Find+Article+Here


 * Students' Perceptions and Experiences with Key Factors during the Transition from High School to College. **

by William L. Smith, Pidi Zhang Parents, friends, high school teachers and guidance counselors, college professors and academic advisors, college orientation programs, and first-year seminars play a role in facilitating students' transition from high school to college. This paper assesses the frequency of activities linked to the transition process and how helpful these behaviors are for students at a medium-sized state university in the Southeast. Mothers provide the greatest number of helping behaviors and are the most helpful resource in the transition process. There are extensive gender and racial differences in the students' perception of helpfulness and the reported number of times students receive help. Even though students believe they receive a lot of help from or rate helpful certain factors, the perceived degree of helpfulness may not be reflected in their GPAs.

The higher education literature is replete with studies about the transition to college (Goldrick-Rab, Carter, & Wagner, 2007, p. 2445) but more research is needed regarding the transition process (Locks, Hurtado, Bowman, & Oseguera, 2008, p. 257) because scholars have neglected tostudy, among other important topics, how students perceive the factors that influence their transition experience (Clark, 2005, p. 296). Weidman (1989) recognizes the role precollege and college factors play in the socialization experience of college students. Impact models, such as Weidman's (1989) model of undergraduate socialization, focus on social structure and study the influence of institutional characteristics, student experiences, and student interactions on the transition experience (see Feldman & Newcomb, 1969; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Hurtado, 2007).

First-generation students are at greater risk for a difficult transition from high school to college (Pascarella et al., 2004; Pike & Kuh, 2005; Ishitani, 2006) and students who are academically and socially involved experience a smoother transition to college and are more likely to return for their sophomore year (Tinto, 1998, p. 169). This transition is further enhanced when there is collaborative programming between secondary and postsecondary institutions (Karp & Hughes, 2008) and by the type of college-linking strategy used by high schools (Hill, 2008). While academic intensity and the quality of one's high school curriculum are crucial for academic success and making a smooth transition to college (Adelman, 2002), other factors such as parents, friends, high school teachers and guidance counselors, college professors, academic advisors, collegeorientation programs, and first-year seminars facilitate students' transition from high school to college (Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000; Tierney, Corwin, & Colyar, 2005; Kelly, Kendrick, Newgent, & Lucas, 2007; Saunders & Serna, 2004; Hossler, Schmit, & Vesper, 1999; Attinasi, 1989; Hurtado, Carter, & Spuler, 1996).

Hurtado, Carter, and Spuler (1996, p. 153) found that peer support was an important factor in making the transition to college, although they acknowledged that some of this support might produce negative outcomes such as the lack of good study habits. Cabrera and La Nasa (2000, p. 7) and Hossler, Schmit, and Vesper (1999, p. 27) identify parental encouragement as the strongest factor predicting students' planning for college. Hurtado, Carter, and Spuler (1996, p. 153) found that college academic advisors were important factors in facilitating students' transition tocollege, while Kelly, Kendrick, Newgent, and Lucas (2007) indicate that fifty percent of the students they studied did not receive any help from theirhigh school guidance counselors regarding college. Pascarella (2005, p. 132) concludes that during the first year of college, students' "interactions with peers can have a significant influence on first-year intellectual growth." Social support networks are important factors in helping students cope with the transition to college (Kenny & Stryker, 1996; Hays & Oxley, 1986; Phinney & Haas, 2003). Kenny and Stryker (1996, p. 655) conclude that white students relied more on college peers while minority students depended more on family for social support. Hays and Oxley (1986, p. 311) discovered that during the first year of collegethe social networks of freshmen who lived in residence halls and those who lived at home with their parents became more similar. As the year progressed, students who lived at home added students to their network thus reducing the supportive role of relatives.

Counselors, admission representatives, teachers, and family members assist students in the transition process. Kim and Schneider (2005, p. 1181) reveal that parental support, which is viewed as a form of social capital, eases the transition to college. Students' social relationships with their parents and others result in a series of obligations and expectations or social norms which influence their attitudes and behaviors about college(Bourdieu, 1986; Coleman, 1988). Keup and Barefoot (2005, p. 38) confirm that participation in first-year seminars produces positive effects for most students which make for a smoother transition, while Saunders and Serna (2004, p. 160) acknowledge the benefits that accrue to students who participate in college access programs. Kelly, Kendrick, Newgent, and Lucas (2007, p. 1032) advocate that transitional programs begin while students are in high school so they have time to develop study, time management, and coping skills that are necessary for college success, particularly during the first year. Based on Clark's (2005) concern about the lack of research on student perceptions about the factors that influence their transition experience, this paper attempts to answer the following questions: (1) How helpful are, based on students' perceptions and experiences, certain individuals, orientation programs, and the first-year seminar in the transition experience of students from high school to college? and (2) What specifically, based on students' perceptions and experiences, do certain individuals, orientation programs, and the first-year seminar do to facilitate thetransition experience of students from high school to college?

