Laurie A. Schreiner, Ph.D. Azusa Pacific University · 2019-05-17 · National Symposium on Student...
Transcript of Laurie A. Schreiner, Ph.D. Azusa Pacific University · 2019-05-17 · National Symposium on Student...
National Symposium on Student Retention 11/1/2016
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Beyond Grades and Graduation:
Thriving as a Retention StrategyLaurie A. Schreiner, Ph.D.Azusa Pacific University
How does your college or university define student success?
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Definitions of Student Success
Graduation
Academic Performance (GPA)
Learning GainsCritical thinkingAnalytical reasoningWriting skills
Engagement in “educationally purposeful activities”
The Achievement Gap
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Asian
Caucasian
African American
Latino
Six-Year Graduation Rates
Source: NCES 2015
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The disparity in college-completion rates between rich
and poor students has grown by about 50 percent since the 1980s.
http://chronicle.com/article/Has-Higher-Education-Become-
an/132619/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
30% 6%
70% 26%
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An Increase in Diverse Learners
80% of the growth in new student enrollments in the next decade will come from low‐income students and students of color
Carnevale & Fry, 2010
We need some new strategies for success!
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Thriving -- More than just surviving!
• Psychosocial
• Motivation
Attitudes
• Engagement
Behavior
• Learning
• Graduation
Student Success
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FROM:Surviving
What is not very changeable about people
Who you are and where you’ve been
Target the weakness and fix it
Failure prevention
TO:Thriving
What can be changed
Who you can become and where you’re going
Target the talent and build on it
Success promotion
A Shift in Perspective
Academic
PsychologicalInterpersonal
Thriving: Fully engaged, energized, and making the most of the college experience
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The Thriving Quotient (TQ)Based on existing malleableconstructs predictive of student persistence and GPA
24-item instrument
Coefficient alpha = .89
Confirmatory factor analysis: five-factor model with a higher-order construct of thriving
Demographic Characteristics
• Gender
• Race/Ethnicity
• Household Income
Campus Experiences
• Involvement
• Leadership
• Student‐Faculty Interaction
• High‐Impact Practices
Success Outcomes
• Graduation
• GPA
• Learning Gains
I E O
Astin, 1991
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Demographic Characteristics
• Gender
• Race/Ethnicity
• Household Income
Campus Experiences
• Involvement
• Leadership
• Student‐Faculty Interaction
• High‐Impact Practices
Success Outcomes
• Graduation
• GPA
• Learning Gains
THRIVING
Demographic Characteristics
• Gender
• Race/Ethnicity
• Household Income
Campus Experiences
• Involvement
• Leadership
• Student‐Faculty Interaction
• High‐Impact Practices
Success Outcomes
• Graduation
• GPA
• Learning Gains
THRIVING
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Academic Determination
Engaged Learning
Positive Perspective
Social Connectedness
Diverse Citizenship
THRIVING
Engaged Learning
Meaningful Processing • Connections• Energy• Relevance and application
Learning That Lasts!
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Academic Determination
Diverse Citizenship
Want to make a
difference
Value differences in others
Think I can make a
difference
Act to make a
difference
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Social Connectedness
Feeling supported by others, having close friends, not feeling lonely
Positive Perspective
Realistic Optimism – long‐term confidence in the future
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“Failure” is reframed as a temporary setback
Thriving is malleable!
We can intervene to make a difference in students’ thriving levels ‐‐ and in their ultimate success.
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Pathways to Thriving
• Campus Involvement• Student‐Faculty Interaction
• Spirituality• Strengths Development
• Sense of Community
Different Pathways to Thriving
Ethnic minority
students had fewer
“pathways” to thriving
than majority
students—and those
pathways differed
across ethnic groups.
