Individual Qualitative Research Assignment

A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Sophomore Year Experience

by Mark Hartley

EDUC 712: Introduction to Qualitative Methodology

Dr. Louis Rodriguez

June 12, 2015

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Introduction

Framing the Problem and Purpose of the Study

Each fall, universities across the country roll out the proverbial “red carpet” in an effort

to welcome incoming freshmen and transfer students to campus. Rightfully so. The move from

high school, or community college, to a four-year institution can be a huge transition with

tremendous stress and anxiety attached to it. However, what about the transition from the first

year of college to the second? While in most cases, the transition is confined to the same

institution, the landscape has changed considerably. New expectations and challenges, coupled

with less support and guidance can make for a challenging year. The word “sophomore” in

Greek literally translates into “wise fool.” Sadly, university administrators have historically

failed to see the need to create sustainable programs, workshops, or interventions for these

second-year students.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and describe the lived

experience of several sophomore students, who are nearing the end of the second-year of college

at a mid-sized, regional university in southern California. The primary question for this research

study is “How do sophomore students describe the support they have received towards

graduation during their second-year of college?” The secondary question is “What ways, if any,

have sophomore students been informed of High Impact Practices (HIPs)?” By identifying

qualitative data from students in their second year of college, the researcher will be able to assess

whether or not additional programs are needed for sophomore students at this institution.

High Impact Practices (HIPs) were introduced by Dr. George Kuh in his 2008 article for

the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ publication. Kuh’s research suggests that

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the ten HIPs have the potential to increase rates for both student retention and student

engagement. It is the researcher’s belief that if sophomore students are exposed to HIPs early in

their second year, they will have a more fulfilling and rewarding college experience, while

graduating in four years at a higher rate than students not exposed to HIPs.

Review of the Literature

This phenomenological qualitative research project seeks to understand the experiences

of three sophomore student in the context of the sophomore slump (a term coined by Freedman

in 1956) and the stagnation some second-year students feel during college. Peguesse states, “The

effort to establish and enhance initiatives for sophomores requires a reallocation of focus more

than any reallocation of institutional resources (2008, p. 5).” In this study, the researcher hopes

to gain some insights into the resources sophomores currently have access to and their use of

those resources. Based on the interviews and findings, the researcher hopes to inform the

institution about areas where a “reallocation of focus” might be most beneficial.

In his recent work, Leaving College, Tinto (2012) developed a framework attempting to

explain a student’s decision to leave a university. Tinto argued that the decision to leave a

university came from a long process; it was not usually an impulse decision. He inferred that the

student’s decision to depart was influenced by the way the student was intellectually and socially

integrated into the university setting. Positive experiences within the university experience

encouraged the student to complete his or her education, and negative experiences weakened his

or her intention to stay. This begs the question, “Are universities creating positive environments

where today’s college students feel they are being integrated into their new community?”

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Tinto (2012) also noted that each student came to the university setting from various

family and community backgrounds as well as differing financial situations, skills,

temperaments, and educational backgrounds which could affect the student’s decision to stay or

leave the university setting. For example, if a student did not learn the skills in high school

required to be successful in college, and faced an overabundance of remedial courses, the student

may decide the university is too difficult and leave. Likewise, if academic coursework was not

challenging enough, the student may choose to leave the university in search of more rigorous

coursework.

When students return their second year, they are giving a vote of confidence to their

university and electing to pursue their degree rather than seeking other options or other

institutions. However, their decision to stay needs to be supported by the institution rather than

taken for granted. The university has a responsibility to provide resources to second-year

students in a manner which supports their academic, and personal, best interests. It would make

sense that the university would give a vote of confidence back to the student by investing in on-

going educational programs, which reinforces the student’s desire to obtain a diploma from that

institution. Sadly, this is not the case on most college campuses. VanValkenburg (2013) states,

“In recent years, colleges and universities have made improvements in assisting students to

transition to the university community during their first year on campus, but often times this

support fades away once students move into their sophomore and junior years.” While less

resources are the trend for sophomores, Peguesse (2008) suggests additional programs for second

year students by asserting, “As sophomores make decisions about majors and life directions, a

Sophomore Year Experience (SYE) program could help them sort through and thoroughly

explore what their values and beliefs are, and guide them toward the appropriate majors (p.4).”