Methods We studied students at a medium-sized state institution in the Southeast which is a Carnegie doctoral-research university with an enrollment of approximately 17,750 (15,500 of whom are undergraduates). Incoming first-year students in the fall semester of 2007 had an average SAT score of 1108. A survey was administered in class during the first week of the 2008 spring semester to students enrolled in eight sections of Introduction to Sociology. A total of 610 students were enrolled in these eight sections and 574 students (299 first-year, 162 sophomores, 72 juniors, 39 seniors, and 2 others) completed the survey for a response rate of 94 percent. We chose Introduction to Sociology because it contained a cross-section of students and constitutes a convenience sample which to some extent mirrors the student body (51.2 percent female, 48.8 percent male; 21.5 percent black, 64.9 percent white). All students are required to take one social science elective course as part of the core curriculum. Students can choose from Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Anthropology, Introduction to Psychology, or World Regional Geography. A total of 610 students were enrolled in these eight sections and 574 students (299 first-year, 162 sophomores, 72 juniors, 39 seniors, and 2 others; 69.1 percent white, 23.6 percent black; 52.7 percent female, 47.3 percent male) completed the survey for a response rate of 94 percent.

The survey was nine pages long and contained fifty-three questions including those that measured how much time was devoted to academic, social, and work activities during the respondents' high school years and since entering college. Other questions measured attitudes toward learning, basic demographic information, beliefs about how well students' high schools prepared them for college, specific activities parents, peers, and others did to assist them in their transition to college, and how helpful were parents, peers, and others regarding these activities. This study explores students' perceptions of the helpfulness of parents, friends, high school teachers and guidance counselors, college professors and academic advisors, SOAR (a college orientation program), and the first-year seminar (a one-credit hour required course) regarding specific activities. One methodological limitation of this study is the heavy reliance on students' self-reported perceptions of these variables. Another methodological limitation is the potential for multicollinearity among the response items. For this reason, the regression coefficients may be biased. This study uses college GPA (self-reported) as the major dependent variable. GPA was selected as the major dependent variable because grades have been shown to be reliable indicators of academic achievement and "students' successful adjustment" to college (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005, p. 618). Eight independent variables are used in the analysis. They include first-year seminar (GSU 1210), SOAR, college academic advisors, professors, parents (father/male guardian; mother/female guardian), friends, high school teachers, and high school guidance counselors. The impact of the first-year seminar and SOAR are measured in a Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) by the following questions: GSU 1210 encouraged rigorous course work and academic achievement; GSU 1210 provided useful information to be a successful college student: and GSU 1210 helped deal with school-related problems and obstacles. The same format is used substituting SOAR in the question for GSU 1210.

