Success Of First-year Students Research Articles

Pre-admission tests of learning potential as predictors of academic success of first-year medical students

Whilst performance in the school-leaving examination may be a good predictor of academic achievement at medical schools, it is not necessarily a perfect one. The Health Sciences Placement Tests (HSPTs), comprising four components, were adopted by several South African universities as a tool to understand student preparedness. Of 127 first-year students at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2010, those from private schools performed significantly better academically than their public school counterparts on overall HSPT performance and in the Academic Language test, and marginally better in the Mathematics Achievement and Mathematics Comprehension tests. Students from private schools performed better at first-year level in the subjects of Psychology and Fundamentals of Medical and Clinical Sciences. The Academic Language and Mathematics Comprehension tests showed significant correlations with performance in first-year subjects, both at mid-year and year-end assessments. The study points to the importance of the HSPTs as an additional tool in predicting and understanding academic success at first-year university level.

Leading and Thriving: How Leadership Education Can Improve First-Year Student Success

Leadership development transforms the lives of many students and leadership educators regularly witness these changes. But little research has articulated what is being taught that facilitates this change, how we can make it happen more often, or how we can measure this change. These transformations contribute to desirable outcomes including student persistence and academic achievement. Leadership studies programs have great potential to contribute to these positive student outcomes especially with first-year students. Using the Social Change Model of Leadership Development, we delineate how the study of leadership aids students in experiencing these transformations, as defined by Schreiner’s Thriving Model, along with example lessons that serve elements in both models. Significant implications are discussed, including greater engagement with first-year students and outreach to at-risk students. This is followed by recommendations for leadership educators and a discussion of future research focus areas.

Modeling the impact of wilderness orientation programs on first-year academic success and life purpose

Wilderness orientation programs (WOPs) are becoming a popular method of encouraging college student retention and success. Previous studies have identified outcomes and correlates of participation in these programs, but a cohesive model of impact is lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of WOPs on first-year student success and sense of purpose. A secondary aim was to elucidate predictors and correlates of WOPs identified in previous research. Participants included 295 students at a liberal arts college. Results indicate that WOP participants demonstrated higher levels of first-semester social engagement and reflection, thus leading to higher grade point average, better retention and a higher sense of life purpose. WOP participation, however, had a negative direct influence on sense of purpose. These findings are discussed in light of previous research, presenting a preliminary model of WOP influence on first-year academic success.

The Impact Of A Cohort Model Learning Community On First-Year Engineering Student Success

This study investigated the effect of cohort participation in a learning community and collaborative learning techniques on the success of first-year engineering students. Student success was measured as gains in knowledge, skills, and attitudes, student engagement, and persistence in engineering. The study group was comprised of students registered in an engineering orientation course. Two sub-groups were compared: a) a test cohort and b) a control group. Students registered in the test cohort shared four courses. The control group shared only one course, an engineering orientation course. An exit survey was used to measure gains in skills and attitudes, student engagement, and student perceptions of collaborative learning techniques. Participation in the learning community test cohort was not found to improve student success. Participation in the learning community test cohort model was, however, linked to more positive student attitudes towards engineering and higher levels of student satisfaction with the collaborative learning techniques used in the course.

Career guidance and student success in Dutch higher vocational education

To enhance student success, a growing number of vocational education and training institutions in the Netherlands are nowadays implementing new career guidance practices in their competence-based approaches to learning. Based on individual-level data of undergraduate first-year full-time students from a Dutch university of applied sciences, this study investigated the influence of career guidance on first-year student success given other known influences such as prior academic performance, faculty and gender. First of all, students obtained more credits in the competence-based educational system in which they from 2006 are guided. Furthermore, students who completed their first year not only obtained more credits after career guidance was introduced in 2006, but at the same time scored substantially higher first-grade points in their first year of study compared to students who left during the first six months.