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Social science researchers Lemons and Richmond (1987) examined the phenomenon

known as the “sophomore slump,” a phase during the college years when students often feel

depressed, frustrated, anxious, or dissatisfied. They suggest three strategies for helping students:

1) developing special programs, 2) developing mentoring relationships, and 3) providing

individual counseling. At the same time, they encourage student affairs professionals to

recognize the existence of the sophomore slump and stress the importance of supporting these

students. An increasingly popular method of support amongst small, Liberal Arts colleges is the

training and implementation of High Impact Practices, by embedding them into the curricular

and the culture of the university.

Listed below are the suggested High Impact Practices recommended and endorsed by the

Association of American Colleges and Universities from George Kuh’s (2008) work:

1. First Year Seminars and Experiences2. Common Intellectual Experiences3. Learning Communities4. Writing-Intensive Courses5. Collaborative Assignments and Projects6. Undergraduate Research

7. Diversity/Global Learning8. Service Learning, Community-Based

Learning9. Internships10. Capstone Courses and Projects

High Impact Practices (HIPs) have been well researched in the literature. Kilgo et al (2014, p.13)

concluded that HIPs have far reaching implications regarding student development and learning.

Their study showed that the two most impactful of the ten HIPs were Undergraduate Research

and Collaborative Assignments and Projects. Kilgo went on to say, “Institutions should therefore

be intentional about incorporating good practice into the facilitation of high-impact practices to

promote maximal student learning (p.13).” It is the researcher’s hope to provide his university

with sound qualitative data to help them develop policies, which institutionalize HIPs for

increased student engagement, retention and a sense of community.

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Today’s sophomore students are looking for a place to call home. Theories such as

McMillan and Chavis’ (1986) Sense of Community show students need a place to belong

somewhere in university community. The theory states that one’s sense of community, or what

an individual needs from community, is comprised of four components: 1) Membership, 2)

Influence, 3) The Integrating and Fulfillment of Needs, and 4) A Shared Emotional Connection.

Sophomore Year Experience (SYE) Programs have the potential to fulfill all four categories

during a crucial time of transition for students’ overall success.

Currently, the researcher’s campus does not have an established SYE Program and only

eight years ago was a mandatory orientation program put into place for freshmen and transfer

students. As a result, the “community” is just now being established, which can be detrimental to

all students, but especially first-generation college students. Wang and Kennedy-Phillips (2013)

ask the question, “What factors contribute to the academic and social involvement of second-

year college students?” Their findings suggest that first-generation sophomores…need to further

take advantage of the resources, support, and various socialization forms, such as faculty and

peer interactions available at the university. Helping first-generation students engage more in

such socializations may promote sophomore success.

One major challenge facing this host university is its limited academic communities

where students can engage faculty on a regular basis. When facing new academic challenges,

secondyear students may disengage from their academic life (Pattengale & Schreiner, 2000) and

exist in their own sphere “counter to the academic path of the engaged learning” (Gardner, 2000,

p.73). In theory, the implementation of HIPs on a college campus suffering from low academic

engagement can assist in mitigating this obstacle. Although an increasing number of studies have

focused on various issues surrounding sophomores, such as career planning (Anderson &

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Schreiner, 2000; Foubert, Nixon, Sisson, & Barnes, 2005), achievement (Pattengale & Schreiner,

2000), and attrition (Vuong, BrownWelty, & Tracz, 2010), research is scant on what is related to

secondyear students’ involvement and how to involve them better. Although research has

produced important knowledge on what predicts involvement (e.g., Cabrera, Nora, & Castaneda,

1993; Lundberg, Schreiner, Hovaguimian, & Miller, 2007), little empirical focus has been placed

on predictors beyond demographics. More important, few studies have dealt with the issue of

sophomore involvement and their belief in themselves to succeed at the college level.

