the seven false beliefs: addressing the psychosocial underpreparedness of the community college...

7/23/2019 THE SEVEN FALSE BELIEFS: ADDRESSING THE PSYCHOSOCIAL UNDERPREPAREDNESS OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEG

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THE SEVEN FALSE BELIEFS:ADDRESSING THE PSYCHOSOCIAL

UNDERPREPAREDNESS OF THE COMMUNITY

COLLEGE STUDENT

D r . M ic h a e l V. M i r a n d a

Kingsborough Community College o f The City University o fNew York

Through an analysis of student reactions to several classroom inter-

ventions, this article suggests that the single, most important personalcharacteristic which interferes with the attainment of academic success

for the typical community college student is what he or she has already

learned about himself or herself and, also, about the process of getting

an education. Many students enter the community college with miscon-

ceptions about college, about what it will take to earn a college degree,

about themselves, and about the world. Unless they discover the truths

very early in their college careers, they will begin those careers with

such poor results that they will never be able to overcome the difficul-

ties they will have created for themselves in their very first semesters.

The first public community college in the

United States was established by the Univer-

sity of Chicago in 1901 when six high school

graduates of Joliet Township High School

desired to attend college without leaving their

local community (Joliet Junior College, n.d.).

Given the fact that only eight percent of the

nations high school students graduated in1900 (Berger, 2005), there is ample reason

to believe that these six Joliet graduates were

academically strong and quite motivated to

continue their educations.

Many o f the incoming freshmen at todays

community colleges, however, present very

different profiles from the original six as they

are likely to have chosen to register at their

twoyear colleges for reasons of academic,

social, and/or economic underpreparedness

(Valadez, 1993). While community colleges

continue to focus on the goal of providing

students the first two years of a baccalaure-

ate education (Eddy, Christie, & Rao, 2006),

they are particularly proud of being able to

accomplish this with atrisk students (Bulger

& Watson, 2006) who may very well be the

first in their families to attend college (Green

wald, 2012). We can acknowledge the inher-

ent difficulties in this task of the community

colleges by examining the following data:

In all student age groups in the fall

of 2011, more students were enrolled

in fouryear public institutions than

were enrolled in twoyear public insti-

tutions except for the age groups 65

and over and the one which might

be considered the most vulnerable to

failure, under 18 (National Center

for Education Statistics, 2012a);

While only 75.5% of public de-greegranting fouryear institutions

had programs which offered remedi-

al services to their students, 99.4%

of public degreegranting twoyear

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570 / Col lege Stud ent Journal

institutions had such programs in the2010-2011 academic year (Nation

al Center for Education Statistics,

2011a); and

Many public university systems,

including the City University of

New York (the largest public urban

university in the United States) and

at least twelve state systems, steer

academically underprepared students

into the community colleges by refus

ing admission to any applicant who

requires academic remediation (Sche-

mo, 2006).

When considering these data, can it be

surprising that the national graduation rate for

students at public degree-granting two-year

institutions for the cohort first entering col

lege in 2007 is only 20.4% (National Center

for Education Statistics, 2011b)?This is explained, in part, by the estimate

that 80% of all students who graduate in the

bottom quarter of their high school classes and

then go on to college will never earn a college

degree (Steinberg, 2010). But even if this low

graduation rate may be understood through

some of the academic deficiencies in the stu

dents entering public two-year institutions,

it is a statistic which pleases no one. Com

munity colleges consistently make efforts tosearch for programmatic ways to improve the

results o f the instruction provided to students

in their classrooms and to give each and every

student, without regard to how underpre

pared he or she might have been upon entry

into their colleges, the opportunity to earn a

college education and achieve upward social

mobility (Thelin, 2007). The institution of a

freshman seminar (Potts & Schultz, 2008),

remedial/developmental classes (Gonzalez,2012b; Hoyt, 1999; Kraska, Nadelman, Man-

er, & McCormick, 1990), redesigned forms of

academic advisement (Bahr, 2008), learning

communities (Malnarich, 2005; Mathews,

1993; Raftery, 2005), small group projects

(Hennessey & Evans, 2006), more accurateplacement exam measurements (Gonzalez,

2012a), and cooperative efforts between sec

ondary schools and the colleges (Kirst, 2008),

as well as other approaches, have each been

tried. They provide less than completely sat

isfactory results.

