Louisiana Educational Research Association: An Examination of University Sophomore Students' Thriving Factors, Second-Year Experiences, and Student Success Outcomes

• In Event: The Consortium of State and Regional Educational Research Associations Distinguished Paper Session 4

Abstract

Most universities have focused retention efforts on the first-year of college; however, just as many students leave college between the second year and the third year (Berker, He, & Forest, 2002; Lipka 2006). The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) the level of thriving among sophomore students; (2) what sophomore students are experiencing during their second year of college including the frequency of those experiences and how they report their level of satisfaction with their experiences; (3) the relationship between sophomore students’ perceptions of Thriving Factors and students’ reported experiences; (4) the relationship between students’ perceptions of student success outcomes in relation to intent to graduate; (5) which Thriving Factors account for the greatest amount of impact on student success outcomes; and 6) which sophomore experiences account for the greatest amount of impact on student success outcomes. The overarching question for this study was: What is the relationship or impact of Thriving Factors, experiences, and success outcomes during the sophomore year of college.
Thriving is defined as engaged learning, academic determination, social connectedness, positive perspective, and diverse citizenship (Schreiner, 2010). “Thriving provides a broader definition of student success which focuses on academic success, but also recognizes the importance of relationships, perspectives, and psychological well-being for the students, which allows students to gain the maximum benefit from their college experience (Schreiner, 2010b). Thriving implies students are not just surviving and getting by in college, but they are also engaged intellectually, socially, and emotionally and are experiencing psychological well-being that contributes to their being successful in college and in life after college (Schreiner, Pothoven, Nelson, & McIntosh, 2009).  

Authors

• Margarita M. Perez, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

• Dianne F. Olivier, University of Louisiana at Lafayette