The firstyear experience study 200507

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The first-year experience study2005-07

• Mantz Yorke
• mantzyorke_at_mantzyorke.plus.com

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Coverage

• The first-year experience study
• On-programme
• After leaving
• Comparison of data from 1997 and from 2007
• Sectoral variation in non-continuation
• What successful institutions (can) do

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• The importance of the first year experience
• It involves transition in which the demand on
  students
• may be quite different from their previous
  experience
• It connects with other themes of importance,
  such as
• - employability
• - assessment (especially formative)
• - student success generally
• - retention

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Origins of the UK FYE study

• Study of non-completion for HEFCE (1997)
• Pre-dated Labours new fees policy
• Fee regime again changed in AY 2006-07
• First year crucial for many students
• FYE little researched in UK, cf US, Australia
• Widening participation agenda
• Sponsored by the Higher Education Academy
• Co-directed by Bernard Longden (Liverpool Hope
  University)

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Purposes of the study

• To provide the HE sector in the UK with data that
  
• is informative
• can be used as a baseline for comparison with
  future
• studies, particularly in a context of top-up
  fees
• can be used comparatively, within and across both
• subject areas and institutions, to inform both
  policy
• development and quality enhancement activity

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The UK FYE study
Phase 2 Spring 2007 Survey
of withdrawn at/before end
acad yr 05-06 All subject areas
25 institutions
Phase 1 Spring 2006 Survey mid-1st year
9 subject areas 23 institutions
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The UK FYE study

• 9 Broad subject areas, spanning the spectrum
• 25 Varied higher education institutions (became
  23)
• 1st year FT students (home and overseas)
• Phase 1 questionnaire survey, completed in class
  time
• 7109 valid responses
• Phase 2 questionnaire survey, postal
• 462 valid responses

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Headlines from Phase 1

• Teaching and Learning
• Programmes generally stimulating
• Supportive teaching
• Good understanding of academic demand
• but coping with it more of a problem
• Feedback, esp. promptness, seen less positively
• Low likelihood of reading around the subject
• Differences between subject areas
• Differences between institutions

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Headlines from Phase 1

• Risk factors
• Two main risk factors are
• Poor appreciation of programme and/or
  institution
• Worry about finance
• Part-time employment may exert an influence, and
  is
• differentially related to socio-economic
  grouping
• those from lower SEGs are more likely to take it
  up

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Headlines from Phase 1 (ctd)

• Demographic-related findings (a)
• Socio-econ status surprisingly little
  difference re FYE
• Older students more motivated to study
• more positive relationship with staff
• Gender females more motivated, engaged
• Ethnic grouping some variation, but not
  consistent
• Generally confident of gaining a graduate-level
  job

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Headlines from Phase 1 (ctd)
Demographic-related findings (b) Less positive
re teaching/learning . L NW Lower
confidence in study skills L NW Less
likely to cope with academic demand .
NW More likely to say resources are inadequate
.. L NW Less likely to say staff are friendly
NW Less likely to make friends
.. NW More likely to worry about finance
L L Lower socio-economic status NW
Not white These are, however, relatively small
variations on the general run of findings
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Why did students leave?

• Seven groups (factors) of influences
• Quality of academic aspects of experience
• Inability to cope with academic demand
• Wrong choice of programme
• Dissatisfaction with resources
• Finance-related, including part-time employment
• Unhappiness with location
• Problems relating to social integration

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Why students leave Programme not as expected
The timetable was so much heavier than I
expected over 18 hours a week, which was a lot
more than my other friends and was far too much.
I was studying Language and History of Art
joint honours and presumed it would be equal
amounts of both disciplines but I hardly spent
any time doing History of Art which I enjoyed
more.
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Why students leave Wrong choice, etc
I had no idea what I wanted to do so I thought
better try university in case I regretted not
going. I made some good friends so stayed the
whole year but I realised in the summer that I
didn't want to make a career out of what I was
studying. I didn't see the point in getting
even deeper into debt for something I wasn't
sure I really wanted.
I wanted to do economics but did not get a place
as I didn't quite get the required grades. I was
offered Computer Science and as I really wanted
to attend University I thought I would try it .
But it did not suit me and University would
not allow me to change courses so I had to move
to a different uni.
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Why students leave Poor staff/student contact
I felt quite isolated in terms of studying.
Lecturers spoke during lectures and then would
leave the room, with no time for questions.
During my entire first year I never once met my
personal tutor. There seemed to be no interest
in students personal needs.
I did NOT enjoy my experience what so ever, due
to the lack of support from staff. I was never
introduced to my personal tutor and felt like a
number not a person in a new overwhelming
environment. Not one of my tutors spoke to me
as an individual
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Why students leave Finance
Found it very difficult to maintain employment
academic study. The more I wanted to progress
at Uni the more money I needed so needed to
work more to get more money I received no
grants.
I had a lot of debt so had to work a lot of
hours to meet my outgoings. This in turn
effected my attendance in class. I
would love to go back to university but I still
have financial difficulties.
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Why students leave Social integration issues
Issues around being a mature student in an
environment geared towards school
leavers.
I didnt settle into my accommodation and I
only connected with one of my flatmates.
Conflict of interests I felt peer pressured
into partying every night when I didnt want to.
Coupled with being homesick, I couldnt stay.
I felt that living at home excluded me from a
lot of the student life that I wanted to
experience.
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Some sub-analyses featuring aspects of access
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Students prior knowledge
Those with lower levels of prior knowledge
indicated consistently stronger influences on
leaving, compared with their better-informed
peers The difference was particularly marked in
respect of their levels of commitment and of
financial concern
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Access-related findings some comparisons

