Table of Contents
Executive Summary ..................................................................... Executive Summary 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
Methodology .................................................................................................................. 1
Sample ................................................................................................................. 1
Survey and Administration .................................................................................... 1
Data Analysis........................................................................................................ 2
Results ........................................................................................................................... 2
BCSSE Mean Scaled Scores ............................................................................... 2
Description of Respondents ................................................................................. 2
High School Academic Engagement .................................................................... 7
Perceived Academic Preparation ....................................................................... 11
Expected Academic Engagement....................................................................... 15
Expected Academic Perseverance ..................................................................... 19
Expected Academic Difficulty ............................................................................. 23
Additional Areas of Potential Difficulty ................................................................ 25
Importance of Camus Environment .................................................................... 26
Co-Curricular Engagement ................................................................................. 31
Other Engagement Activity ................................................................................. 34
Use of Time in Last Year of High School and Expected Use of Time during
First College Year ............................................................................................... 38
Expectations of Integrative Activity during First Year of College......................... 41
Paying for College .............................................................................................. 43
Discussion and Recommendations ........................................................................... 45
References ................................................................................................................... 47
i
List of Tables
Table 1:
Table 2:
Table 3:
Table 4:
Table 5:
Table 6:
Table 7:
Table 8:
Table 9:
Table 10:
Table 11:
Table 12:
Table 13:
Table 14:
Table 15:
Table 16:
Table 17:
Table 18:
Table 19:
Respondent Self-Reported Characteristics ..........................................3
High School Math Classes ...................................................................4
Number of Years of Courses Taken in Subject Area in High
School ..................................................................................................5
Respondent Academic Intentions ........................................................5
Advanced Placement, Honors, and College Credit Classes
Completed in High School ...................................................................6
Items Composing High School Academic Engagement Scale .............7
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons (HSE) ..........8
Items Composing Perceived Academic Preparation Scale (PAP) .....12
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons (PAP) ........12
Items Composing Expedited Academic Engagement Scale (AEA) ....15
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons (AEA) ........16
Items Composing Expected Academic Perseverance Scale (AEP) ...19
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons (EAP) ........20
Items Composing Expected Academic Difficulty (EAD) .....................23
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons (EAD) ........23
Items Composing importance of Campus Environment Scale (ICE) ..27
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons (ICE) .........27
Items Categorized as Co-Curricular Engagement During the Last
Year of High School ...........................................................................31
Expectations for integrative Activity During the First College Year ....41
List of Figures
Figure 1:
Figure 2:
Figure 3:
Figure 4:
Figure 5:
Figure 6:
High School Grades of Entering Students by Year ..............................4
High School Grades and Expected First Year of College Grades ........6
Academic Challenge of High School ....................................................7
Amount of Reading/Writing Done in Last year of High School .............9
Hours per Week Preparing for Class ....................................................9
Asking Questions in Class or Making a Class Presentation During
Last Year of High School ...................................................................10
Figure 7: Discussions with High School Teachers ............................................10
Figure 8: Active Engagement with Academic Material ......................................11
Figure 9: Writing and Speaking Preparation......................................................13
Figure 10: Preparation for Thinking Critically or Analyzing Math Problems ........13
Figure 11: Using Computing and Information Technology Preparation ...............14
Figure 12: Preparation for Learning Effectively on Your Own or Working
Effectively with Others .......................................................................14
Figure 13: Time Spent Preparing for Classes .....................................................16
Figure 14: Expected Frequency of Asking Questions or Making a Class
Presentation During the First College Year........................................17
ii
Figure 15: Expect in First College year to Work with Other Students on Projects
During Class and To Work with Classmates Outside of Class to
Prepare Class Assignments...............................................................18
Figure 16: Expect in First College year to Discuss Ideas from Your Readings or
Classes with Others Outside of Class ................................................18
Figure 17: Expected Discussions with Faculty during First College Year ............19
Figure 18: Expected Academic Help-Seeking in First Year .................................21
Figure 19: Expected Persistence in the Face of Obstacles (1) ...........................22
Figure 20: Expected Persistence in the Face of Obstacles (2) ...........................22
Figure 21: Expected Academic Difficulties in First College Year (1) ...................24
Figure 22: Expected Academic Difficulties in First College Year (2) ...................25
Figure 23: Level of Expected Difficulty Paying College Expenses ......................26
Figure 24: Level of Expected Difficulty Making New Friends ..............................26
Figure 25: Importance of Campus Environment to Provide Opportunities to
Attend Campus Events ......................................................................28
Figure 26: Importance of Campus Environment to Provide Opportunities to
Interact with Others from Different Backgrounds ...............................29
Figure 27: Importance of Campus Environment to Provide a Challenging
Academic Experience ........................................................................29
Figure 28: Importance of Campus Environment to Provide Support to Thrive
Socially, Assistance to Cope with Non-Academic Responsibilities,
or Support To Succeed Academically ................................................30
Figure 29: Importance of Campus Environment to Provide Support to
Help You Succeed Academically .......................................................31
Figure 30: Last High School Year Level of Involvement in Performing or
Visual Arts Programs or Athletic Teams ............................................32
Figure 31: Last High School Year Level of Involvement in Student Government
or Publications ...................................................................................32
Figure 32: Last High School Year Level of Involvement in Academic Honor
Societies, Academic Clubs, or Vocational Clubs ...............................33
Figure 33: Last High School Year Level of Involvement in Religious Youth
Groups or Community Service or Volunteer Work .............................33
Figure 34: Books Read on Your Own (not assigned) for Personal Enjoyment or
Academic Enrichment ........................................................................34
Figure 35: Had Serious Conversations with Students Different From You in
Race/Ethnicity in High School ............................................................35
Figure 36: Had in High School or Expect to Have in First College year
Serious Conversations with Students Different from You in
Race/Ethnicity ....................................................................................35
Figure 37: Had Serious Conversations in Last High School Year with Students
Different from You in Religious Beliefs, Political Opinions or Personal
Values ................................................................................................36
Figure 38: Had in High School or Expect to Have in First College Year
Serious Conversations with Students Different from You in
Religious Beliefs, Political Opinions or Personal Values ....................36
iii
Figure 39: Talked with a Counselor, Teachers, or Other Staff Member About
College or Career Plans.....................................................................37
Figure 40: Came to Class without Completing Readings or Assignments ..........37
Figure 41: Hours per Week Working for Pay ......................................................38
Figure 42: Hours per Week Working for Pay in Last High School Year ..............39
Figure 43: Hours per Week Expected to Work in First College Year ..................39
Figure 44: Hours per Week Participating in Co-Curricular Activities ...................40
Figure 45: Hours per Week Relaxing and Socializing .........................................40
Figure 46: Expect to Work on a Paper or Project that Requires
Integrating Ideas or Information from Various Sources during
First College Year ..............................................................................41
Figure 47: Expect to Put Together Ideas or Concepts from Different Courses
When Completing Assignments or During Class Discussions ...........42
Figure 48 Expect to Try to Better Understand Someone Else’s Views by
Imagining How an Issue Looks from His or Her Perspective .............42
Figure 49: Expect to Learn Something That Changes The Way You
Understand an Issue or Idea..............................................................43
Figure 50: College Expenses during First College Year Paid by Scholarships/
Grants or Student Loans (all student self-report) ...............................44
Figure 51: College Expenses during First College Year Paid by Parents/family
or Self (all student self-report)............................................................44
Figure 52: Received a Federal Pell Grant ...........................................................45
iv
BEGINNING COLLEGE SURVEY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT (BCSSE)
2012 OSU RESULTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Rebecca A. Sanderson, PhD
Director, Student Affairs Research, Evaluation, and Planning
OSU entering first year students who attended at summer START session and were 17
years old or older were asked to participate in the Beginning College Survey of Student
Engagement (BCSSE) survey. The BCSSE was designed to measure the high school
experiences and college expectations of entering first year students. Further the
BCSSE parallels the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) which is
administered to senior students and first year students during the winter and spring
terms. Thus, by using both instruments, the experiences of first year students can be
examined in terms of high school experiences, expected experiences in college, and
actual college experiences. This report examined the responses of first year students
on the BCSSE.
A total of 2,614 students were asked to participate in the survey with 2562 completions
which is a return rate of 98%. Approximately 34% of these were first generation college
students (defined as no parent or guardian had graduated with a 4-year college
degree). Generally respondents reported that they would be full-time students and that
they had a high school grade point average of B or better. Most (71%) reported their
race as white (non-Hispanic) with about 27% reporting a race other than white. Most
(88%) intended to graduate from Oregon State though about 11% were uncertain if they
would graduate or not.
