ERIC ED418666: Comparative First Year Experiences at York University: Science, Arts, and Atkinson.

40 Pages·1994·0.67 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
HE 031 195
ED 418 666
Grayson, J. Paul
AUTHOR
Comparative First Year Experiences at York University:
TITLE
Science, Arts, and Atkinson.
York Univ., Toronto (Ontario). Inst. for Social Research.
INSTITUTION
ISBN-1-55014-253-4
ISBN
1994-00-00
PUB DATE
NOTE
39p.
Institute for Social Research, York University, 4700 Keele
AVAILABLE FROM
St., North York, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada; phone:
416-736-5061; fax: [phone] ($12.50).
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Academic Achievement; *College Freshmen; Commuter Colleges;
DESCRIPTORS
Educational Attitudes; *Educational Experience; *Evening
Students; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Knowledge
Level; Liberal Arts; *Majors (Students); School Involvement;
Sciences; *Student Attitudes; Teacher Student Relationship
*York University ON
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
This study compared the experiences of first-year students
in different disciplines at York University (Ontario). Surveys of 336
students in the faculty of pure and applied science, 802 students in the
faculty of arts, and 793 students in Atkinson College, the evening college of
the university, were conducted during February-March of the first year. The
response rates were 68 percent, 70 percent, and approximately 50 percent,
respectively. The results indicated that while science students had
relatively low levels of contact with faculty, they were more academically
and socially involved in the university than arts and Atkinson students.
However, arts and Atkinson students were more likely than science students to
report that their knowledge over the first year of university had increased.
In general, students readily identified shortcomings in their academic
backgrounds that made the transition to the university difficult. Moreover,
the majority endorsed the establishment of a credit course that would assist
them in dealing with the academic and social problems associated with the
first-year experience.
(MDM)
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1-01411-141
COMPARATIVE FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCES
AT YORK UNIVERSITY:
SCIENCE, ARTS, AND
J. PAUL GRAYSON
U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
e of Educational Research and Improvement
E
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At York University:
Comparative First Year Experiences
Science, Arts, and Atkinson
J. Paul Grayson
©
J. Paul Grayson, 1994
reproduced
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
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or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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Institute for Social Research
Published by:
York University
ISBN: 1-55014-253-4
1
Institute for Social Research
Organized Research Unit of
Founded in 1965, the Institute for Social Research (ISR) is an
undertake and critically evaluate applied
York University. The Institute's purpose is to promote,
and support services to York faculty, students
social research. The Institute provides consultation
and, to a lesser extent, in the biological and
and staff conducting research in the social sciences,
agencies, public
physical sciences. For researchers from other universities, government
consultation on research design and
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statistical analysis, on a fee-for-service basis.
undertakes data collection, data processing and
research unit in Canada, annually
ISR houses the largest university-based survey
from small surveys in one locale to
conducting twenty to thirty research projects ranging
Institute include questionnaire and sample
provincial and national surveys. The capabilities of the
of machine-readable data files, statistical
design, sample selection, data collection, preparation
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consultation on research design and
ISR's Statistical Consulting Service provides
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service is partially supported by a
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Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
grant from the Natural Science and
data collected by the Institute, to data
ISR's data archive provides public access to survey
and to official statistics, such as the census aggregate and
sets from major Canadian surveys,
public-use microdata files from the Canadian Census.
For more information, write to:
Institute for Social Research
York University
4700 Keele Street
North York, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3
Telephone: [phone]; Fax [phone]
2
3
Foreword
of articles in its publication series:
The Institute for Social Research produces four types
Working papers;
research process
Reports on various technical and managerial aspects of the
designed for technical support staff and research managers;
readers; and,
Reports on topics of general interest to non-specialist
issues aimed at experts in the
Reports on various methodological and substantive
field.
non-specialist readers.
The following is a report of general interest to
Acknowledgements
various phases of the research on which the
A number of individuals at the ISR contributed to
like to thank: Darla Rhyne, Mike
following report is based. In no particular order I would
and Anne Oram. I would also like to thank
Ornstein, David Northrup, John Tibert, Greg Hanson,
Linda Grayson for helpful comments made
Bill Bruce for his assistance with name generation and
on an early draft of the report.
3
Students
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4
7
Summary
positive first year experiences and desirable
Research has established a strong link between
marks.
knowledge and intellectual development, retention, and
outcomes such as increases in
desired outcomes include extensive out-of-class
Important first year experiences that contribute to
university, particularly faculty; academic and social
student contact with representatives of the
In commuter universities such as York it can be
involvement; and positive classroom experiences.
faculty, and academic and social involvement, will be
expected that out-of-class contacts with
for
result, special efforts must be taken to compensate
lower than in residential universities. As a
the absence of such processes.
made of the first year experiences of students
In the current report comparisons are
Science, the Faculty of Arts, and Atkinson College at
enrolled in the Faculty of Pure and Applied
collected in surveys conducted in February and March
York University. Data for the study were
of the first year.
variation in the experiences of students in first
Data indicate that there is considerable
faculty etc. but are more
Science students have relatively low contact with
year. For example,
Atkinson students. Moreover, first year
academically and socially involved than Arts and
Science
illustration, Arts and Atkinson students are more likely than
outcomes differ. By way of
first year of university has increased. Unfortunately,
students to say that their knowledge over the
and outcomes of students in the
while comparisons can be made of the experiences
assessment of the degree to which the
faculties/college under discussion, data do not permit an
expected in a commuter university.
first year experience is as rewarding as can be
shortcomings in their academic backgrounds that
In general, students readily identified
the majority endorse the establishment of a
made the transition to first year difficult. Moreover,
with the academic and social problems associated
credit course that would assist them in dealing
that such a course could provide students with
with the first year experience. To the extent
faculty, and enhance academic and social
specific required skills, increase contact with
of the inherent first year problems of
involvement, it could contribute to overcoming some
students in a commuter university.
