Longitudinal, Linguistic Analysis of Critical Thinking, Inquiry, and Communication Skills Development Among Second-Year Seminar Students

• In Event: Learning and Development Through Community Engagement and Group Learning

Abstract

Many postsecondary institutions offer first- and second-year seminar courses to promote retention, help students transition to college, and improve academic outcomes. This study examined the impact of a second-year seminar on learning outcomes of communication, inquiry, and critical thinking by analyzing student writing samples at two times points in a semester using LIWC text analysis software. Results found that students showed significant improvements in written communication, inquiry, and critical thinking skills as a result of the course. Results also indicated that improvements were most pronounced for women and first-generation college students, subgroups that performed significantly worse at the start of the semester. The findings have important implications for universities seeking to improve the second-year experience, and develop student’s learning outcomes.

Authors

• Yana S Ryjova, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Matthew L. Bernacki, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Nathan Slife, The University of Nevada, Las Vegas