Six scales were developed to assess high school academic engagement, expected
college academic engagement, perseverance, expected academic difficulty, perception
of academic preparation, and the importance of the campus environment in providing
both challenge and support. Three scales, achieved a mean of 7 or greater on a scale
that ranged from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). These scales included: Expected
Academic Perseverance, Perceived Academic Preparation, and Importance of Campus
Environment. The remaining three scales achieved a mean range of 5.18 to 5.91 with 0
(minimum) to 10 (maximum). These scale included: Expected Academic Difficulty, High
School Academic Engagement, and Expected Academic Engagement.
Overall, students entered OSU with high expectations for their collegiate academic
experience. They expected a high level of integrative academic experience in their first
year that included interacting with faculty regularly about ideas from readings and class
discussions. Further they expected from the beginning to have to write and participate
in class discussions by pulling together information from multiple courses and
resources. They expected to learn things that changed the way they thought about
issues and to be challenged to examine ideas from different perspectives.
Executive Summary 1
The importance of the academic environment in supporting their academic pursuits was
evident as well. For the majority of students it was very important that supports were
available to help them succeed academically and to a somewhat lessor degree socially.
They wanted the opportunity to attend campus events and to interact meaningfully with
other students.
They expected to spend more hours per week studying than they did in high school and
they expected slightly lower grades. Nearly all students reported entering OSU with a B
or better grade point average and they expected to get at least a B average their first
year. They rated themselves overall well-prepared for college–level work, except
perhaps in the area of mathematics. They believed that they would persevere in the
face of obstacles and about 88% believed that they would graduate from OSU.
Nevertheless over 75% reported that managing time would be substantially difficult for
them.
In general entering students were not as involved in co-curricular activities in high
school as they expected to be in college. Three areas of high school involvement,
athletics, music/theater, and community service had the highest percentages of
reported involvement for entering students. Student government, student media, clubs
and organizations had substantially fewer students involved in high school than the
previously mentioned groups of activities.
A little over 75% of students intended to work at least a few hours per week in order to
help with college expenses at the time the survey was administered. Further about onethird of students reported that they did not know if they had received a Pell grant.
Likewise 7% did not know if they had received a loan and 3% did know if they had
received a scholarship. In terms of self-funding from savings about 55% reported that
they would pay about half of their expenses. The majority of students (77%) expected
their parents/family members would pay half to nearly all of their expenses for the first
year.
How students experience what OSU has to offer and how this meets students’
expectations will be addressed when these BCSSE results are compared to the results
of the National Survey of Student Engagement which will be administered during
Winter, 2013.
Recommendations
1.
2.
3.
4.
Continue to administer the BCSSE only on those years that NSSE is
administered (every 2-4 years).
Return to the CIRP freshman survey on years the BCSSE is not administered.
Continue to use the BCSSE data with available BANNER data and the NSSE
data to develop key indicators of attrition/retention for first year students.
Assess to what degree entering student expectations about the academic
experience are met during their first year.
Executive Summary 2
BEGINNING COLLEGE SURVEY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
2012 OSU RESULTS
INTRODUCTION
OSU participated in the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) in
2009, 2010 and 2012. The BCSSE was designed to measure the experiences of
entering first year students regarding their expectations for their first year as well as
their beliefs about participating in purposeful educational activities in their first college
year. Items related to their high school experiences both at the curricular and cocurricular areas were also asked.
The BCSSE was administered during the summer START program to 2,416 entering
first year students who were 17 years old or older. The BCSSE paralleled the National
Survey of Student Engagement and thus was used to compare first year student
expectations about college with behaviors engaged in during the first year. The ability
to compare student responses at the beginning of their collegiate experience with those
obtained near the end of their first year can provide valuable information to inform
programs and services for students’ first year experience.
METHODOLOGY
Sample
Students who were 17 years old or older and who attended a summer START program
for new entering OSU students were asked to participate in the study. Students were in
a monitored large classroom setting when asked to participate.
Survey and Administration
The survey was developed by a team of experts in survey development and student
engagement. The BCSSE parallels the National Survey of Student Engagement so that
these two surveys can be used in tandem. The BCSSE survey contains four sections:
high school experiences, expectations and beliefs about their first college year, and
background characteristics.
The surveys were administered via paper and pencil format in a proctored setting.
Participants were read a standard script prior to beginning the survey. They were also
provided with a written explanation of the purpose of the survey, how information would
be used and who to contact should they have questions.
Completed surveys were electronically scored at the Center for Survey Research at
Indiana University. Following scoring of surveys, data tables were available to OSU via
a secure web environment.
1
Data Analysis
OSU was provided with frequency distribution tables for each item as well as a
summary report of the various engagement scales developed for the BCSSE. In
addition the complete data set was also provided. Further cross-tabulations as well as
merging with some OSU Banner data (e.g., college1, college2, HSGPA) also occurred.
RESULTS
A total of 2,614 students were asked to participate in the study with 2,562 completing
the survey for a return rate of 98%. The Results section of this report was divided into
sections for ease and clarity of reporting. The next six sections correspond to the
BCSSE Mean Scales described below. The final sections include:




Co-curricular engagement during high school
Use of time in the last year of high school and expected use of time during the
first college year,
Expectations of engagement during the first year of college, and
Paying for college.
BCSSE Mean Scaled Scores
Six scales were developed by researchers at the National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE) at Indiana University. The BCSSE is a project of the NSSE
organization. These six standardized scales allow examination of high school
experiences as well as student expectations for key aspects important to student
engagement and success in college. The six scales include:
 High school academic engagement,
 Perceived academic preparation,
 Expected academic engagement,
 Expected academic perseverance,
 Expected academic difficulty, and
 Importance of campus environment.
Description of Respondents
As expected 99% of students completing the survey reported that they expected to be
full-time students. More males (51%) than females (49%) reported taking the survey
which reflected enrollment at OSU as well as prior results. The high response rate was
due in large part because the survey was administered in a proctored setting.
Most respondents listed white (non-Hispanic) (71%) as their race which again is
indicative of the OSU student population. Over 1/3 of respondents indicated that they
were first generation college students, defined as no parent or guardian having
graduated with a 4-year college degree.
2
Only about 1% reported that they were an international student. This likely is because of
the timing of survey administration (during the summer) when entering international first
year students might not have arrived yet in the United States.
Table 1 below contains further information about students who completed the survey.
Unless noted, the information in Table 1 is self-reported.
Table 1
Respondent Self-Reported Characteristics
Characteristics
Count
Percent
Enrollment Status
Full-Time
2506
99%
Female
Male
1229
1300
49%
51%
33
297
39
1801
120
3
50
120
17
55
1%
12%
2%
71%
5%
0%
2%
5%
1%
2%
848
34%
37
1%
771
30%
140
304
34
159
736
40
264
207
499
139
231
5%
12%
1%
6%
29%
2%
10%
8%
19%
5%
9%
536
1323
652
21%
53%
26%
Sex
Race
American Indian or other Native American
Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander
Black or African American
White (non-Hispanic)
Mexican or Mexican American
Puerto Rican
Other Hispanic or Latino
Multiracial
Other
I prefer not to respond
First Generation Status
Yes
International or Foreign Student
Yes
Pell Eligible (reported in Banner)
Yes
OSU College (reported in Banner)
Agricultural Sciences
Business/Pre-Business
Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Education
Engineering
Forestry
Public Health and Human Sciences
Liberal Arts
Science
University Honors College
University Exploratory Studies Program
Distance From Home
50 miles or less
51 miles-200 miles
201 miles or more
Nearly all (98%) students who completed the survey reported that they had graduated
from high school in 2012 with the remaining reporting they had graduated in 2011 or
3
earlier. As expected, 90% of entering students indicated that they had graduated from a
public high school with 8% reporting graduation from a private, religiously-affiliated
school. Compared to the 2010 BCSSE results, students entering this year reported
overall somewhat higher high school grades than their 2010 peers. See Figure 1.
Figure 1
High School Grades of Entering Students by Year
40
38
35
2010
Percent
30
25
21
20
2012
21
17
15
10
5
2
34
20
20
22
A
A-
B+
B
0
2
0
0
0
1
1
B-
C+
Grades
C
C- or
below
As in 2010, most students reported that they passed Algebra II as well as Pre-Cal/Trig
in high school. Most students however indicated that they did not take Calculus or
Probability/Statistics in high school. As expected as math courses became more
complicated fewer students reported enrolling in the courses in high school.
Table 2
High School Math Classes
Did not pass
Passed
Did not take
Algebra II
0%
99%
1%
Pre-Cal/Trig
1%
82%
17%
Calculus
1%
46%
53%
Probability or Stat
1%
28%
71%
About 97% of entering students reported taking four years of high school English with
about 71% reporting taking four years of Math. Only about 55% reported taking four
years of science. Nearly half of students reported taking at least two years of a foreign
language while about 46% reported three years or more of high school history/social
science. See Table 3 below.
