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Exploring links between personal attributes and the first-year student experience

Exploring links between personal attributes and the first-year student experience. A Browitt, L Walker, J H McColl. Background. Retention Work here and elsewhere has shown factors affecting student retention are more than previous academic attainment: Motivation Commitment Determination

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Exploring links between personal attributes and the first-year student experience

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  1. Exploring links between personal attributes and thefirst-year student experience A Browitt, L Walker, J H McColl

  2. Background • Retention • Work here and elsewhere has shown factors affecting student retention are more than previous academic attainment: • Motivation • Commitment • Determination • Confidence Aim to investigate whether certain measurable personal attributes are predictors of success and persistence of first-year students and identify changes in these attributes over the first semesters at University to inform future retention initiatives.

  3. Method and measures • Online Survey • Initially July-Sept 2009 linked to WebSURF account of new entrants and reminder emails – to collect baseline data • Stratified random sample of half initial survey respondents emailed link in teaching weeks 9-11 – Semester 1 data • Remaining half of study participants emailed link in teaching weeks 25-27 – Semester 2 data • Measures • Self-esteem (Rosenberg) • Self-efficacy (Schwarzer) • Resilience (Block) • Hope (Snyder) • Mindset (Dweck)

  4. Survey response rates • Baseline • Approx 15% of all new entrants to the University completed survey • 1098 responses from undergraduates ~19% • 407 responses from postgraduates ~9.5% • Semester 1 • Approx 42% of the 748 students contacted completed survey • 220 responses from undergraduates • 93 responses from postgraduates • Semester 2 • Approx 33% of the 742 students contacted completed survey • 165 responses from undergraduates • 78 responses from postgraduates

  5. Baseline – Mindset scores

  6. Baseline – mean scores • UG PG P-value* • n=1097 n=407 • Mindset 3.65 3.90 <0.001 • Self Efficacy 31.4 31.8 0.066 • Self Esteem 30.8 31.2 0.086 • Resilience 2.99 2.98 0.13 • Hope: Total 25.1 25.1 0.83 • Hope: Agency 12.8 12.8 0.50 • Hope: Pathway 12.2 12.3 0.48 • * Mann-Whitney test of equal population medians

  7. Baseline – mean scores for UG students • Female Male P-value* • n=675 n=422 • Mindset 3.60 3.73 0.031 • Self Efficacy 31.2 31.8 0.0044 • Self Esteem 30.4 31.4 <0.001 • Resilience 2.98 3.01 0.13 • Hope: Total 25.1 25.0 0.22 • Hope: Agency 13.0 12.6 <0.001 • Hope: Pathway 12.2 12.4 0.11 • * Mann-Whitney test of equal population medians

  8. Baseline – mean scores for UG students • Arts Eng Educ LBSS Med Sci Vet • n = 296 92 81 226 78 270 43 • Mindset 3.47 3.83 3.87 3.72 3.75 3.60 3.51 • Efficacy 30.9 31.7 31.0 31.7 32.6 31.2 32.8 • Esteem 29.7 32.0 31.0 30.8 32.0 30.7 32.3 • Resil 2.98 3.05 3.03 2.94 3.12 2.97 3.10 • H: Tot 24.4 25.4 25.6 25.1 26.4 24.9 26.2 • H: Ag 12.5 12.8 13.2 12.9 13.6 12.6 13.7 • H: Path 11.9 12.6 12.4 12.2 12.7 12.3 12.5 • Kruskal-Wallis test of equal population medians gives p<0.001 in all cases

  9. Baseline – mean scores for UG students

  10. Baseline – mean scores for UG students

  11. Baseline – mean scores for PG students • < 25 yrs 25+ yrs P-value* • n=171 n=236 • Mindset 3.85 3.93 0.44 • Self Efficacy 31.3 32.3 0.022 • Self Esteem 30.5 31.6 0.0070 • Resilience 2.93 3.01 0.027 • Hope: Total 24.8 25.3 0.046 • Hope: Agency 12.6 12.9 0.031 • Hope: Pathway 12.2 12.4 0.20 • * Mann-Whitney test of equal population medians

