First-year Experience Research Articles

On Being Gifted at University: Academic, Social, Emotional, and Institutional Adjustment in Kazakhstan

Globally, universities have an interest in recruiting the most talented students; however, limited attention has been given to how these students experience their transition and adjustment to university life. This mixed-methods study analyzes the academic, social, emotional, and institutional dimensions of gifted students’ adjustment to university in the context of post-Soviet Kazakhstan, a country characterized by a strong emphasis on the education of gifted students. The findings of the study confirm that the process of gifted students’ adjustment to university is a complex phenomenon, and all the aspects of students’ first-year experiences should be carefully taken into consideration when studying the transition to postsecondary education. The results of the study are useful for understanding the issues that gifted students face in the transition to higher education and have important implications for research on gifted students’ postsecondary experiences internationally.

East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine.

East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine.

The role of the first-year experience in student attrition

ABSTRACT Quality assurance in higher education often emphasises the importance of lowering student attrition. The first year of study is a crucial period for mitigating risks of attrition as this is the time when students develop a sense of belonging, and academic and personal connections. This study explores the long-term effects of the first-year student experience on attrition during their four years of study using two longitudinal datasets from a highly selective Russian university. First-year student data from the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey for two cohorts of students with graduation data four years later were combined to identify factors that increase attrition. Student disengagement and lower academic aspirations during the first year of study are associated with student attrition in both cohorts. Policy implications of the findings for Russia and post-communist higher education systems with attrition linked to academic performance are discussed.

First year students’ experience in a Cyber World course – an evaluation

Although cybersecurity is a major present concern, it is not a required subject in University. In response, we developed Cyber World which introduces students to eight highly important cybersecurity topics (primarily taught by none cybersecurity experts). We embedded it into our critical thinking Common Course (core curriculum) which is a team-taught first-year experience required for all students. Cyber World was first taught in Fall 2018 to a cohort of over 150 students from various majors at the University of New Haven. This article presents the evaluation of our Fall taught course. In detail, we compare the performance of Cyber World students to other Common Course sections that ran in parallel and conclude that despite the higher workload students performed equally well. Furthermore, we assess the students’ development throughout the course with respect to their cybersecurity knowledge where our results indicate a significant gain of knowledge. Note, this article also presents the idea and topics of Cyber World; however a detailed explanation has been released previously.

First-Year Experience: An Action Method for Surviving the Transition to Higher Education

The transition to higher education can be experienced as both stressful and difficult, and in the worst case, lead to emotional and psychological problems, and premature dropout. Recent studies have shown that more than 30% of students at colleges and universities around the world abandon their studies before completion, and are particularly vulnerable during the first year of studies. The social and economic consequences for society have increased dramatically and this has placed increased focus on the ‘first-year experience.’ This action research pilot study followed first-year students at a large business school in Norway in an attempt to reduce student dropout rates. Self-identified students, were offered an opportunity to work with their individual challenges using action methods from the field of psychodrama. Psychodrama was developed by Jacob Levi Moreno (1889- 1974) as a creative method for treating groups and individuals as an alternative to classical psychotherapeutic methods. The study found that psychodrama methods, used in a group setting, reduced the psychological and emotional stress experienced by the participants, and more importantly, opened new social network opportunities that enabled them to survive the first year of higher education. Implications for practice are discussed.

Implementing a Clinic-Based Telehealth Support Service (FamilyStrong) for Family Caregivers of Individuals with Grade IV Brain Tumors.

Background: Nearly 3 million U.S. family caregivers support someone with cancer. However, oncology clinic-based service lines that proactively screen, assess, and support cancer caregivers are nearly nonexistent. Objective: To examine first-year experiences of a nurse-led clinic-based telehealth support service (FamilyStrong) for family caregivers of patients with recently diagnosed grade IV brain tumors. Methods: This is a retrospective evaluation of operational outcomes from initial implementation of the FamilyStrong Service, developed in partnership with Caregiver and Bereavement Support Services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care. From August 2018 to December 2019, 53 family caregivers were proactively identified and enrolled by a palliative care nurse, working approximately one day/week, who performed monthly caregiver distress thermometer screenings by phone and provided emotional, educational, problem-solving, and referral support. Results: Enrolled family caregivers were a mean age of 53.5 years and mostly female (62.3%), full- or part-time employed (67.9%), and the patient's spouse/partner (79.3%). Caregivers provided support 6.7 days/week for 11.2 hours/day. The palliative care nurse performed 235 distress screenings and provided support that included 68 documented instances of emotional, problem-solving, and educational support, 41 nurse-facilitated communications with the neuro-oncology team about patient issues, and 24 referrals to UAB and community services (e.g., counseling). The most common problems caregivers wanted assistance with included: managing their relative's health condition and symptoms (51%), coordinating care/services (21%), and planning for the future/advance care planning (17%). Discussion: The FamilyStrong Program is among the first "real world" oncology clinic-based formal support services for advance cancer family caregivers.

