Fostering “Habits of Mind” for Student Learning in the First Year of College: Results from a National

Study

Linda DeAngelo, CIRP Assistant Director for ResearchSylvia Hurtado, Professor and HERI Director

AIR Annual ForumMay 2009

HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT UCLAhome of the COOPERATIVE INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAM

CIRP and HERI

• CIRP is the largest and longest running study of higher education

• The three CIRP surveys (The Freshman Survey, Your First College Year, and College Senior Survey) are comprehensive in nature and designed to capture the college experience and the impact of that experience on students

• Using the CIRP Surveys, at HERI we study the effect of college on students

Purpose of the Study

• In this study we are examining how the learning experiences students have in the first year of college affect the development of “habits of mind” for lifelong learning and student success

• Past studies have most often looked at the effect of different college learning experiences on college GPA

• Studies have yet to examine how different learning experiences affect the usage and development of the very skills and behaviors students need to succeed over the course of college and as lifelong learners

Habits of Mind

• “Habits of mind” are learning behaviors that college faculty have identified as essential for success in college coursework (Conley, 2005)

• These behaviors and traits are an important foundation for lifelong learning (AAC&U, 2007)

• A set of items to capture these essential behaviors and traits among students was introduced to the CIRP surveys starting in Fall 2007 with The Freshman Survey. This is the first study examining these habits longitudinally – through the first year of college

CIRP “Habits of Mind” Items

• Ask questions in class

• Support your opinions with a logical argument

• Seek solutions to problems and explain them to others

• Revise your papers to improve your writing

• Evaluate the quality and reliability of information you received

• Take a risk because you felt you had more to gain

• Seek alternate solutions to a problem

• Look up scientific research articles and resources

• Explore topics on your own even though it was not required for a class

• Accept failure as part of the learning process

• Seek feedback on your academic work

Educationally Purposeful Activities

• AAC&U (2007) publication “College Learning for a New Global Century” outlined 10 promising teaching and learning practices

– First-year seminars and experiences; common intellectual experiences; learning communities; writing intensive courses; collaborative assignments and projects; undergraduate research/ diversity/global learning; service and community based learning; internships; and capstone courses and projects

• Service learning, learning communities, and first-year seminars have been connected to learning gains in the first year

Educationally Purposeful Activities

Outside of the Classroom• Outside of the classroom experiences in study that fall

in other AAC&U promising practice areas include:

– Discussing course with other students outside of class; studying with other students

– Working on a research project with a professor

– Having meaningful and honest discussions about race/ethnic relations outside of class with students from a racial/ethnic group other than your own

– Having intellectual discussions outside of class with students from a racial/ethnic group other than your own

“Habits of Mind” Constructs

Scholastic

• Ask questions in class

• Revise your papers to improve your writing

• Seek feedback on your academic work

• Seek solutions to problems and explain them to others

Critical Thinking• Support your opinions with a

logical argument

• Evaluate the quality or reliability of information you received

• Seek alternate solutions to a problem

• Look up scientific research articles and resources

• Explore topics on your own, even though it was not required for a class

Scholastic Construct Response Pattern

Critical Thinking Construct Response Patten

Data Source and Sample

• Longitudinal data on college students gathered from two CIRP surveys

– 2007 The Freshman Survey (TFS)

– 2008 Your First College Year (YFCY) survey

• 27,371 students at 484 institutions completed both surveys

– 25,918 students in Scholastic construct

– 25,908 students in Critical Thinking construct

Research Design

• Variables– Demographic characteristics

– Educationally purposeful activities in the classroom

– Educationally purposeful activities outside of the classroom

– Other academic experiences in the first-year

– Institutional characteristics

• Analysis– Blocked linear regression with forced entry of variables

Scholastic Habits in College by Scholastic Habits in High School

Critical Thinking Habits in College by Critical Thinking Habits in High

School

High Usage of Scholastic and Critical Thinking Habits, by Gender

Scholastic Critical Thinking

Differences in High Frequency of Use of Habits of Mind between Women and Men as HS Seniors

and College Freshmen

High Usage of Scholastic and Critical Thinking Habits, by

EthnicityScholastic Critical Thinking

Regression Summary: Block 1

ScholasticCritical

Thinking

R2 = .395 R2 = .356Block 1: Background and predispositions N = 25,918 N = 25,908Gender: Female -African American -American IndianAsian American/Pacific Islander - -Latino/a -Multi-RacialOther RaceSAT Score +Scholastic behaviors in high school ++++++Critical thinking behaviors in high school ++++++++