Extended Academic Advising in Kazakhstan: Improving the Success of First Year Students

Academic advising is a new phenomenon in higher education of Kazakhstan that comes with the reform of the higher education system. In 2012, the Faculty of Social Sciences at Eurasian National University implemented an extra-course for first year students entitled, “Student's education strategy”. Academic advisors carried this out as a first step to enhance collaboration between advisors and students and improve the first-year student experience. Results of this pilot study indicate that the participating first-year students considered the course helpful to them in their adjustment to the university and that it increased their success at the university.

Student Perceptions of an Athletic Training Residential Living Community

ContextColleges and universities are implementing new academic and social programs to retain students. One possible program is a residential living community (RLC) devoted to a content area.ObjectiveTo understand the perceptions of athletic training students involved in an RLC.DesignQualitative study.SettingAthletic training program.Patients or Other ParticipantsTen athletic training students (8 female, 2 male; average age = 19.50 ± 0.97 years) who participated in an RLC during their first year in college volunteered to participate.Data Collection and AnalysisWe used QuestionPro to complete in-depth interviews by having the participants journal their responses to open-ended questions. We used grounded theory to uncover the dominant themes and negotiated over the coding scheme, completed member checks, and performed a peer review to establish trustworthiness.ResultsThe overall theme of our data pertained to the supportive nature of the RLC allowing for early socialization. Specifically, we uncovered 3 subthemes. The participants found study opportunities common because they lived in close proximity to peers in the same classes. Our participants believed the RLC provided a supportive environment by fostering a support network with classmates navigating similar challenges. Students also enjoyed early socialization by having a resident assistant who was an upper-level athletic training student. The final theme emerged from the unintended consequences of the RLC. Finding a quiet area in which to study became difficult and students often had trouble making personal connections outside of athletic training.ConclusionsThe RLC promoted first-year student success by fostering relationships and providing early socialization to the demands of the athletic training program. Some negative aspects did occur; however, these can be remedied by having quiet study spaces available and providing students with sufficient time outside of athletic training to pursue extracurricular endeavors.

Measuring the beginning: a quantitative study of the transition to higher education

This quantitative study measures change in certain factors known to influence success of first-year students during the transition to higher education: self-efficacy, autonomous learning and social integration. A social integration scale was developed with three subscales: ‘sense of belonging’, ‘relationship with staff’ and ‘old friends’. Students responded to this and existing scales measuring self-efficacy and autonomous learning, before and after participating in transition activities including a group-work poster project. The authors discuss positive outcomes regarding a sense of belonging and how the authors' expectations in other areas such as self-efficacy were not met. The importance of early contact with academic staff and small-group work is confirmed. Tinto's assertions on pre-existing relationships are challenged. The authors suggest that further investigation might prevent a ‘scattergun’ approach to transition based upon superficial understanding of outcomes. They discuss potential models for transition design and support a ‘longer’ process with several opportunities for student engagement in success factor development.

Improving the quality of the assignment of students to first-year seminars

Many post-secondary academic institutions in the United States have a First-Year Seminar Program. These seminars are designed to support the success of new incoming first-year students by combining writing, research and active discussion among small groups of students. At Dickinson College, students are required to select six seminars they find interesting from a list of approximately 42 seminars. The college then attempts to assign each student to a seminar on their list, while maintaining course capacities. Using standard commercial optimization software, we develop an approach that not only solves this basic assignment problem, but also seeks to balance both the gender and number of international students in the seminars. In addition, we utilize Monte Carlo simulation to study how the number of seminars each student is required to select affects the likelihood that a feasible assignment exists.

FACTORS EXPLAINING THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF SECOND-YEAR ECONOMICS STUDENTS: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS

Factors influencing the academic success of first-year economics students have been intensely researched. Lecture and tutorial attendance, age, gender, as well as matriculation results have been identified as significant in explaining academic performance. The academic success of senior students, however, has received less attention in South Africa. This paper presents the findings of an investigation into the academic performance of second-year economics students at Stellenbosch University. Using a Heckman two-step model, the study analyses whether the factors explaining first-year academic success are applicable in the second year or if other factors are relevant. The results suggest that most matriculation subjects become statistically insignificant for second-year students, whereas lecture and tutorial attendance remain important contributors to academic success. Furthermore, academic performance in the first year is an important determinant of success in the second year.