Visual outcomes after SMILE from the first-year experience at a U.S. military refractive surgery center and comparison with PRK and LASIK outcomes.

To assess the visual outcomes of small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) after the first year of treatments at a military refractive surgery center and compare with photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) outcomes during the same period. Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program and Research Center, Fort Belvoir, VA. Retrospective study. Records of service members who underwent SMILE, PRK, or LASIK for myopia from March 2017 to February 2018 were reviewed. Preoperative and up to 6-month postoperative data were collected. Visual outcomes were compared between treatments. Of 563 treated eyes, 173 (30.7%) underwent SMILE, 304 (54.0%) PRK, and 86 (15.3%) LASIK. In comparing SMILE with PRK 1 month postoperatively, SMILE (145 eyes [87.9%]) attained uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) ≥20/20 more vs PRK (214 eyes [73.8%]; P < .01). Similarly, SMILE (152 eyes [94.4%]) achieved more eyes with manifest spherical equivalent (MSE) within ±0.50 diopters (D) from intended target vs PRK (250 eyes [85.9%]; P = .01). None lost ≥1 line of corrected distance visual acuity in SMILE vs PRK (16 eyes [5.5%]; P < .01). Thereafter, there were no other significant differences except SMILE had 117 eyes (95.1%) vs PRK with 224 eyes (99.6%) achieving UDVA ≥20/20 at 3 months postoperatively (P = .01). In assessing SMILE vs LASIK, all parameters were comparable; however, 77 SMILE eyes (96.3%) had MSE within ±0.50 D from target vs 31 LASIK eyes (83.8%) at 6 months postoperatively (P = .02). The first year after SMILE treatments in a U.S. military center demonstrated early postoperative outcomes superior to PRK. SMILE seemed more predictable compared with LASIK.

Investigation of First‑year Learning Experiences in a Rural University in South Africa

This study investigated the first‑year experiences (FYE) of students in a South African university. Survey research design was used in the study. The quantitative method was used for data collection and 1 479 first‑year students were randomly selected. The findings reveal that first‑year students in the selected South African rural-based university experience certain specific challenges amongst which are poor orientation to the new context, poor knowledge of the Higher Education system, and poor educational background of parents. The study recommends that a special office under the direct line management of the dean of students be established to observe and closely monitor the progress of first‑year students. This office would accommodate orientation of first years, and liaise and collaborate with appropriate offices within the institution to ensure that first‑year students are properly guided and assisted in integrating without stress into the university system.

Fostering Retention in Online Higher Education: Students’ Perceptions of an Intervention Addressing their First-Year Experience

Dropout represents one of the greatest challenges faced by online higher education. This paper presents an institutional intervention aimed at fostering retention and success of first-year undergraduate students at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), an online and open University, through measures addressing learning design and academic support. Secondly, through analysing in-depth interviews with first-year students, the paper explores their perception of intervention measures and their possible advantages or risks. Results indicate that time-related factors represent the major issue for persistence and continuance. Intervention measures such as personalized course packages which prevent overlapping of submission deadlines; flexibility in continuous assessment; and personalized support and academic advising were valued highly by most students. Future retention interventions in open universities are also discussed.

First-Year Students’ Understanding of Research and Their Information Literacy Skills Change Over Time and in Four Different Ways

A Review of:&#x0D; Kirker, M. J., &amp; Stonebraker, I. (2019). Architects, renovators, builders and fragmenters: A model for first year students’ self-perceptions and perceptions of information literacy. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 45(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2018.10.009&#x0D; Abstract&#x0D; Objective – To explore students’ perceptions of their information literacy skills and how these change during the first-year experience.&#x0D; Design – A longitudinal qualitative study using cognitive dissonance theory.&#x0D; Setting – Two large public universities in the United States of America.&#x0D; Subjects – Students enrolled in research methods and information literacy-based courses in their first semester.&#x0D; Methods – Students were required to submit two written self-reflections as part of their course; the first was completed in the first two weeks of the semester and the second at the end of the semester. Informed consent was obtained for all reflections used for the study. The authors selected 12 students (6 from each institution) to participate in semi-structured interviews at the end of their first year. A total of 178 self-reflections were included in the analysis.&#x0D; Main Results – The study found that students’ understanding of research changed during the first-year experience, and that students had four main journeys related to their information literacy skills and perceptions. Instances of cognitive dissonance were observed. Students can consider themselves both good and bad researchers at the same time. The study also revealed the research process as an emotional labour, not just an intellectual one.&#x0D; Conclusion – The study concluded that a shared understanding of “research” between librarians and students is needed in order to teach information literacy effectively. It is also important to recognise that students transform their information literacy over time (not just from a single class or program) and that teaching needs to meet students where they are on their journey, depending on their “developmental paths.”

