Measuring Advisor Relationship Perceptions Among First-Year Students at a Small Midwestern University

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi Bitz
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Replication Studies ◽  
Advising Relationship ◽  
Midwestern University ◽  
Instrument Measuring ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
First Year Seminar

In this article, I report on the development and validation of a new survey instrument measuring first-year students' perceptions of the advising relationship. I collected survey data from 113 residential freshmen enrolled in a first-year seminar course at a small, public, midwestern university during the fall of 2009. Factor analysis of students' responses to the survey revealed three key components of the advising relationships: advisor concern, advisor contact, and advising relationship quality. Internal consistency of students' responses to questions loading on each factor, as measured with Cronbach's a, ranged from .89 to. 93, and the internal consistency for all survey items was .95. The article concludes with a revised version of the questionnaire as a basis for future replication studies.

Developing a Measure of Students’ Potential Involvement in Scholarly Activities

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37
Author(s):  
Spencer E. Harpe ◽  
Lisa B. Phipps
Keyword(s):  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Graduate Training ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Initial Development ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Post Graduate Training ◽  
Instrument Measuring ◽  
Culture Of Inquiry

Background: Pharmacy schools must encourage a culture of inquiry so future pharmacists approach practice in a scholarly fashion. Objectives: To develop an instrument measuring intentions to engage in various scholarly activities. Methods: Items representing scholarly activities relevant to pharmacists were developed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to refine the list and identify underlying factors. Internal consistency was examined using Cronbach’s alpha. Results were compared across student characteristics using unpaired t tests and 1-way analysis of variance. Key Findings: The initial list of 54 items was reduced to 31 after review and then administered to 381 pharmacy students (337 complete responses; 88% response rate). EFA suggested 3 factors with 4 items being removed due to low factor loadings. The final Potential Involvement in Scholarly Activities (PISA) instrument contained 27 items in 3 domains: research activities (13 items), professional writing (9 items), and practice evaluation/quality improvement (5 items). Cronbach’s alphas were ≥0.85 for the total scale and domains. PISA scores were statistically higher for first-year students and those with previous research experience or post-graduate training interests. Conclusions: Initial development of the PISA instrument suggested a 3-factor structure with acceptable internal consistency in this sample. Continued work is needed to examine the instrument in more diverse samples.

Connecting First Year Students to Formal and Informal Learning Experiences

2013 ◽  
pp. 51-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa L. Johnson ◽  
Laura Pasquini ◽  
Michelle R. Rodems
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Of Florida ◽  
Online Learning Communities ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University ◽  
First Year Seminar

This case study, an honors first year seminar from the University of Florida, USA, demonstrates the benefits and challenges of these developments in education. The case expands the definition of formal, informal, and online learning communities in the context of a first year seminar.

scholarly journals Elements of Engagement for Successful Learning

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Schweinle ◽  
Marcy Reisetter ◽  
Valerie Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Life Goals ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Environment ◽  
Midwestern University ◽  
Interpretive Approach ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Positive Engagement

In this research we sought to understand student practices, beliefs, and behaviors that led to positive engagement on campus. More specifically, we studied student engagement as a function of the individual within the contexts of classroom and university environment using a basic interpretive approach. First year students from a medium-sized, public, Midwestern university participated in interviews on engagement, the classroom, university, and community contexts. Results suggest that both personality and a sense of self influence students' levels of engagement. Students who had identified life goals and who sought related activities and relationships made greater use of university resources and felt more engaged. We propose ways in which instructors and universities can make simple changes that may help enhance the experience of all students.

scholarly journals Examining the Relationship between Faculty-Librarian Collaboration and First-Year Students’ Information Literacy Abilities

2016 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Arellano Douglas ◽  
Celia E. Rabinowitz
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Project Team ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Research ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Attitudes And Behaviors ◽  
Action Team ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
First Year Seminar

Using surveys, interviews, and a rubric-based assessment of student research essays, the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Assessment in Action team investigated the relationship between faculty-librarian collaboration in a First Year Seminar (FYS) course and students’ demonstrated information literacy (IL) abilities. In gathering information on the experiences, attitudes, and behaviors of faculty, librarians, and first-year students, the project team uncovered additional questions about the integration of IL in the FYS, the ways in which faculty and librarians work towards educational goals, and just what should be expected from students in their first year of college.

Developing a Learning Community of Engineers Through an Honors First-Year Seminar

2017 ◽  
pp. 88-105
Author(s):  
Melissa L. Johnson ◽  
Kristy Spear
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Honors Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Engineering Majors ◽  
Barriers To Success ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Global Engagement ◽  
First Year Seminar ◽  
Academic Interests

First-year engineering majors face a myriad of obstacles as they begin college. Taking challenging foundational coursework, navigating new expectations for performance and experience, and understanding the broader impact of their academic interests are just a few of those obstacles. In addition, female students sometimes face additional barriers to success, particularly as some question their own competence in the field. This chapter focuses on a first-year seminar for honors students that highlights the high impact practices (Kuh, 2008) students should participate in throughout their undergraduate career. These practices include global engagement, undergraduate research, and internships that are essential for early exposure to future career interests. By developing both formal and informal learning communities within the seminar (Johnson, Pasquini, & Rodems, 2013), first-year students are exposed to opportunities, mentoring, and support that help them make informed decisions about their major and career.

scholarly journals Code-switching Between English and Russian with Russian Heritage Speakers, Born and Raised in Russian-speaking Families in the USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deliya Kuleshova
Keyword(s):  
Code Switching ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Midwestern University ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The U.S