The impact of college academic advisors and professors are measured by the following questions: How many times have your college academic advisors done the following? (encouraged rigorous course work and academic achievement: discussed useful information to be a successful student; helped deal with school-related problems and obstacles: and assisted with non-academic life/goal-related issues). The response options for this question are: 0, <1-2, 3-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-30, 30+. The same format is used substituting professors in the question for college academic advisors. A second question measured the degree of helpfulness of college academic advisors and professors: How helpful have your college academic advisors been about the following activities? (encouraged rigorous course work and academic achievement; discussed useful information to be a successful college student; helped deal with school-related problems and obstacles; and assisted with non-academic, life/goal-related issues). The response options for this question are: not at all, somewhat helpful, helpful, very helpful. The same format is used substituting professors in the question for college academic advisors.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The impact of parents, friends, high school teachers, and high school guidance counselors is measured by the following questions: How many times has your father/male guardian done the following? (discussed about preparing for and gaining access to college, encouraged rigorous course work and academic achievement; discussed useful information to be a successful college student; helped deal with school-related problems and obstacles; and assisted with non-academic life/goal-related issues). The same format is used substituting mother/female guardian, friends,high school teachers, and high school guidance counselors in the question for father/male guardian. A second question measured the degree of helpfulness of parents, friends, high school teachers, and high school guidance counselors: How helpful has your father/male guardian been about the following activities? (discussing about preparing for and gaining access to college: encouraging rigorous course work and academic achievement; discussing useful information to be a successful college student; helped deal with school-related problems and obstacles; and assisting with non-academic life/goal-related issues). The same format is used substituting mother/female guardian, friends, high school teachers, and high school guidance counselors for father/male guardian. The response options are the same ones used in the previous set of questions.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The control variables are grouped into three categories: high school, college, and demographic background. High school experiences include GPA, enrollment in AP courses, type of school (magnate, private, public), and school location (urban, suburban, rural). SAT is not included because of itshigh correlation with GPA. College experiences include first-year students vs. upper class students, living arrangement, and scholarship recipient. Demographic background variables include family income, parents' educational level, race, and gender.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Findings <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Mothers provide the greatest number of helping behaviors and are the most helpful resource in the transition process, followed by high schoolteachers, fathers, friends, and high school guidance counselors. College academic advisors and professors provide the least number of helping behaviors. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Table 1 provides t-test results of the mean levels of helpfulness and the number of times major factors helped by race. The table also provides the reliability measure, Cronbach's [alpha], for each factor regarding the degree of helpfulness and the number of times help was offered. Black students are more likely than white students to report high school guidance counselors, SOAR, and GSU 1210 as more helpful, whereas white students are more likely than black students to report receiving help from their fathers. This pattern may be a result of father absence and weaker parent-child relations, forms of social capital that are lacking in some black families (Zinn, Eitzen and Wells, 2008, p. 172). As a result, black students who aspire to go to college are more likely than whites to use school resources such as guidance counselors and orientation programs. There is virtually no difference between black students and other students concerning the amount of help received from high school teachers,college academic advisors, and professors.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">There are extensive gender differences in the students' perception of helpfulness and the reported number of times students received help. Female students tend to report a greater number of helping behaviors as well as a greater degree of helpfulness from the factors. The most striking gender differences are found in the number of times mothers offered help. Female students are more likely than male students to report that mothers, friends, and high school guidance counselors are helpful. The gender differences in nearly all of the items for these factors are highly significant. Female students are also more likely than male students to report some items in GSU 1210, SOAR, college academic advisors, and professors as sources of help. The only item in Table 2 that shows a higher value for male students is the number of times fathers provided help with non-academic problems.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">It is interesting to note that even though students believe they receive a lot of help from or rate as helpful certain factors, the perceived degree of helpfulness may not be reflected in their GPAs. For example, fathers and high school teachers follow mothers as important sources of help. The number of times fathers offered help and the degree of their helpfulness have the highest reliability measures (0.94 and 0.93 respectively). However, none of the items that indicate fathers' and high school teachers' behaviors or helpfulness are significantly related to an increase in GPA. Nevertheless, students whose fathers have college degrees (mothers do not have college degrees) have higher GPAs (t-test, p <.10) than first-generation students and those whose mothers have college degrees (fathers do not have college degrees). These findings suggest that fathers' influence on students is not the result of the specific behaviors reflected by the response items but rather the result of other likely mitigating reasons such as fathers' educational achievement and its amenities. Only one item among what mothers did (helped with school-related problems) is significantly related to higher GPAs.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The factors with positive impact on GPA include the number of times mothers helped with school-related work (p <0.05), the number of times friends discussed preparing for college (p <0.05), the number of times high school guidance counselors discussed preparing for college (p <0.05), the number of times high school guidance counselors helped with school-related problems (p <0.10), the number of times professors helped with school-related problems (p <0.05), SOAR discussed useful information (p <0.01), and GSU 1210 helped with school-related problems (p <0.10).

