First-time Students Research Articles

Service Learning in the First Year: Enhanced Retention and Graduation Rates for First-Year and Transfer Students from Underrepresented Groups

This study constitutes an assessment of the service-learning program at a minority-serving institution, using data spanning nine years. It focuses on two student populations: those who enrolled as first-time students, and the larger population of students who transferred from other institutions, primarily two-year colleges. Within these groups, we examine the effects of service-learning in the first year on Latinx/Hispanic students, low-income students, and other underrepresented student subpopulations on first-year retention and on graduation rates. Using propensity score analysis with full matching techniques means this study may be considered a quasi-experimental design in the cases for which strong balance is obtained. Results indicate that service-learning increases first-year retention rates, and increases two measures of graduation rates in every case demonstrating strong balance and significance. Results for Hispanic students are particularly notable.

Middle school girls PE: pushed to compete or pushed aside

ABSTRACT Physical education (PE) class can be the first-time students experience structured physical activities, and competitive activities may comprise the majority of activities. If a student experiences success they may want to continue participation; however, after middle school, female participation declines sharply. The framework used in this study, the Theory of Planned Behaviour, guided the examination of the perceptions and experiences of middle school female students in competition in PE. Forty-six seventh- and eighth-grade students identifying as female, from four suburban northeastern school districts, participated in focus groups and were observed during competitive activities in PE. Informal interviews with the PE teacher were conducted. Two major themes emerged: (1) students had insight into organizing teams and skill development and (2) pushed to compete or pushed aside. This study suggests students identifying as female in middle school have well-developed perceptions based upon their experiences in PE and provide a strong indication that how teachers organize class and behaviour management influence these perceptions.

Psychosocial Educational Guidance Center as a retention and permanence strategy

Introduction: In the CCAV de Facatativá Virtual Care Community Center of the National Open and Distance University (UNAD), students with difficulties in their academic process have been identified, reflected in low historical average, repetitive loss of courses, long stay at the institution with little progress in their studies making it difficult to complete their professionaltraining; Therefore, the need arises to create a Retention and Permanence strategy that allows support for students from the academic and personal spheres, which is why the Psychosocial Educational Guidance Center (COPE) was created. Objective: Create COPE as a retention and permanence strategy where timely attention is provided regarding the difficulties presented in the development of the educational process of CCAV de Facatativá students. Methodology: Qualitative research, with action research design, protocols, contact formats, semi-structured interviews, field notes and questionnaires were used to collect information. Results: Of the 49 users, 16 % were first-time students who continued their professionalization project with the university; 84 % corresponded to former students, of whom 81 % continued their academic process, and finally, 2 % of users decided to give up their academic training. Conclusions: It contributed to the promotion of personal reflection of users, and the potentialization of their personal resources, favoring the change of thoughts, emotions and/or behaviors in favor ofgreater academic and personal well-being.

Effects of a Mentorship Program on High Need College Students: Reflections from Mentors and Mentees

On average, the college graduation rates for minority and/or high-need students are generally low. To address this situation, a Mid-Atlantic Consortium recently secured a grant to improve 4-year graduation rates of high-need students (i.e., new first-time students and transfer students who qualify as low-income students, first-generation college students, adult students, and/or students of color) by 20% over each selected college’s baseline. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of students and faculty mentors toward accomplishing this goal. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically. Some of the effects identified in this study included enhanced academic and career planning, strengthening relationships between mentors–mentees through enhanced communication and trust building, enhanced research skills, development of mentorship skills, development of intellectual curiosity, and improved academic outcomes. We discuss implications for practice, policy, and further research.

Enhancing Equity in Australian Higher Education Using Fuzzy Trace Theory

Australian higher education is unequal, with regional and remote students under-represented and less likely to succeed at university despite decades of policy initiatives. Regional and remote communities are diverse, requiring tailored marketing communications to improve their university participation and experience. There is often a considerable gap between pre-commencement expectations and perceived experiences of first-year, first-time (FYFT) students. The purpose of this research is to better understand how the pre-commencement expectations of FYFT regional university students are influenced by Fuzzy Trace Theory’s (FTT) gist mental representations and the influence this has on their satisfaction. This study qualitatively explores a theoretical framework linking FTT with expectations, cognitive dissonance, action/inaction responses and satisfaction. The five identified insights were pre-commencement expectations for (1) micro-cohort connections, (2) macro-cohort connections and (3) recreational connections that, when not met, led to FYFT regional university students’ (4) responding with action or inaction, or both; with (5) action responses leading to increased satisfaction and inaction responses leading to decreased satisfaction. This research is novel, exploring and establishing the influence of FTT gist representations on FYFT regional university students’ pre-commencement expectation development to help address educational inequality. These findings confirm the powerful influence university marketing communications have on underrepresented groups.