Heads Or Tails (Success Or Failure)? Using Logit Modeling To Predict Student Retention And Progression

Using a sample of 2,137 university students and applying the logit model, we find that the probability for students to return in fall 2008 is higher with a higher cumulative GPA, a higher grade for SE 101, and a returning status in the previous semester. Several other explanatory variables are tested and have insignificant coefficients. A few variables such as the Board of Regent’s core requirements (CORE) and high school graduating GPA (HSGPA) have the expected signs and z-statistics closer to one, suggesting that the correlation coefficient may rise if the sample size were larger. The findings suggest that the cumulative GPA is a dominant factor and that the large number of failures in SE 101 may need to be examined in order to fulfill its described purpose: “a course designed to ensure first-year student success.”

Factors influencing success in first-year Accounting at a South African university: The profile of a successful first-year Accounting student

The study investigated factors influencing success of first-year students in Financial Accounting at a South African university, thereby establishing a profile of successful and at-risk students. A two step process was followed to achieve the goals of the study. Firstly, the significance of a number of factors influencing students’ ability to succeed was statistically tested to determine the possible correlation between specific factors and students’ success. The most important factors in determining success of students in the module include average Grade 12 mark, whether students had Accounting as a subject at secondary school, class attendance, home language (Afrikaans or English), and the programme within which students were enrolled. Secondly, the simultaneous effect of all these factors was determined by means of a multivariate technique to derive a profile of successful and at-risk students. The results show general trends that could inform admission decisions and guide the implementation of interventions for at-risk students, while academically stimulating the highly successful students.

<i>Fostering Student Success in the Campus Community</i> (review)

Reviewed by: Fostering Student Success in the Campus Community Laura W. Perna Fostering Student Success in the Campus Community, by G. L. Kramer & Associates.San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2007. 460 pp. Cloth, $48.00, ISBN: 1-933371-24-2. Fostering student success in the campus community, edited by Gary Kramer, a professor of counseling psychology and special education at Brigham Young University, provides an impressive collection of insights for campus administrators who are seeking to promote the success of undergraduate students. Reflecting their varied professional positions (e.g., faculty, administrators, college presidents) and institutional affiliations (e.g., liberal arts institutions, research universities, community colleges, research institutes, and policy and technology organizations), the 37 contributors to the book's 20 chapters together offer a comprehensive set of recommendations for improving student success. The book is organized into four parts with five chapters each. The first part, communicating expectations, includes attention to ways to create a student-centered culture, align students' expectations with institutional characteristics, use data to improve student services and outcomes, and build support for institutional changes that actually, rather than only verbally, "put students first." Part two, connecting services, offers strategies for putting students, rather than institutions, "first" in college admissions practices, using technology to offer a "one-stop" approach to deliver student services and enhance student learning, and designing academic and career advising processes that recognize student development and advising needs. Part three, fostering student development, argues that institutions may encourage student development by promoting learning partnerships between students and student affairs administrators, institutional communities that support students' "search for meaning and purpose," creating organizational structures and leadership processes that promote student success by using out-of-class experiences to promote student development and learning, and encouraging faculty to use advising to engage students outside the classroom. Part four, achieving success, begins by describing institutional strategies for promoting student retention and degree completion, the success of first-year students, and the success of community college students and then offers two concluding and synthesizing chapters. As might be expected given its length and number of chapters, the volume includes several cross-cutting themes. With the exception of the final two chapters, both by Gary L. Kramer, few chapter authors acknowledge these connections. Nonetheless, the final chapter not only identifies ten themes that cut [End Page 238]across the 20 chapters but also (drawing on earlier chapters) lists specific educational practices that promote student success and provides ten categories of "next steps" for promoting student success. Student affairs administrators are likely to find this book to be especially useful given the many specific examples and practical recommendations that the authors provide. Most of the chapters include attention to underlying theoretical frameworks guiding their perspectives, reference available research to support their claims and recommendations, and provide examples of how particular institutions have implemented specific strategies to promote student success. Some of the authors provide institutional examples that are based on research, while others draw on their personal experiences. Regardless, the consistent inclusion of institutional exemplars provides a very useful balance to the volume's goal of providing general insights for encouraging success at all types of colleges and universities. One key feature of the volume is its approach to defining "student success." As stated in the preface, "The book makes no attempt to define what student success is or should be for all institutions" (p. xxxiii). Thus, the 20 chapters separately and together offer various definitions of success. Some chapter authors seem to equate "success" with retention. Others argue that retention should be one, but not the only, measure of success. Still others believe that student success should be considered in terms of student development and/or learning. This intentional lack of an overarching definition seems consistent with the volume's goal of having "each campus community … define student success" (p. 434). Nonetheless, the absence of an overarching definition of student success may represent a lost opportunity to inform the national dialogue about student success (e.g., building on the papers commissioned as part of the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative's 2006 National Symposium on Postsecondary Student Success, http://nces.ed.gov/npec/symposium.asp). Given current and...