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">There are apparently counter-intuitive findings that include the negative associations of GPA with the number of times academic advisors discussed useful information, the number of times friends helped with non-academic problems, and the number of times high school teachers helped with non-academic problems. Similarly, rather than interpreting these findings as demonstrating a negative impact of these pertinent factors, they may reflect the fact that those whose academic advisors discussed useful information, those who interact a lot with friends for nonacademic purposes, and those who receive more help from high school teachers for non-academic problems are more likely to be academically disadvantaged students.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">It is interesting that the regression coefficients of SOAR discussed useful information and GSU 1210 discussed useful information show opposite signs. Students who report receiving more help from the orientation program also achieve higher GPAs, whereas students who report receiving more help from GSU 1210 achieve lower GPAs. This may be an indication that advanced students are more likely to feel they benefit from SOAR but less likely to feel they benefit from the first-year seminar.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">While students report a great deal of help from their fathers, in reality this help does not contribute to higher GPAs. In contrast, students report their mothers and professors offer less help with school-related work than their fathers, friends, and other factors. Even though mothers and professors offer less help (6.9 times for black and 8 times for non-black students), the impact of their influence on GPA is statistically significant (p <.05). However, the reliability measures for the amount of help offered by professors and the degree of helpfulness are low (0.75 and 0.57 respectively). That may indicate that there are dramatic differences among students about their perceptions of their professors' amount of help and the degree of helpfulness but those who report receiving more help from professors have better GPAs.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Students perceptions of high school counselors' discussion of preparing for and gaining access to college and helping with school-related problems is positively related to GPA. This is in striking contrast to the role played by high school teachers. None of the high school teachers' behaviors show a significant positive impact on college GPA. How helpful high school guidance counselors are as perceived by students might be more important tostudents than the number of times high school guidance counselors provide assistance to them.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Another factor, friends' discussion of preparing for and gaining access to college, also impacts GPA. While Hurtado, Carter, anal Spuler (1996) found mixed results regarding the role of peers in the transition to college, our findings specifically show that friends' help with non-academic problems is negatively related to GPA. It seems that students' circle of friends may have a differential impact on school performance. Discussions ofcollege related issues during high school may have helped with their performance during high school. This behavior may have a positive effect on their college GPA. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">In order to avoid the problem of multicollinearity in the OLS regression, composite measures of helping behaviors of all the investigated factors are constructed by combining the scores of all items for each factor. Only the regression coefficient for professors is statistically significant. That may be an indication that the various kinds of helping behaviors offered by professors, although lower than most other factors, tend to positively influence students' GPAs and that the composite measures in general tend to confound and obscure the effects of the items. To examine the effects of the specific items while reducing the problem of multicollinearity, another regression retains statistically significant items. Although no item for fathers is significant, one item for this factor, which is closest to significance, is included to control for the influence of fathers. The result is reported in column (2) of Table 3. The effects of mothers, friends, professors, and school counselors remain essentially the same except that counselors' discussion of preparing for college and the help of GSU 1210 with school-related problems lose statistical significance.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">There is an interaction effect between race and gender. There is essentially no difference in GPA between black male and female students. However, for non-black students, females have a significantly higher GPA than males. First-generation students have lower GPAs and there is no difference in GPA between first-generation students and those whose mothers have college degrees.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Discussion & Conclusion <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Our analysis suggests that students might have an inflated perception of the degree of helpfulness of parents and friends in the transition fromhigh school to college. None of fathers' behaviors or degree of helpfulness is significantly related to an increase in GPA and only mothers' help withschool-related problems is significantly related to higher GPAs. It appears that mothers' effort is taken more seriously than fathers' effort as reflected in students' higher GPAs. Whereas, fathers' educational achievements appear to have more influence on their children's GPA (close toninety percent significance level) than mothers' educational achievements. Family income for students whose fathers are college graduates is significantly higher, thus allowing these families to provide additional amenities that enhance educational outcomes such as GPA. Mothers traditionally have played a nurturing role in the family while fathers have been ascribed a more authoritarian role. These findings reflect the differences in the ways mothers and fathers influence their children's educational experiences and achievements and these differences appear consistent with traditional gender roles. It is apparent that mothers must continue to encourage their children's academic endeavors.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The number of times friends discussed preparing for college positively affects GPA but friends' help with non-academic problems is negatively related to GPA. It appears that students' friends have a differential impact on school performance. It is possible that students' friends influence them to study less and devote more time to non-academic events. Students need to be more selective about who they become friends with, towhat degree they are influenced by them, and about what they do together.

<span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">High <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> schools should pay more attention to the needs of college bound students, particularly black students, since they rely more on the services of guidance counselors than do white students. If school districts are serious in their quest to increase the number of college bound minorities then they should provide more resources for guidance counseling and information about preparing for and gaining access to college. Eighty-four percent of the students in our study received some form of help from their high school guidance counselors regarding preparation for college. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Our analysis also suggests that college academic advisors are primarily helpful for disadvantaged students with low GPAs. Consistent with the positions of Karp and Hughes (2008) and Hill (2008), our analysis suggests that high schools and colleges should work together to ensure thatcollege bound students, particularly those who are disadvantaged, receive the academic assistance that they need to make a smooth transition tocollege. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Females tend to value personal relationships more than males thus it is not surprising that the females in our study reported receiving more helpfrom mothers, friends, and high school guidance counselors. Females may perceive they are receiving more help than they actually are because of their propensity to develop personal relationships.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Despite its limitations, this study has contributed to the growing body of literature that addresses how students perceive and experience thetransition from high school to college. It is important to remember that we are assessing what help students perceived receiving, not what they actually received. The study investigated the influence specific factors have on a variety of important issues which impact students' educational outcomes. More research is needed on this topic especially regarding the experiences of first-generation college students. Our next paper will use data from this project to further assess the transition experience of first-generation college students vs. second-generation college students.