5
Introduction
established that the first year experiences of students
A considerable body of research has
implications for outcomes such as retention, intellectual
in universities have important
importance in first year and beyond are the amount of
development, and grades. Of particular
of academic and social links established with,
out-of-class student-faculty contact and the types
while the importance of each varies from study to study,
and within, the institution. In essence,
and who are academically and socially
students who have a high degree of faculty contact
relevant realms than students with little faculty contact
involved tend to do better in a number of
Terenzini, 1991).
and who are not involved (Pascarella and
maximal possibilities for faculty contact and
Obviously, residential institutions provide the
comparison, in commuter institutions, such as York,
academic and social integration. By way of
integration may be less complete. As a
in which only 10% of first year students live on campus,
might
few, if any, academic and social forces that
result, outside of the classroom, there are
institutions
1994a; 1994b). By way of comparison, in
contribute to desirable outcomes (Grayson,
live in residence, such as Queen's (90% of first year
in which a large number of first year students
social involvement may contribute more to particular
students live in residence), academic and
outcomes.
of faculty contact, academic and
While universities may differ in terms of the amount
of rewarding classroom experiences, within any
social integration of students, and the provision
faculties and colleges. As a general
university differences may exist between and among
and departmental policies and practices that
proposition it can be assumed that faculty, college,
and maximize academic and social involvement are
maximize out-of-class student-faculty contact
particularly
desired outcomes (Astin, 1993). In addition,
likely to contribute to the realization of
this
of rewarding classroom experiences must be added to
in commuter universities, the provision
list.
their
universities to provide residential accommodation to
It is obvious that the inability of
institutional failure. For example, at York, where a
students does not necessarily represent
from families with relatively low family
substantial percentage of first year students come
residence is economically feasible for all but a
incomes, it is highly unlikely that on-campus
institutions must devise ways to either
minority. As a result, York and similar commuter
for
and social integration or devise substitutes
maximize student-faculty contact and academic
of the
this endeavour is to gain a firm understanding
these important processes. The first step in
first year
of this report will be on a comparison of the
first year experience. As a result, the focus
Sciences, the Faculty of Arts, and Atkinson College
experience in the Faculty of Pure and Applied
at York University.
three kinds. First, attention will focus on the extent
Data analyzed in the report will be of
and
themselves prepared for first year in terms of academic
to which individuals considered
regard
skills, and drive. Problems encountered with
emotional readiness, work habits and study
6
getting good grades, and money will also be
to making friends, family interference, stress,
examined.
analyses (Grayson, 1994a; 1994b) have
Second, attention will shift to factors that in other
increases in intellectual development and
been found to affect first year outcomes at York such as
importance in this regard are out-of-class
knowledge, retention, and grades. Factors of potential
lab demonstrators, and staff; academic involvement
contacts with faculty, teaching assistants and
tutorials/labs, current number of courses,
(hours per week on studies, attendance at lectures and
academic activities); social
hours per week on campus, and participation in non-required
friends, number of pub visits, number of
involvement (number of new friends, time spent with new
engaged in, and club and organization memberships);
sports activities watched, number of sports
being exposed to career relevant topics,
and classroom experiences (satisfaction with instruction,
and exposure to varying perspectives in classes).
experience (satisfaction with:
Third, data will be presented on evaluations of the first year
staff contact, teaching assistant
overall programs, grades, instruction, class size, course content,
student services).
and lab demonstrator contact, faculty contact, and
Data Sources
the end of first year
The current study is based on surveys carried out of students at
Arts (1994), and Atkinson
(February/March) in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science (1993),
University. The respective sample sizes for each
College (1994), the evening operation of York
Response rates are 68%, 70%, and approximately 50%. Rates of this
are 336, 802, and 793.
Similar surveys of entering
magnitude are good for the student groups under consideration.
above faculties/colleges in September 1992
students' expectations were carried out for each of the
(Science) and August 1993 (Arts and Atkinson).'
presented, a distinction
In the graphs in which the results of the end-of-year surveys are
their first contact with post-secondary
has been made between students for whom Atkinson was
necessarily credited, exposure to
education (90 cases) and Atkinson students with prior, but not
followed as in terms of potential problems
college or university (637 cases).2 This procedure was
than the latter to students in Science
of transition to the university, the former are more similar
of transition, Atkinson students with
and Arts. Indeed, as the focus of this report is on problems
former exposure to post-secondary education are of secondary concern.
1
See Grayson (1993).
completed courses etc. are recorded.
2
The number in administrative records may be lower than this if only
7