Female College Drinking and the Social Learning Theory: An Examination of the Developmental Transition Period from High School to College.

Problematic drinking among college students remains a national issue with large percentages of college students reporting heavy episodic or binge drinking (Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, & Castillo, 1995) and experiencing severe alcohol-related consequences ranging from poor academic performance, to sexual assault, vandalism, and even death (Hingson, Heeren, Winter, & Wechsler, 2005; Wechsler et al., 2002). According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, 2002), the first 6 weeks on a college campus are critical to first-year student success. However, during these first weeks many students initiate heavy drinking that may interfere with their ability to adapt to campus life, and patterns of drinking established during these first weeks persist throughout college (Schulenberg et al., 2001). Approximately one third of first-year students fail to enroll for their second year due to difficulties with the transition to college (Upcraft, 1995). Drinking may compromise successful negotiation of the transition into college and therefore jeopardize overall collegiate success. Therefore, the ability to identify specific students as they enter college who may develop problematic drinking patterns and related negative consequences would allow student affairs personnel to more effectively design and target risk-reduction programs and interventions.

The Impact of On-campus Student Growth on First-year Student Engagement and Success

During the past two decades institutions of all types have sought to expand and enhance residential facilities. Institutional focus on scale, configuration, amenities, and academic integration has sought to leverage prior research documenting the multiple and often positive impacts of on-campus residence. Although institutional size has been documented to differentially impact student engagement [Kezar, A. J. (2006). NASPA Journal 43(1): 87–114], few studies, however, have directly explored the effect of residential expansion on student engagement. This study, based on a sample of 731 first-time freshmen explores NSSE results before and after the opening of a residential facility that doubled on-campus living at a single, metropolitan institution. Results indicate limited positive differences after opening, and suggest that structure, in the form of size, does not, in and of itself, contribute significantly to shifting engagement. Additionally, these results suggest an alternative method for using NSSE data in institutional analyses.

Relationship of Self-Beliefs, Social Support, and University Comfort with the Academic Success of Freshman College Women

The relationships of self-beliefs, social support, and university comfort with the academic persistence decisions and first-year grade point averages of 527 first semester female undergraduates were examined. Data were gathered in 56 classes or group meetings. These three constructs predicted academic persistence decisions, with social support as the strongest predictor, followed by self-beliefs, and then university comfort. Although there were no differences between Euro-American women and women of color on initial academic persistence decisions, Euro-American women had higher first-year GPAs than did the women of color. Research-informed practice and policy implications for increasing the persistence decisions and academic success of first-year female college students are discussed.

