teresa ward carol hand office of institutional research
TRANSCRIPT
Teresa Ward
Carol Hand
Office of Institutional Research
INTEGRATING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA
ENHANCING THE EXPLANATORY MODEL IN FLC
ASSESSMENT
Current FLC Students
17 Participants168 Quotations21 Codes
Major Themes: Participation in an FLCIntegrated learning experienceWhat they would keep/change in the FLC programRetentionAccessibility of information
Focus Group
Former FLC Students
9 Participants148 Quotations25 Codes
Major Themes:
Definition of a Freshmen Learning CommunitySense of communityContinued contact with former FLC membersAcademic performance RetentionShared views
Focus Group
FLC Faculty
8 Participants84 Quotations11 Codes
Major Themes:
Participation in the FLC programBenefitsTeaching methodology
Focus Group
Table 1
Comparison of Academic Preparedness of FLC and Non-FLC Students
Fall 99 N PGPA t Significance
FLC 295 2.64 (p)=.364
Non-FLC 1465 2.62 .909 Not Significant at p<.05
Fall 00 N PGPA t Significance
FLC 432 2.69 (p)=.823
Non-FLC 1650 2.70 -.224 Not Significant at p<.05
Fall 01 N FI t Significance
FLC 572 2683 (p)=.150
Non-FLC 1570 2697 -1.441 Not Significant at p<.05
Fall 02 N FI t Significance
FLC 677 2685 (p)=.404
Non-FLC 1882 2693 -.834 Not Significant at p<.05
CURRENT FLC STUDENTS
Number of Respondents: 16
Reason Mentioned Number of Times Percentage
Registration 8 40.0
Interaction with Others 3 15.0
Social Activities 3 15.0
Parents 2 10.0
Class Schedule 2 10.0
Study Groups 1 5.0
Recommendations 1 5.0
Total 20 100.0
“I was tired after Incept and wanted to go home, so joining an FLC eliminated the registration process. And I wanted to make contacts.”
CURRENT FLC STUDENTS Number of Respondents:
16
Reason Mentioned Number of Times Percentage
Registration 8 40.0
Interaction with Others 3 15.0
Social Activities 3 15.0
Parents 2 10.0
Class Schedule 2 10.0
Study Groups 1 5.0
Recommendations 1 5.0
Total 20 100.0
“I joined for easy registration. Coming in as a freshman I would have been really screwed up, but it gives you friends and advisors, and a comfort zone.”
CURRENT FLC STUDENTS
Number of Respondents: 16
Reason Mentioned Number of Times Percentage
Registration 8 40.0
Interaction with Others 3 15.0
Social Activities 3 15.0
Parents 2 10.0
Class Schedule 2 10.0
Study Groups 1 5.0
Recommendations 1 5.0
Total 20 100.0
“I wanted to do one, but the one I wanted was full. Emerging Leaders sounded fun because of the retreat and rafting, and my schedule was good.”
CURRENT FLC STUDENTS
Number of Respondents: 16
Reason Mentioned Number of Times Percentage
Registration 8 40.0
Interaction with Others 3 15.0
Social Activities 3 15.0
Parents 2 10.0
Class Schedule 2 10.0
Study Groups 1 5.0
Recommended by a Professor
1 5.0
Total 20 100.0
“I joined to make my parents happy. They said it was the easier thing to do.”
CURRENT FLC STUDENTS
Number of Respondents: 16
Reason Mentioned Number of Times Percentage
Registration 8 40.0
Interaction with Others 3 15.0
Social Activities 3 15.0
Parents 2 10.0
Class Schedule 2 10.0
Study Groups 1 5.0
Recommended by a Professor
1 5.0
Total 20 100.0
“I did not want to join an FLC, but it was the only way to get the classes I wanted. I joined the Honors FLC.”
CURRENT FLC STUDENTS
Number of Respondents: 16
Reason Mentioned Number of Times Percentage
Registration 8 40.0
Interaction with Others 3 15.0
Social Activities 3 15.0
Parents 2 10.0
Class Schedule 2 10.0
Study Groups 1 5.0
Recommended by a Professor
1 5.0
Total 20 100.0
“I liked the idea of 25 persons. It’s easier to make study groups and easier to register.”
