Office of Strategic Planning presents...
Initiatives in the Spotlight
Initiatives in the Spotlight: Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire: An Intervention and Retention Initiative (#16750)
In Fall 2006, a study was conducted using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) as part of an initiative created by the Office of Strategic Research and Analysis. This initiative was submitted by Kristina Cragg and was funded by a VSU Faculty Research Grant and Strategic Funds.
The questionnaire was used to measure student adaptation in hopes of finding a way to identify VSU students at a greater risk of leaving the university and to aid in developing intervention strategies to help retain these at-risk students. Previous research has suggested that student decisions to leave involve four elements including academics, social reasons, personal problems, and adjustment to school environment.
Seventy-four freshman from Freshman Experience courses participated in the study. Student characteristics such as gender, age, ethnicity, hometown, residency, high school GPA, class type, enrollment, and first semester GPA were correlated with the four elements previously found to be important. Results indicate that three of four SACQ subscales including academic environment, social environment, and institutional attachment, were found to be significant. In regards to institutional attachment, four items emerged as predictors to identify at-risk students.
Prior to the this study, several programs have been established to increase retention such as Student Assistance Centers, Special Assistance Centers for various departments, the Student Counseling Center, and student access to individual advisors. With the information provided by this study, VSU can more readily identify at-risk students and provide them with the tools and resources that are available to them in order to retain these students and increase retention.
Article written by Andrea Belcher, Graduate Assistant in the Office of Strategic Planning.