Rooted in Bandura’s (1986) selfefficacy theory, academic self-efficacy is defined as

individuals’ confidence in their ability to succeed academically (Schunk, 1991). Both

psychological attributes are presumed to be positively related to secondyear students’

involvement in the social and academic spheres of their college life. Research has long suggested

that an optimal level of involvement in academic and social activities positively affects student

development and outcomes (e.g., Astin, 1984; Bean, 1986; Tinto, 1993). According to Pattengale

and Schreiner (2000), institutions tend to believe that if they have succeeded in retaining students

after the first year, they should start focusing on the next incoming freshman cohort. As a result,

the second year is often a time when institutions fail to allocate support to students. However,

sophomores may be overwhelmed by discrepancies between their expectations and the realities

of college and may be less likely than students at other levels to be actively involved in college

(Gardner, 2000).

The researcher aims to add to the current literature by gaining an understanding of the

lived experience of sophomore students. He hopes to gain a sense of their most immediate

academic needs and desires as it relates to graduating in a punctual fashion, while at the same

time developing meaningful skills and networks which will aide in their career aspirations. This

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will be done by conducting interviews of students at the host campus. The researcher also hopes

to use the literature review to shape the concept for this project in order to gain a deeper

understanding of the development of the sophomore year experience. He used the literature to

design the methodology of this qualitative study.

Methodology

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to better understand the issues

surrounding the current sophomore year experience and the experience of three second-year

students. Based on the findings, and in an effort to bring national best practices to this campus,

the researcher plans to introduce High Impact Practices (HIPs) as an intervention tool in order to

significantly increase retention from year two to year three for students.

This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to understanding the

sophomore year. A phenomenological approach is a study of an individual, or groups, lived

experience as told by that person (Moustakas, 1994; Marshall & Rossman, 1995; Creswell,

1998). Colaizzi (1978) held that the success of phenomenological research questions depends on

the extent to which the questions touch lived experiences distinct from theoretical explanations.

Exploring a student’s self-efficacy during his or her sophomore year can give valuable insight to

go along with the quantitative data already available in the literature.

The researcher believes that students who involve themselves in two or more HIPs will

be retained at higher rates than students involved in one or less HIPs. Therefore, the research

questions are, 1) How do sophomore students describe the support they have received towards

graduation during their second-year of college, and 2) What ways, if any, have sophomore

students been informed of High Impact Practices (HIPs)?

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The participants in this study were three sophomore females of varying majors,

hometowns, backgrounds, and interests. The students were all part of the campus’ fraternity and

sorority community, but not the same organization. All three students currently live off-campus

and only one of them lived on campus during her freshman year. The campus is in a large, yet

low-income metropolis city in southern California. The university is a Hispanic Serving

Institution, where seventy percent of the incoming freshmen class is in need of remedial English,

remedial Math, or both. Sixty-five percent of the student body is female, and 53% is Hispanic.

The campus serves nearly 19,000 students and is part of the one of the largest state school

systems in the country. This site was selected because it is a growing campus, who has a very

good (89%) retention rate from year one to year two. However, the retention rate from year two

to year three (72%) is not as strong. As a result, the research questioned the cause for the drop

off in retention.

Data Collection Procedure

The researcher interviewed the subjects individually in a relatively remote

location on campus, to eliminate any transportation challenges. Each subject was offered five

dollars to conduct the 15-minute interview and a time was set up for later that afternoon. The

subjects were given a written list of the general questions being posed during the 15-minute

session. The researcher began the interview by giving a brief statement about the nature of the

research, the confidentiality of the responses, and the right to not answer any question deemed

inappropriate for the study. All subjects agreed to the terms. Eleven open ended questions were

asked of the participants, with follow up questions asked to clarify and bracket the interviewees’

responses.

