PROFILE OF THE FRESHMAN CLASS OF 2004
BASED ON THE TRANSITION TO COLLEGE
INVENTORY
James A. Calliotte
Counseling & Advising Services
J. Worth
Institutional Research and Assessment
The current generation of students entering higher education is often referred to as “millennial students.” Among the characteristics attributed to millennial students by Newton (2000) are: (a) they are the most informed generation ever because they have lived their lives in the information age, yet they have less experience exploring any subjects in depth; (b) they are more likely to be employed part-time and less committed to school work; and (c) they are ambitious in their career aspirations, yet unrealistic about what it takes to achieve their goals. The concern about students commitment to learning was previously identified by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) of ACE and the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute when the results of their national Freshman Survey for 1997 were reported in the Chronicle under the title, “More Freshmen Than Ever Appear Disengaged From Their Studies” (Gose, 1998). More recently, Raspberry (2004) citing a report by the Wingspread Group suggested, “between 40 percent and 60 percent of all students – urban, suburban and rural – are ‘chronically disengaged’ from school” (p. D27). Local psychologist, Lindsay Gibson (2004) in a recent article, labeled these students “zoomers,” the progeny of baby boomers who have spent the first 18 years of their children’s lives meeting all of their basic needs on Maslow’s hierarchy leading up to self-actualization. So, zoomers have come to expect self-actualization in all of their activities and are not prepared for the delayed gratification of earning a college degree. All of these characteristics present challenges to higher education today, and many are reflected in the recent results of the Transition to College Inventory.
The Transition to College Inventory (TCI) (formerly the Old Dominion University Freshman Survey; ODUFS) is administered each year at Preview to the incoming freshman class primarily to identify students who may be at-risk for academic difficulty or attrition. The ODUFS, developed by Calliotte and Pickering, was first administered in 1988, and the last revision was in 2003. The Profile included in this review is based on selected items from the current TCI (Freshman Class of 2004) and contains comparisons to the data from the University’s entering class of 2003. Comparisons are also included where some questions are similar to those of the 2003 national freshman survey conducted by the CIRP (results of their 2004 survey will not be available for several months).
Prior to last year’s administration a major revision of the then ODUFS was completed using a database of over 5500 freshmen from four previous freshman classes (1999-2002). The Probation Score was revised and the minimum score for recommended intervention was adjusted from 12 to 9. With the increased sample size upon which it is based, the Probation Score became a more efficient predictor of potential academic difficulty during the freshman year. A factor analysis of the ODUFS identified nine discrete factors, of which five were significantly related to academic difficulty after the first semester. Items that did not load on any factor, and were not part of the Probation Score, were deleted. However, a few items that were still deemed important to the description of the freshman class were retained in the 2003 version. After these major revisions, the name of the survey was changed for 2004 to the Transition to College Inventory in preparation for pilot testing at other institutions this year. At present, 5 other colleges and universities are using the TCI as part of the pilot testing program.
This TCI Freshman Class Profile contains responses to selected questions in each of the major sections of the instrument. In general the responses do not change significantly from one year to the next, however, it is not uncommon for a few responses to demonstrate more significant fluctuations, and this year is no exception.
The first section of the TCI asks students to rate a variety of reasons for attending college as very important, somewhat important, or not important. As in previous years the most important reason for attending college was to be able to get a better job. This reason was seen by 95% of the 2004 freshman class as a very important reason for attending college (up 1 percentage point over 2003). In contrast, only 70% of the national CIRP sample of freshmen in 2003 endorsed getting a better job as a very important reason [This major contrast between Old Dominion University (ODU) freshmen and the national sample has always existed]. This item was followed in importance by learning more about things which interest me, and being able to make more money, endorsed as very important by 80% and 76%, respectively. These percentages were both approximately the same as the responses of the class of 2003 and remain slightly higher than the national sample for 2003 as the percentages for that group were 77% and 69% respectively.
The percentage of students citing preparing myself for graduate or professional school as a very important reason for attending college dropped two percentage points (now at 54%) in comparison to last year.
ODU freshmen continued to have a very strong career and
financial enhancement focus as their primary reasons for attending college.
These questions focused on choosing ODU specifically and used the same three-point scale as above (Very Important to Not Important). Parents continued to play a slightly less important role in choosing Old Dominion this year as students listing them as a very important influence dropped from 29% to 26% (32% in 2002). High school teachers and counselors were also less important, with 56% in 2004 listing them as not important versus 55% last year, while only 49% indicated they were not important in 2002. ODU students who are friends continued a decline as a very important factor with only 25% indicating this in 2004 versus 32% last year and 35% in 2002. An ODU faculty member declined as well with only 9% saying a faculty member was a very important influence versus 14% in 2003. Graduates getting good jobs also continued to decline with 48% indicating this as a very important reason in comparison to 56% in 2003.