Selection tests and their predictive value in university nursing students’ success in the first year of study

BackgroundAcademic performance factors, such as school-leaving grades and other academic indicators for selection, play a significant role in student success. The study aimed to determine the best predictors of academic success in the first year of study for nursing studies at a South African university using three National Benchmark Test (NBT) domains and four National Senior Certificate (NSC) subjects.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of the admission data of first-time students (n = 317), enrolled on the Bachelor of Nursing between 2012 and 2018. Hierarchical regression was used to explore important variables predicting success in the first year of study. Cross tabulations were used to determine the association between progression outcome, proficiency levels of the NBT and school quintiles.ResultsAll predicting variables explained 35% of the variance in the first year of the study. The NBT MAT (Mathematics), Academic literacy (AL), and NSC’s Life Sciences were statistically significant predictors for passing the first year. Analysis of progression outcomes by the NBT proficiency levels suggests that most students begin studies with lower entry-level skills than required, which hinders academic progress. No major differences in academic performance were observed for the students who attended different quintiles.ConclusionSelection test results predict areas where students are likely to encounter difficulties and inform the interventions needed to achieve academic success. There may be serious implications for students admitted with low entry-level skills in variables predicting academic success and they would need tailored academic interventions to improve their grasp of mathematical and biological concepts and their ability to read, think and reason.

Sitting next to a dropout: Academic success of students with more educated peers

We investigate the impact of the presence of university dropouts on the academic success of first-time students in universities of applied sciences. Our identification strategy relies on quasi-random variation in the proportion of dropouts. The estimated average zero effect of dropouts on first-time students’ success masks treatment heterogeneity and non-linearities. First, we find negative effects on the academic success of their new peers from dropouts who had re-enrolled in the same subject and, conversely, positive effects of dropouts changing subjects. Second, we use causal machine learning methods to find that the effects vary nonlinearly with different treatment intensities and prevailing treatment levels.

Peer Mentoring: Benefits to First-Time College Students and Their Peer Mentors

The experiences of first-year, first-time college students are impacted by a variety of challenges that pose a threat to student success and retention. One intervention universities are implementing to address these challenges are peer mentorship programs. While the benefits to first-time students of peer mentorship programs are well-researched, there is a lack of research on the benefits for mentors themselves. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived and demonstrable benefits for peer mentors working within a first-year seminar. This mixed-methods study assessed both first-time student achievement outcomes (i.e., first-term GPA and one-year persistence; N = 7,154) as well as the professional and personal development benefits of peer mentors (n = 52). Results showed first-time students who participated in the peer mentor program had significantly higher student achievement and peer mentors themselves had increased academic self-efficacy, improved communication, leadership, and interpersonal presence, and strengthened social and professional networks.

Underrepresented Minority Students in College: The Role of Classmates

The role of racial diversity at colleges has been debated for over more than a half a century with limited quasi-experimental evidence from classrooms. To fill this void, I estimate the extent that classmate racial compositions affect Hispanic and African American students at a large and oversubscribed California community college where they are minorities. I find that when minority students are exposed to a greater share of same-race classmates, they are more likely to complete the class with a pass and are more likely to enroll in a same-subject course the subsequent term. The findings are robust to first-time students with the lowest registration priority versus all students and different combinations of fixed effects (e.g., student, class, and instructor race).

Predictions of success in organic chemistry based on a mathematics skills test and academic achievement

Organic Chemistry I presents challenges to many students pursuing diverse fields of study, oftentimes curtailing further progress in those fields. The ability to identify students at risk of unsuccessful course outcomes may lead to improved success rates by offering tailored resources to those students. Previously identified predictors include college entrance exam scores, grade point averages (GPA), General Chemistry II course grades, first exam scores, and results from a logical thinking assessment. This work explores the use of the 20-item Math-Up Skills Test (MUST) in a first-semester organic chemistry course over two years at a small private university. Analysis of scores on the MUST, which is taken during the first week of the semester, indicates a statistically significant difference between successful and unsuccessful first-time students (n = 74 and 49, respectively) as the MUST has good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.861) and a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.29). Taken alone, the MUST predicts students at risk of not passing the course with 64% accuracy; addition of start-of-term science GPA data improves predictions to 82% accuracy. Predictions are further improved with incorporation of scores from the first exam of the semester. Observations to date indicate that the MUST is an easily administered assessment that can be utilized alone or as part of a trio of measures to predict success in first-semester Organic Chemistry. Implications of a mathematics assessment as a predictor for Organic Chemistry are addressed.