4
Table 3
Number of Years of Courses Taken in
Subject Area in High School
0 years
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 + years
English/
Literature
0%
0%
0%
1%
Math
Science
0%
0%
1%
20%
0%
0%
2%
32%
97%
71%
55%
2%
8%
11%
History/Social
Science
0%
0%
7%
Foreign
Language
1%
2%
46%
31%
17%
2%
44%
2%
49%
Most students expected to have a first year grade point average of at least a B (93%)
with no one expecting a C- or below GPA. Only 1% reported intending not to graduate
from OSU with 11% reporting uncertainty about graduation. Overall 88% of entering
students intended to graduate from Oregon State. About 20% of entering students
reported that they intended to get a doctoral degree from OSU or elsewhere, 33% a
master’s degree and 31% a bachelor’s degree. See Table 4 below.
Table 4
Respondent Academic Intentions
Category
Responses
Count
Percent
Expected first year grades
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
C- or below
381
743
590
594
119
36
16
0
15%
30%
24%
24%
5%
1%
1%
0
Intend to graduate from OSU
No
Yes
Uncertain
27
2217
288
1%
88%
11%
Associate’s
Bachelor’s
Master’s
Doctoral
Uncertain
13
776
834
508
373
1%
31%
33%
20%
15%
Highest academic degree intended from
any college
The comparisons between reported high school grades and expected grades in their
first year of college are contained in Figure 2 below. Generally students expected to
attain fewer “A” grades than they did in high school however, they also expected to
5
attain more grades of “A-,” “B+,” “B,” “ B-” than in high school. Interestingly, very few
students expected to get grades of less than a “B-” in their first year.
Figure 2
High School Grades and Expected First Year College Grades
40
38
35
HS Grades
Percent
30
30
24
25
20
17
15
Expected
College
Grades
24
21
21
15
10
5
5
0
0
A
A-
B+
B
0
1
2
1
0
0
B-
C+
C
C- or
below
Grades
Many entering students reported that they had completed one Advanced Placement
class (18%), Honors class (13%), or college course for credit (14%) while in high
school. The frequency distribution for participation in these kinds of classes is
contained in Table 5.
Table 5
Advanced Placement, Honors, and College Credit Classes
Completed in High School
Advanced Placement (AP) classes
Honors Classes at your high
school (not AP)
College Courses for Credit
0
classes
27%
1
class
18%
2
classes
15%
3
classes
13%
4
classes
11%
5+
classes
16%
32%
13%
15%
10%
7%
23%
45%
14%
12%
8%
6%
15%
Overall most (64%) entering students rated the academic challenge of their high school
at a 4 or better on a 6 point scale. This was also true in 2010 when the BCSSE was last
administered at OSU. Figure 3 below contains the 2010 and 2012 comparison
frequency distribution.
6
Figure 3
Academic Challenge of High School
45
40
2010
40
2012
Percent
35
30
23
25
20
20
15
10
10
0
4
3
5
3
1 Not at all
challenging
11
23
40
20
4
2
3
4
5
6 Extremely
challenging
High School Academic Engagement
High school academic engagement was measured using a scale developed by the
NSSE organization and composed of 12 items on the BCSSE survey. These items
aligned with similar items on the NSSE. High school academic engagement was
defined as “engagement in educationally relevant behaviors during the last year of high
school.” Table 6 below contains the items that composed this scale.
Table 6
Items Composing High School Academic Engagement Scale
High School
Academic
Engagement
(HSE)
Engagement in
educationally
relevant behaviors
during the last year
of high school
During your last year of high school, about how much reading and writing
did you to?
 Assigned reading (textbooks or other course materials)
 Writing short papers or reports (5 or fewer pages)
 Writing longer papers or reports (more than 5 pages)
During your last year of high school, about how many hours did you spend
in a typical 7-day week doing each of the following?
 Preparing for class (studying, doing homework, rehearsing, etc.)
During your last year of high school about how often did you do the
following?
 Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions
 Made a class presentation
 Discussed grades or assignments with a teacher
 Worked with other students on projects during class
 Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments
 Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in
 Discussed readings or classes with teachers outside of class
 Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class
(students, family members, etc.)
7
Table 7 below contains the mean scale core for High School Academic Engagement as
well as comparisons to scores based on gender and first generation status. Each scale
score had a range of 0 to 10. OSU’s mean score for High School Academic
Engagement was 5.48 as compared to the 2010 mean score of 5.36.
Table 7
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons
BCSSE Scales
d
a
High School
Academic
Engagement
(HSE)
OSU
All Students
Mean
Engagement in
educationally relevant
behaviors during the
last year of high
school.
OSU Gender Comparisons
5.48
Means
Tests of
mean
differences
b
SD
N
Female
Male
Sig
1.35
2562
5.59
5.38
***
OSU First-Generation
Comparisons
Tests of
mean
Means
differences
Effect
c
size
FG
NonFG
.16
5.53
5.48
Sig
b
Effect
c
size
.04
a
Scale scores are expressed in 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) point scales. A mean scale score was then
calculated for each student using the items composing the scale.
b
T-test results (2-tailed): * p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001. The smaller the significance level, the less likely that the
difference is due to chance.
c
Effect size is the mean difference divided by pooled standard deviation. It indicates the practical significance of the
mean difference (effect size .2 is often considered small, .5 is moderate, and .8 is large).
d
First generation is defined as no parent or guardian having graduated with a 4-year college degree.
High School Academic Engagement—Item Level Report
This section of the report provides information on the items composing the High School
Academic Engagement Scale. Approximately 62% of entering first year students
reported that they had quite a bit or very much assigned reading in their last year of high
school. In addition 75% reported that they had written papers or reports of 5 or fewer
pages quite a bit or very much in their last high school year.
Only 27% reported that they had written papers or reports of more than 5 pages quite a
bit or very much in their last year of high school. Likely entering students will not be
well-prepared to write longer papers when called upon to do so in college.
As expected female entering students indicated that they had written more papers of 5
or fewer pages (75% female: 73% male) as well as more papers of more than 5 pages
(31% female: 24% male). Further, they indicated that they had been assigned more
reading for their courses than male students reported. Reasons for this discrepancy are
unknown unless female students took appreciably different high school courses than did
male students. This data however provided no insight into that possibility.
8
Figure 4
Amount of Reading/Writing Done in Last Year of High School
45
Assigned
ReadingTextbooks or
other Course
Material
40 41
40
35
34
35
Percent
30
29
30
25
22
Writing
Papers/Reports
of 5 or fewer
pages
22
20
17
15
5
10
9
10
Writing
Papers/Reports
of more than 5
pages
7
4
1
0
0
None
Very Little
Some
Quite a bit
Very Much
Nearly one-third of entering students reported that they devoted five hours or less per
week studying and preparing for class their last year of high school. That percent
changes to about 60% when those who reported studying 10 or less hours per week are
added. Thus, overall, entering students generally are not accustomed to studying more
than 10 hours per week to prepare for class when they entered OSU.
As expected female students reported spending more time studying per week than did
male students. First generation students reported little difference in study time from
students in general.
Figure 5
Hours Per Week Preparing for Class
(study, rehearse, homework)
35
30
30
Female
Students
29
Male
Students
Percent
25
19
20
All
Students
15
10
10
7
3
5
2
1
0
2
26 33
28 29
21 17
11 10
6-10
hrs/wk
11-15
hrs/wk
16-20
hrs/wk
8
5
0
0 hrs/wk 1-5 hrs/wk
21-25
hrs/wk
3
2
26-30
hrs/wk
2
2
>30 hrs/wk
Hrs per week
9
About 73% of first year students reported that in their last year of high school they often
or very often asked questions in class or contributed to class discussion. Forty-nine
percent reported that they often or very often made a class presentation during their last
year of high school. Only 1% reported that they never asked questions in class or made
a class presentation during their last year of high school.
Figure 6
Asked Questions or Made a Class Presentation
During Last Year of High School
60
49
50
38
Percent
40
38
35
27
30
20
11
10
1
1
0
Never
Sometimes
Asked Questions in Class
Often
Very Often
Made a Class Presentation
Not unexpectedly students were more likely to talk with teachers about grades or
assignments than they were to talk with teachers outside of class about ideas from
readings or assignments. Figure 7 contains information about the frequency with which
students talked with high school teachers about these two areas.
Figure 7
Discussions with High School Teachers
47
50
39
40
Percent
30
39
25
20
20
10
19
9
3
0
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very Often
Discussed grades or assignments with teacher
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with teachers outside of class
10
Overall, entering students reported engaging with academic material more frequently
alone rather than in groups or after class. About 72% indicated that they worked often
or very often with other students on projects in class but only 38% reported that they
.worked with classmates outside of class to prepare assignments. Nearly half (49%)
reported that they often or very often discussed readings or classes with others outside
of class however. Lastly, about 47% reported that they often or very often prepared two
or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in.
