Research on the "The First Year Student"

This is a working document. All instructors are invited to send in interesting articles that deal with research on first year students. One option is to send any helpful articles to slennox@interchange.ubc.ca or to christine_adam@carleton.ca. The second option is to create an article using the create content function available to all teaching commons members.

The First Year Experience

Abstract from: An investigation into the experience of first-year students of English at British Universities, by Keverne Smith (College of West Anglia, King's Lynn,UK).

"Interested colleagues at different institutions were invited to issue a short questionnaire to first-year undergraduates studying English, to discover how well prepared they felt for specified aspects of this transition. Some of the outcomes have discipline specific implications, but others may be applied more widely. The article focuses on students' responses to the different teaching methods used, the amount of reading required of them, and essay writing. It identifies areas where the transition is fairly smooth, but highlights others where student responses suggest that all those involved, including policy makers and politicians, need to rethink."(Smith, 2004)

See attachment: First year student 2. pdf

The Effect of First Year Seminars on Future Persistence

Abstract from: UNDERSTANDING HOW FIRST-YEAR SEMINARS AFFECT PERSISTENCE, by Stephen R. Porter and Randy L. Swing.

"First-year seminars are nearly ubiquitous fixtures in American higher education, and research has documented their positive effect on student persistence. Only limited research, however, has attempted to isolate the impact of various aspects of first year seminars on persistence, especially on a cross-institutional basis. We use a survey of almost 20,000 first-year students at 45 four-year institutions combined with institutional-level data to understand how aspects of first-year seminars affect early intentions to persist. Because survey respondents are grouped within dissimilar institutions, we use a multilevel modeling approach to model intent to persist" (Porter & Swing, 2006)

See attachment: first year students.pdf

Research on the Coping Strategies Used by First Year Students

Abstract from: Gender differences in coping strategies of undergraduate students and their impact on self-esteem and attainment, by JULIA LAWRENCE, KELLY ASHFORD & PAUL DENT (Brunel University, UK)

"This study sought to investigate differences in the coping strategies adopted by male and female first year students in a higher education environment and the extent to which such strategies had an impact on self-esteem and attainment. Results revealed significant differences between males and females in terms of engagement in coping strategies and academic attainment. Specifically, males exhibited greater ability to detach themselves from the emotions of a situation, were more inclined to demonstrate emotional inhibition or ‘bottling up' of emotions and reported higher self-esteem. In addition, it was observed that females attained at a significantly higher level than males. Practical implications and recommendations for future research are identified."(Lawrence, Ashford, & Dent, 2006)

See attachment: Coping Strategies- FYS.pdf

National Resource Centre for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition

This is a research based organization in the United States that organizes biannual conferences for educational researchers who study first year students and their experiences. Please click on the following link to their website: http://www.sc.edu/fye/index.html

References

Lawrence, J., Ashford, K., & Dent, P. (2006). Gender differences in coping strategies of undergraduate students and their impact on self-esteem and attainment. Active Learning in Higher Education: The Journal of the Institute for Learning and Teaching, 7(3), 273-281.

Porter, S. R., & Swing, R. L. (2006). Understanding how first-year seminars affect persistence. Research in Higher Education, 47(1), 89-109.

Smith, K. (2004). School to university: An investigation into the experience of first-year students of english at british universities. Arts & Humanities In Higher Education, 3(1), 81-93.