Resilience in First Year Students

Steven Johnson

School of Physical Sciences

34th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience

National Resource Center for First-Year Experience and Students in Transition

University of South Carolina

National Resource CenterCore Commitments•Student Transitions: •Critical junctures in the educational pipeline• First year of college, sophomore year, transfer experience, degree completion, and new graduate student experiences

www.sc.edu/fye

National Resource CenterCore Commitments•Connection Between Research and Practice: •Good practice in higher education must rely upon a foundation of high-quality research

www.sc.edu/fye

National Resource CenterCore Commitments•Inclusion:

•Create a supportive and professional environment where a diversity of viewpoints are recognized and considered•Cut across traditional boundaries in higher education and involve professionals from multiple sectors of education, institutional roles, and disciplinary perspectives as well as from a variety of personal backgrounds, institutional environments, and educational experiences www.sc.edu/fye

National Resource CenterCore Commitments•Collaboration:•Aims to create intentional and integrative connections between colleagues, units, organizations, systems, educational sectors, regions, and countries in support of student transition and success

www.sc.edu/fye

National Resource CenterCore Commitments•Lifelong Learning:• We support a climate of intellectual curiosity• All educators continue to be lifelong learners

www.sc.edu/fye

National Resource CenterCore Commitments•Student Transitions•Connection Between Research and Practice •Inclusion•Collaboration•Lifelong Learning

 

www.sc.edu/fye

12 – Item Grit Scale

Angela DuckworthAssistant Professor-PsychologyUniversity of Pennsylvania

Scoring: 1. For questions 1, 4, 6, 9, 10 and 12 assign the following points: 5 = Very much like me 4 = Mostly like me 3 = Somewhat like me 2 = Not much like me 1 = Not like me at all

2. For questions 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 11 assign the following points: 1 = Very much like me 2 = Mostly like me 3 = Somewhat like me 4 = Not much like me 5 = Not like me at all

Add up all the points and divide by 12. The maximum score on this scale is 5 (extremely gritty), and the lowest scale on this scale is 1 (not at all gritty).

Duckworth, A.L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M.D., & Kelly, D.R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1087-1101.

ResultsPercentile Men

(N = 4,169)Women

(N = 6,972)10 2.50 2.50

20 2.83 2.88

30 3.06 3.13

40 3.25 3.25

50 3.38 3.50

60 3.54 3.63

70 3.75 3.79

80 3.92 4.00

90 4.21 4.25

100 5.00 5.00

What about current freshmen?

•American FreshmanNational Norms 2014

•Higher Education Research Institution at UCLA

•Average high school grade above C – 99%

• Expect B average – 66%

•Earn advanced degree – 76%

•Overwhelmed – 34%

•Depressed – 10%

•CHEM 116 below C – 33%

•Empathy and a whole lot of patience!•Empathetic recall 1st semester freshman

•Lived where•With whom•Clothes, friends, music•World events•Favorite class•Big challenges•Personal events

Norway CurrentFreshman Semester Ends - Since 1802

Steve Johnson’s dad is going to be pissed

Norway’s crown prince of achievement falters in first semester at Northern Michigan University.

In only his first semester at NMU, Steven Johnson of Norway, Michigan, has managed to sufficiently lower his GPA to be placed on academic probation. The student attributes his fall from grace largely to a lack of college preparedness, no grit and excess alcohol experimentation. Experts are largely split in whether Johnson will be able to rebound from his early struggles.

•I changed my major•“Pre-Medicine”•Nursing•Education•BS in Biochemistry 2002•Ph.D. in Chemistry 2010

•Contact Mr/Mrs/Dr SoandSo

•Stanford – The Resiliency Project•Get connected•Get support•Get involved•News & research•Inspiration

Developing Character

•Moving forward•Get snapshot of student body

•Chemistry versus campus wide

•Survey of effectiveness•Maintain PMAs•Pull those teeth – 740 to date•Emphasize:

•Complete self Mind, body, soul