Participation in an Extended Orientation Course and Its Relationship with Student Involvement, Student Satisfaction, Academic Performance, and Student Retention

The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal impact of the First-Year Experience (FYE) course at Florida State University on student involvement, student satisfaction, academic performance, and student retention. Student data was collected on the 1999 and 2001 First-Time-In-College (FTIC) students at the university. Grade point averages and enrollment records were compared between students who enrolled in the course and students who did not enroll in the course. T-tests revealed mixed results with regard to academic performance. 1999 FYE students had lower grade point averages than students who did not enroll in the course in all five of the semesters examined. The results reached statistical significance in one of the semesters examined. Within the 2001 cohort, FYE students had a higher grade point average than non-FYE students in the one semester examined. This difference did not reach statistical significance. White FYE students maintained higher grade point averages than African American and Hispanic FYE students in both cohorts. Chi-square analyses demonstrated that FYE students in both the 1999 and 2001 cohorts had higher retention rates than students who did not enroll in the course. Differences in retention rates were significant in each semester examined with the exception of one semester for the 1999 cohort. African American and Hispanic FYE students demonstrated higher retention rates than White FYE students over a one-year period. Using data from the College student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ), two-way ANOVAs were calculated to examine the impact of the course on the involvement of FYE students based on year enrolled in course and gender. Results demonstrated that 1999 students were significantly more involved in course learning activities and experiences with faculty than 2001 FYE students. Women scored significantly higher than men in course learning activities, writing experiences, personal experiences, and information shared in conversation. In examining student satisfaction, 1999 FYE students had higher satisfaction with their college experiences and with the institution than 2001 FYE students. Men had higher opinions about their experiences and the institution than women. White students had a more favorable opinion of their experiences and the institution than Hispanic and African American students.