Data Efforts and Inquiry at Lyndon State College

Heather Bouchey, in collaboration with Rod Zwick & Jeremy Flaherty

Central Themes

• Coordination of existing data efforts• New types of data collection• Multiple methods of inquiry, models of data

analysis and design• Longitudinal data are key– Baseline data, benchmarks for success– Establish critical timeframes for interventions– Compare patterns over time/cohorts

• Developmental perspective (K-16 model)

UNIFIED DATASET

Registrar Admissions Financial Aid

Student Services

First year experience

Career services

Residence life

•Grades•FGLI status•Parental income•High School GPA•# AP courses•Pell eligible?•INT 1020 Performance•Advising quality

Coordination and Integration of Datasets Across Campus

Leahy Center for Rural Students

Panel Study

Qualitative Exit Study

Focus Groups

Selected Findings to Date: Quantitative Analyses

First two waves of panel study

• Fall 2009 and Spring 2010• 31% of students in study = FFMI• Year/grade cohorts– Freshman (35%, n=198)– Sophomores (36%, n=203)– Juniors (30%, n = 168)

• Variables predicting retention across the 2009-2010 timeframe

Fall GPA (> 1.6)Cumulative credits completed (> 8.5)# hours working off campus (< 20)# foreign language semesters in high

school (> 2)

Experiencing Lyndon

• Psychological Sense of Community (12 items)– I think LSC is a good place for me to go to college.– People at LSC do not share the same values.– I feel at home at LSC.

• Attachment to Place (12 items)– I feel LSC is a part of me.– I identify strongly with LSC.– I am very attached to LSC.

• 1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree

Psychological Sense of Community declines for FFMI, increases for non-FFMI students

Attachment to LSC declines for FFMI, stays the same for non-FFMI students

Do FFMI and non-FFMI Students Interpret College Experiences in the

Same Way?

Exploratory Factor Analysis

QUESTION/ITEM

Understand what professors expect academically

Develop effective study skills

Adjust to academic demands of college

Manage time effectively

Get to know your instructors

•Academic Adjustment

During the current semester, how easy or difficult has it been to:(1=very difficult, 4 = very easy)

Exploratory Factor Analysis

QUESTION/ITEM FFMI NOT FFMI

Understand what professors expect academically

.77 .69

Develop effective study skills

.81 .78

Adjust to academic demands of college

.76 .79

Manage time effectively

.71 .72

Get to know your instructors

.62 .57

•Academic Adjustment

During the current semester, how easy or difficult has it been to:(1=very difficult, 4 = very easy)

FFMI significantly lower academic adjustment than non-FFMI, p < .05 (small effect size)

Frequency of Interaction (Support?)During the current semester, how often have you interacted with the following people? (6 = daily, 1 = never)

QUESTION/ITEM Factor 1 (FacStaff)

Factor 2(Support?)

Faculty during office hours

.67 .18

Faculty outside of oh/class

.84 .09

Academic Advisor .79 -.03

Close friends (not at this college)

.12 .82

Your family -.12 .85

Your Peer Leader .27 .52

FFMI

QUESTION/ITEM Factor 1 (FacStaff)

Factor 2(FRFAM Support)

Factor 2(Peer Leader Support)

Faculty during office hours

.73 .29 -.16

Faculty outside of oh/class

.77 .02 -.05

Academic Advisor .82 -.05 .15

Close friends (not at this college)

.09 .84 .10

Your family .05 .84 -.06

Your Peer Leader -.02 .04 .98

Non-FFMI

No differences in either academic support or friend/family support (as measured by frequency of interaction) by FFMI status.

FFMI students interact with Peer Leaders more frequently (between 1-2 times/semester and 1-2 times/month, on average) than non-FFMI students do (not quite 1-2 times/semester, on average).

•Satisfaction with LyndonPlease rate your satisfaction with LSC on each of the aspects of college life listed below: (5 = very satisfied, 1 = very dissatisfied)

•Satisfaction with LyndonPlease rate your satisfaction with LSC on each of the aspects of college life listed below: (5 = very satisfied, 1 = very dissatisfied)

NON-FFMI

•Satisfaction with LyndonPlease rate your satisfaction with LSC on each of the aspects of college life listed below: (5 = very satisfied, 1 = very dissatisfied)

NON-FFMI

QUESTION/ITEM Factor 2 (Engagement?)

Factor 1(Academic Satisfaction?)

Factor 3(Academic Satisfaction?)

Overall sense of community among students

.82

Your social life .87Overall college experience

.69Intellectual discussion outside class

.74

Amount of contact with faculty

.58Overall academic experience

.93Intellectual challenge in courses in major

.64Overall quality of instruction

.35 .40 .59

Academic advising .79

FFMI

The factor structure looks quite different for FFMI students. Their satisfaction with OVERALL ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE is not being captured in the same way as it is for non-FFMI students, and seems to be somewhat linked with the quality of instruction in a different way than it is for non-FFMI students. The quality of instruction seems to be related to all 3 factors for FFMI students as well. Also, note that intellectual discussion outside of class and amount of contact with faculty may mean something different to non-FFMI versus FFMI students given that they load on different factors. We may be picking up on SOCIAL CAPITAL that FFMI students are not getting access to in the same way…

Selected Findings to Date: Qualitative Analyses

Annual structured telephone interviews with subset of students who left Lyndon during the previous academic year

REASON FOR LEAVING

2008 COHORT 2009 COHORT 2010 COHORT (prelim anals)

Personal /family crisis 10% (n=2) 25% (n=9) 16% (n=4)

Transfer to another college

40% (n=8) 6% (n=2) na

Financial concerns 5% (n=1) 15% (n=5) 11% (n=3)

Frustration with the college system 15% (n=3) 3% (n=1) na

Thank you.