In addition, and again with the goal of

improving graduation rates, attention has

been paid to some individual characteristics

of the community college student, includingacademic disengagement (Berrett, 2012), a

failure to identify with academic success (Os

borne, 1997), a lack of persistence (Grimes,

1997; Wolfle, 2012), low levels of intrinsic

and extrinsic motivation (Liao, Ferdenzi, and

Edlin, 2012), difficulties with the English lan

guage (Mulready-Shick & Parker, 2013), high

degrees of social anxiety (Miranda, 2007),

and perceptions of the campus environment

as being unpleasant (Edman & Brazil, 2009).However, the suggestion may be made that

the single, most important personal character

istic which interferes with the attainment of

academic success for the typical community

college student is what he or she has already

learned about himself or herself and about the

process of getting an education.

Many students entering the community col

lege arrive with several misconceptions about

college, about what it will take to earn a col

lege degree, and, above all, about themselves.

Unless they discover the truths very early in

their college careers, they will begin those ca

reers with such poor results that they will never

be able to overcome the difficulties they will

have created for themselves in their very first

semesters. They will, instead, have confirmed

that a college education is out of reach.

Despite all of the efforts made by the col

lege administrations, most o f the students who

get off to a poor start will not be able to achieve

the turnaround they need in time to save them

selves and their college careers. In part, this is

because the college may not be using its most


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valuable weapon to guard against students

failuresthe professor in the classroom (Jen-

kins, 2012; Wyner, 2012). Professors are the

individuals on the campus who have the most

contact with the students. They also have the

potential to be the most influential.

This paper will introduce specific tech-

niques, a version of which will be available to

eveiy community college professor, which can

mean the difference between academic success

and failure for a given student. The techniqueshave the potential to increase the probability of

early success experiences for the new commu-

nity college studentexperiences which can

have profound and lifelong effects.

For many students, the academic un-

derpreparedness with which they arrive on

their community college campuses may

be matched, or perhaps exceeded, by their

psychosocial underpreparedness. This psy-

chosocial underpreparedness, marked by thepossession of one or more of the seven false

beliefs, is what may be primarily responsible

for our students failures.

The false beliefs were learned and rein-

forced through the early school and life ex-

periences of the students entering community

colleges. The beliefs are based on the thoughts

that these students have about a world that is

foreign to the one which they and their fam-

ilies occupy. They are also based on the aca-demic attitudes and behaviors instilled in these

students in their elemental schools and later

reinforced by their high school teachers. As

community college professors, we should con-

sider accepting the responsibility for breaking

down these barriers to academic success.

In the next section, each o f the seven false

beliefs will be presented. Following an expla-

nation of the origins of the beliefs will be a

description of an intervention that has beenused to challenge each false belief and then

a report o f the effectiveness o f that interven-

tion gleaned from an endofsemester survey

which was completed by fortyfour of the

students in my advanced psychology class.

Finally, the new truth that replaces the false

belief will be identified.

The Seven False Beliefs

False Belief #1 As long as I do not ex-

ceed the maximum number of absences per-

mitted, I will do just fine and pass the course.

Basis for this False B el ie f Many students

come out o f high school with the understand-

ing that they are permitted to be absent fromtheir classes for a specific number of days

without penalty. How many cuts are we

allowed? is the question they put to their

high school teachers and they arrive in their

college classrooms with the same question. I f

students are permitted to be absent four times

during a semester without any danger of be-

ing dropped from the class, some students

immediately plan to take those absences and

they expect to do fine.Intervention On the first day of each se-

mester, my students are given a Word to the

Wise letter. The letter clearly demonstrates

a negative correlation between the number o f

absences taken and course grades.