Availability of major continued to be the most important
reason for choosing ODU with 67% of students listing it as very important in 2004. The appearance of ODU’s campus dropped
by 2 percentage points (33%) after rising by 4 percentage points as a very important factor last year.
ODU’s social reputation
dropped by 3 percentage points as a very important reason with 30% endorsing it this year.
Old Dominion’s good academic
reputation continued to rise as a very important reason with 58% this
year after a previous high of 55% last year.
The national data for this question in 2003 indicated that 55% cited this
reason as a very important one for selecting their college. Perhaps related to this increase was
a decline in the percentage (from 10% last year to 8% this year) in students
indicating not being accepted by a higher choice college as a very important reason for choosing
ODU.
Cost of attending Old Dominion (44% very important) rose as a reason in comparison to 2003 (41%), but I was offered financial aid stayed approximately the same at 31% very important. The opportunity to work part-time was also about the same as last year as a very important reason (33% this year versus 34% in 2002).
Cultural diversity rose by 2 percentage points to 30% indicating this as a very important reason, and the importance of Open Houses/Visitation Days rose substantially from 22% last year to 31% this year as a very important reason. But, perhaps the most surprising rise was the importance of ODU’s location near the beach, which increased from 21% last year to 39% as a very important reason this year.
The
two reasons that garner more than fifty percent very important responses remain,
availability of major and ODU’s academic reputation. This year, for the first time, ODU
freshmen cited the latter as a very important reason at a higher rate than the
national sample of incoming freshmen. However, the most substantial changes in
very important reasons were registered this year by Open Houses and ODU’s
proximity to the beach. Various
individuals (parents, teachers, faculty, and current students) all appeared to
loose some importance in students’ decision to attend. In
summary, students this year appear to be relying less on the opinions of others
and more on their own decisions to attend ODU based increasingly on the
University’s academic reputation and location and their direct experience at
Open Houses.
High School
Experiences
In the first part of this section, students were asked to
indicate the number of hours per week spent during their senior year of high
school in a variety of activities.
The responses were arranged on a 5-point scale from 0 hours, to 1-5 hours, 6-15 hours, 16-20 hours, and over 20 hours per week.
Fewer students spent only 0-5 hours per week studying or doing homework during their senior year of high school (62%) in 2004 than in 2003 (65%). This reverses a trend in fewer hours studying during the senior year of high school but this figure still exceeds the percentage reported 5 years ago when only 52% spent this relatively small amount of time. It should be noted that in the national survey of incoming freshmen in 2003, 66% indicated spending 0-5 hours studying per week. The percentage of freshmen who reported working for pay 16 or more hours per week stayed approximately the same this year in comparison to last, with 49% working that many hours as seniors this year. Nationally, only 30% of the CIRP sample worked 16 or more hours per week. The number of students who did not work at all stayed the same at 21% this year. In addition to work, socializing with friends remains the next most popular way to spend time, with 44% reporting 16 or more hours per week in this activity. And, finally, only 5% of students reported zero hours using the Internet during their senior year of high school.
Another group of questions concerning senior year activities were answered using a three-point scale from frequently, to occasionally, to never. This year the recent trend in non-drinking was reversed when only 62% of incoming freshmen reported that they never drank alcoholic beverages versus 67% in 2003 and 64% in 2002. The number of freshmen who reported that they frequently felt overwhelmed stayed at 22% for this year, and those indicating frequently feeling depressed remained at 6%.
Most ODU freshmen spent much more time each week in high school engaged in nonacademic activities such as working for pay or socializing with friends than they spent studying or doing homework. In order to be successful at ODU they will need strong and continuous support in changing their priorities to accommodate significantly more hours per week engaged in academically related activities.
In this section students were asked to rate themselves on
several academic and other abilities and traits in comparison to the average
person their age. The scale has
five points including: top 10%, above average, average, below
average, and bottom 10%.
For the class of 2004, 73% saw themselves as above average/top 10% in general academic ability, compared to 72% last year and 70% in 2002 (70% rated themselves this way on the national CIRP survey). Self-evaluations of writing and math abilities stayed the same at 52% and 46% respectively in 2004 in the above average/top 10% categories. Students have typically rated themselves higher in general academic ability than they have in specific academic skill areas. The national CIRP sample also rates themselves lower on these specific skills with 47% indicating above average/top 10% in writing and 45% rating themselves this way in math.