Figure 8
Active Engagement with Academic Material
60
54
52
50
43
40
Percent
40
34
28
30
30
29
20
20
17
15
9
10
9
7
1
0
Worked with other
Worked with
Discussed ideas from Prepared two or more
students on projects classmates outside of readings or classes
drafts of a paper for
during class
class to prepare
with others outside of assignment before
assignments
class
turning it in
Very often
Often
Sometimes
Never
Perceived Academic Preparation (PAP) Scale
This section of the report focused on the students’ perceptions of their academic
preparation for college-level work. The scale was made up of seven items that focused
on skills that are essential for academic success in college.
Students were asked how prepared they were to be successful in college with seven
items determined to be essential skills for college success. Table 8 below contains the
specific items that compose the Perceived Academic Preparation Scale of the BCSSE.
The mean scale score on the PAP was 7.09 on a scale of 0 (minimum) to 10
(maximum) for all entering first year student participants. Men reported a significantly
higher estimate of their academic preparation than did all students while first generation
students estimated their academic preparation significantly less than the students in
general. In both cases the effect size was small. See Table 9.
11
Table 8
Items Composing Perceived Academic Preparation (PAP) Scale
Perceived
Academic
Preparation (PAP)
How prepared are you to do the following in your academic work at this
college?
 Write clearly and effectively
 Speak clearly and effectively
 Think critically and analytically
 Analyze math or quantitative problems
 Use computing and information technology
 Work effectively with others
 Learn effectively on your own
Student perception
of their academic
preparation
Table 9
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons
d
Gender Comparisons
OSU
All Students
BCSSE
Scales a
Means
Tests of mean
differences
b
Mean
SD
N
Female
Male
Sig
7.09
1.36
2,562
6.99
7.19
***
First-Generation
Comparisons
Means
Tests of
mean
differences
Effect
c
size
FG
NonFG
Sig
b
Effect
c
size
-.15
7.03
7.16
*
-.09
Perceived
Academic
Preparation
(PAP)
Student
perception of
their academic
preparation.
a
Scale scores are expressed in 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) point scales.
T-test results (2-tailed): * p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001. The smaller the significance level, the less likely that the
difference is due to chance.
c
Effect size is the mean difference divided by pooled standard deviation. It indicates the practical significance of the
mean difference (effect size .2 is often considered small, .5 is moderate, and .8 is large).
d
First generation is defined as no parent or guardian having graduated with a 4-year college degree.
b
Perceived Academic Preparation—Item Level Report
Overall, entering students estimated that they were better prepared to write clearly and
effectively than they were to speak clearly and effectively. However, students were very
positive about their preparation in both of these two areas. About 75% of students rated
their preparation for both writing and speaking at a four or better on a six point scale.
As expected, female students rated themselves better prepared than male students in
these two areas. Interestingly first generation students tended to rate their preparation
higher on speaking than on writing.
12
Figure 9
Writing and Speaking Preparation
40
34
35
32
29
Percent
30
28
25
19
20
19
16
14
15
10
5
1
4
3
1
0
1 Not at all
prepared
2
3
4
Write clearly and effectively
5
6 Very
prepared
Speak clearly and effectively
Overall students rated their preparation for thinking critically more positively than they
did their preparation for analyzing math or quantitative problems. Figure 10 below
contains the percent of students rating their preparation on these two areas on a six
point scale.
Figure 10
Preparation for Thinking Critically or
Analyzing Math Problems
40
36
35
31
30
Percent
25
27
26
22
20
19
15
19
10
10
5
7
2
0
1 Not at all
prepared
2
Think Critically and analytically
3
4
5
6 Very
prepared
Analyze math or quantitative problems
Entering student ratings of their preparation for using computing and information
technology followed similar ratings for other areas in this section. Overall they rated
themselves fairly positively with regard to their pre-college preparation in this area.
13
Figure 11 below contains the frequency distribution of responses to this question for
both the 2010 administration and the 2012 administration. Very little difference between
the two administrations was notable.
Figure 11
Using Computing and Information Technology Preparation
32
35
30
26
25
Percent
19
17
20
15
10
5
5
0
1
1
5
18
31
30
16
1 Not at all
prepared
2
3
4
5
6 Very
Prepared
2010
2012
Again, entering OSU students rated themselves positively in terms of their preparation
for working effectively with others as well as learning effectively on their own. Figure 12
below contains the frequency distribution of responses to these two items.
Figure 12
Percent
Preparation for Learning Effectively on your Own
or Working Effectively with Others
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
35
31
24
8
1
1 Not at all
prepared
1
2
5
21
3
Work effectively with others
39
4
34
5
6 Very
prepared
Learn effectively on your own
14
Expected Academic Engagement
Students were asked to estimate the frequency with which they would pursue specific
academic engagement activities during their first year of college. Table 10 below
contains the definition of Expected Academic Engagement as well as the specific
survey items that composed this scale.
Table 10
Items Composing Expected Academic Engagement Scale
Expected
Academic
Engagement
(EAE)
Expected
engagement in
educationally
relevant
behaviors
during the first
year of college
During the coming school year, about how many hours do you think you will
spend in a typical 7-day week doing?
 Preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, doing homework or lab
work, analyzing data, rehearsing, and other academic activities
During the coming school year, about how often do you expect to do each of the
following?
 Ask questions in class or contribute to class discussions
 Make a class presentation
 Work with other students on projects during class
 Work with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments
 Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor
 Discuss ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside
of class
 Discuss ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class
(students, family members, co-workers, etc.)
Students expected to engage in educationally relevant behaviors during their first year
to a medium degree. The mean rating was 5.91 with a scale range of 0 (minimum)-10
(maximum). Men and women showed a significant difference between their expected
academic engagement with women expecting more engagement than did men. This
has been the typical pattern for differences between men and women regarding
expected engagement. First generation students showed a significant difference in
expected academic engagement than did non-first generation students. Table 11 below
contains the means, standard deviations, significance, and effect sizes for comparisons.
While there were significant differences reported, the effect sizes were small.
Students overall expected to spend more time preparing for class in their first year of
college than they had done in their last year of high school. During the last year of high
school 59% reported studying 10 hours or less per week. In contrast, only 12%
expected to study 10 hours or less per week in college. While 22% of students reported
studying 16 hours or more during their last year of high school, 64% expected to study
16 or more hours per week in their first college year. Figure 14 below contains the
graphic comparison of frequencies for time spent studying in the last year of high school
and expected first year of college.
15
Table 11
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons
OSU
OSU Gender Comparisons
All Students
BCSSE Scales
Means
Tests of
mean
differences
a
Mean
SD
N
Female
Male
Sig
5.91
1.43
2,562
6.00
5.84
**
b
d
OSU First-Generation
Comparisons
Means
Tests of
mean
differences
b
Effect
c
size
FG
NonFG
Sig
.11
6.11
5.82
***
Effect
c
size
Expected
Academic
Engagement
(EAE)
Expected
engagement in
educationally
relevant
behaviors during
the first year of
college.
.20
a
Scale scores are expressed in 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) point scales. A mean scale score was then
calculated for each student using the items composing the scale.
b
T-test results (2-tailed): * p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001. The smaller the significance level, the less likely that the
difference is due to chance.
c
Effect size is the mean difference divided by pooled standard deviation. It indicates the practical significance of the
mean difference (effect size .2 is often considered small, .5 is moderate, and .8 is large).
d
First generation is defined as no parent or guardian having graduated with a 4-year college degree.
Expected Academic Engagement (EAE)—Individual Item Report
The following section reports on the individual items making up the EAE Scale.
Figure 13 below contains the frequency distribution of reported hours spent studying in
their last high school year as well as the frequency distribution of their anticipated
number of hours studying per week for their first college year.
Figure 13
Percent
Time Spent Preparing for Class
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
30
25
30
29
21
19
10
8
5
0
1
0
10
1
1-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
Hours per 7-day week
Last year of high school
7
3
21-25
> 30
2
Expected in first college year
16
Students reported relatively high expectations regarding asking questions in class or
contributing to class discussions. About 69% expected to engage in this behavior often
or very often in their first year. Additionally, 51% expected to make a class presentation
often or very often in their first year. These results nearly mirror those of the 2010
administration of the BCSSE.
Figure 14
Percent
Expected Frequency of Asking Questions or
Making a Class Presentation during First College Year
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
47
47
42
30
22
9
1
2
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very Often
Asking questions in class or contributing to class discussions
Making a class presentation
About 72% of entering students reported that in their last year of high school they had
often or very often worked with other students on projects during class, however, only
56% expected to engage in this behavior often or very often during their first college
year. Interestingly 38% also reported that in their last year of high school, they had
often or very often worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class
assignments, but 84% reported that they expected to engage in this behavior often or
very often in their first college year. See Figure 15.
Most students (65%) reported that they expected to discuss ideas from readings or
classes with others outside of class often or very often. This percentage has risen 5%
since the 2010 administration when about 60% of entering students reported that they
expected to have these discussions often or very often. Figure 16 below contains the
frequency distribution for 2012 and 2010 on this item.
