ERIC Number: ED609262
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Increasing Student Success: Understanding the Impact of a Comprehensive College Transition Program. Stakeholder Report for the Thompson Scholars Learning Communities
Melguizo, Tatiana; Martorell, Francisco; Swanson, Elise; Kezar, Adrianna
Pullias Center for Higher Education
In 2015, the University of Southern California (USC) began a longitudinal, mixed-methods evaluation of the Thompson Scholars Learning Communities (TSLC), a comprehensive college transition program that provides students with multiple, integrated types of support. The evaluation as a whole examined whether, how, and why TSLC, as implemented at the three University of Nebraska campuses, affects students' experiences and outcomes. The evaluation was led by three subteams: a "summative" team, which addressed the question of whether TSLC affects student outcomes using quantitative approaches; a "formative" team, which addressed the question of how TSLC relates to student experiences and outcomes using quantitative approaches; and a "qualitative" team, which addressed the questions of how and why TSLC shapes students' experiences. This brief summarizes the main findings of the "summative" team and offers guidance for program staff and university administrators interested in building on the initial successes of TSLC. The goal was to answer two main questions: (1) Does this program work?; and (2) Are there certain students for whom TSLC is particularly important? The research found that: (1) TSLC significantly increased students' feelings of mattering to campus and sense of belonging to campus; (2) There was no detectable difference in students' academic or social self-efficacy; and (3) TSLC was particularly impactful in shaping these outcomes for traditionally underrepresented students, namely, students of color, first-generation students, students with below-median ACT scores, and students from the lowest-income families.
Descriptors: Student Adjustment, Transitional Programs, Student School Relationship, College Students, Academic Achievement, Grade Point Average, Academic Persistence, At Risk Students, Low Income Students, First Generation College Students, Minority Group Students, Equal Education, Program Effectiveness, Self Efficacy, Interpersonal Competence, Career Choice, Decision Making, Scores, College Entrance Examinations, Psychological Patterns, Student Attitudes
Pullias Center for Higher Education. University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, Waite Phillips Hall Room 701, 3470 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089. Tel: 213-740-7218; Fax: 213-740-3889; e-mail: pullias@usc.edu; Web site: http://pullias.usc.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: Teachers; Administrators
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: University of Southern California, Pullias Center for Higher Education
Identifiers - Location: California; Nebraska
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: ACT Assessment
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A