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Each interview lasted less than 15-minutes, and the subjects were given $5.00 at the

conclusion of the interview. The interviews were recorded digitally on a hand-held device and

transcribed within 48-hours of the interview by the researcher. The digital recorder is being kept

in a locked drawer until the end of the Spring Quarter, at which time the files will be

permanently erased to protect the identity of the subjects. Pseudonyms have been used for all

three subjects and their sororities.

According to Creswell, the researcher used an open coding technique to categorize the

major themes and information in the interview (2013, p.86). NVivo10 qualitative data analysis

software was used to code and sort the interview responses according to themes. The researcher

also hand coded the themes in case there were technical difficulties. During the interview, the

researcher conducted member checking, or paraphrasing the main points stated by the subjects.

Member checking was done for two specific reasons, 1) to build rapport with the subject, and 2)

as a way to validate the accuracy of the responses and the interpretation by the researcher. This

study was an attempt to explore a lived experience with a “fresh set of eyes.” As a student affairs

professional, who works with college students on a daily basis, it was necessary for the

researcher to acknowledge and attempt to bracket the sophomore year experiences with an

unbiased approach.

The researcher is a full-time professional staff member of the university in which the

interviews were conducted. He has more than 16 years of higher education experience. The

researcher has also been very involved with freshmen and transfer orientation programs for the

past eight years. In an effort to understand and explain the sophomore year experience, he felt it

necessary to listen to students reflect as their second year of college was coming to an end.

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Data Analysis/Discussion

Data Analysis

On June 1, 2015, the researcher met individually with three sophomore students. Over the

course of the discussion, three solid themes emerged from the interviewees’ answers. The themes

were 1) Feelings of being left out, 2) Support, or lack of support, from the university, and 3)

Being unaware or lacking information about university programs, events, and processes. Emily,

Hannah, and Amy were interviewed in a one-on-one setting and were unaware of each other’s

responses.

Textual Description of the Sophomore Year Experience

Theme # 1: Feeling Left Out

One of the big concerns in the literature is that sophomore students complain of feeling lost and left out of the university’s plans. Amy expressed these thoughts when she was asked if she felt valued by her university:

No, because I feel like we sophomores are like the forgotten students. We’re just there (Amy Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 1).

Emily expressed similar feelings when asked about her experience at the university thus far.

My first year was pretty awesome, although my roommate didn’t show up right away and then only stayed for a couple of months so I was alone. I was in an all-girls hall and, I don’t know, they didn’t like to talk very much, but I went to everything, you know all of the different events on campus and I’m a Delta Sigma (Emily Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 1).

Emily went on to say that she moved off campus her sophomore year and felt disconnected to the University, but didn’t see herself moving back on campus in the future. While Emily recognized that her involvement was attributed to her sorority and she joined her sorority because she lived on campus, she could not make the connection between living on campus and being more involved with the university. She gave the credit to her sorority rather than the University for providing her with an on-campus living experience. Had she remained on campus during her sophomore year, she might have found an equal level of involvement, or at least less of a feeling of being left out.

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Theme # 2: Support, or Lack of Support, from the University

When students were asked varying questions about the level of support the University provided them during their sophomore year, they mostly responded that the support had dropped off significantly during their second year compared to their first. Even though they were in need of as much help during their sophomore year as during their freshmen year. Amy had this to say:

They provided less [support] because I was an EOP freshmen and they used to check on me a lot, like twice a quarter, and like now I’m not part of EOP no more, well I am part of EOP, but the only time they check on me now is by letter at the end of each quarter. They send me a congratulations letter each quarter for getting above a 3.0 (Amy Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 2).

Amy went on to express that she wished the University would check in with her via phone or in person at least once per quarter. The congratulatory letters are nice, but human interaction is what is missing in her opinion.

When Hannah was asked the same question, she said there was less support from the university; however, she did feel that students would not take advantage of sophomore year programs, even if they were offered. This exchange between the researcher and Hannah is very telling about the dilemma the University finds itself in when considering SYE programs.

