Running Head: THE FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCES IMPACT

The First Year Experiences Impact on Retention Rates Kirby Weaver Wright State University EDL 760

The First Year Experiences Impact on Retention Rates For the last decade or so, colleges and universities have been placing a high value on student retention and student success. (Sidle & McReynolds 2009, p. 435). In the past, it has been proven that those with college degrees earn more money than those without, and for this reason and more, many students see the need in going to college. In the last six years, growth rates have slowed and enrollments have declined, according to one study (Becker, Vlad, & Olin, 2009, p. 232). Because of this, it is becoming more and more important for schools to find ways in which to keep the students they already have, rather than lose them to a competing university. In 2007, the retention rate for U.S. higher education facilities was 68.7% (Jamelske, 2009, p. 373). Many universities want the retention rate to be higher, and in order to raise the retention percentage, schools have created a program, known as First Year Experience, or FYE. FYE is a program designed to help students find a supportive environment to ease the transition to college (Cornell & Mosley, 2006, p. 23). An FYE can include a course, learning communities, guest speakers, events, workshops and many other events as well as cover a broad range of topics. While each university has their own version of the FYE program, their intent is all the same, and that is to keep students at their school, while giving them the basic skills needed to succeed in college. Many people working in the higher education field have a desire to help those students transition from high school to college. In many instances, the attention to students in transition is frequently grounded in a desire to improve student persistence and academic achievement, but there can be other reasons as well (Hunter, 2006, p. 7). The First Year Experience (FYE) movement was started in the 1970s, after higher education went through a large growth rate, becoming more available to students, particularly those who had fought in World War II. At this time, the in loco parentis theory which had been practiced was no

The First Year Experiences Impact on Retention Rates longer, but the importance of the first year as a foundation for the entire undergraduate experience had become evident (Hunter, 2006, p. 8). Students needed freedom, but were also still at a stage in their lives when guidance was key to their success. There are many reasons to keep the FYE courses, but one in which many institutions believe, is that this seminar helps to raise retention rates from the first year to the second. In theory, a FYE course will give students a positive experience, which results in a positive attitude toward the university as a whole. In todays economy especially, schools are working on tightened budgets, and under these circumstances student retention and graduation have become increasingly important (Jamelske, 2009, p. 373). Schools can no longer, or rather it is more important now, afford to lose even the smallest number of students for any reason, without it greatly impacting their budget. An FYE course can also be used to help those students, who are high risk, which are typically the first students to leave an institution. However, Eric Jamelskes article suggests it is very difficult to measure whether a FYE program is helping to improve retention rates, for the simple reason that every university is different, therefore the analysis for each is specific to itself, rather than covering all institutions (2009, p. 374). He also mentions that because there is a wide range in types of FYE courses being offered, it is hard to definitively say, as a whole, whether they improve retention (2009, p. 374). In one university the FYE course may make a huge difference in retention rates, but for another university, perhaps using a different model of FYE course, it may not make any difference. In the scenario, it is hard to measure whether the class as a whole makes or does not make the impact, or whether it is certain components of the course, or perhaps even that the course played no significant role in the decisions of students.

The First Year Experiences Impact on Retention Rates In one study that Jamelske mentions, there was no positive FYE effect on retention, but on average FYE students earned higher GPAs than non-FYE students (2009, p. 373). It can be hypothesized then, that those with a higher GPA will be more satisfied with their college experience, and will decide to stay at the university where they are succeeding. So, while the class may not directly lead to higher retention rates, it still plays a major role. At a community college, through retention and persistence data, student survey results, and student comments the institution believed the classes were successful (Cornell, 2006, p. 24). Cornells article leads to the conclusion that FYE courses do in fact lead to higher retention rates. This could mean the courses have different significance and/or outcomes for four year institutions than they do for two year institutions, which would be an invaluable piece of information for universities to investigate. While they may be more beneficial for one than the other, as long as they are raising retention rates in some way, they are achieving the goal in which they were intended to when created. In many cases, FYE is looked at as a freshman seminar course, offered for one to two credits, in which students learn the basic skills needed in order to survive college. Money goes into the resources needed for this course, such as guest speakers, instructors, classroom and activity supplies, and books. With the economic crisis underway in the United States, budgets are constantly being cut at universities, so it is important to know if the courses are achieving the results they seek to achieve. It is necessary to know if a FYE course is helping with retention, so that universities know if they are putting their money in the right places, and that they are in fact retaining more students than in previous years. If they are retaining more students, the course can actually be bringing more money in to the university, making it more likely that the course will be viewed as valuable, and kept at the

