Truschel Saving Dick and Jane: The Next Step to the First Year Experience

24/F 11:00 AM Ritz

Type_Presentation:         60-minute Concurrent Session

PresentationTitle:         Saving Dick and Jane: The Next Step to the First Year Experience

ProgramStrand_Primary:     Research and Evaluation

ProgramStrand_Secondary:  Professional

Presentation_description:

Enhancing retention can be accomplished through a focused and deliberate First Year Program which responds to the needs of the individual student.  This presentation will provide attendee with a brief description of a newly developed instrument which is 4 years in development.  The instrument is both valid & reliable and has been normed using the student population.  Standard scores [t scores] have been developed and can now be used to better understand how a student is comparison to a peer group.  The instrument [Multidimensional Retention Questionnaire – MRQ] is easy to administer and can provide information on students affective and conative attributes which have an impact on academic retention.  The results of a 4 year longitudinal study will be discussed along with workshop topics / content.

Session_summary: Saving Dick and Jane: The Next Step to the First Year Experience

Purpose:

Enhancing retention can be accomplished through a focused and deliberate First Year Program which responds to the needs of the individual student.  This presentation will provide attendee with a brief description of a newly developed instrument which is 4 years in development.  The instrument is both valid & reliable and has been normed using the student population.  Standard scores [t scores] have been developed and can now be used to better understand how a student is comparison to a peer group.  The instrument [Multidimensional Retention Questionnaire – MRQ] is easy to administer and can provide information on students affective and conative attributes which have an impact on academic retention.  The results of a 4 year longitudinal study will be discussed along with workshop topics / content.

Learning objectives:

Attendees will gain information about instrument development, personality attributes that impact on academic retention.  Attendees will see a sample of the MRQ’s results and will [in work teams], problem solve and critically think about methods or strategies that can assist the student.

Current theoretical basis

The purpose of this study was to examine if there are specific characteristics (e.g. academic anxiety, academic self-efficacy, motivation for academic success, motivation to avoid academic failure, internal locus of control, external locus of control and academic self-esteem, etc.) differentiating the designated at-risk versus the non at-risk student.

This study was conducted at a 2-year private college and a 4-year public regionally comprehensive institution.

The factors studies include locus of control which has been studied by others such as Appel, Haak, and Witzel (1970) who studied factors associated with decision and indecision regarding career choices and the selection of a college major. Ability and Motivation has been studied in various settings and using a variety of instruments with results being inconclusive regarding desire, ability (primarily defined through grade point average) and vocational choice (declared or undeclared). Williamson and Darley (1937) found that there was no relationship between grade point average (ability) and career decidedness. In a study conducted by Baird (1969) involving 60,000 college-bound students.  Self-Esteem has been studied by Korman (1966) and others who conducted research at various state universities using the Ghiselli Self-Description Inventory, an instrument that determines congruence of self-perceived characteristics. Korman and others found that individuals who scored higher in self-esteem were more congruent than those who scored lower in self-esteem. Anxiety has also been studied very frequently by researchers such as Goodstein (1965) who hypothesized that a relationship existed between career indecision, being undeclared, and anxiety. Goodstein (1965) suggested that anxiety may occur as an effect on a person’s failure to develop requisite skills for making career decisions, and therefore, may cause career indecision. Other researchers (Spielberger, 1972; Walsh & Lewis, 1972) found that at-risk students were tense and high strung, had feelings of apprehension, and experienced state anxiety.

Significance to the field & relevance to CRLA members and other conference attendees:

This presentation will provide attendees with new information on retention and methods used to enhance student persistence.

Media used: The instrument, Powerpoint and 1 exercise to develop the audiences awareness or student retention and how it can impact on financial support.

Bibliography

Baird, Leonard L. "The College Environment Revisited: A Review of Research and Theory." In John C. Smart (ed.), Higher Education: A Handbook of Theory and Research, Volume IV. New York: Agathon Press, 1988.

Benbow, C. P and Stanley, J. C. "Consequence in High School and College of Sex Differences in Mathematical Reasoning Ability: A Longitudinal Perspective." American Educational Research Journal, Volume 19, 1982, pp. 598-622.

Etthington, Corinna A. and Wolfle, Laura. "A Structural Model of Mathematics Achievement for Men and Women." American Educational Research Journal, Volume 23, Number 1, 1986, pp. 65-75.

Mestre, J. P. "The Latino Science and Engineering Student: Recent Research Findings." In Michael Olivas (ed.), Latino College Students. New York: Teachers' College Press, 1986, pp. 157-192.

National Assessment of Educational Progress. The Third National Mathematics Assessment: Results, Trends, and Issues. Denver, Colorado: Educational Commission of the States, 1983.

Pascarella, Ernest T. and Terenzini, Patrick T. How College Affects Students: Findings and Insights from Twenty Years of Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1991.

Terenzini. Patrick T., Theophilides, C. and Lorang, W. "Influences on Students' Perceptions of Their Academic Skill Development During College." Journal of Higher Education, Volume 55, Number 5, 1984.

Tinto, Vincent. "Theories of Student Departure Revisited." Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, Volume II. Edited by John C. Smart. New York: Agathon Press, 1986.

Tinto, Vincent. Leaving College. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Tinto, V. (1996). Persistence and first-year experience at the community college: Teaching new students to survive, stay and thrive. In J.N. Hankin (Ed), The community college: Opportunity and access for America's first year students, (pp. 97-104). Columbia: University of South Carolina.

PresenterBio:

I hold a BA. degree in Psychology from King’s College, a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Marywood University, a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from Marywood University, a Doctorate (Ed.D) in Educational Administration from Temple University and a doctorate (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

I have been at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania since 1989.  I am currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Academic Enrichment and Learning and serve as the Director of the advising center.  I coordinate over 60 undeclared volunteer advisors and have over 20 years of academic experience with a focus in assisting students in their quest for academic enrichment.