Researcher: So think back to when you were in SOAR [Student Orientation, Advising, & Registration – mandatory freshmen orientation program]. Basically, the red carpet was rolled out for you, the drum line, big festivities, two-day overnight program, all that kind of stuff. When you came back as a sophomore, was there anything for you? And should there be, should there be like a sophomore year SOAR?

Hannah: I feel like a lot of students would feel like it was a hassle. The sophomores just want to be left alone. Maybe there needs to be more guidance, ‘cause I just went to my mentor, but we feel like there’s so much more to know, so much further to go. We’re kind of in that in between stage where we have so much future to go and we feel like we just put our foot in the water. At least that’s how I feel. So, I don’t know maybe like they need to change their major and they have some sort of thing where they can find out what’s available for them and learn more about areas where they can go forward with. I mean. I’m not normal, most people don’t stay with their same major the whole time while they’re in college [like I am]. So something like that would even be good, so it’s not exactly like SOAR. I just think it would be more of a hassle if it were required.

Researcher: Ok, so if it were just optional, do you think people would go?

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Hannah: Aaaah..Yeah, you’re right.

Researcher: If I forced you to go, you’d probably get some information that you didn’t have before, but if I don’t force you to go, you might miss out on a lot because it’s a hassle.

Hannah: Yeah, kind of like Agent of Change [new mandatory sexual awareness training for all students].

Researcher: Exactly.

Hannah: I mean if it were required I think more students would go and they would benefit from it, but there would need to be some kind of incentive or I don’t know, like you get your wristbands first at Coyote FEST [all-school party at the end of the year] or I don’t know, something like that (Hannah Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 2-3).

Hannah expressed what many universities are going through as they consider spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on SYE programs. Will students attend? Is it a good investment or a waste of resources? The data is clear, however, that SYE programs, specifically HIPs programs, increase student retention and graduation rates.

While still looking at support and lack of support from the University, the researcher asked Emily if she was getting mentorship and guidance during her sophomore year. She responded:

Nope. I wish there was an advisor to help me. Someone that would be helpful to help me choose classes. I don’t really know what classes to take outside of my major. I know what art classes to take, but outside of that, like my GEs, I don’t know which ones are the best ones to take. I try to talk to my friends, but they are all busy with their lives… It’s really hard because my parents didn’t really go to college, so they don’t really know what to tell me…I was looking at MyCoyote and I won’t be a junior next year, until after fall. I had to take Math 80 and 90 this year. I couldn’t take it back home (Emily Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 3).

Emily was expressing her frustration with the university, specifically about not getting good advising early and now she will be behind one quarter academically, which pushes her graduation date back, thus costing her additional financial resources.

When Hannah was asked “Who, if anyone, sought you out for mentorship and guidance during your sophomore year? Who’s your mentor?” she responded:

I don’t have one…. [Head shaking no] It hasn’t happened. But I haven’t really taken a lot of psychology classes. It’s been more of GE classes and they know the students don’t really care about that particular subject, so… (Hannah Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 3).

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Emily’s response to the same question was even stronger, “Like who? …There is no one like that who is mentoring me. I’m like the only graphic designer in my sorority, so I don’t have like a person to go to. Someone to talk to about classes” (Emily Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 3).

Amy felt like she had some good mentors thus far, but was frustrated with the mixed messages the university was giving students about graduating in four years. She felt the registration process for sophomores was worse than any other class year. As the interview was concluding, the researcher asked, “Is there anything I didn’t ask you about your sophomore year that you would like to share with me?” Amy’s interchange with the researcher about her registration dates was very powerful. The researched asked if she had a problem with her registration dates or if was unsure of when to register. Amy responded:

Oh, I know what and when they are, but like, sophomores again are forgotten. So it’s kind of like they want us to get out of school fast, but yet you don’t give us priority, so when we do need the classes, we can’t even get the classes. We just get whatever is left…For Liberal Studies they told us who gets priority and basically, I’m in 4th priority with freshmen. So sophomores and freshmen get no love! (Amy Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 4).

