Research Day 2018 Schedule
First Ever First-Year Student Adjustment to College: Cultivating Community, Voice, and Place for First-Year Students at GSU
Type of Presentation
Panel
Location
D34115
Start Date
4-6-2018 9:30 AM
End Date
4-6-2018 10:00 AM
Abstract
Program description as provided by the author:
In Fall 2014 Governors State University (GSU) welcomed its first ever cohort of 242 first-year students. Following the guidelines established by the Leadership Education & America’s Promise (LEAP) initiative, GSU incorporated four high impact practices—learning communities, first year seminars, common intellectual experiences, and writing intensive courses—aimed at improving student learning and achieving higher levels of student persistence. These practices have demonstrated a particular benefit for first generation students who come from economically challenged communities and/or identify as students of color. While many students navigate a divide between their home and academic worlds, research reveals that students “learn best by interacting with others and sharing experiences” (Lei 2011 et al.).
The proposed panel is formed by researchers of GSU’s First Year Experience Study (FYES), an ongoing investigation examining the factors that have positively or negatively impacted students’ college experiences at GSU. This longitudinal project examines the perspectives of three years of first year classes on high impact educational practices, as well as the impact that their high school preparation, cultural backgrounds, families, friends, and communities have had on their college experience. The objectives are to: 1) examine the obstacles first generation students face in the cohort model at GSU; 2) understand what experiences and relationships have enhanced student’s college experience at GSU; and 3) analyze how the cohort model can better facilitate learning and socialization at GSU. During the presentation, three presenters will address the research methods used, key preliminary findings, and the significance of the research.
First Ever First-Year Student Adjustment to College: Cultivating Community, Voice, and Place for First-Year Students at GSU
D34115
Program description as provided by the author:
In Fall 2014 Governors State University (GSU) welcomed its first ever cohort of 242 first-year students. Following the guidelines established by the Leadership Education & America’s Promise (LEAP) initiative, GSU incorporated four high impact practices—learning communities, first year seminars, common intellectual experiences, and writing intensive courses—aimed at improving student learning and achieving higher levels of student persistence. These practices have demonstrated a particular benefit for first generation students who come from economically challenged communities and/or identify as students of color. While many students navigate a divide between their home and academic worlds, research reveals that students “learn best by interacting with others and sharing experiences” (Lei 2011 et al.).
The proposed panel is formed by researchers of GSU’s First Year Experience Study (FYES), an ongoing investigation examining the factors that have positively or negatively impacted students’ college experiences at GSU. This longitudinal project examines the perspectives of three years of first year classes on high impact educational practices, as well as the impact that their high school preparation, cultural backgrounds, families, friends, and communities have had on their college experience. The objectives are to: 1) examine the obstacles first generation students face in the cohort model at GSU; 2) understand what experiences and relationships have enhanced student’s college experience at GSU; and 3) analyze how the cohort model can better facilitate learning and socialization at GSU. During the presentation, three presenters will address the research methods used, key preliminary findings, and the significance of the research.