Dimensions of Expectations: How It Breaks Freshman Myth

• In Event: Learning and Development Through Engagement

Abstract

New college students’ actual engagement usually falls short of their expectations. This phenomenon is referred to as freshman myth. Due to the gap between the expected and actual engagement, investigations about their association at the average level may conceal the true relationship. In the current study, we pay special attention to the variation of expectations. Using longitudinal student survey data from a national sample, we explore how the variation of expectations influences the association of the expected and actual engagement of first-year college students. The preliminary results revealed that, at the same expectation level, entering college students who had more varied expectations were more likely to fulfill their expected engagement in the first academic year.

Authors

• Lanlan Mu, Indiana University - Bloomington

• James S. Cole, Indiana University