ERIC Number: EJ1047352
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1542-3077
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Available Date: N/A
First-Generation College Student Achievement and the First-Year Seminar: A Quasi-Experimental Design
Vaughan, Angela; Parra, Janessa; Lalonde, Trent
Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, v26 n2 p51-67 2014
Research has shown consistently that first-generation college students are less prepared academically for college, have a higher risk for dropping out, and are less likely to obtain a degree. This study investigated the effect of first-generation students' participation in a first-year seminar (FYS) on academic achievement and persistence to the second semester compared to nonparticipants. The authors collected data from 266 first-generation students in an FYS and used a quasi-experimental design incorporating hierarchical propensity score matching techniques to form quasi-control groups. The results show the seminar had a significant positive effect on achievement (an overall GPA difference of 0.71 points) and persistence (an overall 17% difference).
Descriptors: First Generation College Students, First Year Seminars, Academic Achievement, Academic Persistence, Comparative Analysis, Quasiexperimental Design, Probability, Correlation, Program Effectiveness, Control Groups, Experimental Groups, College Freshmen, Public Colleges, School Size, Predictor Variables, Demography, Student Characteristics, Profiles, Grade Point Average
National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. University of South Carolina, 1728 College Street, Columbia, SC 29208. Tel: 803-777-6229; Fax: 803-777-4699; e-mail: fye@sc.edu; Web site: http://www.sc.edu/fye/publications/index.html; Web site: http://fyesit.metapress.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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