Enhancing the First-Year Experience for Business Students: Student Retention and Academic Success

This study examined the academic success and retention of first-year business students enrolled in a course designed to develop skills for academic success, provide a sense of community, ease the transition from high school to college, and provide a realistic preview of business school expectations. The course was designed to create the conditions regarded in the retention literature as critical in promoting academic success and persistence among first year students. Participating students were found to have lower academic disqualification rates, earn higher grade point averages, and continued their enrollment to the fall term of their second year at a higher rate.

Keeping our students: identifying factors that influence student withdrawal and strategies to enhance the experience and retention of first-year students

This article derives from local research at two UK universities as part of their institutional strategies to address retention and progression and enhance their students’ experiences of higher education. In both Middlesex University and the University of Salford, research has been undertaken to identify factors which influence the retention and success of first-year undergraduate students. Both institutions adopted qualitative methodologies to conduct research with first-year undergraduates and programme leaders to identify and to discuss emerging themes that may contribute to student retention and success. Although the research projects used different methods, comparable conclusions were reached with a particular emphasis on pre-entry information, the induction experience and aspects of learning and teaching.

Factors influencing academic success or failure of first-year and senior university students: do education students and lecturers perceive things differently?

South African universities are changing in several very important ways; their entry standards are changing, their programmes are focusing more specifically on the outcomes that learners are required to achieve, and their student populations are becoming more diverse. These changes are occurring in a climate of increased accountability. It is, therefore, important for universities to be concerned about the standards of their academic programmes and about the success rates of students. Together, these factors have produced a range of opinions about what needs to happen in universities if the diverse range of students is to be successful in outcomes-based programmes that maintain high standards. Some educators argue that entry standards are the most important determinants of success at university; others maintain that non-academic factors must also be considered. There is considerable evidence that the views and expectations about success held by lecturers and stud ents are not always consistent. This article presents the results of a recent empirical investigation at the University of Pretoria that attempted to identify the post-enrolment factors that lecturers and students perceived as having important influences on students' success in their university studies. The study investigated the different expectations of first-year students, senior students and lecturers and identified numerous important similarities and inconsistencies. Most notably, there was a high and significant correlation between the rankings the three groups (lecturers, first-year students and senior students) gave to 52 factors linked to successful university study. There was also a high and significant correlation between the rankings of lecturers and senior students on 55 factors suggestive of unsuccessful university study. However, the perceptions of first-year students were not strongly correlated with either lectures or senior students. This suggests that First-year students may have unrealistic expectations about the non-academic factors that could reduce their chances of successful study. The results of the research could be used in three ways. University administrators could provide more supportive learning environments to enhance the chances that students will be successful and lecturers could also use the information to enhance the influences of positive factors on student learning. The influence of negative factors could also be minimised accordingly. Finally students could also be assisted and supported to approach university studies in a way that will increase their chances of success. South African Journal of Education Vol.23(4) 2003: 254-263

165 Learning Communities in Horticulture Enhance Student Learning

A learning community was developed for first-year students majoring in horticulture at Iowa State Univ. in 1998. Learning communities are a curriculum design that schedules courses for both students and faculty to encourage community and connections among students, between students and faculty, and among faculty. Learning communities can offer students more opportunities for interactions among each other, academic assistance through supplemental instruction and/or group study sessions, and planned horticulture-related activities, all of which are important for success and retention of first-year students. First-year students in the horticulture learning community enrolled in the same courses and sections of five courses. The first-year English composition course was linked to the second-year principles of horticulture course that requires writing-across-the-curriculum activities. Faculty mentoring was provided through local field trips to horticultural sites of keen interest to the students. Academic environment survey results showed students rated their expectations highly for developing a network of other students as a resource group and for learning cooperatively in groups. Iowa State Univ. supports learning communities by providing faculty development and facilitating course registration, peer mentoring, supplemental instruction for challenging core courses, and academic and student services, to strengthen undergraduate teaching programs within and outside of the classroom.