1
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
What Worries High School
Students Most About Attending
College?
(Recruitment&Retention in Higher Education, November 2004)
• College costs
(50%)
• Grades to qualify for the (22.9%)
best college
• Choosing the best
major and career track
• Leaving home
2
(14.6%)
(6.3%)
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
First Year Experience
• “As I stepped across the threshold of
my first class on the first day of my
college experience, reality smacked
me right in my face. I was terrified”
• “The very first time I came to Norfolk
State University . . .Norfolk State
was a big field and I was just one
little flower in that field alone with
just dirt surrounding.”
(From NSU student essays, emphasis added)
3
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
First Year Experience
(Cont’d)
“My entrance into [higher education]
was like a baby’s entrance into this
world. My eyes were open, but
uncomprehending, and I was sensitive
to every touch and sound. And like a
developing child, it took me a whole
year before what I was experiencing
began to make sense.”
(From NSU student essays, emphasis added)
4
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
First Year Experience
(Cont’d)
“Entering college is somewhat like
entering C.S. Lewis’ magical world of
Narnia – you will have experiences
that you could have never imagined
and that will forever change your
life.”
(From NSU student essays, emphasis added)
5
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
First Year Experience:
Institutional Approaches
For many years, higher education
stakeholders “have demonstrated a
high tolerance for failure in the first
year as low performance rates were
viewed as inevitable, an academic
social Darwinism” (Gardner, 2001.)
6
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Purpose
• Capture students’ voice and identify
common themes in student essays
on the first year of college
• Inform institutional efforts aimed at
designing or enhancing curricular
and co-curricular structures and
processes for the first-year students.
7
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Norfolk State University
• Founded in 1935
• Located in the downtown Norfolk, Virginia
• Virginia’s largest public historically black
university (HBCU)
• Seventh largest HBCU in the nation
• More than 6,000 of culturally diverse students
• As a university of opportunity, NSU offers a
wide variety of programs for students seeking
access to an affordable high-quality education.
8
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
NSU First-Year Experience:
NSSE Benchmarks
• Active and
Collaborative
Learning
• Level of
Academic
Challenge
56
52.7
53.9
52
49.4
Norfolk
State
University
Master's
48
National
44
Norfolk
State
University
45.3
44
41.1
41.8
Master's
40
National
36
First-Year
9
48
First-Year
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
NSU First-Year Experience:
NSSE Benchmarks (Cont’d)
• Enriching
Educational
Experiences
• Student
FacultyInteraction
44
Norfolk
State
University
41
40
37.2
36
Master's
35.7
60
58.8
Norfolk
State
University
57.7
56
Master's
55.4
National
32
52
First-Year
10
National
First-Year
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
NSU First-Year Experience:
NSSE Benchmarks (Cont’d)
• Supportive Campus Environment
64
61.1
61.8
60
56.6
Norfolk
State
University
Master's
56
National
52
First-Year
11
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Norfolk State University:
Office of the First-Year Experience
• Retention and Graduation subcommittee of
the University Enrollment Management
Committee (2001-2002) recommendations
• Participation in the (2003-2004) AASCU
project Foundations of Excellence in the
First College Year
• Data analysis
– NSU Graduating Student Exit Survey
– National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
12
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Student-Centered First-Year
Experience
• A student-centered FYE takes “an R.
Buckminster Fuller’s view of students:
human beings are born geniuses and
designed for success. If they fail to
display their genius or fail to succeed, it
is because their design function is being
thwarted” (Barr&Tagg, 1995, p. 23)
• Students’ attrition is caused by the
institution’s inability to listen to the
students and facilitate their design
function for college progression.
13
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Listening to the Student Voice
Until students feel that what they
think and say has institutional
validity, it is impossible for them to
view themselves as capable of
navigating the college
(cf., Baxter Magolda, 1991)
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FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Listening to the Student Voice
(Cont’d)
• “Most assessments of the state of
African-American students have
relied heavily on numbers” (Feagin &
Sikes, 1995, p. 91; Fries-Britt & Turner, 2002)
• “We need to listen closely to what
Black American students tell us
about what happens to them and
how they feel, act, and think”
(Feagin & Sikes, 1995, p. 91.)
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FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Data Source
• 67 essays responding to the prompt
– If you were asked to talk with a group of
incoming freshmen about what to expect in
their first year of college, what would you
tell them and why? Be specific as you develop your essay,
and remember who your audience is throughout your essay.
• Exit Examination of Writing
Competency
–
–
–
–
16
Graduation requirement
All UG students after completing ENG 101 and 102
Three-hour proctored exam
500-600 word essay.
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Essays as Indirect
Peer Mentoring Tool
• “I wish so badly, that someone would have
warned me about real college life”
• “I would advise any incoming freshman to talk
to other college students and professors.
Discard all the preconceived notions of the
past and listen intently to what they have to
say. It could mean the difference between an
excellent student and a failing student”
• “In college, challenges are inevitable, what is
important is how we prepare for them.”