In the Spring 2013 semester, for example,

students in my developmental psychology

class read that, over the past ten years, 74% of

all students who took no more than one absence

during the semester earned either an A or a B,

while only 21% of those who took the maxi-

mum number of allowable absences received

either of those grades. Also, they learned that

53% of the students who took or exceeded

the maximum number of allowable absences

received an F or were withdrawn from the

course, while this was the case for only 1% of

students with no more than one absence.

Statistics related to False Belief #1

41 of the 44 students (93%) remem-

bered having received this letter.

For 23 of the 41 (56%), the letter

made a significant impression;


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572 / College Student Journal

for 40 of the 41 (98%), the letter madeeither a significant impression or

somewhat of an impression; and

17 of the 21 students (81%) who had

not previously been aware of the

importance of having excellent at-

tendance i f a high grade was desired

indicated that their behaviors and/

or attitudes about their attendance in

the class improved as a direct result

of the letter.

New Truth to Replace False Belief #1 If

I want a good grade, I must make sure that I

am present in class as often as possible. I must

not take any unnecessary absences.

False Belief #2 Getting a college de-

gree is my ticket to success. The degree is all

that matters. Grades really do not count for

anything. I just need to finish, get out, and

start making money!

Basis for this False Be lief For many stu-

dents at a community college, the fact is that

they are the first in their families to pursue

higher education. And they often do not know

anyone who is a college graduate personally.

The college degree is seen as their ticket to

having the kind of life that they have only

been able to dream about and they believe

that merely possessing the degree is whatwill change their lives. With this mentality, it

is understandable for these students to think

that grades do not matter. For them, it is the

possession of the degree that gets one where

he or she wants to be in life.

Interventions Students need to be in-

formed that, while a college degree is nec-

essary to open the doors which can provide

the opportunity to have a significantly better

life, there will be a considerable amount ofcompetition in the job market from others

with degrees. I display a poster depicting the

earth in a photo taken from a location in space

as I explain that, when their college careers

are over and they go out into the job market

to seek out their first professional jobs, their

competition will be coming from all over the

world. I suggest that they start to think about

how they will stand out in the job market. I

also suggest that they begin by planning to be

remembered as a superior student in my class.

Statistics related to False Belief #2

31 of the 44 students (70%) remem-

bered seeing the poster.

For 16 of the 31 (52%), the poster


for 28 of the 31 (90%), the poster

made either a significant impres-

sion or somewhat of an impression;

and

17 of the 19 students (89%) who had

not been previously aware of the

level of competition for jobs sought

by college graduates indicated that

their behaviors and/or attitudes about

doing their best in the class improved

as a result of seeing the poster and

participating in the discussion which

followed.

New Truth to Replace False Belief #2 A

college degree does not guarantee success. I

must achieve a high level of competence in

order to succeed.

False Belief #3 All I have to do to get

a good grade is to prove that I tried my best.

Basis for this False Belief There is an

expression which states You get an A for

effort. In some high schools, this A for

effort translates into a good academic grade

as teachers reward students with high grades

when assignments are done on time as long

as the students do not cause disruptions in the

classroom.Interventions I tell my students of a

lesson that I learned one day from my grand-

daughter, a firstgrader at the time, with re-

spect to the several times that I had students


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expect a good grade, regardless o f their exam

scores, because their attendance was good.

Kali was watching me grade quizzes and,

after she determined that a score of 5 was the

highest possible score, she asked why some

students were being given only a 2 or a 3.

When I explained that the students who were

being given the lower scores had not done as

well as the students who were being given a 5,

she looked very upset. Looking at the pile of

papers in front of me, she frowned and said,But they tried so hard1

A first-grader learns that teachers value

effort because part of the first-grade teachers

job is to help his or her students develop a

good work ethic. For college students, though,

making an effort is not enough. It is the result

of that effort which is rewarded.