• A caveat
• Numbers in the following groups are small
• Ethnicity (other than white)
• Declared a disability
• and hence comparisons are particularly tentative

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Ethnicity particular reasons for leaving

• Other than white more likely to mention
• Aspects of teaching quality
• Contact with academic staff
• Programme organisation
• Aspects of institutional resourcing
• Lack of personal support from family, partner
  etc.
• Demands of employment whilst studying
• Travel difficulties
• Financial problems

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SES particular reasons for leaving

• Students from supervisory etc. backgrounds
• more likely than those from professional/manageria
  l
• backgrounds to mention
• Teaching quality
• Class size
• Lack of study skills
• Library / learning resources
• Programme difficulty and Lack of engagement
• Stress
• Lack of personal support from family, partner
• Financial problems

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Disability particular reasons for leaving

• Declaring a disability more likely to mention
• Personal health
• Lack of personal support from staff
• Lack of specialist equipment for the programme
• But less likely to mention
• Lack of commitment, engagement, etc.
• Insufficient progress
• Demands of employment whilst studying
• Teaching approach

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Have things changed over time?
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The pattern of findings is pretty consistent
2007 7 Factors 60.9 of variance Quality of
experience Inability to cope Wrong choice of
programme Dissatisfaction with resources
Finance-related Unhappy with location Problems
re social integration
1997 6 Factors 48.5 of variance Quality of
experience Inability to cope Unhappy with social
environment Wrong choice of programme Finance-rela
ted Dissatisfaction with resources
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Why do students leave? Top reasons
Mid-1990s Wrong choice of prog
45 Prog not as expected 45 Lack of
commitment 41 Financial problems 36 Teaching
didnt suit 35 Instn not as expected 31 Lack
of acad progress 29 Needed a break 28 Prog
organisation 27 Prog not relev/career 23 Emotio
n, health probs 23 Lack staff contact 22 Lack
staff support 22 Teaching quality 22
The numbers are the percentages of
respondents indicating that the reason was
very or moderately influential on their
departure
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Why do students leave? Top reasons
Mid-1990s AY 2005-6 Wrong choice of
prog 45 Prog not as expected 48 Prog not as
expected 45 Wrong choice of prog 42 Lack of
commitment 41 Teaching didnt suit 42 Financial
problems 36 Lack of pers engaget 39
new Teaching didnt suit 35 Lack staff
contact 36 Instn not as expected 31 Lack of
acad progress 35 Lack of acad progress 29 Prog
organisation 34 Needed a break 28 Lack of staff
support 34 Prog organisation 27 Lack of
commitment 32 Prog not relev/career 23 Instn not
as expected 31 Emotion, health probs 23 Teaching
quality 31 Lack staff contact 22 Financial
problems 29 Lack staff support 22 Prog not
relev/career 27 Teaching quality 22 Quality of
feedback 26 new
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Have (8 selected) influences changed over time?
Mid-1990s 2005 poss
2006-07 Influence (ranked) left leaving
left Wrong choice 1
1 2 Programme not as
expected 1 2
1 Lack motivation / commitment
3 4
7 Finance
4 8
8 Teaching issues
5 3 2 Lack
of academic progress 6
7 5 Programme
organisation 7
5 6 Lack of contact with staff
8 6
4
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Have things changed over time?
Though finance is a clear concern to students,
its significance with respect to leaving may be
diminishing There are hints that contact with
academic staff is becoming of increasing
importance Poor choice of programme, together
with associated concerns, still looms large
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So what can be done?
Something can always be done Institutional
self-scrutiny is a useful starting-point (institut
ional research?) Then target priorities
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Non-continuation in larger, non-specialist, HEIs
Worse
Better
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The sectoral Lake Wobegon challenge
To ensure that each institution does better
than the regression line for non-continuation
After Garrison Keillor
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How does your institution compare? If worse
than the regression line, are there any good
reasons for this? Some causes of
non-continuation can be addressed by the
institution others not. Identify top
priorities give primary attention to them
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What makes an institution successful?
Commentaries on successful institutions suggest
a number of key features, though none makes all
of the points listed on the following
slide NB Successful doesnt imply elite
rather, it implies doing better than might be
expected (in UK terms, beating your
benchmark)
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What makes an institution successful?

• Commitment to student learning
• and hence student engagement
• Management of student transition
• Curriculum seen in terms of social engagement
• Appropriate curricular structures
• Emphasis on importance of FYE (incl.
  resourcing)
• Monitoring and evaluating, and acting on
  evidence
• Academic leadership (though in some cases
  implicit)