(From NSU student essays)
17
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Peer Mentoring
(Cont’d)
• Peer mentors help to motivate and
encourage students
(Schwitzer & Thomas,
1998; Barnett, 1995)
– By providing mentees with information
about what university life is like
– By providing mentees with the
strategies that they can use to
overcome FYE challenges
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FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Methodology
• Content analysis is “a systematic,
replicable technique for compressing
many words of text into fewer content
categories based on explicit rules of
coding” (Stemler, 2001; GAO, 1996)
• NVivo software was utilized to
facilitate the analysis
• Themes are validated through
interviews with first-time freshmen
(N=6)
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FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
What is the First Year of College?
• ”Challenge”
• “Hardest adjustment that one will make in life”
• “World of confusion”
• “Eye opener”
• “A juggling act”
• “Gigantic roller coaster of emotions”
• “College is more like a video game that you
cannot start over. So, if you screw up your
score, you just have to deal with it.”
20
(From NSU student essays)
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Emerging Themes
• Information Needs
• Responsibility
• Socialization
• Major vs General Education
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FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Information Needs
• “Everyone has heard the endless tales and
myths surrounding the first year of college”
• “When entering into college, no one knows
what to expect”
• “The more they [freshmen] know before they
get to college, the less they will be surprised
and frustrated about college”
• “None of the information [provided during the
freshmen orientation] is set up to discourage
the students … [S]ome of the information is left
out until you meet the professor. That is when
the students really become oriented.” (From NSU
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student essays)
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility
• Separation/Independence
• Being Proactive
• Focus/Motivation
• Decision-making skills
– Time Management
– Budget Management
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FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility:
Separation / Independence
• “You are now on your own and no
longer under the wing of your parents
and previous teachers. College life will
test your early adulthood”
• “New responsibilities come along with
college life. You become independent
and responsible for your actions.” (From
NSU student essays)
24
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility:
Separation / Independence
(Cont’d)
• “The first dilemma faced by all
incoming freshmen is the freedom that
comes along with going to college”
• “Some of you are like Paul Revere,
racing as fast as you can to take hold
of your destiny. Others are like
prisoners of war who, when set free,
are so timid, they can hardly bring
themselves to take the first, tottering
steps into the future.” (From NSU student essays)
25
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility: Being Proactive
• “You will not receive help unless you
ask for it”
• “They don’t baby you”
• “I had to realize that the teachers were
not going to spoon feed me anymore, I
had to actually learn on my own”
• “I always remembered this theory:
Information or knowledge will not
come to you, you have to come to it.”
(From NSU student essays)
26
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility: Being Proactive
(Cont’d)
• “Never be afraid to visit a teacher in
her office hours for advice. They eat
that up. The more your teacher sees
you, the more she knows you, and
the more she knows you, the more
willing she will be to help you”
• “Their [faculty and staff] first priority
is to help you. They do not even
hesitate.” (From NSU student essays)
27
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility: Focus/Motivation
• “Remember the reason why you came
to college”
• “Remaining focused and understanding
your key purpose for attending college
will help you cope with your new
independence”
• “Many of us, students, fail to realize
that the reason we are at school is for
our education and everything else
should be secondary.” (From NSU student essays)
28
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility: Decision-Making
• “Making decisions is a big part about
being a college student”
• “Many incoming freshman are
unsuccessful because they lack
good decision-making skills.” (From NSU
student essays)
29
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility:
Decision-Making:
Time Management
• “In college, everything moves along so
much faster. There is no time for
procrastinating because the time goes by
so fast”
• “Your attendance, class work and grades
go hand in hand. You are in control of how
well you do and if you succeed or not”
• “The most important weapon to have to
fight in the war of freshman year [emphasis
added] is time management skills.” (From NSU student
essays)
30
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Responsibility:
Decision-Making:
Budget Management
• “A big lesson I learned was how to
budget money… Money is a
necessity and you have to have it in
order to survive”
• “Hidden costs of college, such as,
the parking fee or extra materials
that may be needed for an art class.”
(From NSU student essays)
31
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Socialization
• Fluid Social Relationships
• Peer Pressure
• Extracurricular Activities
• Diversity
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FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Socialization:
Fluid Social Relationships
• “All the friends you make your first
semester will not be the friends you
have at your last semester”
33
• “Freshmen probably think they need a
support system, so they buddy up with
the first group of “nice” people they
see. . . Get out, explore, meet a lot of
people and do not take a lost friend as a
failure; take it as a miracle that passed
and you are a better person because of
it.” (From NSU student essays)
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Socialization: Peer Pressure
• “ I started drinking, smoking, and having
a good time . . . Coming into college I
thought I would never do things like that
because it was outside of my character,
but as I have learned, when there is
intense peer pressure, you never know
what you are capable of”
• “It is important to realize that morals or
beliefs don’t have to be compromised to
make friends.” (From NSU student essays)
34
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Socialization:
Extracurricular Activities
• “It is also healthy to have fun, so you
can relieve some of that stress from all
that hard work”
• “Have fun! Having fun gives you
motivation”
• “There are so many different activities
on campus. Being bored is only the
result of not looking for something to do.
