The Assessment Group on the First Year at York is currently focussing on the issue of student retention. For its project over the 1999/2000 academic year, the group developed a survey to be administered to students who have not returned in the 1999/2000 session after their first year of study in 1998/1999. Following the approach of a 1985 survey of non-returning students undertaken by the Institute for Social Research (ISR)(1), the group has also been developing a companion survey aimed at students who have returned for their second year of study in the 1999/2000 session. The idea is to use the comparative data from the two surveys to try to identify distinguishing characteristics of students who choose not to return to York.
An overarching objective of the surveys is to get a picture of who the non-returning students are, with a view to determining the extent to which attrition among students between first and second year is attributable to factors which the University can and might wish to address. There are various reasons why students might not continue with their studies over which the University has little or no control. Such reasons could involve a personal crisis or medical condition, financial difficulties or an attractive job opportunity. Students might also make a positive decision to leave York to pursue a college diploma program or some applied program outside the university system which they feel is better suited to their interests and needs than university-level study. (1) It is necessary, then, to circumscribe the dimensions of attrition arising from factors that York can potentially influence in order to gauge the extent to which the retention figures represent a challenge that should be addressed.
The surveys are organized around three main questions. Two questions are common to both surveys; one asks students about their reasons for deciding to attend York, and the other asks students about their level of satisfaction with items relating to teaching and the classroom experience, student support services and University facilities. In the survey intended for non-returning students, a third question asks students to identify from a list the reasons why they have decided not to return to York. The survey for returning students presents a similar list but asks students to assess the items on the list as factors influencing their level of satisfaction with their experience at York. An important strength of the survey design is that results of the surveys should provide not only valuable insight on why students do not continue on to their second year, but also valuable information on students' level of satisfaction in key areas of their experience at York.
The survey results will also have the benefit of comparison with the results of the 1985 ISR survey, which, to our knowledge, is the only previous comprehensive cross-Faculty survey of non-returning students. The basic themes of the 1985 survey instruments are covered by the present instruments. There are two areas of comparison that are of particular interest at the outset: the significance of financial considerations and academic advising as factors for deciding not to return to York. The significance of financial considerations in the decision not to return is given special attention because of the sharp increase in the cost of university education over the past decade. We will look to see whether financial considerations emerge as a more significant factor in the decision not to return in the results of our survey than they did in the results of the 1985 survey.
Dissatisfaction with academic advising bears special attention as a possible factor for students withdrawing from York because of concerns raised in the published report on the 1985 ISR survey. (1) The results of our survey should provide valuable feedback on how well current practices around academic advising are working and whether we should consider exploring new practices.
At present, the group is putting finishing touches on the survey instruments based on feedback it has received from participants at a recent YAF meeting. The survey intends to target students in the Faculties of Arts, Environmental Studies, Fine Arts, Glendon and Pure and Applied Science. The group plans to follow up the survey with student focus groups.
Project members currently include Barry Miller, Diane Beelen-Woody, Marla Chodak, Barbara Dodge, Pam Edgecombe, Beverly Giblon, Judy Libman, David Logan and Ron Mitchell.
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