Experimental evidence for a first-year experience course plus mentoring on moderate-income university students’ engagement, achievement, and persistence

ABSTRACT Colleges and universities are paying increasing attention to students’ transition into post-secondary education, including the provision of support to freshmen through structured First-Year Experiences (FYEs). Although low- and-moderate-income students are participating in post-secondary education at increased rates, their performance remains behind that of affluent students. We evaluated the effects of a two-arm experimental-assignment treatment for low- and moderate-income U.S. students eligible for Federal Pell grants at a four-year high-research university (N = 178): 57 control condition, 61 in professional learning communities, 60 in community mentoring, with computerized random assignment conducted by an external evaluator. The intensive (3 credit) two-semester research-based FYE plus mentoring program showed no effect on students’ GPA or likelihood of good academic status, probation, or year two persistence. The treated students also showed no differences in fall-to-spring growth or spring level for non-cognitive measures, including academic engagement, amotivation, peer interaction, faculty interaction, and staff interaction. The null findings are consistent across unadjusted treatment-control comparisons, multivariate regression analyses for continuous outcomes, and logistic, probit, or linear analyses of dichotomous outcomes. Our findings have implications for generalizability about FYE effectiveness for low- and moderate-income students and for the design characteristics of FYE programing to reliably improve student outcomes.

The experience of first-year hematology and oncology fellows after implementing a wellness chief fellow at an academic cancer center.

11017 Background: Hematology &amp; Oncology trainees are high risk for burnout. Risk factors include early stage in career, female gender and isolation. From previous assessment, the program discovered that the feeling of isolation was a problem experienced by our trainees. Our first-year fellows are challenged with multiple acclimations and the intense demands of inpatient service. As a result, we developed the leadership position of Wellness Chief Fellow to address the specific needs of this population during academic year 2019. Methods: The Wellness Chief (WC) is a third-year Hematology and Oncology Fellow with good communication skills and knowledge of resources at the academic cancer center. The WC gave a Wellness lecture during first-year orientation to emphasize the prioritization of personal wellbeing throughout fellowship. The WC developed a list of wellness resources within the hospital system and local community and shared these with the fellows. The WC also provided quarterly one-on-one confidential mentoring to first year fellows. These meetings were informal and semi-structured. Topics included adjusting to the academic center and their new fellowship role, moving to a new city, current support system, clinical and research mentorship, life challenges and self-care. Mid-year, the first-year fellows were surveyed regarding their experience. Results: Eight fellows participated in one-on-one mentoring and 5 completed a mid-year evaluation. 4/5 fellows were new to the city. All trainees felt that mentoring helped them adjust to fellowship. 4/5 stated that they found a clinical mentor and 3/5 have a research mentor and started a research project. 4/5 acknowledged that they have a friend in the fellowship program and 5/5 stated that they do have someone to go to if they were experiencing a challenging life event. All fellows reported gaining something valuable after each mentoring session. 3/5 subjectively experienced burnout within 6 months of the fellowship program. One person stated they experienced burnout once per week and 2 reported monthly burnout. Conclusions: A Wellness Chief Fellow can buffer the effects of isolation within the first-year fellowship experience by providing mentoring and resources during a challenging acclimation period.

The Mathematics of A Watershed Year

In 2011, Sonoma State University developed a STEM first-year experience (supported by NSF STEP grant 1068445) that combines general education requirements in mathematics, biology, and critical thinking. The mathematics content includes topics from precalculus and elementary statistics, with a particular focus on using functions and modeling with mathematics, and serves as an alternative pathway to calculus. In this article, we share sample activities and student work to describe the philosophy, pedagogy, and mathematics content of the course. We also share pre- and post-survey results of student attitudes towards math, and data on student achievement in subsequent classes and persistence in pursuing STEM degrees. Coming up on its 8th iteration, the course serves 60 incoming freshmen each year and has become an integral part of the School of Science and Technology's recruitment and retention efforts.

Paths to Learning: Teaching for Engagement in College

Edited by: Barbara F. Tobolowsky (Ed.)&#x0D; Published by:, Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Research Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, 2014. 179 pages&#x0D; Reviewed by: Jessica Hale, Ed.D.

