Pre-College Characteristics and Freshman Year Experiences as Predictors of 8-Year College Outcomes. AIR 2000 Annual Forum Paper.

This study examined 12 educational outcomes for a group of undergraduate students who began their freshman year in fall 1990. Data came from: the 1990 Entering Student Survey (student characteristics, academic skills, study habits and plans); the 1990-91 Freshman Outcomes Survey (family support, study habits, faculty/staff contact, social and classroom experiences, academic plans, academic/personal growth, and school satisfaction); and the 1998 Student Information Records System (grade point average, credits, departure status, and degree obtained). Data were combined to explore relationships among pre-college characteristics, freshman year experiences, freshman year outcomes, and long-term educational outcomes, including self-reported growth and objective performance records. Researchers developed intellectual, personal, and overall growth measures from lists of specific skills self-reported by students concerning their own growth at the university. The study investigated what led to positive outcomes in the freshman year and which of the pre-college and freshman year variables were most influential in predicting longer-term outcomes assessed by the 8-year college history. Results indicated that freshman college experiences were better predictors of outcome than were pre-college characteristics. Classroom experiences, faculty relations, and peer relations were the most influential predictors of subsequent outcomes. (Contains 9 references.) (SM)