I’ll be there for yoouuuu

The role of friendships supporting student transition

Structure

• Friendship & Social integration

• An ice breaker

• HERE Project findings into the impact of friendship on student doubters

• Discussion

Friendships & social integration

• Why important

• “Students tend to change their values , behavior and academic plans in the direction of the dominant orientation of their peer group.”

• Astin (1993)

• Institutional habitus presented through behaviours of students

• Do we collude with low expectations?

Friendships in retention

• Tinto (1993)

• Students are more likely to remain if they are integrated into the institution– Academic sphere– Social sphere

• Combination of prior factors– Education, background, goals etc

• Transition obviously more than retention

• Retention evidence is potentially stronger for social integration– Christie, Munro & Fisher (2004) leavers – more problems making friends– Castles (2004) – support (from anyone) most important predictor of persistence

Where are friends made?

• Halls

• Braxton & Hirschy (2004) Halls most important environment for making friends

• Wilcox, Winn & Fyvie-Gauld (2005) – not being in halls creates barrier to making friendships– Can’t break into cliques– Impact on retention

Perceptions of being a student

• Kuh – no single student identity

• Kember, Li & Lee – associations very local level (groups, programme & outwards)

• But

• Holdsworth (2006)– Strong stereotypes of what a student is– When don’t fit image, can lead to othering

What is a student?

• Welcome Week Survey (October 2009)

• What words or phrases come to mind when we use the word ‘student’?

• 1059 students  

• 398 mention intellect/ education

• 321 mention social life

• 278 mention money

• 154 mention alcohol

• Two student anecdotes

Icebreaker

• M&M Game

• Free sweeties– Toilet roll version

The HERE Project

• One of seven projects funded by HEFCE/ Paul Hamlyn Foundation

• What Works? Student Success & Retention

• Two threads– Student doubters– Programme level actions

Ice breakers

Workshop Outcomes

• Explore some of the friendship-making processes for new students

• Harpoon course cheese and wine events

• Explore strategies for developing friendships within the course

• Discuss ways of improving friendships for new students

• We may even have a go at some favourite icebreakers

Friendship making

• Why is friendship making important?– Tinto’s model of transition– Destination retention– Journey across two domains

• Academic• Social

– Thomas (2002) increases robustness – friends can insulate students against ‘knocks’

– Percy – space to feel comfortable

– Role in retention

The Rules

• For every sweet chosen

• one idea/ thing that will help engender friendships

• Red/ Brown: During induction

• Yellow: After Christmas

• Blue: in a lecture

• Orange: for students not in halls

• Green: in the Course

• Write it down on post-its and discuss

• 10 minutes

The HERE Project

• One of 7 projects funded by HEFCE/ PHF

• What Works? Student Retention & Success

• NTU, Bournemouth & Bradford

• Two areas

• Why do more students have doubts than leave? What can we learn from the doubters?

• Why is there variation between rates of retention amongst ostensibly similar programmes?

Transitions Survey (March – May 2009)

• NTU 656 respondents

• 37% doubters – 16 eventual withdrawals– More female doubters, more male withdrawers– Doubters tended to score the experience more lowly

• Why doubt?– 263 responses from 219 students– 112 told us it was course related– 38 student lifestyle

Why did doubters stay?

• 198 responses from 171 doubters

• 55 cite Friends & family– Friends at university most important subgroup– Wilcox, Winn & Fyvie-Gauld

• University friends become increasingly important over time

• Then future goals and ambitions

• Determination/ other personal factors

Focus groups

• 21 participants in small groups

• 1 control group of non-doubters

• Non-doubters– Felt they belonged– “I think it starts when you walk down the street and you see someone and you

go ‘hey … I know them from university’ and it made me feel like I belonged’

• Non doubters less satisfied with friendships– “Our course is mainly group work, a lot of friendship groups had already been

formed and trying to fit in afterwards” was hard – (similar to Wilcox, Winn & Fyvie-Gauld)

• Frustration with peers drinking & partying

Welcome Week

• Change of culture away from Freshers– Programme of social activity– Change induction programmes

• Opportunities to make friends

• Good pre-arrival communication

• To be reminded about future goals and benefits of the course

• To gain some understanding about what learning and teaching would be like

• To have a reasonable timetable

Friendship strategies

• Pre-arrival message boards

• Fresher reps in halls

• Meeting places for Mature, International & Local students

• Wider range of activities (ghost walk, go ape etc)

• Ice breakers

• Small group work

• Independent learning

• Battering down % of lectures

• No cheese & wine

• Increase seminars and small group activity

Second Activity

• Post it notes

• Take a look

• Have a think about 1 activity that you can/ could embed

• We’ll share some ideas at the end

Conclusion (FWIW)

• Friendships can act as a insulator against the knocks

• Opportunities can be manufactured– And for non-traditional students, should be

• May also be important as a route to changing expectations and habitus