The First Year Experiences Impact on Retention Rates school. If the program is not meeting its objectives, it is important to know how they can improve it, or if they should keep it at all. A study done in 2004, showed that only one in four college freshmen at 4-year universities did not return for their sophomore year and nearly half of students in community colleges did not return (Schrader and Brown, 2008, p. 310). In that same study, it was shown that attitudes of a student group participating in a FYE course had a more significant, positive change in their attitudes than a group not participating in a FYE course (Schrader and Brown, 2008, p. 326). Schrader and Brown believed that this change in attitude would result in higher graduation rates, and this could only be possible with higher retention rates (2008, p. 331). This study again proves that even if a course does not directly influence a students decision to continue their education at a college or university, it can still be a factor that leads to that decision. As previously stated, there are many reasons why a FYE course is offered and why they continue to keep the course. Also stated, the fact that an FYE course can result in higher GPAs and d attitudes, which can inevitably lead to s students decision to stay, Hunter gives even more reason as to why an FYE course should be used. Mary Stuart Hunter claims that if students are expected to succeed, and therefore enjoy the university they have chosen, deliberate and intentional efforts to assimilate new students into the institutional culture and environment are essential (2006, p. 10). She also gave a list of tasks to be done in order for the FYE course to be successful in helping new students succeed and have a positive experience. On the list, Hunter includes creating partnerships, understanding a students needs, and most importantly that faculty and staff stay involved with the process (2006, p. 14). These points allude to that fact that without the support of the rest of the institution, rather than just the

The First Year Experiences Impact on Retention Rates students or instructors of an FYE course, the goals of an FYE course, including an increase in retention rates, cannot be met to its highest potential. The National Resource Center for the First Year Experience hosts a convention each year in order to share thoughts, ideas, budgets, and other information between institutions all over the world (Jamelske, 2009, p. 375). Such a convention exemplifies just how important FYE has become to colleges and universities, and shows how dedicated most are to finding whether the programs are effective. Most seek to find, as researchers at South Carolina-Columbia did, that students in FYE are more likely to return for a second year than those who did not participate (Jamelske, 2009, p. 375). Research by B. O. Barefoot, claimed that the use of programs and courses, such as an FYE course, has indeed reduced the rate at which students dropout (2004, p. 16). And, in 2003, Michael Ryan and Patricia Glenn found that FYE programs produce an increasing impact on one-year retention rates showing that there is a positive correlation between the FYE courses and retention rates (p. 319). However, just one or two universities with these findings are not enough. Although research has been being done the last several years on the effectiveness of the FYE course, Self Trand and Eberly assert that more research needs to be done, and that it should be longitudinal and inclusive of all types of students from a variety of higher education institutions throughout the United States (2009, p. 18). With students futures, as well as the futures of colleges and universities, the retention rates of said institutions, and therefore major portions of budgets being at risk, it becomes increasingly important in knowing the true impact of the FYE on retention rates.

The First Year Experiences Impact on Retention Rates

References Barefoot, B.O. (2004). Higher educations revolving door: Confronting the problem of student dropout in the US colleges and universities. Open Learning, 19(1), 9-18. Becker, L.B., Vlad, T., &Olin, D. (2009) 2008 Enrollment report: Slow rate of growth may signal weakening of demand. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 64(3), 231257. Cornell, R., & Mosley, M. (2006). Intertwining college with real life: The community college first-year experience. Peer Review, 8(3), 23-25. Hunter, M. (2006). Lessons learned: Achieving institutional change in support of students in transition. New Directions for Student Services, (114), 7-15. Doi: 10.1002/ss.203 Jamelske, E. (2009). Measuring the impact of a university first-year experience program on student GPA and retention. Higher Education, 57(3), 373-391. doi:10.1007/s10734-0089161-1. Ryan, M.P., & Glen, P.A. (2003). Increasing one year retention rates by focusing on academic competence: An empirical odyssey. Journal of College Student Retention : Research, Theory & Practice, 4(3), 297-324. Schrader, P.G., & Brown, S.W. Evaluating the first year experience: Students knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Journal of Advanced Academics, 19(2), 310-343.

The First Year Experiences Impact on Retention Rates Self Trand, P.A., Eberly, C. (2009), Join the conversation: Teaching students to cook: Promoting reading in the First Year Experience course. Learning Assistance Review (TLAR), 14(2), 7-20. Sidle, M., & McReynolds, J. (2009) The freshman year experience: Student retention and student success. NASPA Journal (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, Inc.), 46(3). 434-446.