The Second Year Experience: Student Development & Interventions

1. The Second Year Experience: More than just a re-mix Nora Allen Assistant Director for Advisor Development Undergraduate Affairs, Office of Advising Practice

2. Presentation Preview • Group work • Overview of student development • Second-year psyche • Issues that face second-year students • Compare and contrast by institutional type • Programs and interventions • Q&A

3. Second-year vs. Sophomore • Sophomore is marked by an arbitrary collection of credit hours • Some students come in with enough credits to be a sophomore • Some students don’t have enough credits to be a sophomore after the first year • Cause of stress

4. Group Time! • What were your experiences as a second-year student? • How did the second year differ from the first year?

5. What theory can do for you…. • Explain and chart student growth and development • Guide programs, policies, and procedures • Explain student attrition

6. The main questions that development seeks to answer….. • What interpersonal and intrapersonal changes occur while the student is in college? • What factors lead to development? • What aspects of the college environment foster or hamper growth? • What are the developmental outcomes institutions seek to achieve? According to Knefelkamp, Widick, & Parker (1978)

7. Tinto’s model of student departure • Pre-entry variables: aptitude, abilities, background • Institutional interactions that modify the pre-entry variables • Level of commitment to goals and institution • Motivation

8. Student Development Phases in Higher EducationAllen 2005 • Acculturation • Crystallization • Immersion • Mastery, Completion, Closure

9. Acculturation • Pre-entry variables • External focus: distracted by demands of new environment • Expectations vs. reality • May not be ready for serious planning and goal setting

10. Social Organizational Stages as Applied to StudentsYarbrough, B., and Brown, M.H. (2003). • Anticipatory • Encounter • Metamorphosis

11. Crystallization • Internal conflict • Why am I here? • Disillusioned • More settled and looking for direction • Advising, career, financial planning are critical

12. Now what?!?!?! • Competencies • Values • Motivation • Cost/benefit • Choices

13. Molly Schaller’s Stages of the Sophomore Year • Random exploration • Focused exploration • Tentative choices • Commitment

14. Lemons & Richmond (1987) • Applied Chickering’s vectors to second-year students • Achieving competence • Developing autonomy • Establishing identity • Developing purpose

15. Crisis and Conflict • Erikson (1969): concept of crisis and commitment • Parks (1986): faculty serve as center for conflict by challenging students to move beyond set worldview; faculty assist students in working to rebuild belief systems

16. What is Sophomore Slump? • Lemons & Richmond (1987) define the slump as a period of confusion • Feldman & Newcomb (1969) define the slump as a time of dissatisfaction with college and self • Lack of involvement and motivation

17. Pattengale’s (2000) Categories: • Academic • Developmental • Institutional

18. Academic • Not committed to a major • Forced to choose a major too soon • More difficult curriculum • Competition for grades • No “Plan B” • Loss of scholarship • Delayed consequences of negative behavior • Disconnect between general education and major • Weed out

19. Developmental • Uncertain about life goals • Cost/benefit • What am I here • Lack of support • Co-curricular issues • Honeymoon period is over • Career and academic advising • Financial concerns

20. Institutional • No connection to the institution • Bad experiences • Fiscal mismanagement • Housing loss • Value fit • Support • Transition into major doesn’t pick up where first-year initiatives left off

21. Student Learning Outcomes • What do you want students to: • Know • Do • Value • Look for common themes, categories, or groupings: • Academic • Developmental • Institutional

22. Who are your students? • Type of institution • Student characteristics/demographics • Student sub-groups

23. Public vs. Private (Juillerat, 2000) • Private • High expectations • Issues related to academic excellence • Connected to campus experience; pride in campus • Value opportunities for self exploration • Public • High value on services • Financial aid and billing policies • Faculty availability • Advising • Registration process; availability of courses; course offerings • Intramurals • Library staff • Health services • Parking

24. Program Suggestions • Pattengale • Sophomore orientation in each major • Intentional support • Study abroad, internships, service learning • General Education • Leadership opportunities; campus work opportunities • Beloit College: Second-Year Initiative • Colorado College: Sophomore Jump Program • Colgate: Second-Year Experience • Kennesaw State: Year 2 • Second-year seminar • Support to connect with major, navigate gen. ed., plug into campus resources, closely monitor progress • Sophomore peer leaders

25. Group Time Re-Mix • What are the issues that face second-year students at UofL? • What policies, procedures and programs could help or hamper student success? • How can Academic and Student Affairs collaborate to foster second-year success?

26. Put it into practice…. • Review services and programs • Look at policy and procedure • Examine daily practice • Identify who needs assistance • Don’t simply repackage first-year programs

27. References • Chickering, A.W., & Reisser, L. 1993 (2nd edition). Education and identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Erikson, E. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton. • Feldman, K. A., & Newcomb, T.M. (1969). The impact of college on students. Washington, DC: Jossey-Bass. • Juillerat, S. (2000). Assessing the expectations and satisfaction levels of sophomores: How are they unique? In Schreiner, L. A., & Pattengale, J. (Eds.). (2000). Visible solutions for invisible students: Helping sophomores succeed. (Monograph No. 31). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. • Lemons, L. J., & Richmond, D. R. (1987, Winter). A developmental perspective of the sophomore slump. NASPA Journal, 24 (3), 15-19. • Pattengale, J. (2007). Policy and practice to enhance sophomore success. In Tobolowsky, B. F., & Cox, B. E. (Eds.). (2007). Shedding light on sophomores: An exploration of the second college year. (The First Year Experience Monograph Series). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. • Schaller, M.A. (2006, Nov.). Complexities in understanding the experience of sophomore students. Plenary address at the 13th National Conference on Students in Transition. St. Louis, MO. • Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. • Yarbrough, B. & Brown, M.H. (2003). Understanding organizational socialization: Insight for academic advisors. NACADA Journal. 23 (1&2), 66-73.