Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

In Their Own Words: An Online Strategy for Increasing Stress-Coping Skills among College Freshmen

2010; Project Innovation Austin; Volume: 44; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

2691-3887

David R. Earnest, William O. Dwyer,

Online and Blended Learning

Student retention has become a common problem in higher education. This study involved design and evaluation of a prototype Website that allowed university students to listen to challenges and stressors faced by college freshman and solutions they used to overcome those challenges as told by other college students. The purpose of this In Their Own Words approach was to reduce freshman attrition by having peers give new or prospective students a preview of academic and social stressors typically encounter in college and strategies for dealing with them. Survey results are presented along with a discussion of potential implications for increasing retention by reducing stress and anticipatory stress among students entering college for first time. ********** With exception of more selective colleges and universities, problem of student retention has become a major issue in American higher education. Nationally, baccalaureate graduation rate is only 57% (Horn, 2006), a situation that leads to a reduced skill set for American workforce, especially in critical areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The National Science Foundation (2004) estimates that half of economic growth in America over last half-century was a result of these disciplines (See also Babco, 2004). Indeed, it is rare to find a college or university that does not have a formal program in place to increase retention and graduation rates. The list of these initiatives is extensive: recruiter presentations, campus visits, orientation sessions, Websites, brochures, Big Sisters and Brothers, counseling facilities, mentoring, traditional previews and Introduction to College classes, to name a few. The current study sought to investigate potential of a new type of initiative based on ideas behind realistic previews. Research indicates that largest component of retention problem involves new students leaving before their second year (Tinto, 1993). Researchers analyzing issue of freshman retention have concluded that departure rate is caused largely by academic and social stressors encountered by students as they attempt to adapt to college environment. (See: Tinto, 1993, for a detailed discussion.) These findings support contention that enhancing student focus and reducing negative effects of academic and social stressors on first-year college students would increase university retention rates. Stress can be defined as negative emotional/physical state that results from being exposed to a threat, (e.g., inability to avoid a penalty or punisher or obtain a reward) (Palmer, 2003). As defined by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, stress is the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when requirements of do not match capabilities, resources, needs of workers (as cited in Palmer, 2003, p. 134). Thus, stressors can be thought of as conditions, contexts, or incidents that cause stress response. Any organization, including academic institutions, will contain its share of stressors. Students, whose job it is to complete university courses, are certainly subject to becoming victims of stress. Students may also experience anticipatory stress (Gold & Friedman, 2000); that is, stress prompted by concerns about future stressors and fear of unknown that these young adults may encounter as they enter college environment. The question is whether some additional experiences and opportunities for knowledge gain before or during their initial semester at school could be made available that might serve to inoculate students and mitigate such concerns to point where student retention is increased. Whether they are experiencing current stress or anticipatory stress, student decisions about whether to remain in college can be affected by their level of stress coping adaptability. …