uk transitions conference 2010
DESCRIPTION
This was a workshop delivered at the UK student transitions conference in Summer 2010. I shared our research into the impact of friendship helping students to stay at UniTRANSCRIPT
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I’ll be there for yoouuuu
The role of friendships supporting student transition
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Structure
• Friendship & Social integration
• An ice breaker
• HERE Project findings into the impact of friendship on student doubters
• Discussion
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Friendships & social integration
• Why important
• “Students tend to change their values , behavior and academic plans in the direction of the dominant orientation of their peer group.”
• Astin (1993)
• Institutional habitus presented through behaviours of students
• Do we collude with low expectations?
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Friendships in retention
• Tinto (1993)
• Students are more likely to remain if they are integrated into the institution– Academic sphere– Social sphere
• Combination of prior factors– Education, background, goals etc
• Transition obviously more than retention
• Retention evidence is potentially stronger for social integration– Christie, Munro & Fisher (2004) leavers – more problems making friends– Castles (2004) – support (from anyone) most important predictor of persistence
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Where are friends made?
• Halls
• Braxton & Hirschy (2004) Halls most important environment for making friends
• Wilcox, Winn & Fyvie-Gauld (2005) – not being in halls creates barrier to making friendships– Can’t break into cliques– Impact on retention
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Perceptions of being a student
• Kuh – no single student identity
• Kember, Li & Lee – associations very local level (groups, programme & outwards)
• But
• Holdsworth (2006)– Strong stereotypes of what a student is– When don’t fit image, can lead to othering
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What is a student?
• Welcome Week Survey (October 2009)
• What words or phrases come to mind when we use the word ‘student’?
• 1059 students
• 398 mention intellect/ education
• 321 mention social life
• 278 mention money
• 154 mention alcohol
• Two student anecdotes
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Icebreaker
• M&M Game
• Free sweeties– Toilet roll version
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The HERE Project
• One of seven projects funded by HEFCE/ Paul Hamlyn Foundation
• What Works? Student Success & Retention
• Two threads– Student doubters– Programme level actions
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Ice breakers
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Workshop Outcomes
• Explore some of the friendship-making processes for new students
• Harpoon course cheese and wine events
• Explore strategies for developing friendships within the course
• Discuss ways of improving friendships for new students
• We may even have a go at some favourite icebreakers
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Friendship making
• Why is friendship making important?– Tinto’s model of transition– Destination retention– Journey across two domains
• Academic• Social
– Thomas (2002) increases robustness – friends can insulate students against ‘knocks’
– Percy – space to feel comfortable
– Role in retention
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The Rules
• For every sweet chosen
• one idea/ thing that will help engender friendships
• Red/ Brown: During induction
• Yellow: After Christmas
• Blue: in a lecture
• Orange: for students not in halls
• Green: in the Course
• Write it down on post-its and discuss
• 10 minutes
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The HERE Project
• One of 7 projects funded by HEFCE/ PHF
• What Works? Student Retention & Success
• NTU, Bournemouth & Bradford
• Two areas
• Why do more students have doubts than leave? What can we learn from the doubters?
• Why is there variation between rates of retention amongst ostensibly similar programmes?
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Transitions Survey (March – May 2009)
• NTU 656 respondents
• 37% doubters – 16 eventual withdrawals– More female doubters, more male withdrawers– Doubters tended to score the experience more lowly
• Why doubt?– 263 responses from 219 students– 112 told us it was course related– 38 student lifestyle
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Why did doubters stay?
• 198 responses from 171 doubters
• 55 cite Friends & family– Friends at university most important subgroup– Wilcox, Winn & Fyvie-Gauld
• University friends become increasingly important over time
• Then future goals and ambitions
• Determination/ other personal factors
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Focus groups
• 21 participants in small groups
• 1 control group of non-doubters
• Non-doubters– Felt they belonged– “I think it starts when you walk down the street and you see someone and you
go ‘hey … I know them from university’ and it made me feel like I belonged’
• Non doubters less satisfied with friendships– “Our course is mainly group work, a lot of friendship groups had already been
formed and trying to fit in afterwards” was hard – (similar to Wilcox, Winn & Fyvie-Gauld)
• Frustration with peers drinking & partying
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Welcome Week
• Change of culture away from Freshers– Programme of social activity– Change induction programmes
• Opportunities to make friends
• Good pre-arrival communication
• To be reminded about future goals and benefits of the course
• To gain some understanding about what learning and teaching would be like
• To have a reasonable timetable
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Friendship strategies
• Pre-arrival message boards
• Fresher reps in halls
• Meeting places for Mature, International & Local students
• Wider range of activities (ghost walk, go ape etc)
• Ice breakers
• Small group work
• Independent learning
• Battering down % of lectures
• No cheese & wine
• Increase seminars and small group activity
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Second Activity
• Post it notes
• Take a look
• Have a think about 1 activity that you can/ could embed
• We’ll share some ideas at the end
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Conclusion (FWIW)
• Friendships can act as a insulator against the knocks
• Opportunities can be manufactured– And for non-traditional students, should be
• May also be important as a route to changing expectations and habitus