Statistics related to False Belief #3 -

23 of the 43 students (53%) remem

bered the story about the first-grader.

For 16 of the 23 (70%), the story


for all 23 (100%), the story made

either a significant impression or


16 of the 18 students (89%) who

still believed that merely trying their

best was sufficient to obtain a highgrade indicated that their behaviors

and/or attitudes about working toward

achieving the highest grade possible

in the class improved as a result of

hearing this story.

New Truth to Replace False Belief #3 -

While effort is important, it is the resultof

that effort that counts.

False Belief #4 - I am a student at a community college, not a realcollege.

Basis for this False Belief - Community

colleges, despite the good work that they

do, are at times denigrated by society (e.g.,

the recent television sitcom Communitywhose primaiy characters are a group of mis

fit students) as well as by their students (e.g.,

Attending this school is like going to the 13th

grade!). Unfortunately, and to make mat

ters worse, some community college faculty

members share this attitude and conduct their

classes with significantly reduced demands

upon and expectations from their students.

Interventions Students are informed of

the major role that community colleges play ineducating adults in the United States through

a handout containing data provided by the

National Center for Education Statistics.

They learn that o f the 15,110,196 students en

rolled at degree-granting public institutions in

the fall of 2011, nearly 47% (i.e., 7, 062,467)

were enrolled at two-year colleges (National

Center for Education Statistics, 2012b) and

that nearly two-thirds of the 68.2% o f the na

tions June 2011 high school graduates whomoved immediately into degree-granting in

stitutions for the fall 2011 semester enrolled

in two-year institutions (National Center for

Education Statistics, 2012c). They are also

provided information about the community

college that they are attending and how many

graduates have gone on to find success at

four-year colleges, graduate schools, and the

professions.



bered the discussion regarding com

munity colleges in the United States

and, specifically, the community col

lege which they attend.

For 21 of the 38 (55%), the discussion


for all 38 (100%), the discussion made



28 of the 30 students (93%) who

were not previously aware of the


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significance of community colleges inhigher education in the United States

and, specifically, of the record of

their own community college stated

that their behaviors and/or attitudes

about being a student at a community

college improved as a result of the

information provided and the ensuing

discussion.


A community college is an excellent placeto learn about myself and the profession that I

will ultimately choose to pursue. It is a great

place to begin my college career.

False Belief #5 - The only reason that I

want a college degree is that it will help me

get a job that pays well.

Basis for this False Belief - Some

first-generation college students are only

looking at a college education as a meansof gaining access to a better financial future

without recognizing the other lifelong bene

fits afforded college graduates.

Interventions - Students are provided a

handout, which is used as the basis for a brief

discussion, that indicates that while research

shows that the median annual earnings o f col

lege graduates is more than double the median

annual earnings o f high school graduates and

that college graduates have more employee

benefits and higher pensions upon retiring, it

is also true that they exercise more, volun

teer in their communities more, have higher

rates of voting behavior, and have children

who are much better prepared to start school

than do high school graduates (Fuller, 2010).

In addition, college graduates are more able

to serve as agents of change for others, have

more access to information, and will be better

prepared to take advantage of future oppor

tunities that they cannot even imagine may

occur while they are still in college (About,

com, n.d.).

Statistics related to False Belief #5 - 35 of the 44 students (80%) remem

bered the discussion regarding the

wide range of benefits obtained when

one has a college education.

For 21 of the 35 (60%), the discussion


for 33 of the 35 (94%), the discussion

made either a significant impression

or somewhat of an impression; and

20 of the 25 students (80%) who were

not previously aware of the overall

benefits o f obtaining a college educa

tion stated that their behaviors and/or

attitudes about the value of a college

degree improved.

New Truth to Replace False Belief #5 - A

college education will improve my life in many,

and some presently unanticipated, ways.

False Belief #6 - Its great to multi-task. I

can sit in class and still stay in touch with my

friends as I send and receive text messages.

