Only Connect: Funded through the 2009-2010 Paul P. Fidler A Mixed - PDF document

Rachel A.Smith, SIT Conference 2010 Acknowledgements “Only Connect”: � Funded through the 2009-2010 Paul P. Fidler A Mixed Methods Study of How Grant from the National Resource Center for First-Year Students Create The First-Year Experience and Students in Residential Academic and Social Transition Networks � Thank you to my participants and staff in residence life and the learning communities office Rachel A. Smith Conference on Baruch College, CUNY Students in Transition rachel.smith@baruch.cuny.edu November 14, 2010 Introduction Inside the Box � First-year college students: new environment, Social Learning need to create academic/social relationships Integration Communities Institution � College administrators structure environments Student Student where students are more likely to create certain Characteristics Outcomes relationships (e.g. learning communities) Gender Persistence � Little is known about how these specific “networks” Littl i k b t h th ifi “ t k ” Race Completion of relationships facilitate educational outcomes Family Income Transfer HS GPA Learning Academic Involvement Integration Theoretical Framework Theoretical Framework � Learning Community definitions & research � Academic and/or Social Integration (Tinto, 1993) -Participation in LCs is generally associated -If students are connected to the institution with positive educational outcomes, although academically and/or socially, they will be less effect sizes may be relatively small likely to leave it likely to leave it � Social Network Analysis (Wasserman & Faust, 1994; Thomas, 2000) � “Involvement” & “Engagement” as a proxy for -Homophily can be a predictor of tie formation learning & a measure of student success (Kuh, (McPherson, Smith-Lovin, & Cook, 2001) Astin, etc.) -Position in network associated with outcomes 1

Rachel A.Smith, SIT Conference 2010 Research Questions Methods � Case study: two residential communities at � What is the structure of students’ residential one institution (mid-size private in the NE) academic and social networks? Why? What over 1.5 years relationship does structure have with a learning community environment? -Arts-themed learning community (“ProArte”) -Random-assignment residence hall floor (“Tyler 2”) R d i t id h ll fl (“T l 2”) � What institutional structures influence network formation? � Mixed methods (“triangulation”) -Paper surveys � Are students’ positions in their residential -Individual Interviews networks related to educational outcomes? (first-semester GPA & second-semester involvement) -Participant observation Methods: Surveys Methods: Qualitative � Two paper surveys 1. On average, how many hours � Individual Interviews (30-60 minutes each) per week have you recently spent (Fall 2006, Spring socializing with each person? -45 in Fall 2006 2007) Number of � Based on common -42 first follow-up in Spring 2007 Name Hours network questions, network questions, -20 second follow-up in Fall 2007 20 d f ll i F ll 2007 roster style Lastname, Firstname � Participant Observation � Response rates: 92% and 85% Lastname, Firstname -Floor meetings, field trips, classes, hanging � 76 LC students out Lastname, Firstname � 64 random-assignment � My Identity students Methods: Research Population Methods: Analysis � Generally reflected demographics of � Quantitative: survey data computerized and institution (Qualitative) analyzed using Ucinet 1 , NetDraw 2 ,& SAS � 50% men; 50% women (50% / 50%) � Qualitative: � Race/Ethnicity: -interviews recorded and transcribed - 72.1% White (75.1%) 72 1% White (75 1%) -field notes typed - 15.7% Asian/Asian-American (15.9%) -data categorized into 235 codes - 6.4% Latino (4.5%) -analyzed for themes - 5.7% Black (4.5%) � Brought types of data together for joint � 80% First-year students (82%) analysis 1 (Borgatti, Everett, & Freeman, 2002) 2 (Borgatti, 2002) 2

Rachel A.Smith, SIT Conference 2010 Methods: Social Network Density as an Indicator of Analysis Student Integration � Measures the amount of student interaction � “Network”: actors + relations in a particular community � Actors or Nodes � Density = reported / possible ties (normalized y p p ( � Relational tie to account for differential network size) � Tie strength/value � Directionality � Symmetrized & dichotomized ties � Sociogram � Greater density = greater integration Results: Social, Fall 2006 Results: ProArte Social Fall 2006 � ProArte denser than Tyler 2 � Densities: ProArte – 0.1740 Tyler 2 – 0.1587 Most of my friends are people in the � Add networks and [ProArte] learning community, like quotes right now. There was a lot of forced Red: Female Asian American Blue: Male Asian International It’s kind of divided I think on the floor stuff in the beginning, then we all just Black kind of made friends anyway. … I at least, between the learning Latino/a community kids and the other kids. It was, I mean at least the girls’ floor guess it was a little necessary, when White Like I find myself hanging out with, the Like I find myself hanging out with the was a family. … we were almost like was a family. … we were almost like we were first starting out here, we were first starting out here, a sorority, even though it wasn’t everyone was like “Yeah! Yeah! only people I hang out with on the floor are in the learning community, and really a sorority, it’s just that we [ProArte]! We don’t know what it everyone else is off doing their own were all there together, doing art. It means.” was cool. thing. -Cindi -Georgina -Diego (November 10, 2006) (November 2, 2007) (October 20, 2006) - Group Identity - Women’s floor cohesion ProArte Tyler 2 - Men’s floor divisions Results: Tyler 2 Social Results: Academic, Fall 2006 Fall 2006 � ProArte denser than Tyler 2 It’s like everyone is each other’s � Academic networks less dense than social networks best friend. We have pride in our floor. We’re like “[Tyler 2]”! And, � Densities: ProArte – 0.0853 Tyler 2 – 0.0497 uh, I tell people, everyone goes to the lounge. I mean so many Lauren had a “sarcastic sense Abigail, as a crew team member, people, you know, everyone’s of humor … that kind of gets had to go to bed early and spent had to go to bed early and spent friendly with each other friendly with each other. lost on people sometimes” a lot of time off the floor. Everyone seems to get along. It’s nice. It’s positive energy. I (September 29, 2006) like that. I’ll just walk to the lounge and just hang out with other people that hang out there. -Derek (September 29, 2006) - The “Lounge Group” - Feeling peripheral ProArte Tyler 2 3