A comparison of the effects of major and interest specific orientation courses versus generic orientation courses /
This study compared the impact of major and interest specific orientation courses with generic orientation courses on two cohorts of entering college freshmen attending full-time at a Texas community college. The two measures used for this study were retention, measured by accumulation of college h...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1996.
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| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=739623421&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | This study compared the impact of major and interest specific orientation courses with generic orientation courses on two cohorts of entering college freshmen attending full-time at a Texas community college. The two measures used for this study were retention, measured by accumulation of college hours at the end of the second continuous semester, and achievement, measured by accumulated grade point average at the end of the second continuous semester. Curricular consistency was maintained by both groups using the same texts and regular focus meetings for all orientation course instructors. Students were placed in either generic courses or in interest or major specific courses if their declared majors or interests coincided with the interest or major specific courses offered. An analysis of covariance was performed to compare the success of the interest and major specific groups with the generic group for both retention and achievement. The covariate used was either the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) reading test Neither cohort had any interest or major specific groups that showed significantly greater achievement than the generic orientation group. Although neither cohort showed statistically perceptible differences, the group means of the interest or major specific groups were generally higher in both cohorts. Both cohorts had interest and major specific groups that showed greater retention than the generic group. In the 1993/94 cohort, the academic group had statistically significant greater retention than the generic group. In the 1994/95 cohort, two groups had statistically significant greater retention than the generic group. Most of the interest and major specific groups from both cohorts had higher adjusted mean averages than the generic groups. A faculty survey done to investigate the practices and attitudes of instructors teaching the interest or major specific courses revealed that instructors employed a variety of instructional approaches, but every instructor was interested in students understanding the culture of the major or interest that they were pursuing. Most instructors initiated a high level of student involvement in the interest and major specific orientation classes that they taught. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction". |
| Physical Description: | xi, 93 leaves ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 83-92. |