An examination of visual information and comprehension of first-time students learning physical therapy assessment methods

An examination of visual information and comprehension of first-time students learning physical therapy assessment methods

Family background and the likelihood of pursuing a university degree abroad: heterogeneity in educational fields

This article examines how the likelihood of pursuing higher education abroad varies with social background and how such possible variations differ across educational fields. We use comprehensive Norwegian population data which allow for examining two dimensions of family background: parents’ education level and income. Our analytical sample comprises five cohorts of first-time students aged 19–24 years. We confirm previous findings that students who study abroad come from families with highly educated parents. Additionally, we find that students abroad have wealthier parents. Interestingly, the relationships between the likelihood of studying abroad and family background differ across educational fields. The probability of studying business and administration abroad increases with both parental income and parental education level, whereas it only increases with parental income for fine arts students. For medical students, family background does not correlate with the probability of studying abroad after controlling for grades from upper secondary.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Community College Enrollment and Student Success: Evidence from California Administrative Data

Abstract This paper examines how the pandemic impacted the enrollment patterns, fields of study, and academic outcomes of students in the California Community College System, the largest higher-education system in the country. Enrollment dropped precipitously during the pandemic—the total number of enrolled students fell by 11 percent from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 and by another 7 percent from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021. The California Community College system lost nearly 300,000 students over this period. Our analysis reveals that enrollment reductions were largest among black and Latinx students, and were larger among continuing students than first-time students. We find no evidence that having a large online presence prior to the pandemic protected colleges from these negative effects. Enrollment changes were substantial across a wide range of fields and were large for both vocational courses and academic courses that can be transferred to four-year institutions. In terms of course performance, changes in completion rates, withdrawal rates, and grades primarily occurred in the spring of 2020. These findings of the effects of the pandemic at community colleges have implications for policy, impending budgetary pressures, and future research.

Institution Type, Selectivity, and Financial Aid: An Examination of Institutional Factors Influencing First-Time Students Retention in Public Universities

First-time student retention has become of greatest priority to higher education administrators seeking to increase revenue from tuition and completion rates. The statistics show that only 40% of first-time students persist from the start of institution to graduation. While decades of research have been conducted to investigate the factors influencing student retention, most of these researches have focused on students' attributes, pre-college characteristics, and socioeconomic. There is significantly limited information on how institutional characteristics contribute to first-time students' retention, yet institutional behavior and environment are key determinants of students' retention and success. Also, institutional administrators and students are increasingly becoming interested in knowing how their institutional characteristics influence student retention. This study examines the effects of institutional type, selectivity and institutional financial aid on retention rates at 4-year public research universities. Using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), the study also examines the interaction effect of institutional selectivity and the percentage of students with financial aid on retention across institution types. The study found institution type to significantly associate with the retention rates in both low and high-selective institutions. High-selective institutions have high retention rates on average. The results of the analysis also showed that the effect of the percentage level of students with financial aid on retention rate does not depend on the institution selectivity level. The study presents significant practical implications for institution leaders, policymakers and students in enhancing student retention and in decision-making process.

Improving Access to Medical Education for Underrepresented and Low-Income Students.

To the Editor: A growing body of literature reports improved patient outcomes with more diverse health care teams. 1 However, medical school matriculants from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds have grown by less than 2% since 1980, a rate disproportionate to their growth in the U.S. population and to the 47% overall increase in medical school applications. 2 Similarly, only 5% of students hail from the lowest quintile of household income. 3 Barrier analyses show that insufficient information about health careers and the lack of close mentors in health care are obstacles to students pursuing health careers. 4 To address these gaps in information and social capital, we and other students attending the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania designed The UpLIFT Guide to Medical School Admissions, 5 a free, comprehensive guide that encompasses the entire medical school application process, including (1) preparing an application, (2) applying and interviewing, and (3) navigating financial aid and school selection processes. The guide provides targeted support to underrepresented, low-income, and first-time students, hence the name UpLIFT. For example, initial users have noted that our guide addresses topics such as how to frame disadvantaged identities, which is particularly important in their applications. To our knowledge, this is the first such free and comprehensive resource that specifically aims to improve access to and help reduce disparities within medical education. The guide was launched online on August 27, 2020. Over 13 weeks, the resource has been viewed 7,223 times by 3,373 unique users at 34 undergraduate institutions. Future possibilities for this guide include its use as an official premedical mentorship text for peer premedical mentorship programs and its adaptation to multiple companion media platforms, such as video and podcasts. We hope this guide—and other similar resources such as pipeline programs and targeted mentorship groups—can equip underrepresented students to matriculate to medical school and enter the physician workforce. We urge other medical students and medical schools to pioneer similar initiatives that engage and help uplift medical school applicants and students from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds.