  12. Mean changes till end-Semester 1 • UG (n=220) PG (n=93) UG vs. PG • Mean P-value§ Mean P-value§ P-value* • Mindset -0.25 <0.001 -0.35 0.001 0.71 • Efficacy -0.30 0.023 -0.08 0.91 0.21 • Esteem -0.42 0.033 -0.26 0.46 0.60 • Resil -0.04 0.011 -0.04 0.043 0.58 • H: Tot -0.56 <0.001 -0.40 0.097 0.81 • H: Ag -0.35 <0.001 -0.38 0.014 0.72 • H: Path -0.23 0.019 -0.07 0.78 0.30 • § Wilcoxon signed ranks test of zero median change • * Mann-Whitney test of equal population median changes

  13. Changes in Mindset till end-Semester 1

  14. Mean changes till end-Semester 2 • UG (n=165) PG (n=78) UG vs. PG • Mean P-value§ Mean P-value§ P-value* • Mindset -0.18 0.001 -0.24 0.022 0.84 • Efficacy -0.42 0.054 0.06 0.96 0.32 • Esteem -0.73 0.007 -0.26 0.32 0.44 • Resil -0.07 0.002 0.01 0.77 0.030 • H: Tot -0.68 0.005 -0.24 0.25 0.46 • H: Ag -0.55 <0.001 -0.13 0.32 0.079 • H: Path -0.11 0.46 -0.21 0.19 0.49 • § Wilcoxon signed ranks test of zero median change • * Mann-Whitney test of equal population median changes

  15. Baseline – mean scores for UG students • (1) (2) (3) • WD GP<10 GP10+ (1)vs.(3) (2)vs.(3) • n=31 n=60 n=824 P-value* P-value* • Mindset 3.58 3.62 3.62 0.71 0.98 • Efficacy 31.7 31.0 31.4 0.68 0.39 • Esteem 30.0 30.4 30.6 0.29 0.57 • Resil 3.00 2.91 2.99 0.82 0.036 • H: Tot 25.2 24.3 25.0 0.71 0.039 • H: Ag 12.7 12.4 12.8 0.89 0.048 • H: Path 12.5 11.9 12.2 0.24 0.088 • * Mann-Whitney test of equal population medians

  16. Summary of key findings • Mean responses for each measure appear to be in line with published findings from other studies • But there is quite a spread of results for each measure • Comparing PG and UG at baseline – PG scores are no lower and in some measures are significantly higher than UG (mindset, self-efficacy, self-esteem) • Most significant demographic variables for UG are Faculty and Gender • Most significant demographic variable for PG is age • Means for every measure decrease by end of Semester 1– all differences significant for UG • Means for every measure decrease by end of Semester 2 but less pronounced • Differences over one or two semesters are smaller for PG. In Semester 2 retest changes in Self-efficacy and Resilience are not negative. • It was not possible to demonstrate a difference in measures between officially withdrawn students and those successful in Semester 1 assessment (GPA10+)

  17. Preliminary conclusions • Findings have demonstrated that the measured personal attributes have been challenged during first semesters at the University. • PG students are generally less affected than UG – older and experienced in HE? Graduate attributes? • It’s too early in the study to show any link between persistence and attributes – non-continuation after Year 1 required to follow the University standard retention measure, therefore, longitudinal follow-up for participants is necessary. • It would be advantageous to repeat the study to strengthen the sample size for statistical correlations. • Principal Component Analysis was carried out and indicated there may be some redundancy in measures – could lose one set to shorten questionnaire and encourage larger response.

  18. Implications for practice • How can these personal attributes be enhanced? Some ideas… • Training around the concepts eg. growth mindset. • Relationships provide validation and reassurance – with peers, academic & non-academic staff fostered by for example: • Active and collaborative learning; • Feedback on assessment; • Communities of learning. • Effective goal-setting – challenges that are achievable.

  19. Acknowledgements • Our thanks go to: • Retention Working Group and Prof Andrea Nolan for supporting the proposal and providing resource • Emily Cutts and the Centre for Confidence and Well-being • Maxine Swingler, Department of Psychology • Lauren Robinson, Statistics Honours project student • All the University of Glasgow students who have participated in the study

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