CURRENT FLC STUDENTS
Number of Respondents: 16
Reason Mentioned Number of Times Percentage
Registration 8 40.0
Interaction with Others 3 15.0
Social Activities 3 15.0
Parents 2 10.0
Class Schedule 2 10.0
Study Groups 1 5.0
Recommendations 1 5.0
Total 20 100.0
“The Incept person said it was fun and the teacher would have parties at her house.”
Table 2
Fall to Spring Retention Rates
Fall 99 N N Retained % Retained
FLC 295 285 96.6
Non-FLC 1465 1322 90.2
Fall 00
FLC 432 421 97.5
Non-FLC 1650 1522 92.2
Fall 01
FLC 572 558 97.6
Non-FLC 1570 1473 93.8
Fall 02
FLC 677 654 96.6
Non-FLC 1882 1729 91.9
“The majority of us did form a bond and we felt we could continue. Some would be depressed, but we would inspire them to continue. They would do better and they would continue to look for a better education.”
Table 2
Fall to Spring Retention Rates
Fall 99 N N Retained % Retained
FLC 295 285 96.6
Non-FLC 1465 1322 90.2
Fall 00
FLC 432 421 97.5
Non-FLC 1650 1522 92.2
Fall 01
FLC 572 558 97.6
Non-FLC 1570 1473 93.8
Fall 02
FLC 677 654 96.6
Non-FLC 1882 1729 91.9
“Oh yes! [emphatic] I had a point where I just said I can’t do this. I’m going to take a break. I really do feel that if I didn’t do the FLC I wouldn’t be at GSU. It was too overwhelming for me without the FLC. I thought I was going to come here and then transfer, but the FLC is like a family and after I got involved, I couldn’t leave my family. I wouldn’t stay without my FLC.”
Table 2
Fall to Spring Retention Rates
Fall 99 N N Retained % Retained
FLC 295 285 96.6
Non-FLC 1465 1322 90.2
Fall 00
FLC 432 421 97.5
Non-FLC 1650 1522 92.2
Fall 01
FLC 572 558 97.6
Non-FLC 1570 1473 93.8
Fall 02
FLC 677 654 96.6
Non-FLC 1882 1729 91.9
“I was going to complete it anyway, but the FLC was a great way to meet people and upper level professors.”
Table 2
Fall to Spring Retention Rates
Fall 99 N N Retained % Retained
FLC 295 285 96.6
Non-FLC 1465 1322 90.2
Fall 00
FLC 432 421 97.5
Non-FLC 1650 1522 92.2
Fall 01
FLC 572 558 97.6
Non-FLC 1570 1473 93.8
Fall 02
FLC 677 654 96.6
Non-FLC 1882 1729 91.9
“Before I came here, I told people GSU was such a big school and I wouldn’t enjoy it. I got here and enjoyed my FLC and got comfortable with knowing other people and meeting other people. I found I liked it. I planned on completing all four years here any way. [Moderator: What year are you in?] I’m a second semester freshman.”
Current FLC Students
Intent
“It has a 99 percent effect. I want to join an FLC next semester and go through my entire freshmen year in an FLC.”
“I planned to transfer, but now I want to stay here. How you are in the FLC is a tight family.”
“I’d say 98 to 99 percent. I’m planning to transfer to California. Initially, I wanted to go to California, but the FLC made me want to stay and finish out the year with my friends.”
“I was ready to transfer, but the FLC and all these people changed my mind. This is a concrete jungle. I want some trees. But being with these people made me think it was a university.”
Former FLC Students
Intent
“I wasn’t planning on going here. I got a 1400 on my SAT and I had all these schools wanting me. But my mom wanted me to stay close to home. I decided to go to Jumpstart so if I didn’t like it, I could go somewhere else. And after I got here I wanted to stay.”
“I’m not sure the FLC made me stay. I was already focused. But it did help me academically and made me want to stay, but there was other reasons too. I wanted to go to Howard, but HOPE is the reason I’m still here.”
“It encouraged me to stay. My mom wanted me to go to Kennesaw, but I said no since I knew people here.”
“I was going to be here regardless. I have family here. This was not my first choice. I could have gone to Athens, but the FLC turns you on to what GSU has to offer.”
“Yes it did because initially this was not one of my top choices to go to school. GSU didn’t offer all of the extracurricular activities that I was interested in, like marching band.”