17
Figure 15
Percent
Expect in First College Year to Work with Other Students
on Projects During Class and To Work with Classmates
Outside of Class to Prepare Class Assignments
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
46
39
38
38
17
16
6
0
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very Often
Work with other students on projects during class
Work with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments
Figure 16
Percent
Expect in First College Year to Discuss Ideas from Your
Readings or Classes with Others Outside of Class
(students, family, co-workers, etc.)
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
45
34
20
2
3
Never
37
43
17
Sometimes
Often
Very Often
2010
2012
Most entering students (95%) expected at least some of the time to discuss ideas from
classes or assignments with faculty members outside of class. Likewise, 99% expected
18
to talk with faculty members about grades or assignments at least some of the time
during their first college year.
Figure 17
Expected Discussions with Faculty during First College Year
60
50
42
38
Percent
40
30
19
20
10
1
0
51
33
11
Sometimes
Often
Very Often
5
Never
Discuss ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of
class
Discuss grades or assignments with an instructor
Expected Academic Perseverance
This scale represented the degree to which students believed they would persist even
when they faced obstacles or difficult choices. Students who are able to face obstacles
and work to overcome them have a better chance of continuing in school than those
who are unable or do not know how to manage adversity. Table 12 below contains the
definition and the specific questions that composed the Expected Academic
Perseverance scale.
Table 12
Items Composing Expected Academic Perseverance Scale
Expected Academic
Perseverance (EAP)
Student certainty that
they will persist in the
face of academic
adversity
During the coming school year, how certain are you that you will do the
following?
 Study when there are other interesting things to do
 Find additional information for course assignments when you don’t
understand the material
 Participate regularly in course discussions, even when you don’t feel
like it
 Ask instructors for help when you struggle with course assignments
 Finish something you have started when you encounter challenges
 Stay positive, even when you do poorly on a test or assignment
19
The mean score of student certainty that they would persist in the face of obstacles was
relatively high at 7.09 on a scale of 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). Women showed a
significantly higher mean than did men as did first generation students when compared
to non-first generation students. In both cases however the effect sizes were small. See
Table 13 below.
Table 13
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons
OSU Gender Comparisons
BCSSE Scales
OSU
All Students
Means
a
Tests of mean
differences
Mean
SD
N
Female
Male
Sig
7.09
1.43
2.562
7.18
7.00
**
b
d
OSU First-Generation
Comparisons
Means
Tests of
mean
differences
Effect
c
size
FG
NonFG
Sig
.13
7.29
7.04
**
b
Effect
c
size
Expected
Academic
Perseverance
(EAP)
Student certainty
that they will
persist in the
face of academic
adversity.
.12
a
Scale scores are expressed in 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) point scales.
T-test results (2-tailed): * p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001. The smaller the significance level, the less likely that the
difference is due to chance.
c
Effect size is the mean difference divided by pooled standard deviation. It indicates the practical significance of the
mean difference (effect size .2 is often considered small, .5 is moderate, and .8 is large).
d
First generation is defined as no parent or guardian having graduated with a 4-year college degree.
b
Expected Academic Perseverance (AEP)—Individual Item Report
Approximately 60% of students reported that they were certain (rating 5 or 6) on a 6
point scale that they would ask instructors for help when they encountered difficulties
with course assignments. Another 37% were somewhat certain (rating of 3 or 4) that
they would seek help from faculty.
Likewise 64% indicated that they were certain that they would find additional information
for course assignments when they were not understood. Another 34% were somewhat
certain that they would seek out additional information for course assignments that were
not understood.
20
Figure 18
Expected Academic Help-Seeking in First Year
37
40
35
Percent
30
27
26
25
20
15
8
10
5
0
0
0
1 Not at all
certain
1
3
2
12
25
31
29
3
4
5
6 Very
Certain
Degree of Certainty
Ask instructors for help when you struggle with course assignments
Find additional information for course assignments when you don't understand
the material
About 30% of students indicated a high degree of certainty (5 or 6 on a 6 point scale)
that they would participate regularly in course discussions, even when they did not feel
like it. Likewise 40% indicated with a high degree of certainty that they would study
even when there were other interesting things to do (5 or 6 on a 6 point scale). With the
myriad of distractions available on a campus, it seems likely that a large proportion of
students will have difficulty choosing to study when there are other interesting things to
do. See Figure 19 below.
Further Figure 20 below contains the frequency distributions for responses to two
questions. The first asked students to report their level of certainty about staying
positive even when they had done poorly on a test or assignment. About 56% indicated
a high degree of certainty (5 or 6 on a 6 point scale) that they would remain positive
under those circumstances.
Second, 72% reported that they were very certain (5 or 6 on a 6 point scale) that they
would finish something they had started even in the face of challenges. Only about 2%
were not certain that they would finish something they had started when faced with
challenges. See Figure 20 below.
21
Figure 19
Expected Persistence in the Face of Obstacles (1)
40
37
35
Percent
30
25
25
20
20
15
15
10
3
5
1
0
1
27
8
1 Not at all
certain
2
33
3
4
Degree of Certainty
21
9
5
6 Very certain
Participate regularly in course discussions even when you don't feel like it
Study when there are other interesting things to do
Figure 20
Expected Persistence in Face of Obstacles (2)
40
35
37
35
30
Percent
25
22
20
15
10
5
0
3
0
1
1 Not at all
certain
1
2
5
12
27
30
26
3
4
5
6 Very
Certain
Degree of Certainty
Stay positive, even when you do poorly on a test or assignment
Finish something you have started when you encounter challenges
22
Expected Academic Difficulty
The academic experience at the college or university level is much different than the
high school academic experience. Thus, students were asked to assess the level of
expected difficulty they would have managing the collegiate academic environment.
Table 14 below contains the definition and the survey items that made up this scale.
Table 14
Items Composing Expected Academic Difficulty (EAD)
Expected Academic
Difficulty (EAD)
Expected academic
difficulty during the first
year of college
During the coming school year, how difficult do you expect the following to
be?
 Learning course material
 Managing your time
 Getting help with school work
 Interacting with faculty
Students mean rating of expected difficulty was 5.18 with a scale range of 0 (minimum)
and 10 (maximum). Female students reported a significantly higher mean scale than
did male students however, the effect size was small. Likewise first generation students
reported a significantly higher mean score than did non-first generation students but
again the effect size was small.
Table 15
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons
OSU Gender Comparisons
BCSSE
Scales a
OSU
All Students
Means
Tests of mean
differences
Mean
SD
N
Female
Male
Sig
5.18
1.48
2.562
5.27
5.10
**
b
OSU First-Generationd
Comparisons
Means
Effect
c
size
FG
NonFG
Tests of
mean
differences
Sig
Effect
b
c
size
.11
5.34
5.10
***
Expected
Academic
Difficulty
(EAD)
Expected
academic
difficulty during
the first year of
college.
.16
a
Scale scores are expressed in 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) point scales.
T-test results (2-tailed): * p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001. The smaller the significance level, the less likely that the
difference is due to chance.
c
Effect size is the mean difference divided by pooled standard deviation. It indicates the practical significance of the
mean difference (effect size .2 is often considered small, .5 is moderate, and .8 is large).
d
First generation is defined as no parent or guardian having graduated with a 4-year college degree.
b
23
Expected Academic Difficulties—Individual Item Report
Four items composed the Expected Academic Difficulties Scale. Figure 21 below
contains the levels of difficulty and the frequency for two items. Approximately 26%
rated learning course material as potentially quite difficult for them (rating of 5 or 6, on a
6-point scale), while only 7% rated learning course material as not very difficult for them
(rating of 1 or 2, on a 6-point scale).
Interacting with faculty was not seen as particularly difficult for students with only 11%
rating difficulty as a 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. About 36% rated interacting with faculty
members as not very difficult for them.
Figure 21
Expected Academic Difficulties in First College Year (1)
50
45
45
40
Percent
35
32
30
24
25
22
22
20
15
22
12
9
10
6
5
0
2
1
1 Not at all
difficult
2
3
4
5
4
6 Very
difficult
Degree of Difficulty
Interacting with faculty
Learning course material
Only about 10% of students rated getting help with school work as very difficult (rating
of 5 or 6, on a 6-point scale). However, 50% of students rated managing time as very
difficult. Figure 22 below illustrates the difference in perceptions of students concerning
finding help versus managing time. Likely for many entering first year students,
managing their own time is a new experience for them. Only about 8% reported that
managing time would not be very difficult for them.