Amy’s frustration with registration was the overall theme conveyed by the interviewees about

their sophomore year experience. It is a feeling of overall frustration as they attempt to navigate

the university’s administrative processes.

Theme # 3: Being Unaware or Lacking Information

During the interview all three students were given the chance to share their awareness of

the ten High Impact Practices suggested by Kuh (2008) and the Association of American

Colleges and Universities. Their responses were very similar and showed there was very little

awareness of High Impact Practices on this campus. Below are Amy’s responses, but the other

two students answered almost identical to Amy. Of the ten HIPs, Amy had heard of four of them.

They were, Collaborative Assignments and Projects, Diversity/Global Learning, Service

Learning/Community Based Learning, and Capstone Projects and Courses. She had only been

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involved in Service Learning/Community Based Learning thus far during college. It was clear

that the university has not done a good job in educating, or marketing, HIPs to these three

students, and the sophomore class in general.

There was also an interesting exchange with Emily about “lack of information” at the end

of her interview as she shared her desire to be more involved on campus, and which methods are

the best to inform her of programs and events on campus. The researcher was able to hear some

of Emily’s academic concerns as well.

Umm, well I guess, I feel like the university needs to provide more things to do.

The researcher then asked, “How do get your information about events on campus?”

Like when people are out in the Student Union passing out flyers.

Emily felt that when she was more involved with campus life co-curricular activities she did better in her classes. Last quarter was difficult for her, but she has rebounded this quarter.

I was taking Spanish and I was taking Psychology. And those classes were really hard. And they just brought me down. I have a really good Spanish teacher this quarter. Best teacher I’ve ever had. (Emily Interview, June 1, 2015, p. 4-5).

Emily’s suggestions for advertising to her peers will be forwarded along to the Student Affairs

Marketing and Communication’s Coordinator, as well as the Associate Vice President for

Strategic Communications.

Discussion.

These three students’ thoughts on their sophomore year are in alignment with national

data. There is no question that sophomores are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to

higher education. They feel left out because they are left out of the university’s academic plan.

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The support is limited at best for this group of students, yet they are paying the same tuition they

paid their freshmen year. Sadly, sophomores are unaware of the crucial information that can help

them succeed. It was not determined fully if the unawares can be attributed to the university’s

inability to disseminate the information, or if the students were too lethargic to read, seek out, the

information being disseminated. Further research should be conducted to find out.

Conclusions/Implications for Policy, Practice, Future Research

In revisiting the research questions for the study, it is easy to conclude that the

sophomore year is an extremely challenging one for students. They are left out, lack university

support, and are not informed of key items which could help them succeed at the university level.

It could be summarized that the sophomores interviewed described their second year of college

as being one of confusion, frustration, and limited university assistance. Basically, they were

asked to fend for themselves. Similarly, the High Impact Practices, which have been proven to

help students be retained and graduate from college at higher rates than students not involved

with them, are not being shared or discussed with sophomore students, who seemingly need them

the most.

As a result of the finding, and my experience in the field, this university should be doing

Sophomore Year Experience (SYE) programs for all second-year students. These programs

should be mandatory for at-risk sophomores (at-risk would include students still in remediation

courses, students with no declared major, and students with GPA’s lower than a 2.5). The

university should focus on the education and implementation of HIPs as a national best practice

intervention program in the first year, while at the same time spending resources to scale-up

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existing HIPs that have not been advertised as well as they could have been. While HIPs should

be introduced in the first year of college, they need to be emphasized during the sophomore year.

My recommendation for this university is to begin a marketing campaign, which

advertises and displays the HIPs to all students on campus, but specifically sophomores. This

campaign should include video testimonials of current students who have taken advantage of

HIPs and are seeing success as a result. In addition, sophomore specific programming needs to

take place so this group of students feels connected to the campus, rather than alone and isolated.

SYE programs should be centered on mentorship opportunities and making personal connections

to campus community members and peers. Sophomores deserve better than what they have

received from universities in the past and involving them in HIPs is one way to make sure they

stay connected and successfully move on to their junior year.

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