2011-2012 SHC Student Experiences Survey

March 22, 2012Prepared by Dr. Jamie Franco-Zamudio

2011 SHC Student Experiences Survey

• Goal: To increase retention by examining the factors that affect Spring Hill College students’ satisfaction and commitment.

• Method: Franco-Zamudio solicited questions from faculty and staff at SHC in August and September of 2011.

• Once the online survey was constructed, the link was emailed to all SHC students enrolled in fall of 2011.

• Survey questions addressed – student expectations, – satisfaction with academics and social activities, – technological needs, – alcohol and drug use, – perceptions of campus safety, and – confidence in academic abilities.

2011 SHC Student Experiences SurveyQuestionnaire Development Team

• Questionnaire development: Joe Deighton, Dean of Students, Student Affairs; Margarita Perez, Associate Dean of Students, Student Affairs; George Sims, Provost, Academic Affairs; Theresa McGonagle-Crider, Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs; Ramona Hill, Vice-President for Enrollment Management; Dan Sepion, Director of Residential Life and Student Conduct, Housing; Lynda Olen, Counselor, Wellness Center; Brian Studebaker, Director, Admissions; Julie LaSalle, Director of Student Involvement, Student Affairs; Daniel Jesus Iglesias, Psychology, Student Researcher; and the Student Affairs Department.

• Research Assistants: Victoria Gonzalez, Daniel Jesus Iglesias, Olivia Garcia, Carolina Dominguez, and Emily Martin.

Method• Method: In January of 2012, Franco-Zamudio

trained research assistant, Gonzalez, to code the open-ended questions for common responses. Iglesias conducted similar analyses and the coding scheme was deemed appropriate.

• Gonzalez trained two research assistants to quantitatively code the open-ended questions for common themes.

• Franco-Zamudio analyzed the data; the frequencies and descriptive statistics are outlined in this report.

Participant Demographics

• Three hundred and eighty-two SHC students completed one or more sections of the survey between September and November of 2011.

• The demographic representation is in line with the SHC Common Data Set (2010-2011).

• The average age of the participants was 20 years (range 18-59).

Number Percentage

Gender Men 80 21% Women 262 69% Declined to state 40 10%Race/Ethnicity White/European-American 233 61% Black/African-American 68 18% Hispanic/Latino 23 6% Asian-American 6 2% Other 5 1% Declined to state 47 12%Additional Information

Commuters 61 16% Transfer Students 17 4% Students in Learning Communities 85 22%

Results: Academic Confidence • Students completed the 17-item Academic Self-

Efficacy Scale (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001; M=4.08, SD= .50). – Students indicated their level of agreement (1=

Strongly disagree to 5= Strongly agree) with statements such as, • “With the right amount of effort, I can overcome any

obstacles I might face in school;” • “I believe I have the ability to meet any demands placed on

me throughout the course of my studies;” “I know how to schedule my time to accomplish my schoolwork;” and • “I can understand a vast amount of academic information.”

– There were no significant differences in responses for gender or race/ethnicity.

Results: Student satisfaction • Students completed the 21-item Noel Levitz

Student Satisfaction Survey ( M=3.82, SD= .54). • Students indicated their level of agreement (1= Strongly

disagree to 5= Strongly agree) with statements such as, • “It is an enjoyable experience to be a student at SHC;” • “SHC staff and faculty show concern for students as

individuals;” • “Admission counselors accurately portray the campus in

their recruiting practices;” • “Living conditions in residence halls are comfortable;” and • “This campus is safe and secure for all students.”

– There were significant differences for gender, F(1, 338) =10.03, p< .01, with women (M=3.86, SD= .52) reporting greater satisfaction than men (M=3.65, SD= .55).

Student Satisfaction • Students also responded to a one-item question: “How

satisfied are you with your social life on campus?” Students indicated satisfaction on a 1 to 100-point feeling thermometer.

1100

• There were significicant differences for race/ethnicity, F(4, 329) =2.92, p= .05, with White/European-American students reporting greater satisfaction M=66.84, SD= 25.39) than Black/African-American students M=59.72, SD= 27.44).

What is the number one thing that students spend their time doing?*

• Homework (n=236)• Socializing (n=90)• Procrastinating (n=87)• Involvement in clubs or organizations (n=38)• Exercising (n=34)• Greek life (n=31)• Service (n=28)

*Students were instructed to rank order the choices listed above.

Favorite Social Activities

• Students’ favorite social activities were hanging out with friends (n=137), Greek activities (n=52), parties (n=51), and school-organized events (n=41).

• “Spring Hill is my home away from home and I

truly value being a part of the Spring Hill community and everything that comes with it.”

What would you like to see on campus?

• Football (n=7)• Concerts/ Music events (n=28)• Physical Activities (n=15)

– sports– games– intramurals – teams

• Lectures/ Speakers (n=2)• More Greek life events (n=7)• Movie nights (n=6)

• Laser tag/ dodge ball/ kick ball/ disc golf (games) (n=11)

• Food events (n=5)• Community service (n=3)• Cultural events (n=4)• Clubs (n=7)• Tailgate (n=3)• Formal dances (n=17)• Pep rallies (n=2)

Do you feel safe on campus? Why or why not?

Yes• Public Safety (n=94)• Community (n=33)• Gated/ enclosed campus (n=13)• “Closed” campus at night (n=6)• Quick response time from public

safety (n=5)• Good lighting (n=4)• Presence of RA’s (n=1)

No

• Car break-ins/jacking (n=40)• Recent assaults (n=33)• Lack of security presence (n=18)• Petty crimes/theft (n=15)• Trespassing and intrusion (n=7)• Not checking ID’s at gate (n=6)• Break- ins (n=6)• Ease of dormitory access (n=5)• Pests/ raccoons/ possums (n=5)• Speeding on roads (n=2)

RetentionSHC Student Experiences Survey Goal: To increase retention by examining the factors that affect Spring Hill College students’ satisfaction and commitment.

There were several reasons why students reported that they never considered leaving SHC (n=97)

• Sense of community• Perfect fit• Small campus size.

Only 4% (n=17) of the students reported that they are/were seriously considered leaving SHC.

RetentionWhile some students reported that the thought crossed their mind due to

– Cost (n=33)– Lack of a social life (n=19)– Homesickness (n=15)– Lack of course offerings (n=14)– School size (n=11)These same students reported that they would not leave because of

the• Friends/relationships/Community (n=30)• Level of academics (n=19)• Financial assistance (n= 16)• Greek life (n=10)• Professors (n=7)• Parental influence (n=4)• Athletics (n=3)