24
Figure 22
Expected Academic Difficulties in First College Year (2)
40
35
35
31
Percent
30
26
24
25
25
19
20
15
15
10
5
6
8
6
2
2
0
1 Not at all
difficult
2
3
4
Degree of Difficulty
Getting help with school work
5
6 Very difficult
Managing time
Additional Areas of Potential Difficulty
While only four survey items were used to develop the Expected Academic Difficulties
scale, two other areas were also assessed in terms of the students’ expectations of
experiencing difficulties. These included: (1) Expected difficulty paying for college
expenses, and (2) Expected difficulty making new friends.
First generation students (~56%) and female students (~48%) expressed the greatest
level of expected difficulty paying for their college expenses. Only 6% of first generation
students and 8% of female students reported that they expected no difficulty (rating of 1
on a 6 point scale) paying for college expenses.
Figure 24 contains the frequency distribution of level of difficulty expected in terms of
making new friends during the first college year. Less than 2% of students anticipated
that this would be a very difficult problem for them. Most students (58%) rated the
difficulty of making new friends as not at all difficult (rating of 1 or 2, on a 6-point scale)
25
Figure 23
Level of Expected Difficulty Paying College Expenses
40
36
35
Percent
30
24
25
20
19
20
15
15
17
12
10
23
11
10
7
6
5
11
8
13
11
16
15
19
19
20
21
21
27
0
1 Not at all
difficult
2
3
4
5
6 Very
difficult
Degree of Difficulty
Male
Female
All students
First Generation
Figure 24
Level of Expected Difficulty Making New Friends
32
35
30
26
22
Percent
25
20
12
15
10
5
5
28 25 26
31 33 30
21 22 23
13 12 12
1 Not at all
difficult
2
3
4
6
5
6
1
2
3
2
0
5
6 Very
difficult
Degree of Difficulty
Male
Female
First Generation
All students
Importance of Campus Environment
The Importance of the Campus Environment scale asked students to rate how important
it is that the institution provides both a challenging and supportive environment. The
specific questions that composed this scale are related to elements on a campus that
demonstrate both challenge and support. These are contained in Table 16 below.
26
Table 16
Items Composing Importance of
Campus Environment Scale (ICE)
Importance of
Campus
Environment (ICE)
Student-related
importance that the
institution provides a
challenging and
supportive
environment
How important is it to you that your college or university provides each of
the following?
 A challenging academic experience
 Support to help you succeed academically
 Opportunities to interact with students from different economic, social,
and racial or ethnic backgrounds
 Assistance coping with your non-academic responsibilities (work, family,
etc.)
 Support to help you thrive socially
 Opportunities to attend campus events and activities
The importance of a challenging and supportive campus environment is the keystone of
this section of the report. The mean rating of 7.15 on a scale of 0 (minimum) to 10
(maximum) strongly suggests that students find these characteristics important to them
on a campus. Further female students reported significantly more importance than did
male students on this scale. Likewise first generation students showed a significantly
higher mean than did non-first generation students. Additionally most of the items on
the survey in this scale were items that offered support. Only one item related to a
challenging academic experience.
Table 17
BCSSE Mean Scale Scores and Selected Comparisons
BCSSE Scales a
OSU
All Students
OSU Gender
Comparisons
Means
Tests of
mean
differences
b
Mean
SD
N
Female
Male
Sig
7.15
1.57
2562
7.50
6.82
***
d
OSU First-Generation
Comparisons
Means
Tests of
mean
differences
b
Effect
c
size
FG
NonFG
Sig
.44
7.31
7.08
***
Effect
c
size
Importance of
Campus
Environment (ICE)
Student-rated importance
that the institution
provides a challenging
and supportive
environment.
.14
a
Scale scores are expressed in 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) point scales.
T-test results (2-tailed): * p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001. The smaller the significance level, the less likely that the
difference is due to chance.
c
Effect size is the mean difference divided by pooled standard deviation. It indicates the practical significance of the
mean difference (effect size .2 is often considered small, .5 is moderate, and .8 is large).
d
First generation is defined as no parent or guardian having graduated with a 4-year college degree.
b
27
Importance of the Campus Environment (ICE)—Individual Item Report
Overall all the majority of students (67%) expressed that campus-provided opportunities
to attend events was important to them (rating of 5 or 6 on a 6 point scale). Female and
first generation students rated this somewhat higher than did male students. See Figure
25.
Figure 25
Importance of Campus Environment to Provide
Opportunities to Attend Campus Events
45
40
35
35
32
Percent
30
21
25
20
10
15
10
5
0
1
1
1
2
3
2
6 13 10
18 24 20
33 30 30
42 29 38
3
4
5
6 Very
important
0
1 Not
important
2
Degree of Importance
Female
Male
First Generation
All students
Figure 26 contains the degree of importance that entering students attributed to having
the campus environment provide opportunities to interact with others from different
backgrounds. For all entering students, about 54% rated this as important or very
important (rating of 5 or 6 on a 6 point scale). Female students and first generation
students rated this higher than did male students. While 46% of male students did rate
this as important or very important, it was less than female (62%) or first generation
student (57%) ratings.
Interestingly, overall students (57%) also rated that it was important or very important
(rating of 5 or 6 on a 6 point scale) that the campus environment provided them with an
academically challenging experience. Male, female and first generation students
showed little difference in this rating. See Figure 27 below.
28
Figure 26
Importance of Campus Environment to Provide
Opportunities to Interact With Others from Different Backgrounds
35
30
27
28
26
Percent
25
20
13
15
10
4
5
2
1
3
2
3
6
3
8 17 13
25 28 25
32 25 27
31 21 30
3
4
5
6 Very
important
0
1 Not
important
2
Degree of Importance
Female
Male
First Generation
All students
Figure 27
Importance of Campus Environment to Provide
a Challenging Academic Experience
40
35
35
32
Percent
30
25
22
20
15
10
10
5
0
1
1
1
10 10 10
29 34 31
36 34 33
24 21 23
3
4
5
6 Very
important
0
1 Not
important
2
Degree of Importance
Female
Male
First Generation
All students
29
Students were asked to rate the importance of three areas of support for students,
social support, non-academic responsibility support, and academic support.
Overwhelmingly, students indicated that support to succeed academically was the
highest rated with 84% rating this as important or very important ((rating of 5 or 6 on a 6
point scale).
Figure 28
Importance of Campus Environment to Provide
Support to Thrive Socially, Assistance to Cope with
Non-academic Responsibilities, or
Support to Succeed Academically
60
51
Percent
50
40
27
30
10
24
19
20
11
8
3
33
28
23
21
18
13
14
3
2
0
1 Not
important
2
3
4
Degree of Importance
5
6 Very
important
Support to thrive socially
Assistance to cope with non-academic responsibilities
Support to succeed academically
Female and first generation entering students looked very similar in terms of response
patterns for the three areas of support articulated above. About 49% of female students
and 44% of first generation students reported that it was very important to them for the
campus to provide support to help them thrive socially. Only 36% of male students
reported likewise (rating of 5 or 6 on a 6 point scale).
About 41% of entering female students and 38% of first generation students reported
that it was very important to them for the campus to provide assistance to cope with
non-academic responsibilities. Only 28% of entering male students reported similarly
(rating of 5 or 6 on a 6 point scale).
Help to succeed academically was reported by all students as being more important
than either of the other two areas of support. However, male students reported that it
was somewhat less important than did female students and first generation students.
Figure 29 below contains the frequency distributions for this area of support.
30
Figure 29
Importance of Campus Environment to Provide
Support to Help You Succeed Academically
70
60
51
Percent
50
40
33
30
20
14
10
0
0
1 Not
important
2
12
4
2
0
3
11 17 11
30 35 30
58 44 56
4
5
6 Very
important
Degree of Importance
Female
Male
First generation
All students
Co-Curricular Engagement during Last Year of High School
This section describes the degree of co-curricular involvement that students reported on
the BCSSE survey. Table 18 below contains the specific items that are discussed in
this section of the report.
Table 18
Items Categorized as Co-Curricular Engagement During the
Last Year of High School
Co-curricular Engagement
during Last Year of High
School
Level of involvement in:









Visual or performing arts
Athletic teams (varsity, junior varsity, club sports, etc.)
Student government
Publications (student newspaper, yearbook, etc.)
Academic honor societies
Academic clubs (science, math, debate, etc.)
Vocational clubs (business, health, technology)
Religious youth group
Community service or volunteer work
Involvement in athletic teams was the area in which students reported the highest level
of activity during their last year of high school. Approximately 52% reported being very
involved in athletic teams (5 or 6 rating on a 6 point scale).
31
Approximately 20% reported a high level of involvement in the performing or visual arts
programs during their last year of high school. See Figure 30 for the frequency
distribution for all student involvement in athletic teams or the visual or performing arts
programs.
Figure 30
Last High School Year Level of Involvement
In Performing or Visual Arts Programs or Athletic Teams
60
Visual or Performing Arts
54
50
Athletic Teams
39
Percent
40
30
18
20
11
13
12
11
10
14
7
0
1 Not
involved
2
8
7
6
3
4
5
6 Very
involved
Level of Involvement
Fewer than 10% of students reported high involvement in either student government or
publications during their last year of high school. See Figure 31 below.