Validity of studying by residents procedure of referring persons for high-tech medical care

Aim. To substantiate the relevance of studying by residents the procedure of referring persons for high-tech medical care rendered in the framework of the discipline Healthcare Management.&#x0D; Materials and methods. Survey of 385 first and second year residents with the specialty "medical business", "pediatrics". The percentage and average values were calculated and analyzed.&#x0D; Results. The average score is 1.2 0.5 out of the maximum possible 13, Mode 1. There is no significant difference in the average score for persons with different basic specialties (t = 1.3), experience in practical healthcare (t = 0.2), first or second year of study in residency (t = 1). There is a weak direct correlation between the average score and the age of respondents r = 0.2 (with critical values 0.1 for p 0.05).&#x0D; Conclusions. The lack of residents awareness regarding the procedure of referring persons to get a high-tech medical care proves the relevance of including this topic in the program of the discipline Healthcare Management.

From a distance: Technology and the first low-residency drama therapy education program

This article examines the first-year experiences of Lesley University’s first low-residency master’s drama therapy training cohort and their advisor. Course work in this program combines predominantly online learning with several weeks of in-person learning each year, marking a departure from traditional drama therapy education. This article explores ways in which distance learning impacted this cohort in their first year of drama therapy education. Within the cohort’s reflections, specific themes related to technology, cohort experience, course instruction and work–life balance are examined as well as drama therapy–specific aspects of their experience. Recommendations are made for future hybrid drama therapy education, including increased use of video and video conferencing, increased training of online instructors, standard use of in-person residencies and further research into technology in drama therapy.

Teaching Severe Weather: Examining Teacher Candidates’ Early Field Experience in a Makerspace Environment

This qualitative study examines first-year teacher candidates early field experience designing and implementing maker workshops for an afterschool program. The maker workshops were offered as part of a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) enrichment club at a local elementary school. The participants engaged in 50 hr of guided design, planning, and facilitation of a weather-focused maker workshop. Findings illuminate the role early teaching experiences (e.g., makerspaces) can play in the early professional development of elementary teacher candidates. This study calls for further investigation regarding maker environments as sites for elementary field experiences for teacher candidates.

Emotion Regulation Training in a First-Year Experience Course: A Qualitative Analysis of Students’ Experiences

ABSTRACT The transition to college is a stressful time that can present many emotional challenges and demands. One way to help ease this transition is through the implementation of emotion regulation skills training in first-year experience courses. However, little is known about how students who receive such instruction implement emotion regulation, and what challenges and difficulties they face in doing so. In the present study, first-semester college students (N= 24) who were enrolled in a first-year experience course and received emotion regulation traitning and reported on their experiences regulating their emotions in their everyday lives. Results of thematic analysis revealed six themes in the experience of emotion regulation: emotion regulation as an effortful process, the impact of regulatory goals on regulatory success, the role of timing, emotional awareness, affective forecasting, and regulatory clarity. Findings highlight the challenges that first-semester college students experience while attempting to regulate their emotions during emotional situations, and may aid counseling psychologists understanding of the transition to college with respect to emotion regulation skill development. Further, findings suggest that implementing emotion regulation training in first-year experience courses can provide a meaningful training ground for the development of emotion regulation during the first semester of college.

The Relation between Gender, Reasons to Participate in STEM-Related Subjects, Programs and The University Supports On First-Year University Student’s Satisfaction: A Structural Equation Model

First-year student's satisfaction has considered an important factor in the quality education offered by the university program. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship among gender, a reason to participate in STEM-related subjects, program, and the university support on first-year student's satisfaction of STEM learning. The methods used in this study surveyed student's satisfaction using adapted interest and recruitment in the science questionnaire (IRIS Q) instrument. The questionnaire comprised question items covering school science experiences, sources of inspiration for the choice of education, expectations for future job, first-year experiences as a STEM student, and attitudes to gender equity in STEM. A total of 448 students, first-year students from STEM-related programs, have participated voluntarily in this study. The structural equating model assisted by computer program IBM SPSS Amos 20 was employed to analyze the hypothesized model. The results from the model showed that reason and university support have a positive direct effect on first-year students' satisfaction with STEM learning. From this study, it is suggested for the university to improve first-year student's satisfaction by helping STEM students to develop appropriate expectations of the program, facilitating teaching quality to meet STEM students' learning, and assisting students in developing positive attitudes toward their future carriers.

Understanding the first year of novice school counsellors

AbstractPrevious research shows that the first year of a school counsellor’s career is one of the most critical stages. However, despite this importance, there is a limited number of studies that examine what novice school counsellors experience during their first year. The primary purpose of this qualitative study is to examine in detail the common experiences of novice school counsellors who have worked the first year of their professional career and to explore comprehensive themes regarding these experiences. Following a purposive sampling strategy, 33 school counsellors who started their profession in 19 different cities of Turkey were interviewed. As a result of the thematic analysis, five major themes emerged describing the first-year experiences of school counsellors: ‘Introduction’, ‘Fighting against Prejudices’, ‘Organising Counselling Service Room’, ‘Incongruence between Training and Work Definitions’, and ‘Longing for College Years’.