Table Of ContentUniversity of Arkansas, Fayeteville
PERCEPTIONS OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN A LIVING-LEARNING FIRST-YEAR
EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
PERCEPTIONS OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN A LIVING-LEARNING FIRST-YEAR
EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education in Higher Education
by
Kerri Anna Smith
College of the Holy Cross
Bachelor of Arts in History, 2003
Northeastern University
Master of Science in Applied Educational Psychology, 2005
August 2012
University of Arkansas
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of students and faculty involved
in a living-learning first-year experience program at a small, liberal arts institution about
developing skills for life-long learning including critical thinking, written communication, and
reflection and engagement across disciplines. The researcher conducted a qualitative case study
including focus groups with students and interviews with faculty involved with the first-year
experience program. Three focus groups with a total of 19 student participants and individual
interviews with 11 faculty participants were conducted. Interviews and focus groups were
digitally recorded and then the researcher listened to each session multiple times to discern
common themes and direct quotes.
The findings demonstrated that: (a) Students felt that their critical thinking and written
communication skills were positively influenced through the program. (b) Students felt that the
attempt to enhance reflection and engagement across disciplines through co-curricular
programming was not as successful. (c) Relationships between peers and faculty were two of the
most important aspects of the living-learning first-year experience program for students. (d)
Faculty similarly felt that critical thinking and written communication skills were positively
influenced. (e) Faculty differed from the student opinion on the program’s impact on reflection
and engagement across disciplines and felt that the co-curricular programming helped to
positively influence the development of multi-disciplinary perspectives. Recommendations for
improvements included a stronger focus on the relationship between student affairs staff and
academic affairs, more intentionality for co-curricular programming, increased uniformity
among first-year seminars, and improvements in marketing of the program to internal and
external stakeholders.
This dissertation is approved for recommendation
to the Graduate Council.
Dissertation Director:
_______________________________________
Dr. James O. Hammons
Dissertation Committee:
_______________________________________
Dr. Ketevan Mamiseishvilli
_______________________________________
Dr. Daniel Kissinger
DISSERTATION DUPLICATION RELEASE
I hereby authorize the University of Arkansas Libraries to duplicate this dissertation when
needed for research and/or scholarship.
Agreed __________________________________________
Kerri Anna Smith
Refused __________________________________________
Kerri Anna Smith
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
If you know anything about me, you know that I absolutely love music. I often find ways
to express how I’m feeling or what I’m thinking through song lyrics. As I sat down to write my
acknowledgements, I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite lyrics from the song “For
Good” from the musical “Wicked”: “I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a
reason bringing something we must learn; and we are led to those who help us most to grow if
we let them, and we help them in return.” Here are a few of the people who have helped me to
grow over the past three years and without whom the journey to the dissertation would not have
been possible.
First of all I would like to thank the students and faculty who so willingly and honestly
shared with me their thoughts about their experiences within the first-year experience program.
Without them this study would not have been possible and I am truly grateful to have had the
opportunity to meet with each and every one of them.
I would like to thank my chair, Dr. Hammons, for always offering encouragement and
advice throughout this journey to the dissertation. In addition, the support of my committee
members, Dr. Kate and Dr. Kissinger, truly made this experience both enjoyable and educational.
To my mentor, former supervisor, and friend, Jörg Vianden, I cannot say thank you
enough for believing in me and supporting me through the past four years and for giving me the
confidence to even apply for the doctoral program at Arkansas. I would not be the person and
professional that I am today without your guidance.
It would be impossible to not thank my students who have put up with me during the past
three years of coursework and writing and have given me nothing but positive thoughts, laughter,
and friendly Fridays. Thank you Cameron, Tyler, Rachel, Ciara, Tyler, Sarah, Jillian, Conrad,
Onnissia, and Matt for helping to build my character brick by brick. You all remind me on a
daily basis why I do what I do.
To my co-workers and friends, thank you for always asking how things were going and
reminding me that I needed to stay balanced. Special thanks go to Flo, Takama, Alisha, Grant,
Felisha, and Heather as well as Tamika, Adam, Briceli, Jack, and Andrea for your patience with
me throughout this process. To my book club ladies – Meghan, Manda, and Jessica – thank you
for all your support and for giving me something to read other than literature on first-year
experience and qualitative studies. Liz and Jon – thank you for giving me a place to stay and for
reminding me how powerful the friendships you develop in college can be.
To my cohort – I don’t think I would have made it through the program without each of
you. Heather, Mandy, Shane, Meredith, and Tammy – I feel so privileged to have shared this
experience with all of you and I am confident that we are all leaving this program stronger
people and better professionals because of this experience.
Finally, I have to thank my Smith and Dionisi family, as they are the reason for my
success. Whenever I felt like giving up, they offered me words of encouragement, a shoulder (or
cell phone) to cry on, and a reminder of why I wanted to do this in the first place. Aunt Patti and
Uncle Bob, thank you for providing me a home away from home and a place to find peace
during all the busy times. Brendan and Becky thank you for the encouraging texts, calls, and
support. Mom, thank you for teaching me to read, to write, and to love learning. You are my
rock, my voice of reason, and my biggest cheerleader.
In closing, it only seems fitting to end the way I stared, with a song: “It well may be that
we may never meet again in this lifetime so let me say before we part so much of me is made
from what I’ve learned from you; you’ll be with me like a hand print on my heart.”
DEDICATION
To my father, James Philip Smith (1948-2005), who wished for me to have “a love of
books, for they will give you a lifetime of pleasure and knowledge” and who gave me the gift of
life-long learning.