Figure 31
Last High School Year Level of Involvement
in Student Government or Publications
90
80
70
Student Government
78
71
Publications (student
newspaper, yearbook,
etc.)
Percent
60
50
40
30
20
10
6
10
8
2
3
7
3
3
5
0
1 Not
involved
3
4
Level of Involvement
2
5
4
6 Highly
involved
32
Involvement in academic or career-related clubs was minimal with a much higher of
percentages of students reporting no involvement in these activities. Nevertheless of
the three activities listed in Figure 32 below, students reported more involvement in
academic honor societies than in the other two types of academically-related clubs.
Figure 32
Last High School Year Level of Involvement in
Academic Honor Societies, Academic Clubs, or Vocational Clubs
80
Academic Clubs (debate,
math, science, etc.)
70
Percent
60
50
Vocational Clubs (business,
health, tech, etc.)
50
Academic Honor Societies
40
30
20
11
8
10
69
75
10
7
7
6
11
6
4
0
1 Not
involved
2
3
4
11
8
3
3
5
5
5
6 Very
involved
Degree of Involvement
Engagement in community service or volunteer work was a close second to involvement
in athletic teams with 38% reporting high involvement. See Figure 33 below.
Figure 33
Last High School Year Level of Involvement in Religious
Youth Groups or Community Service or Volunteer Work
70
Religious Youth Group
66
60
Community Service or
volunteer work
Percent
50
40
30
21
23
20
15
20
10
11
10
8
7
6
8
4
0
1 Not
involved
2
3
4
Level of Involvement
5
6 Very
involved
33
Other Engagement Activity
Items included in this category are those which did not neatly fit into another category
but that involved engagement in academically enriching activities. Additionally two of
the items in this category pertained to missing class and completing homework
assignments.
About 59% of students reported that they had read books on their own for personal
enjoyment or academic enrichment at least some of the time during their last high
school year. Female students reported this slightly more than did male students.
Figure 34
Books Read on Your Own (not assigned)
For Personal Enjoyment or Academic Enrichment
40
33
35
31
Percent
30
25
20
15
15
11
11
10
5
9
12 12
26 35 30
34 31 32
17 13 15
Very little
Some
Frequency
Quite a bit
14
8
11
0
None
Female
Male
First geneeration
Very much
All students
Most students (86%) reported that at least sometimes during their last year of high
school they had had serious conversations with students who were racially or ethnically
different from them. Nevertheless, about 15% reported that they had never had this
experience. In this area, fewer male students had never had this experience than
female students. See Figure 35 below.
Only 4% of students expected not to have this experience during their first year of
college. Overall 96% of entering students expected to have serious conversations with
students who differed from them in race/ethnicity during their first college year.
Thus, while many of these entering students have not had these experiences before,
they do anticipate that they will be meeting and interacting seriously with students who
differ from them racially and ethnically.
34
Figure 35
Had Serious Conversations with Students Different
From You in Race/Ethnicity in High School
40
33
35
Percent
30
27
26
25
20
15
15
10
5
16
13
15
35
31
34
22
28
23
26
28
27
0
Never
Female
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Male
First generation
Very often
All students
Figure 36
Had in High School or Expect to Have in First College Year
Serious Conversations with Students Different From You in Race/Ethnicity
38
40
35
31
27
30
Percent
25
20
15
10
5
0
4
33
15
Never
26
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Had in High School
27
Very often
Expect to Have in First College Year
About 88% of students reported that in high school they had at least sometimes had
serious conversations with students who differed from them in religious beliefs, political
opinions or personal values. Only 12% reported that they had never had this
experience.
35
Figure 37
Had Serious Conversations in Last High School Year
with Students Different from You in Religious Beliefs,
Political Opinions or Personal Values
40
36
35
29
30
23
Percent
25
20
12
15
10
5
13
10
12
37
36
37
26
31
27
23
23
24
0
Never
Female
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Male
First generation
Very often
All students
Overall most students (97%) expected to have serious conversations with students who
differed from them in terms of religious beliefs, political opinions or personal values at
least sometime during their first college year. While, only 88% had reported this
experience in high school.
Figure 38
Had in High School or Expect to Have in First College Year
Serious Conversations with Students Different from You in Religious
Beliefs, Political Opinions or Personal Values
40
38
35
32
Percent
30
27
25
20
15
10
5
0
3
36
12
Never
29
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Had in High School
23
Very often
Expect to Have in First College Year
36
Most students (93%) reported that they had at least sometimes talked with a counselor,
teacher or other staff member about college or career plans during their last year of high
school. Female students and first generation students reported engaging more in this
behavior often or very often than did male students. See Figure 39.
Figure 39
Percent
Talked with a Counselor, Teacher, or Other Staff Member
About College or Career Plans
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
45
30
17
7
5
9
6
Never
Female
43
47
36
32
30
34
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Male
First Generation
20
14
24
Very often
All students
Most students reported that at least sometimes they had missed a day of class or had
come to class without completing assignments. Approximately 8% reported that they
had often or very often come to class without completing assignments (Figure 40).
Figure 40
Percent
Came to Class without Completing Readings or Assignments
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
31
15
Never
62
72
6
9
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Came to class without completing readings or assignments
2
4
Very Often
Missed a day of school
37
Use of Time in the Last Year of High School and Expected Use of Time during the
First College Year
Students were asked to account for the amount of time in a week that they engaged in
specific activities for this section of the report. They were then asked the amount of
time that they expected to engage in these activities during their first college year.
Figure 41 contains the hours per week working for pay in high school and the expected
number of hour per week working for pay in college. Most students expected to work at
least some during their first year of college. About one-quarter expected not to have to
work in their first year.
Figure 41
Hours per Week Working for Pay
50
45
40
Percent
35
30
24
25
21
21
20
16
13
15
10
5
5
46
17
12
0
1-5
6-10
9
8
5
2
21-25
26-30
1
2
0
11-15
16-20
Hours Per Week
In Last High School Year
1
>30
Expected In First College Year
Female and first generation entering students reported working for pay in high school
more than male students reported. About 39% of female students and 40% of first
generation students reported working zero hours per week for pay in their last high
school year while 53% of male students reported likewise.
Few students (<5%) expected to work over 25 hours per week regardless of grouping.
Overall students expected to work 20 hours per week or less. (See Figures 42 and 43
below)
38
Figure 42
Hours per Week Working for Pay in Last High School Year
60
50
46
Percent
40
30
17
20
12
9
10
39 53 40
18 15 15
12 11 11
0
1-5
6-10
8
5
9 7 10
6 4 6
2
3 2 3
2
2 2 3
11-15
16-29
Hours Per Week
21-25
26-30
>30
11 7 10
0
Female
Male
First Generation
All students
Figure 43
Hours per Week Expected to Work in First College Year
30
25
24
21
21
Percent
20
16
13
15
10
5
5
22 25 15
14 12 11
20 22 22
0
1-5
6-10
15 17 20
5 4 6
1
1 1 1
1
1 1 2
11-15
16-20
Hours per Week
21-25
26-30
>30
23 18 22
0
Female
Male
First Generation
All students
Overall, few students reported high activity in co-curricular activities in high school with
the exception of athletics, community service, and theater arts. For their first college
year, most students expected to participate in co-curricular activities between 6 and 15
hours per week. No students expected to participate more than 20 hours per week.
39
Figure 44
Hours per Week Participating in Co-curricular Activities
32
35
28
30
Percent
25
20
15
15
15
10
5
5
3
8
4
17
16
1-5
6-10
22
17
10
1
0
0
11-15
16-20
Hours per Week
In Last High School Year
21-25
26-30
6
>30
Expected in First College Year
Students expected to relax and socialize more hours per week than either working or
participating in co-curricular activities. They also expected to socialize between 1 to 20
hours per week more frequently than the other time frames available. Only 8% expected
to relax or socialize more than 20 hours per week.
Figure 45
Hours per Week Relaxing and Socializing
35
32
30
27
Percent
25
19
20
13
15
10
5
5
0
1
0
0
2
1
16
28
1-5
6-10
22
15
11-15
16-20
Hours per Week
In Last High School Year
7
21-25
3
26-30
7
>30
In First College Year
40
Expectations of Integrative Activity during the First Year of College
Students were asked a series of questions about the expected frequency of engaging in
specific academic experiences that have been shown to enhance learning. Table 19
below contains the specific questions included in this section of the report.
Table 19
Expectations for Integrative Activity
During the First College Year

Integrative Activity
Work on a paper or project that requires integrating
ideas or information from various sources
Expect to put together ideas or concepts from different
courses when completing assignments or during class
discussions
Expect to try to better understand someone else’s views
by imaging how an issue looks from high or her
perspective
Expect to learn something that changes the way you
understand an issue or idea

Frequency of activity in first year


Generally, entering students have high expectations for engaging in these four
behaviors often or very often during their first college year. The following figures
contain the distributions for responses to these questions.