Self-ratings in a number of other areas were slightly less this year in comparison to last year in the above average/top 10% categories. Drive to achieve and interpersonal communication skills were each down 3 percentage points, leadership was down 5 percentage points, and self-confidence was down 2 points.
It is somewhat surprising to see that the academic skill ratings remained the same and a variety of these other self-ratings were actually down considering that the University raised its minimum high school GPA requirements from a 2.5 to a 2.7 for this incoming class.
In addition to the above, time management skills (40%) and study skills (25%) were rated above average/top 10% in slightly lower percentages in comparison to last year. Both of these skills continue to be rated considerably lower than other skills, which has been a consistent finding in the TCI/ODUFS data over the past decade. In fact, these are the only areas of self-rating where significantly less than 50% rate themselves as above average/top10%.
As in previous years, the majority of freshmen continued to rate themselves above average or top 10% in general academic ability while fewer rated themselves that high in fundamental courses like math and writing, and fewer still rated themselves that high in study skills or time management skills. The lack of need to develop effective study skills and the previously indicated low number of study hours required to be successful in high school continue to place beginning freshmen at a substantial disadvantage as they begin their college career.
Attitudes About
Being a College Student
This scale is designed to be a measure of individual
commitment to the role of being a good student. Students answer the items on a
six point scale from strongly agree (SA)
to strongly disagree (SD).
Several questions such as:
motivated to be a good student, be an active participant in studies, continue
education throughout life, and, work hard at studying in college were down 2 to
3 percentage points in the strongly agree category this year in comparison to
2003. Again, one might have
expected some upward trends in this area given the increase in admissions
standards for 2004.
The first question in this section states, “nationally about 50% of college students leave before receiving a degree,” and asks, “if that should happen to you, what would be the most likely cause?" The first option is, I am absolutely certain that I will obtain a degree. A total of 62% indicated certainty in 2004, which was down 3 percentage points from 2003. Of the reasons listed for not graduating, to accept a good job (14% chose this reason, up slightly from 12% in 2003) and, it would cost more than my family could afford (10%, up from 9% in 2003), were the most common responses.
The remaining items in this section were answered on a three-point scale from very good chance, to some chance, to no chance. Forty percent (40%) of the class of 2004 said there was a very good chance of graduating with honors, which was the same percentage as last year. In a similar vein, a total of 75% (up 1 point from last year) indicated a very good chance of earning at least a B average. Nationally, in 2003 CIRP data, only 60% indicated that they had a very good chance of earning a B average. ODU freshmen continue to enter with an inflated notion of their potential for academic success in college, both in comparison to the reality of college GPAs and in comparison to the predictions of their national peers.
Students this year also answered some other questions in higher percentages in the some chance category in comparison to last year. Miss more than one class per week went up by 5 percentage points, while fail one or more courses, and be placed on academic probation, each rose by 3 percentage points, and drop out permanently increased by 2 points in the some chance category. These changes all came at the expense of the no chance response category and thus represent changes in a negative direction. These, coupled with drops in some of the Traits and Attitudes self-ratings, appear to indicate a shift toward less confidence and/or motivation among some of the students in the entering class.
Two questions on the TCI addressed the issue of
transferring to another institution.
The first asked the chances of transferring to another college at the end
of my freshman year. Five percent
responded very good chance, the same percentage as in 2003. A very good chance of
transferring to another college sometime in the future was indicated by 9%, one
point less than last year (Nationally, about 7% indicated a very good chance of
transferring before graduating.).
However, when students were asked the chances that they would return for
the fall semester of my sophomore year, 65% indicated a very good chance (compared to 69% last
year). A very good chance of being satisfied with Old Dominion dropped
this year to 70% after it increased to a high of 77% in 2003 (which was up
significantly from 71% in 2002).
While there is no directly comparable question on the 2003 national
CIRP survey, only 52% indicated a very good chance of being satisfied with
college (not “this” college) on that survey.
In this section of the survey students were asked to make
predictions about their level of
academic and social involvement while attending
As is typical, there was only small movement on this scale for the class of 2004 in comparison to 2003. What was unusual was that the changes registered were all (except for one) in a downward direction towards less involvement. A slight increase was shown in very often using campus athletic facilities, up nearly 4 percentage points over last year.
There were reductions of 4 percentage points in the combined
often/very often categories
for each of the following: using the library for study and research, think about
courses and discuss with other students, participate in campus clubs and
organizations, use
Again, given the greater selectivity in admissions this year, it is both disappointing and somewhat surprising that a higher percentage of freshmen are planning less involvement in the academic and social life of the campus.
In the second part of this section, the number of students indicating a very good chance of working part- time while attending college remained the same as last year (and the year before) at 56%.