Table 5Comparison of Grade-Point Averages for FLC
and Non-FLC Students Fall 1999 Cohort
Fall 99 Fall 99 GPA
N
Fall 99 GPA Avg
Fall 00 GPA
N
Fall 00 GPA Avg
Fall 01 GPA
N
Fall 01 GPA Avg
Fall 02 GPA
N
Fall 02 GPA Avg
FLC 295 2.72 232 2.70 193 2.79 176 2.86
Non-FLC
1465 2.38 1054 2.61 891 2.70 782 2.79
t=6.186 t=2.063 t=2.005 t=1.532
(p)=.000
(p)=.040 (p)=.046 (p)=.127
Signif. at
p<.001
Signif. at p<.05
Signif. at p<.05
Not Signif. at
p<.05
“Yeah, my GPA was helped by it. It was more than just getting a good GPA, but it teaches you how to study, how to study with groups, and work with other students. Even with a 3.0, you got a lot of study skills that would help you. Professors would collaborate. They tried to connect classes. So even if your GPA is high, it would have been higher than before and you get things to take with you in the long run.”
Table 6
Comparison of Grade-Point Averages for FLC
and Non-FLC Students Fall 2000 Cohort
Fall 00 Fall 00 GPA
N
Fall 00 GPA Avg
Fall 01 GPA
N
Fall 01 GPA Avg
Fall 02 GPA
N
Fall 02 GPA Avg
FLC 430 2.87 374 2.74 301 2.77
Non-FLC
1626 2.47 1286 2.63 1030 2.72
t=9.017 t=2.890 t=1.206
(p)=.000 (p)=.004 (p)=.228
Signif. at p<.001
Signif. at p<.01
NotSignif. at
p<.05
“My freshman year, the kids kept asking me, “Why are you in an FLC? It’s wasting your time.” But some of my FLC friends started forming study groups and some of my other friends came into the study group with us. My friends who were not in an FLC got lower GPAs. Most of my friends not in an FLC got below 3.0, but I made the Dean’s List.”
Table 7Comparison of Grade-Point Averages
for FLC and Non-FLC Students Fall 2001 Cohort
Fall 01 Fall 01 N
Fall 01 GPA
Fall 02 N
Fall 02 GPA
FLC 572 2.92 495 2.87
Non-FLC 1569 2.67 1239 2.78
t=7.826 t=2.656
(p)=.000 (p)=.008
Signif. at p<.001
Signif. at p<.01
Table 8Comparison of Grade-Point Averages for FLC and Non-FLC Students Fall 2002 Cohort
Fall 02 Fall 02 N
Fall 02 GPA
FLC 677 2.91
Non-FLC 1882 2.61
t=8.029
(p)=.000
Signif. at p<.001
“Ninety percent of us got at least a 3.0”
“I got a pretty good GPA and kept HOPE, but I didn’t go into it for the academic portion.”
Table 9Credit Hours Attempted and Percentage of Courses With a Grade of C or Better, Prior to Fall 2002
Fall 99
Hours Attempted
Hours Earned
Courses %
FLC 85.7 76.3 72.9
Non-FLC 82.9 73.6 69.6
Fall 00
FLC 59.9 53.6 77.6
Non-FLC 56.0 49.7 70.7
Fall 01
FLC 29.8 28.1 83.5
Non-FLC 29.3 27.2 77.3
“Our GSU 1010 professor told us that 80 percent of all freshmen lose their HOPE Scholarship. So man, we went to extremes. When projects were due and one person would forget, we would call them. If we had problems we would go to the teacher. We didn’t want anyone left behind. We encouraged each other.”
Table 9Credit Hours Attempted and Percentage of Courses With a Grade of C or Better, Prior to Fall 2002
Fall 99
Hours Attempted
Hours Earned
Courses %
FLC 85.7 76.3 72.9
Non-FLC 82.9 73.6 69.6
Fall 00
FLC 59.9 53.6 77.6
Non-FLC 56.0 49.7 70.7
Fall 01
FLC 29.8 28.1 83.5
Non-FLC 29.3 27.2 77.3
“I would have learned skills anyway, but it would have took [sic] more time. The FLC teaches you that the teacher wanted to talk to you even if it doesn’t seem like it, that they do want to teach you.”
