Origins of our Research The Team Helping parents help their - PDF document

Origins of our Research  The Team Helping parents help their children  Director of Student Orientation successfully  Director of Student Engagement and transition to college Retention  Author of “Becoming a Learner”  Communication Studies Scholars  What is Communication Studies? Kristina M. Scharp Utah State University  Family Communication and Relationships Lab Elizabeth Dorrance Hall  Student adjustment cross-culturally Michigan State University  Homesickness familycommlab.com Transitioning to College: Family Communication Patterns Predictors of Success  Conversation Orientation  Cole, Kennedy, and Ben-Avie (2009) argue  Open communication about a variety of for the importance of PRE-COLLEGE topics information about:  Conformity Orientation  Family environments  Homogeneity of attitudes, values, and  Interpersonal Skill beliefs  Social Support Communication Support Confidence/Apprehension  Effective support is related to:  Anxiety students experience surrounding  Improved self esteem real or anticipated communication with  Mental well-being others serves as a barrier to students’  Physical well-being  Academic achievement  Reduces negative affect  Retention  Decreases feelings of loneliness  Leadership  Increases feelings of optimism  Adaptability  Social support from friends and family are  Multicultural appreciation particularly important

Participants Transitioning to College: Staying Ahead of the Curve  Pre-test – January  Transitions create chronic uncertainty  269 first-year students in second semester  Reducing concerns can create more  Time 1 – April-June  Getting a job decreases financial uncertainty  2,252 students about to start their first  Increases academic success uncertainty year of college  We were interested in what concerns  Orientation sign up survey students expressed DURING college  60.4% female, 88.5% White, 11% first instead of reasons they gave for leaving generation students after-the-fact First-Year Student Stress Categories Measures Label Definition Example Frequency Tests/ Concerns about grades, testing, and “The way classes and tests are structured is 204 (76%) very different than the way I was used to in Homework homework. Differences in class/test  Student Concerns (Belle & Paul, 1989; Zajacova, Lynch, & high school” structure from high school, working Espenshade, 2005) on assignments outside of class “Figuring out how different professors test!” “Time -- I feel like I do not have enough time to Time Not enough time, concerns about 138 (51%)  Academic environment, academic performance, managing time, do all the things I need to.” being self-guided and motivated, financial, and interpersonal concerns finding a balance between school, “Trying to fit in social time, school time, work, social and work, prioritization. and sleep.”  Family Communication Patterns (RFCP-SF, Wilson et al., 2014) “I expected to make a lot of friends since I was Friends Not being able to find friends, not 119 (44%) living in the dorms but I've only really made having people to go to campus/social  Conversation: “I can tell my parents almost anything” friends with my roommates.” events with, Finding your own group (anxiety associated with this), putting  Conformity: “My parents feel it is important to be the boss” yourself out there “Getting used to being on your own, you have Indepen- Detaching yourself from your legal 86 (32%)  Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, and Farley, 1988) to grow up and become your own person.” dence guardians, learning about yourself in a new environment, change in  Family: “My family really tries to help me.” lifestyle and responsibility. Not living at home, having to grow up.  Resilience (Smith et al., 2008) Finances Paying for school, employment “Probably expenses. I can handle classes and 53 (20%) homework, but it's harder for me to balance status, not having enough money,  “When I face a challenge I reach out to my social paying for my schooling. I need to know when navigating financial aid, paying for tuition is due, when to accept my scholarship, housing network for advice” when to apply for FAFSA etc.” Room- Roommate conflict, not being “ Difficult roommates who don't respect me, my 44 (16%) stuff, or my privacy” mates accepted, negative living situation, having different moral/ethical standards from roommates. First Generation Students Students of Color Differences in Student Concerns Differences in Student Concerns 80 70 70 60 60 50 50 40 40 30 30 20 20 10 10 0 0 Academic Managing Time Social Concerns Growing Up Financial Interpersonal Academic Managing Time Social Concerns Growing Up Financial Interpersonal Concerns Concerns Concerns Concerns Concerns Concerns Concerns Concerns Concerns Concerns First Gen Other White Non-White

First Generation Students Students of Color Communication Patterns and Outcome Differences Communication Patterns and Outcome Differences 5 5 4.5 4.5 4 4 3.5 3.5 3 3 2.5 2.5 2 2 1.5 1.5 1 1 0.5 0.5 0 0 Interpersonal Skill PICT Resilience Conversation Conformity Interpersonal Skill PICT Resilience Conversation Conformity First Gen Other White Non-White College Student Support and Transitioning to College: Resilience Results Adjustment Outcomes Higher resilience  Lower concerns  Attitudes Matter Not true of family support  Success depends on how a person interprets that transition such that those who believe a transition Higher conversation orientation  Lower academic concerns will help them grow are more likely to be Not true of conformity satisfied, develop more, and be ultimately more successful. Higher conversation orientation  higher family support  Attitudes are a better predictor of academic Higher conformity orientation  lower resilience success when compared to skill or study habits Conversation  higher resilience  lower student concerns  Perceived Impact of the College Transition Conformity  lower resilience  higher concerns  Pre-College Students (N= 2,252) Additional Measures Model Testing Results: Conversation Orientation  Communication Apprehension/Confidence (Wrench et al., 2008)  “I always feel anxious in social situations”  Perceived Impact of the Transition (Zinnbauer & Pargament, 1998)  “I think the transition to college will alter my general outlook on life”

Model Testing Results: Adjustment Outcomes Conformity Orientation  Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity  More resilient people experience a variety of advantageous outcomes such as:  Overcoming mental health issues  Persistence in college  Ability to positively adapt to adversity in marriage  Resilience  Students (n=436) across time Additional Survey and Measures Model of Transition Resilience  Time 2 – November  Follow up with first-year students in first semester  436 students who completed T1 and T2  65.1% female, 89.9% White, 7.3% first generation students  Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, and Farley, 1988)  Friend: “I can count on my friends when things go wrong ” (T1 & T2) Implications for Student Affairs Conflict Workshop at USU: Professionals Addressing Communication Skill  For Students  Matt Sanders, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Utah State  Communication apprehension interventions University  Assess students’ CA to raise awareness  Communication courses  Visualization intervention  Conflict workshop at USU  Social support training (for faculty, staff, parents)  For Families  Parent orientation  Communicate openly about a wide variety of topics (tends to encourage lower communication apprehension)

Social Support Training for First- Social Support Training Generation Mentors  The Costs of Seeking Support  “Verbal and nonverbal behavior  Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Costs produced with the intention of providing assistance to others perceived as  Types of Social Support needing that aid”  Nurturant (Emotional, Esteem, & Network)  (Mac George, Feng, & Burleson, 2011)  Action-Facilitating (Informational & Tangible)  We addressed:  Celebratory  Seeking Supportive Communication  Social Presence Support  Processing Supportive Communication  Matching Hypothesis  Providing Supportive Communication Qualities of Good Providers Parent Orientation Intervention  High-Person Centeredness  Infographic/Fact sheet  Refers to how much the message behavior  Emerging adult transition and identity (re)negotiation  Conversation orientation - importance of open reflects an awareness of and adaptation to communication the subjective, affective, and relational  With parents and other network members aspects of communicative contexts.  Small talk and relational maintenance  Conformity – reinforcing the belief that college is  Explicitly recognize and legitimate other’s important and worthwhile feelings.  MATCHING the support they need  Perceived support availability  Empathetic  Helicopter parenting  Good listener  Impact differs by culture Questions? Contact us! Kristina.Scharp@usu.edu EDH@msu.edu www.familycommlab.com @familycommlab