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Understanding How First-year Seminars Affect Persistence

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Abstract

First-year seminars are nearly ubiquitous fixtures in American higher education, and research has documented their positive effect on student persistence. Only limited research, however, has attempted to isolate the impact of various aspects of first-year seminars on persistence, especially on a cross-institutional basis. We use a survey of almost 20,000 first-year students at 45 four-year institutions combined with institutional-level data to understand how aspects of first-year seminars affect early intentions to persist. Because survey respondents are grouped within dissimilar institutions, we use a multilevel modeling approach to model intent to persist.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Iowa State University, N232-A Lagomarcino Hall, Ames, IA, 50011-3195, USA

    Stephen R. Porter

  2. Policy Center on the First Year of College, Brevard College, 400 N. Broad St, Brevard, NC, 28712

    Randy L. Swing

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  1. Stephen R. Porter
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  2. Randy L. Swing
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Correspondence to Stephen R. Porter.

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Porter, S.R., Swing, R.L. Understanding How First-year Seminars Affect Persistence. Res High Educ 47, 89–109 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-005-8153-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-005-8153-6

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