitudinal Results:
2004 CIRP & 2005 YFCY
Change in First-Year Students' Behaviors
Percent reporting that they spent:
During last year At the end of first
of high school
college year
Change
Spent six or more hours per week:
Studying/doing homework
Partying
Participating in student clubs/groups
44.9
18.7
16.5
64.9
24.1
10.0
20.0
5.4
-6.5
"Frequently" or "occasionally":
Drink beer
Drink wine or liquor
Participate in demonstrations
Attend a religious service
41.6
50.4
45.1
81.2
54.5
62.0
39.0
56.4
12.9
11.6
-6.1
-24.8
"Frequently":
Feel overwhelmed
Discuss politics
29.7
28.2
39.9
20.7
10.2
-7.5
21
YFCY (by racial group):
Sense of Community on Campus
Overall Sense of Community
dissatisfied/very dissatisfied
satisfied/very satisfied
70%
60%
50%
40%
Percent
30%
20%
10%
0%
White
Latina/o
American
Indian
Other Race
African
American
Asian/Pacific
Islander
22
YFCY (by racial group):
Overall Satisfaction w/College Experience
Overall Satisfaction w/College Experience
90%
dissatisfied/very dissatisfied
satisfied/very satisfied
80%
70%
60%
50%
Percent
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
White
American
Indian
Latina/o
Other Race
Asian/Pacific
Islander
African
American
23
YFCY Factor:
Satisfaction with College (alpha=.86)
Items (1=very dissatisfied; 5=very satisfied)
Loadings
Overall quality of instruction
0.75
Overall college experience
0.74
Overall sense of community among students
0.74
Relevance of coursework to everyday life
0.74
Relevance of coursework to future career plans
0.72
Campus social activities
0.72
Amount of contact with faculty
0.68
Opportunities for community service
0.65
24
YFCY Factor:
Poor Social/Emotional Adjustment
(alpha=.77)
Items (1=not at all; 4=frequently)
Loadings
Worried about meeting new people
0.71
Isolated from campus life
0.70
Lonely or homesick
0.70
Worried about your health
0.65
Felt depressed
0.61
Intimidated by your professors
0.59
Unsafe on this campus
0.56
25
YFCY Factor:
Academic Success Habits (alpha=.77)
Items (1=unsuccessful; 3=completely successful)
Loadings
Developing effective study skills
0.80
Adjusting to the academic demands of college
0.79
Managing your time effectively
0.76
Understanding what your professors expect academically
0.65
Getting to know faculty
0.58
Utilizing campus services available to students
0.50
26
YFCY Factor:
Academic Disengagement (alpha=.69)
Items (1=not at all; 3=frequently)
Loadings
Skipped class
0.68
Turned in course assignments that did not reflect best work
0.65
Came late to class
0.62
Turned in course assignment(s) late
0.59
Fell asleep in class
0.58
Received negative feedback about your academic work
0.55
Felt bored in class
0.45
27
YFCY Factors:
Mean Comparisons by Race
Satisfaction
Socio-emotional
Adjustment
Academic
Success
Academic
Disengagement
All students
3.65
2.05
2.21
2.06
White
3.68
2.05
2.24
2.04
Black
3.58**
1.99**
2.14**
2.10**
Asian/
Pacific Islander
3.48**
2.19**
2.07**
2.14**
Latino
3.67
2.05
2.16**
2.06
All means reported are significant at the p<.01 level; In comparison to White students, *Mean difference is
significant at p<.05; **Mean difference is significant at p<.01
28
YFCY Factors:
Mean Comparisons Institutional Control
Satisfaction
Socio-emotional
Adjustment
Academic
Success
Academic
Disengagement
Public Inst.
3.57
2.06
2.15
2.07
Private Inst.
3.67
2.05
2.24
2.05
29
Using YFCY Data to Enhance Campus
Assessment Efforts: Methodologies
•Descriptive analyses with your campus data
•Comparative analyses
•Measures of association
•Longitudinal analyses
•Factor analyses
•Multivariate analyses
30
Using YFCY Data to Enhance Campus
Assessment Efforts: Purposes
•Self-study reports
•Retention studies
•Recruitment issues
•Examining group differences among students
•Strategic planning
•Presentations to various constituents
•Creation of a student information system
•Measuring student development & institutional impact
31
For More Information:
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.html
(310) 825-1925
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/cirp.htm
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/yfcy/
Victor Saenz
[email protected]
De’Sha Wolf
[email protected]
32