The Second Year Experience: More than just a re-mix

Nora AllenAssistant Director for Advisor Development

Undergraduate Affairs, Office of Advising Practice

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Group work

Overview of student development

Second-year psyche

Issues that face second-year students

Compare and contrast by institutional type

Programs and interventions

Q&A

Second-year vs. Sophomore

Sophomore is marked by an arbitrary collection of credit hours

Some students come in with enough credits to be a sophomore

Some students don’t have enough credits to be a sophomore after the first year

Cause of stress

Group Time!

What were your experiences as a second-year student?

How did the second year differ from the first year?

What theory can do for you….

Explain and chart student growth and development

Guide programs, policies, and procedures

Explain student attrition

The main questions that development seeks to answer….. What interpersonal and intrapersonal

changes occur while the student is in college?

What factors lead to development?

What aspects of the college environment foster or hamper growth?

What are the developmental outcomes institutions seek to achieve?

According to Knefelkamp, Widick, & Parker (1978)

Tinto’s model of student departure Pre-entry variables: aptitude, abilities,

background

Institutional interactions that modify the pre-entry variables

Level of commitment to goals and institution

Motivation

Student Development Phases in Higher Education

Allen 2005 Acculturation

Crystallization

Immersion

Mastery, Completion, Closure

Acculturation

Pre-entry variables

External focus: distracted by demands of new environment

Expectations vs. reality

May not be ready for serious planning and goal setting

Social Organizational Stages as Applied to Students

Yarbrough, B., and Brown, M.H.

(2003). Anticipatory

Encounter

Metamorphosis

Crystallization

Internal conflict

Why am I here?

Disillusioned

More settled and looking for direction

Advising, career, financial planning are critical

Now what?!?!?!

Competencies

Values

Motivation

Cost/benefit

Choices

Molly Schaller’s Stages of the Sophomore Year Random exploration

Focused exploration

Tentative choices

Commitment

Lemons & Richmond (1987)

Applied Chickering’s vectors to second-year students• Achieving competence• Developing autonomy• Establishing identity• Developing purpose

Crisis and Conflict

Erikson (1969): concept of crisis and commitment

Parks (1986): faculty serve as center for conflict by challenging students to move beyond set worldview; faculty assist students in working to rebuild belief systems

What is Sophomore Slump?

Lemons & Richmond (1987) define the slump as a period of confusion

Feldman & Newcomb (1969) define the slump as a time of dissatisfaction with college and self

Lack of involvement and motivation

Pattengale’s (2000) Categories:

Academic

Developmental

Institutional

Academic

Not committed to a major

Forced to choose a major too soon

More difficult curriculum

Competition for grades

No “Plan B”

Loss of scholarship

Delayed consequences of negative behavior

Disconnect between general education and major

Weed out

Developmental

Uncertain about life goals

Cost/benefit

What am I here

Lack of support

Co-curricular issues

Honeymoon period is over

Career and academic advising

Financial concerns

Institutional

No connection to the institution

Bad experiences

Fiscal mismanagement

Housing loss

Value fit

Support

Transition into major doesn’t pick up where first-year initiatives left off

Student Learning Outcomes

What do you want students to:KnowDoValue

Look for common themes, categories, or groupings:AcademicDevelopmentalInstitutional

Who are your students?

Type of institution

Student characteristics/demographics

Student sub-groups

Public vs. Private (Juillerat, 2000) Private

• High expectations• Issues related to academic excellence• Connected to campus experience; pride in campus• Value opportunities for self exploration

Public• High value on services• Financial aid and billing policies• Faculty availability• Advising• Registration process; availability of courses; course

offerings• Intramurals• Library staff• Health services• Parking

Program Suggestions

Pattengale• Sophomore orientation in each major• Intentional support• Study abroad, internships, service learning• General Education • Leadership opportunities; campus work opportunities

Beloit College: Second-Year Initiative

Colorado College: Sophomore Jump Program

Colgate: Second-Year Experience

Kennesaw State: Year 2• Second-year seminar• Support to connect with major, navigate gen. ed.,

plug into campus resources, closely monitor progress• Sophomore peer leaders

Group Time Re-Mix

What are the issues that face second-year students at UofL?

What policies, procedures and programs could help or hamper student success?

How can Academic and Student Affairs collaborate to foster second-year success?

Put it into practice….

Review services and programs

Look at policy and procedure

Examine daily practice

Identify who needs assistance

Don’t simply repackage first-year programs

References

Chickering, A.W., & Reisser, L. 1993 (2nd edition). Education and identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Erikson, E. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton. Feldman, K. A., & Newcomb, T.M. (1969). The impact of college on students.

Washington, DC: Jossey-Bass. Juillerat, S. (2000). Assessing the expectations and satisfaction levels of

sophomores: How are they unique? In Schreiner, L. A., & Pattengale, J. (Eds.). (2000). Visible solutions for invisible students: Helping sophomores succeed. (Monograph No. 31). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Lemons, L. J., & Richmond, D. R. (1987, Winter). A developmental perspective of the sophomore slump. NASPA Journal, 24 (3), 15-19.

Pattengale, J. (2007). Policy and practice to enhance sophomore success. In Tobolowsky, B. F., & Cox, B. E. (Eds.). (2007). Shedding light on sophomores: An exploration of the second college year. (The First Year Experience Monograph Series). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Schaller, M.A. (2006, Nov.). Complexities in understanding the experience of sophomore students. Plenary address at the 13th National Conference on Students in Transition. St. Louis, MO.

Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Yarbrough, B. & Brown, M.H. (2003). Understanding organizational socialization: Insight for academic advisors. NACADA Journal. 23 (1&2), 66-73.