Table 9Credit Hours Attempted and Percentage of Courses With a Grade of C or Better, Prior to Fall 2002
Fall 99
Hours Attempted
Hours Earned
Courses %
FLC 85.7 76.3 72.9
Non-FLC 82.9 73.6 69.6
Fall 00
FLC 59.9 53.6 77.6
Non-FLC 56.0 49.7 70.7
Fall 01
FLC 29.8 28.1 83.5
Non-FLC 29.3 27.2 77.3
“Being in an FLC definitely helps academically. You have the opportunity to learn how to use the library, the internet. If you’re not in one you might not know who to go to for help. Being in an FLC, you have the opportunity to learn about these things.”
Former FLC Students
Social Activities
“We were the Fat FLC, but we weren’t overweight. My friends were in other FLCs and we would compare each other’s FLC. We were family. We would go out to dinner and we had a study group. [Moderator: But why did you call yourselves the Fat FLC?] My GSU 1010 class had breakfast every Thursday. The whole FLC called us that. More than half of the FLC commuted. The ones that lived in the Village spent the most time together.”
“The FLC is important to commuters. You can get involved in activities. Most commuters just want to go home, but when you’re in an FLC you find things you are interested in and you can stick around campus. You can stick around and find something to be involved with. You won’t just go home.”
“You find out about other organizations and you become involved. If you participate in an FLC, you develop a relationship with GSU and you work together in organizations. If you don’t participate in an FLC, you go on home.”
“We went to plays. And it’s nice to have people to be around you can trust and rely on.”
“We didn’t have a name like the Fat FLC, but we hung around at lunch.”
Current FLC Students
Community
“I wouldn’t know as many people as I know now. As I look at the friendships outside the FLC, I value my FLC.”
“I probably would be saying I hate GSU. Other students were saying they don’t like it. It was really hard because the campus is so big and nobody has the time of day for you. The FLC lets you get to know people more closely.”
“It’s been a great positive influence, but one of the bad things is that we have 21 people and 20 are girls. At first I thought we would hate each other, but we get along.”
“It forces you to diversify. If we weren’t in an FLC, we wouldn’t be friends—Blacks and Whites. I wouldn’t have had those friendships.”
“My FLC has become my school family. I stop to talk to my friends. It benefits me so much. If I was not in an FLC, I would have lost my mind—getting to class—what am I doing—these people—these classes. I would have been hectic.”
Student/Teacher Interaction
Former/Current FLC Students
“If we had problems, we would go to the teacher.”
“FLCs are helpful because you have a community and you can form closer relationships with professors. You have help from professors, like my English professor, because you are in a smaller setting and you have one-on-one and they tell you how to be a success.”
“The teachers were good. They really helped and went out of their way to help us feel like a community. We had lots of discussions about different issues.”
“My teachers seem to care. I was scared about coming to college, like I would be in some evil man’s class, but it wasn’t like that. The teachers work around your schedule.”
Student/Teacher Interaction
Current FLC Instructors
“I like having a toddler. You get into a play group. The parenting model is a perfect analogy. I care about the student. They whine but I say, “not in my house.” The hard thing is knowing not to cross over into the parent role since I’m not their parent. It’s nice for them to know that students can come and talk to me.”
“My students and I connect much better now. It is less teacher/student and more of a secret community—I’ll let you in on the secret.”
“I’ve become more personable with many of the students. I have one or two from 3 years ago that come by the office to talk about their courses and graduation. It is almost a parenting situation.”
“I feel more like a father than I ever did before.”
“Students from my earlier FLCs, they still come and see me.”
“I get to know those students [FLC students] a little better.”
Student Network
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Commentary
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Why did you join a Freshmen Learning
Community?
Decision to join
Academic help
Change
Course connection
Difference/not in FLC
Drop classes
GSU 1010
GSU choice and FLC
Information about FLCs
Interaction
KeepMajor
Parents
ProfessorsRegistration
RetentionSchedule
Social activities
Study groups
Has belonging to an FLC had an influence on your
staying at GSU?
How do you think your first semester would be different
if you weren't in an FLC?
How often something learned in one class
enhanced understanding of something in another class
So far, what would you keep or change?
Was the availability of an FLC a factor in choosing
GSU?
Diversity
Community
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Benefits
Community/Group Experience
Faculty Collaboration/Interaction
Freshmen experience
Freshmen teaching experience
linkages
Majors
Participation
Student/Student Relationship
Student/Teacher Relationship
Teaching Methods
Are there benefits?
Has your approach to teaching (your methods)
changed as a result of your participation in the FLC
program?
Is an FLC important in an urban university setting?
Why did you decide to become involved in an FLC?
Faculty Network