Abstract
The present research paper is a case study of the impact of classroom based social integration and teaching methods on the intentions to persist of the first year students in the Wexford Campus of IT Carlow. The Wexford Campus is an outreach higher education institution (HEI) with a significant non-traditional student representation.
The theoretical framework of the study proposed is that of adapting the social integration approach of Tinto (1993) to a classroom context as well as synthesising it with the organisation adaptation approach (Berger, 2000) that puts the onus on the HEI adapting to the diversity of students through the use of teaching methodologies (Zepke and Leach, 2005). Five focus groups and twenty-eight interviews were conducted. Further, two questionnaires were distributed in the college; to students at induction (n=126) and at the end of the academic year (n=84).
Classroom based social integration with classmates and with teaching staff correlated with educational commitment (rS=.35; rS=.53). Additionally, lack of social integration with classmates and teaching staff were ‘reasons’ for a number of students to consider leaving college (11% and 13%).
Satisfaction with the teaching experiences also correlated with educational commitment (rS=.33; rS=.56). Furthermore, active teaching experiences correlated with educational commitment (rS=.27; rS=.29), although with weak effects. Dissatisfaction with the teaching and limited active teaching experiences were also ‘reasons’ for a number of students to consider leaving college (24%; 14% and 20%). Qualitative data analysis provided additional supporting evidence for the quantitative findings.
Thus for non-traditional students and adults in particular the classroom context is crucial. What happens in the classroom influences the intentions of first year students to persist. While not a persistence panacea this study does offer support for the role of the classroom and the individual educator in influencing non-traditional students’ persistence.
The theoretical framework of the study proposed is that of adapting the social integration approach of Tinto (1993) to a classroom context as well as synthesising it with the organisation adaptation approach (Berger, 2000) that puts the onus on the HEI adapting to the diversity of students through the use of teaching methodologies (Zepke and Leach, 2005). Five focus groups and twenty-eight interviews were conducted. Further, two questionnaires were distributed in the college; to students at induction (n=126) and at the end of the academic year (n=84).
Classroom based social integration with classmates and with teaching staff correlated with educational commitment (rS=.35; rS=.53). Additionally, lack of social integration with classmates and teaching staff were ‘reasons’ for a number of students to consider leaving college (11% and 13%).
Satisfaction with the teaching experiences also correlated with educational commitment (rS=.33; rS=.56). Furthermore, active teaching experiences correlated with educational commitment (rS=.27; rS=.29), although with weak effects. Dissatisfaction with the teaching and limited active teaching experiences were also ‘reasons’ for a number of students to consider leaving college (24%; 14% and 20%). Qualitative data analysis provided additional supporting evidence for the quantitative findings.
Thus for non-traditional students and adults in particular the classroom context is crucial. What happens in the classroom influences the intentions of first year students to persist. While not a persistence panacea this study does offer support for the role of the classroom and the individual educator in influencing non-traditional students’ persistence.
| Original language | English (Ireland) |
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| Publication status | Published - 2013 |