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Pathway #1: Campus Involvement
• INVITE input, participation,
and leadership of campus
events and activities
• CONNECT campus
involvement to future goals
• ENCOURAGE peer
leadership and mentoring
• PAY ATTENTION to time and
availability for commuters
and working students
Pathway #2:High Quality Student‐Faculty Interaction
• Conversations about
careers; “painting a
picture of the future”
• Engaging dialogue
around academic issues
• Growth mindset
• Research partnerships
• Validation – “you
deserve to be here”
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Spirituality was a major pathway to thriving for students of color – twice as important as for dominant culture students
#1 Pathway for Black students
Pathway #3: Spirituality
• Advising that focuses on
meaning and purpose
• Mentoring
• Faculty and staff willing to
engage in dialogue
• Partnerships with faith‐
based organizations
• Sacred space on campus
• Weaving interfaith
observances into diversity
celebrations and training
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Introduce yourself to your other neighbor–and describe what energizes you most about your work! (What part of your work would you do for free?)
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Clues to “Strengths”
Activities that you do well and that energize you are clues to your strengthsYour most fulfilling experiences likely have occurred when you were “playing to your strengths”
• Seemed to flow naturally and effortlessly• Productive• “I was born to do this!”• You want to do more of this• You invest time and energy to do it
The Dominant Paradigm: Deficit Remediation
•There are certain skills required to be successful here
•At entrance, we need to measure students’ abilities in these key areas
•Students need to spend most of their time in their areas of weakness, in order to achieve
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The Problem?
• This approach does NOT tap into student motivation or lead to student engagement
• The biggest challenge facing us as educators: how to engage students in the learning process
Spending most of your time in your area of weakness—while it will improve your skills, perhaps to a level of “average”—will NOT produce excellence
Becoming The Best Version of Yourself
Rather than sending the message that there is one path to success, a strengths‐based approach encourages us to become the “best version of ourselves” in order to succeed in academics and in life.
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Strengths of Competence
Individual Thriving
Strengths Development
Strengths of Character
(Talent + Energy) x (Knowledge + Skill)
Strength =
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Start with Talent
… a naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied.
‐‐Clifton & Harter, 2003
Ways of processing information
Ways of interacting with people
Ways of seeing the world
Habits, behaviors, or beliefs that lead to greater effectiveness
Predisposition DevelopedRequires Effort
Talent x Investment = Strength
Investment is a MULTIPLIER of talent!
Louis, 2008
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It’s all about strengths development!
“Look for what each student brings
to the learning environment and
communicate appreciation,
respect, and trust that students are
capable of learning.”
Bain, K. (2004).What the Best College Teachers Do
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How would you describe a thriving campus?
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Psychological
sense of
community is the
strongest
contributor to
thriving for all
students.
MembershipSymbols, signs, rituals
Not just “welcome” but a full member of the community sense of belonging and validation
RelationshipOpportunities for positive interactions
Celebrations
Shared emotional connection
OwnershipStudent voice
Contribution
Mattering to the institution
PartnershipInterdependence
Shared goals
Reciprocity
Sense of Community
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Institutional Integrity: Delivering On Your Promises
A key contributor to sense of community for all students –but especially underrepresented students!
Institutional Integrity: Delivering On Your Promises
‐‐campus is accurately portrayed during admissions
‐‐expectations are met
‐‐ faculty and staff “walk the talk”
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Strategies for Thriving as a Campus
•Create an environment that brings out the best• Identify strengths and assets at entrance• Strengths development as a philosophical approach in advising, residence life education, leadership programs, pedagogy, Human Resources
•Put learning at the center• Decision‐making lens• Embodied mission: Faculty‐student life partnerships
•Strengthen the sense of community on campus
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Thriving Students Are Equipped to Flourish for a Lifetime
• Engaged in lifelong learning
• Meeting their goals• Connected to others in
healthy ways• Optimistic about their
future• Contributing to their
community and society
Join us for the 2016‐17 Thriving Project!
www.ThrivingInCollege.orgTake a handout – give us your business card
We’ll send you the Power Point slides and more info
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