Code-switching is one of the major areas in the field of Bilingualism. Code-switching describes the processes of switching between languages among those who know and speak more than one language. This article will analyze the code-switching between Russian and English in Russian heritage speakers. They are first year students at a large Midwestern university, born in the U.S. to Russian-speaking parents. They have been taking university Russian classes for two semesters. The students were asked to record two five-minute dialogues with their parents who also speak Russian and English. There was neither instruction to use solely Russian, nor the use of English was prohibited. The goal of the research was to count and analyze the instances of code-switching between Russian and English, and prove or reject the hypothesis that there would be fewer code-switching instances in the dialogue devoted to a family holiday versus the dialogue devoted to university classes. The dialogue topics were furnished beforehand, however, no preparation was asked. The speech was asked to be spontaneous and natural. The findings proved the hypothesis that code-switching instances in the first dialogue were less frequent, so the students were mainly using only one language - Russian - without switching to English very often. The second dialogue revealed more code-switching instances as was initially supposed. Conclusions and directions for future research are presented.

scholarly journals First-Year Seminar (FYS)—The Advantages That This Course Offers

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Jaijairam
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Retention Rate ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
University Policies ◽  
Introductory Class ◽  
To Receive ◽  
First Year Seminar

<p>First-Year Seminar (FYS) is an introductory class offered to first-year students to help them acclimate to the college environment, develop effective strategies for studying, and learn techniques that will allow them to swiftly complete small assignments and sizable research projects. In 2014, approximately 80 percent of universities offered FYS, and students who took the course, on average, were less likely to transfer to another school and more likely to receive higher grades. The class allows students to learn more information about the college, select courses that are related to their majors and/or minors, effectively utilize resources while they are studying, cooperate with other students to complete projects, and appreciate the benefits of taking a particular course. FYS also enriches the experiences of first-year students by helping them find organizations of interest, understand university policies, and pursue hobbies while attending the college. At some colleges, students who have already taken a FYS course volunteer to become mentors who provide assistance to first-year students while they are taking the class. Analysis has shown that a high percentage of new enrollees indicated that mentors had a very positive impact on their overall experiences. Moreover, at many colleges and universities, there were increases in the retention rate.</p>

scholarly journals Bringing a Learning Strategies Project to Scale in a First-Year Seminar

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-44
Author(s):  
Hillary Steiner ◽  
Nirmal Trivedi ◽  
Joshua Brown
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Transition To College ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Academic Transition ◽  
Metacognitive Learning ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Year Seminar

This paper describes the impact of a learning strategies intervention conducted in first-year seminar courses that, 1) disaggregated components of academic skills into meaningful components for first-year students, 2) taught students academic skills within an authentic context, and 3) scaled-up the intervention for implementation at a programmatic level. This work is grounded in research on metacognition, self-regulation, and motivation, as well as literature on the academic transition to college. Results reinforced earlier findings indicating significant improved use of metacognitive learning strategies, even when the intervention was expanded to include multiple instructors in multiple course sections. Further research is needed to determine the precise factors precipitating improvement when the project was brought to scale.

scholarly journals Changes in First-Year Students’ Use of Research Resources: Impacts of an Interdisciplinary Seminar Program on Research and Literacy Learning Outcomes

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Murray ◽  
Nathan J Lachowsky
Keyword(s):  
Nous Avons ◽  
Literacy Learning ◽  
The Internet ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Normal Transition ◽  
Before And After ◽  
First Year Seminar ◽  
Research Resources

The Internet, which has made information ubiquitous and seemingly infinite, has transformed education. Universities are challenged to educate students to navigate and evaluate critically the undifferentiated information of the Internet so that students gain the ability to transform it into knowledge. To better understand the effects of taking a First-Year Seminar we examined the types of research resources students consulted before and after taking an interdisciplinary graded for-credit First-Year Seminar at a midsize comprehensive public university in Canada. We analyzed 2,576 anonymous questionnaires collected across 102 first-year seminars. After completing a first-year seminar, students consulted more reliable and scholarly resources, irrespective of the semester of enrollment. Generally, there were some improvements noted between first and second semester students. However, comparisons between students who had just completed a seminar in semester one with students who were about to begin a seminar in semester two, reveal that the improved results are not solely attributable to the normal transition and maturation process experienced by students in their first semester of university. L’Internet, qui a rendu l’information omniprésente et apparemment inépuisable, a transformé l’éducation. Les universités sont mises au défi d’enseigner aux étudiants comment naviguer et évaluer de façon critique les informations non différenciées trouvées sur Internet afin que les étudiants puissent apprendre à transformer ces informations en connaissances. Pour mieux comprendre les effets sur les étudiants qui suivent un séminaire de première année, nous avons examiné les divers types de ressources de recherche que les étudiants ont consultées avant et après avoir suivi un séminaire interdisciplinaire noté et menant à l’obtention d’un crédit, dans une université canadienne publique de taille moyenne. Nous avons analysé 2 576 questionnaires anonymes obtenus de 102 séminaires de première année. Après avoir suivi un séminaire de première année, les étudiants ont consulté des ressources plus fiables et plus savantes, indifféremment du semestre dans lequel ils se trouvaient à ce moment-là. En général, on a noté quelques améliorations entre les étudiants de premier semestre et ceux de deuxième semestre. Toutefois, les comparaisons entre les étudiants qui venaient de terminer un séminaire au cours de leur premier semestre et les étudiants qui étaient sur le point de commencer un séminaire au cours de leur deuxième semestre ont révélé que les meilleurs résultats ne sont pas exclusivement attribuables à la transition normale et au processus de maturation dont les étudiants font l’expérience au cours de leur premier semestre.

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