Career Decision
Status
The TCI includes a question designed to establish the current career decision-making status of students. These data have remained remarkably consistent over the years that the survey has been administered. For 2004, 11% of students indicated that they had not made a career choice and were not particularly concerned about it; 15% had not made a career choice but were concerned and were interested in receiving assistance. Thus a total of 26% (identical to 2003) indicated that they were undecided as to future directions.
A total of 44% (up 2 percentage points) indicated that they had chosen a career but had not investigated it or other alternatives thoroughly. Many of these students will eventually alter their decision as they gain college experience, but some are very challenging for advisors to assist, as their premature commitment is often very difficult for them to change, even when it appears advisable to do so. Finally, 30% (down from 32% in 2003) indicated that they had made a decision after appropriate investigation and knowledge.
While career enhancement is a major focus of college
attendance for ODU freshmen, less than one third of entering students are firmly
grounded in their career decisions upon entering the University.
College Choice
Information
The University was the first choice of 65% of the class of 2004, which is down 2 percentage points from 2003 but still higher than the 61% first choice of 2002 and the 59% of the class of 2001. This 2% drop for this year may help to explain some of the variance in the downward trends in anticipated satisfaction and involvement. Additionally, this drop (and perhaps even a larger one) might be expected as we have raised admissions standards and eliminated many students who had fewer college choices and options available to them. The national data, from the 2003 CIRP survey, states that 69% of freshmen indicated that their institution was their first choice college.
Summary and
Recommendations
The
profile of the 2004 freshman class continued to show the gap that exists between
high school and college. In spite of SOL testing in the high schools and
increased admissions standards (particularly high school GPA requirements),
entering freshmen continue to reveal causes for concern on the TCI.
Students are meeting the new admissions criteria but are coming to college as
disengaged from learning as prior classes. The 2004 freshmen, and several prior
classes, came to ODU with a strong career and financial enhancement focus, not a
focus on the importance of lifelong learning or commitment to the role of being
college students. They spent many more hours per week in high school engaged in
non-academic activities, especially working and socializing with friends, than
in academic activities like studying and doing homework. They will need to
reverse their priorities in order to be successful at ODU, but they are
difficult to convince because they have been quite successful in high school
with those priorities.. In addition, the majority of 2004 freshmen continued to
rate themselves above average or top 10% in general academic ability, while far
fewer rated themselves that high in fundamental subjects like math and writing,
and, fewer yet rated themselves that high in study and time management skills.
In short, they appear to have an inflated notion of their potential for academic
success coupled with a lack of necessary skills, attitudes and habits. This combination puts many of them at
risk for academic difficulty without additional support and assistance from the
University during the critical transition from high school to
college.
The
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has identified five benchmarks for
increasing student engagement, that is, getting disengaged students re-engaged:
(a) level of academic challenge, indicated by such things as the amount of time
preparing for class, reading, and writing; (b) active and collaborative
learning, both inside and outside of class; (c) student interactions with
faculty members, both inside and outside of class along with opportunities to
engage in research or projects together; (d) enriching educational experiences,
such as working with students from diverse backgrounds and different points of
view as well as internships and capstone courses; and (e) supportive campus
environment that fosters their academic and social integration into the
community with other students, faculty, and staff
(http://www.iub.edu/~nsse/2003_annual_report/html/benchmarks_construction.htm).
These benchmarks suggest a variety of interventions both in classes and in
support areas of the University. Following are several recommendations that stem
from this TCI Profile Report.
Recommendations for additional assistance fall into two areas where we have concentrated much effort in the last several years. First, because current incoming students appear to have similar attitudes and behaviors to previous students in spite of increased high school GPA requirements, perhaps some alternative methods of screening and/or following up with students should be considered or receive more weight (using core GPA for admission, re-instituting provisional admission with first year requirements, earlier math placement testing with stipulations for those placing in the 097 level, are a few examples). It is important to note that while high school GPA may indicate engagement in learning to some degree, SAT scores do not measure engagement. Second, retention programs such as using the TCI to identify and work with at-risk students, one-credit orientation courses, and Learning Communities need to be enhanced and continued. Offering Learning Communities linked with an orientation course in the fall semester followed by the NewPAGE course in the spring might be an effective first year experience that would give students the time to build confidence in their existing skills, develop new study and time management skills, increase academic involvement in the University community, and develop a commitment to their role as university students.
Gibson, L. (July 2004). Here come the zoomers. Tidewater Women, p. 35.
Gose, B. (1998, January 16). More freshmen than ever appear disengaged from their studies, survey finds. The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A37.
Raspberry, W. (2004, September 13). Connectedness benefits schoolchildren – and society. The Virginian Pilot, p. B11.