++++ = Largest positive predictor++++ = Largest positive predictor+++ = Second largest positive predictor+++ = Second largest positive predictor++ = Third largest positive predictor++ = Third largest positive predictor+ = Positive predictor

- = Negative predictor Key: Represents Betasacross all 5 Blocks

Regression Summary: Blocks 2 and 3

ScholasticCritical

ThinkingR2 = .395 R2 = .356

Block 2: Educationally purposeful activities - classroom N = 25,918 N = 25,908Community service as part of class (occ.) +Community service as part of class (freq.) + +Learning community/Linked courses (yes)First-year seminar on college adjustment (yes) +Block 3: Educationally purposeful activities – outside of classDiscussed course content with students (occ.) + ++++Discussed course content with students (freq.) ++++++++ ++++++Studied with other students (occ.) +Studied with other students (freq.) + Worked on a professor’s research project (occ.) - -Worked on a professor’s research project (freq.) + +Meaningful/honest discussions about race/ethnicity + +Had intellectual discussions + +

++++ = Largest positive predictor++++ = Largest positive predictor+++ = Second largest positive predictor+++ = Second largest positive predictor++ = Third largest positive predictor++ = Third largest positive predictor+ = Positive predictor

- = Negative predictor Key: Represents Betasacross all 5 Blocks

Regression Summary: Blocks 4 and 5

ScholasticCritical

Thinking

R2 = .395 R2 = .356Block 4: Other first-year experiences N = 25,918 N = 25,908Ease of academic adjustment + +Quantity of faculty contact ++++ +Quality of faculty contact + +First-year GPA + +Block 5: Institution typeInstitutional selectivity - -Institutional control (private) -

++++ = Largest positive predictor++++ = Largest positive predictor+++ = Second largest positive predictor+++ = Second largest positive predictor++ = Third largest positive predictor++ = Third largest positive predictor+ = Positive predictor

- = Negative predictor Key: Represents Betasacross all 5 Blocks

Regression General Trends: Links with Scholastic and Critical

Thinking• Background characteristics– Size of effects is small

– Asian American/Pacific Islander students are less likely to engage in scholastic and critical thinking habits than Caucasian students

• Educationally purposeful activities in the classroom– Frequent participation in service learning is positively

linked with both scholastic and critical thinking habits

– Participating in a learning community is not significantly related to either scholastic or critical thinking habits

Regression General Trends: Links with Scholastic and Critical

Thinking• Educationally purposeful activities outside the class

– Discussing course content with students frequently has largest Beta weight in Scholastic habits and the second largest in Critical Thinking (just behind the pre-test), in addition discussing course content with students occasionally also is positively related

– Having honest and meaningful discussions about race/ethnicity outside of class with students of another race/ethnicity and having had intellectual discussions with students of another race/ethnicity are positively related to both outcomes

– Working on a research project frequently is positively to both outcomes, however, students who work on a research project occasionally are less likely to engage in scholastic/critical thinking skills than students who do not work on a research project

• Other academic engagement in the first-year– The ease with which students adjust to college is positively

linked to both outcomes

– Quantity of faculty contact and quality of faculty contact are both positively related with the outcomes

– First-year GPA is positively related; though, the Betas are rather small

– Institutional selectivity is negatively connected with both outcomes

Regression General Trends: Links with Scholastic and Critical

Thinking

Conclusions

• Study finds some evidence that classroom based learning experiences during the 1st year support the development of strong scholastic and critical thinking habits

• Lots of evidence that engaging in learning activities outside of the classroom builds strong scholastic and critical thinking habits in the first year

– Discussing course content outside of class occasionally, and especially on a frequent basis is particularly important

Implications

• We need to do more to support the development of strong scholastic and critical thinking habits among all students during their first year of college, and especially Asian American/Pacific Islander students

• The learning that happens for students outside of the classroom is critical to building strong habits of mind and we need to do more to facilitate and encourage these experiences

• The work that faculty do with students outside of the classroom supports the development of strong habits of mind and we need to encourage this activity

HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT UCLAhome of the COOPERATIVE INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAM

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