Factors related to first-year retention rate in a public minority serving institution with nontraditional students

The authors present a comprehensive study to identify factors that affect the retention rate of first-time freshman business students in a large four-year public university. Factors include background academic and demographic variables, current performance indicators, and course-taking patterns. Based on a logistic regression model and comparison between nonretained students and students who graduate on time, the authors determined that sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, grade point average, academic standing, and performance in foundational and remedial courses were significant predictors of nonretention. Underrepresented students were found to struggle more in college and be at a significantly higher risk for nonretention than were others with socioeconomic or financial reasons playing a big role along with poor academic performance.

The Need for Equitable Scholarship Criteria for Part-Time Students

Current policies and interventions to enhance student success and retention are often tied to full-time enrollment, which are substantiated by studies associating part-time enrollment with lower retention and poorer academic outcomes. However, these findings are limited to studies of first-time college students and do not represent today’s nontraditional undergraduate who may be transfer, online, and working adult students. To enhance retention of on-campus and hybrid online 2 + 2 transfer students in a STEM undergraduate program, need-based scholarships are awarded to students enrolled full-time as stipulated by the federal granting agency. Although the scholarship has helped >80 students to date, over 40% of eligible transfer students are excluded only because they are enrolled part-time, disproportionately affecting students in the hybrid online track who are more likely to be women and underrepresented minorities. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, this study explores enrollment behavior of transfer students (online and on-campus), its relationship with student characteristics and academic outcomes, and implications for scholarship eligibility. Full-time enrollment is a significant challenge for transfer students. While scholarship requirements are a key factor influencing full-time enrollment, online transfer students additionally cite work and family obligations as drivers of enrollment behavior. Thus, online 2 + 2 transfer students face different challenges than on-campus peers and are more likely to enroll part-time out of necessity, yet still have comparable GPA and graduation rates. These findings support a growing awareness of barriers nontraditional students face questioning the relevance of policies driven by “traditional” student outcomes, which perpetuate inequity in higher education.

Untested Admissions: Examining Changes in Application Behaviors and Student Demographics Under Test-Optional Policies

This study examines a diverse set of nearly 100 private institutions that adopted test-optional undergraduate admissions policies between 2005–2006 and 2015–2016. Using comparative interrupted time series analysis and difference-in-differences with matching, I find that test-optional policies were associated with a 3% to 4% increase in Pell Grant recipients, a 10% to 12% increase in first-time students from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds, and a 6% to 8% increase in first-time enrollment of women. Overall, I do not detect clear evidence of changes in application volume or yield rate. Subgroup analyses suggest that these patterns were generally similar for both the more selective and the less selective institutions examined. These findings provide evidence regarding the potential—and the limitations—of using test-optional policies to improve equity in admissions.

Persistent Cost Efficiency at Public Community Colleges in the US: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis.

This study utilizes an extensive panel data set spanning 15 years (2004–2018) and 752 public community colleges to investigate operating costs and persistent cost efficiency at public community colleges in the United States. We employ a generalized true random effects (GTRE) regression model that takes into account spatial correlation of costs among community colleges, to estimate cost efficiency via stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). The results reveal a positive relationship between operating costs and associate degrees and certificates as well both human (part- and full-time faculty) and financial resources (local, state and federal funding and tuition revenue), controlling for other variables. Furthermore, with an average persistent (long-term) efficiency of 87%, few institutions are relatively cost inefficient. Moving forward, campus leaders and policy makers alike may consider yearly data and efficiency calculations to develop strategic plans and funding alternatives. With 40 percent of first-time students transferring at least once within six years and over half of those students transfer from a community college, future research may study cost efficiency of community colleges while accounting for student transfers as an output.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11162-021-09634-y.

Educational Experiment for Hyphotetical Simulation on Line in a Pandemic Context with Natural Sciences Students

During the years 2020 and 2021, in practically all the universities in the world, face-to-face school activities were suspended, causing a great negative impact in those disciplines where practical practices of an experimental nature or carrying out field work are essential. With the intention of bringing first-time students to the biology degree at UNAM-Iztacala, an experimental exercise was designed, applied and evaluated, with true data that came from an exploration of numerical skills shown by the same students, practice that was done online. Being an experiment, linked to mathematics education and given the pandemic situation that is still in force, an attempt was made to extend with due epistemological prudence, the behavior of the results of the numerical ability observed in these students, with some indicators on the way in which the immunization of human communities with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic is presumably being achieved. Recognizing the notorious difference between the domains of a presumed “numerical sufficiency” on the part of the examined students and that which concerns a presumable “immunization” in a hypothetical population, the exercise did allow to make some analogies, between the predictions of results that can be expected and what is observed in an experimental trial.