Overall, 93% expect often or very often to work on a paper or project during their first
year in college that requires them to integrate ideas or information from various sources.
No students expected never to engage in this activity in their first year.
Figure 46
Expect to Work on a Paper or Project that
Requires Integrating Ideas or Information from
Various Sources during First College Year
60
50
Percent
50
43
40
30
20
10
7
0
6
9
7
45
55
47
49
36
46
0
Never
Female
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Male
First Generation
Very Often
All students
41
About 81% of entering students expected to often or very often put together ideas or
concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class
discussions during their first year. Zero students expected never to engage in this
behavior during the first year.
Figure 47
Expect to Put Together Ideas or Concepts
From Different Courses When Completing
Assignments or During Class Discussions
60
52
Percent
50
40
29
30
19
20
10
0
17
20
17
49
54
51
34
25
32
0
Never
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Female
Male
Very Often
First Generation
All students
Overall, nearly all (99%) entering students expected to try to better understand
someone else’s view by imagining how an issue looked from his/her perspective at least
some of the time during their first year in college. Seventy-nine percent expected to do
this often or very often during their first year. See Figure 48.
Figure 48
Expect to Try to Better Understand Someone Else’s
Views by Imagining How an Issue Looks from His or Her Perspective
60
46
Percent
50
33
40
30
19
20
10
0
0
2
1
1
Never
Female
17
22
20
44
48
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Male
First Generation
46
39
28
34
Very Often
All students
42
All entering students reported that they expected to learn something that changed the
way they understood an issue or idea at least some of the time during their first year at
OSU. About 85% expected to do this often or very often during their first year.
Figure 49
Expect to Learn Something That Changes
The Way You Understand an Issue or Idea
60
47
50
38
Percent
40
30
20
15
10
0
11
18
15
44
49
43
45
32
42
0
Never
Female
Sometimes
Often
Frequency
Male
First Generation
Very Often
All students
Paying For College
Having sufficient funds to pay for educational expenses is often problematic for many
students. This section of the report provides information about how students expect to
fund their first year at OSU.
About 50% of students expected to pay less than half of their expenses with
scholarships or grants. Another 10% expected to pay all or nearly all of their expenses
with grants or scholarships. Lastly, about 3% did not know if they had grants or
scholarships or if they did how much they covered.
A little over one-third of students expected to have no student loans for the first year.
About 10% expected that student loans would pay all or mostly all of their expenses
while 23% expected student loans to cover half or more of their expenses. Interestingly,
about 3% did not know if student loans would be part of the funds that would help them
pay college expenses. See Figure 50.
43
Figure 50
Percent
College Expenses during First College Year
Paid by Scholarships/Grants or Student Loans
(all students self-report)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
50
19
18
10
34
26
23
10
None
< Half
Half or More
All or Nearly All
3
7
Do Not Know
Amount
Student Loans
Scholarships/Grants
Most students (55%) expected to pay less than half of their college expenses their first
year with another 20% expecting to pay nothing toward their college expenses for their
initial college year. Only about 13% expected to pay half or more of their college
expenses themselves.
About 54% of students expected their parents/families to pay half or more of their first
year expenses. Only about 4% of students expected all or nearly all of their expenses
to be paid by parents/family members. Sixteen percent expected to get no financial help
from parents/family members regarding their first year expenses.
Figure 51
College Expenses during First College
Year Paid by Parents/family or Self
(all students self-report)
60
Percent
50
40
30
23
24
20
55
9
4
13
None
< Half
Half or More
All or Nearly All
Do Not Know
30
20
10
16
6
0
Amount
Self
Parents/Family
44
Most (45%) first generation entering students reported that they received a Pell Grant
for their first year. Only 27% of all students reported receiving a Pell Grant.
Interestingly, nearly one-third of students did not know if they had received a Pell Grant
at the time they were taking the survey.
Figure 52
Received a Federal Pell Grant
50
45
42
40
Percent
35
32
30
27
25
20
15
10
5
27
27
45
41
41
29
32
32
26
0
Yes
Female
No
Male
First Generation
Don't Know
All students
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
OSU entering first year students who attended at summer START session and were 17
years old or older were asked to participate in the Beginning College Survey of Student
Engagement (BCSSE) survey. The BCSSE was designed to measure the high school
experiences and college expectations of entering first year students. Further the
BCSSE parallels the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) which is
administered to senior students and first year students during the winter and spring
terms. Thus, by using both instruments, the experiences of first year students can be
examined in terms of high school experiences, expected experiences in college, and
actual college experiences. This report examined the responses of first year students
on the BCSSE.
A total of 2,614 students were asked to participate in the survey with 2562 completions
which is a return rate of 98%. Approximately 34% of these were first generation college
students (defined as no parent or guardian had graduated with a 4-year college
degree). Generally respondents reported that they would be full-time students and that
they had a high school grade point average of B or better. Most (71%) reported their
45
race as white (non-Hispanic) with about 27% reporting a race other than white. Most
(88%) intended to graduate from Oregon State though about 11% were uncertain if they
would graduate or not.
Six scales were developed to assess high school academic engagement, expected
college academic engagement, perseverance, expected academic difficulty, perception
of academic preparation, and the importance of the campus environment in providing
both challenge and support. Three scales, achieved a mean of 7 or greater on a scale
that ranged from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). These scales included: Expected
Academic Perseverance, Perceived Academic Preparation, and Importance of Campus
Environment. The remaining three scales achieved a mean range of 5.18 to 5.91 with 0
(minimum) to 10 (maximum). These scale included: Expected Academic Difficulty, High
School Academic Engagement, and Expected Academic Engagement.
Overall, students entered OSU with high expectations for their collegiate academic
experience. They expected a high level of integrative academic experience in their first
year that included interacting with faculty regularly about ideas from readings and class
discussions. Further they expected, from the beginning, to write and participate in class
discussions by pulling together information from multiple courses and resources. They
expected to learn things that changed the way they thought about issues and to be
challenged to examine ideas from different perspectives.
The importance of the academic environment in supporting their academic pursuits was
evident as well. For the majority of students it was very important that supports were
available to help them succeed academically and to a somewhat lessor degree socially.
They wanted the campus to provide them with opportunities to attend campus events
and to interact meaningfully with other students.
They expected to spend more hours per week studying than they did in high school and
they expected slightly lower grades. Nearly all students reported entering OSU with a B
or better grade point average and they expected to get at least a B average their first
year. They rated themselves overall well-prepared for college–level work, except
perhaps in the area of mathematics. They believed that they would persevere in the
face of obstacles and about 88% believed that they would graduate from OSU.
Nevertheless over 75% reported that managing time would be substantially difficult for
them.
In general entering students were not as involved in co-curricular activities in high
school as they expected to be in college. Three areas of high school involvement,
athletics, music/theater, and community service had the highest percentages of
reported involvement for entering students. Student government, student media, clubs
and organizations had substantially fewer students involved in high school than the
previously mentioned groups of activities.
A little over 75% of students intended to work at least a few hours per week in order to
help with college expenses at the time the survey was administered. Further about one46
third of students reported that they did not know if they had received a Pell grant.
Likewise 7% did not know if they had received a loan and 3% did know if they had
received a scholarship. In terms of self-funding from savings about 55% reported that
they would pay about half of their expenses. The majority of students (77%) expected
their parents/family members would pay half to nearly all of their expenses for the first
year.
Students entered OSU with great expectations for their OSU academic experience and
for their futures. They believed that they will be called upon to engage in academically
integrative activity and they expect OSU to provide supports along the way to help them
be successful. In general most students did not have a clear picture of exactly how they
were going to finance their first year but many expected to pay half or more with a
combination of work, their own savings or with family support. Overall they were eager
to meet new people and have opportunities to interact meaningfully with them. They
expected that at least some of these interactions would be with people different from
themselves in some significant way (e.g., race, ethnicity, political beliefs, SES, etc.).
How students experience what OSU has to offer and how this meets students’
expectations will be addressed when these BCSSE results are compared to the results
of the National Survey of Student Engagement which will be administered during
Winter, 2013.
Recommendations
5.
6.
7.
8.
Continue to administer the BCSSE only on those years that NSSE is
administered (every 2-4 years).
Return to the CIRP freshman survey on years the BCSSE is not administered.
Continue to use the BCSSE data with available BANNER data and the NSSE
data to develop key indicators of attrition/retention for first year students.
Assess to what degree entering student expectations about the academic
experience are met during their first year.
REFERENCES
Sanderson, R.A. (2010). Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement 2009 OSU Results.
Student Affairs Research Report 01-10. Corvallis, OR: OSU Division of Student Affairs.
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