Basis for this False Belief - Students are

rarely without their technological devices in

hand. They have become quite accustomed to

having an in-person conversation with a friend

while having a simultaneous conversation with

another friend using one of those devices.Interventions - On the first day of class,

students are informed both verbally and in

writing that the use o f a cell phone during the

class will result in the student being marked

absent for the day. Despite the groans which

result, there is always nearly 100% compli

ance with this rule.

Later in the semester, students receive

a copy of a research study done by End et al

(2010). The article presents evidence that beingin a classroom in which cell phones ring dis

tracts all students, interferes with their learning,

and results in lower average quiz scores for the

entire class when compared to students in class

es in which cell phones did not ring.


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bered the article and the discussion

of the negative effects of using cell

phones while in class;

For 21 of the 42 (50%), the article

and discussion made a significant

impression;

for 38 of the 42 (90%), the article and

discussion made either a significantimpression or somewhat of an im

pression; and

19 of the 22 students (86%) who were

not previously aware of the negative

effects of using their cell phones in

class stated that their behaviors and/or

attitudes about eliminating their use

of cell phones during class improved.


Multi-tasking is actually semi-tasking. It

should never be done unless I really do not

care very much about whatever else I am do

ing at the time.

False Belief #7 My professors are so

different from me that they cannot possibly

understand what I am going through in my

classes.

Basis for this False B elief - Students whohave not been successful academically have

the impression that their professors cannot

relate to them at all. After all, they think, pro

fessors must have been very good students.

This belief affects the degree to which these

students give consideration to the suggestions

made and advice given by their professors.

Interventions - Whenever possible and/

or practical, it would be useful for profes

sors to share some personal stories with theirclassesstories which demonstrate that they

had to overcome obstacles, rebound from set

backs, and/or recover from having made some

bad choices in order to achieve success.

Statistics related to False Belief #7 - 41 of the 44 students (93%) remem

bered the personal stories told by the

professor.

For 33 of the 41 (80%), the stories


for all 41 (100%), the stories made



all 41 students (100%) stated that

their thoughts about the degree of

understanding which their professor

had for them as individuals and as

students improved.


Professors are former students who had ob

stacles to overcome and were still able to do

their best in college.

Conclusion

Though it is quite astounding to learn that

nearly 48% o f the students polled did not real

ize that taking more absences can affect their

grades in a negative direction (see False Be

lief #1) or that nearly 57% did not realize that

a college education can improve ones life in

more ways than jus t providing a larger salary

(see False Belief #5), these statistics reveal

that our students need much more information about what college is about and how to

go about earning a degree.

Community college students have their

college experiences damaged or destroyed

by one or more false beliefs which lead to at

titudes and/or behaviors that are detrimental

to academic success. The data presented here

demonstrate that small attempts to disabuse

the students o f these beliefs have the poten

tial to have far-reaching and lifelong results.Therefore, the professor in the community

college classroom should consider accepting

the challenge to educate his or her students

psychosocially as well as academically.


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Rather than adopt the techniques describedin this paper, however, it is important for

each professor to develop his or her own

techniques so that they may more seamlessly

fit the personality of the professor and the

subject matter being taught.

It is worth the effort.

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C o p y r i g h t o f C o l l e g e S t u d e n t J o u r n a l i s t h e p r o p e r t y o f P r o j e c t I n n o v a t i o n , I n c . a n d i t s

c o n t e n t m a y n o t b e c o p i e d o r e m a i l e d t o m u l t i p l e s i t e s o r p o s t e d t o a l i s t s e r v w i t h o u t t h e

c o p y r i g h t h o l d e r ' s e x p r e s s w r i t t e n p e r m i s s i o n . H o w e v e r , u s e r s m a y p r i n t , d o w n l o a d , o r e m a i l

a r t i c l e s f o r i n d i v i d u a l u s e .

the seven false beliefs: addressing the psychosocial underpreparedness of the community college...

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