There are clubs to suit everyone’s
interests, as well as every major.” (From NSU
35
student essays)
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Socialization: Diversity
• “Diversity is something that you
should definitely expect to see in
college”
• “Be open-minded. Remember there
are students and employees here
from all over the world. Culturally
and socially, everyone is different.”
(From NSU student essays)
36
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Socialization: Diversity
(Cont’d)
• “Whether a historically black university, a
predominantly white university, or a racially
mixed university is chosen, the new
freshman will be surprised to learn about the
varying cultures from state to state and even
from city to city”
• “When I came to Norfolk State University, a
Historically Black University, I thought since
everyone was black I would not have to
worry about diversity. Well, I thought wrong.
Since I have been here, I have been exposed
to so many different cultures, it is amazing.”
(From NSU student essays)
37
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Major vs General Education:
Major
• “Think about your major before you
get too deep”
• “It is important to choose electives
related to your major. Choosing
electives according to your major
will help build a good foundation.”
(From NSU student essays)
38
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Major vs General Education:
General Education
• “Know that it is not a waste of time and effort,
or money, to take courses not required by your
major, or that will not result in transfer credit.
You will learn something in each class you
take”
• “Freshman year should be spent taking the
classes that are required by the university. This
will allow a student to get used to the rigors of
college academics”
• “This is the year you are taught your
fundamentals. If you don’t fully learn your
fundamentals you aren’t in a state to fully
succeed the next year.” (From NSU student essays)
39
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Towards a Conceptual Framework:
FYE and Student Roles
• Student Roles
– “Student”
– “Advocate for the school and higher
education in general”
– “Individual”
40
(From one NSU student essay)
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Towards a Conceptual Framework:
FYE and Student Roles (Cont’d)
• Role Theory
(Kahn et al., 1964)
– Role Ambiguity
– Role Overload
– Role Conflict
41
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Implications for the Design of the
First-Year Experience Programs
• Role Ambiguity
– Provide students with the information on
the expectations from faculty,
administration, and peer students
– Increase involvement of students,
alumni and faculty in recruitment and
New Student Orientation activities
– Increase time for advising meetings.
42
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Implications for the Design of the
First-Year Experience Programs
• Role Overload
– Streamline information provided to
students
– Develop and support peer mentoring and
peer instruction programs
– Enhance seminars aimed at developing
time and budget management skills.
43
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Implications for the Design of the
First-Year Experience Programs
• Role Conflict
– Infuse more academic content in
freshman seminars
– Promote cohort-based modes of learning
– Align curricular and co-curricular
activities.
44
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
Future Research
• In-depth interviews with the first-year students
to cross-validate the emerged themes
• Integrate quantitative information on the FYE
at NSU
– New Student Orientation (NSO) evaluations (student
and parent)
– College Student Inventory (CSI)
– Beginning College Student Survey (BCSS)
– First Year Initiative (FYI) assessment (freshman
seminar)
– National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Continue cooperation with the Foundations of
Excellence in the First College Year.
45
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
46
Barnett, B. G. (1995). Developing reflection and expertise: Can mentors make the
difference? Journal of Educational Administration; 33 (5), 45-59.
Barr, R.B., & Tagg, J. (1995, November/December). From teaching to learning – A new
paradigm for undergraduate education. Change, 13-25.
Baxter Magolda, M. B. (1992). Students' epistemologies and academic experiences:
Implications for pedagogy. Review of Higher Education, 15, 277-291.
Gardner, J.N. (2001). Plenary address. Summer Institute on First-Year Assessment,
Asheville, NC.
http://www.brevard.edu/fyc/Presentations/pdf/OpeningTalk.PDF
General Accounting Office (GAO) (1996). Content Analysis: A Methodology for
Structuring and Analyzing Written Material. GAO/PEMD-10.3.1. Washington, D.C.
Feagin, J., & Sikes, M. (1995). How Black students cope with racism on White
campuses. Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 13(2), 91-97.
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
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(Cont’d)
Kahn, R., Wolfe, D., Quinn, R., Snoek, J., & Rosenthal, R. (1964). Organizational stress:
Studies in role conflict and ambiguity. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Miles, M.B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage Publications.
Pancer, S.M., Hunsberger, B., Pratt, M.W., & Alisat, S. (2000). Cognitive complexity of
expectations and adjustment to university in the first year. Journal of Adolescent
Research, 15 (1), 38-57.
Schwitzer, A. M.; Thomas, C. (1998). Implementation, utilization, and outcomes of a
minority freshman peer mentor program at a predominantly white university. Journal of
the Freshman Year Experience & Students in Transition; 10 (1), 31-50.
Stemler, S. (2001). An overview of content analysis. Practical Assessment,Research &
Evaluation, 7 (17). http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=17
Upcraft, M.L., Gardner, J.N., Barefoot, B.O, & Associates (2005). Challenging &
supporting the first-year student: A handbook for improving the first year of college. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
FYE Annual Conference
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Feb. 4-8, 2005