Student Focus Group Data
Persistence: First Semester to
Second Semester
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Four Components

What’s Wrong?
25% of TCC’s first-time freshmen were not
retained to the second semester.

Why?
Student Focus Group Data

Interventions
Data-driven Strategies

Assessment
Formative and Summative
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
The Four Components
What’s Wrong?
Why?
(Quantitative Data)
(Student Focus Group Data)
Goals
Top
Persistence
• Persistence
(Year 2 – 4 )
Barriers/Challenges
• Developmental
Reading
(Year 3 – 4 )
• Developmental
Math
(Year 4 )
Revised Interventions
New Interventions
Policy Changes
Questions
• How do we revise
current interventions
to directly address
common barriers?
• What new
interventions can
be implemented to
address common
barriers?
Qualitative Data
• What policy changes
need to be made to
address common
barriers?
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Assess Impact
Assessments
Formative:
• To what extent
did interventions
(or policy changes)
effectively address
common barriers?
Summative:
• To what extent
did interventions
increase
persistence?
Student Focus Groups
Demographics: Gender
Focus Group
AtD Cohort
72%
59%
41%
28%
Males
Females
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Student Focus Groups
Demographics: Ethnicity
Focus Group
AtD Cohort
71%
60%
16%
14%
10%
2% 4%
1% 2%
African
American
Asian
11%
Caucasian
Hispanic
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Native
American
5%
2%
Other
Student Focus Groups
Demographics: Age
Focus Group
AtD Cohort
72% 72%
8%
12%
2%
Under 21
21-24
7%
9%
25-29
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
6%
30-39
9%
3%
40 and Older
Other Subgroups



4% African American males in both AtD Cohort
and focus groups
44% Tulsa Achieves students
Mean average age was
• 22.7 years for Focus Groups (more 18 year olds with Tulsa
Achieves)
• 24.5 years for AtD Cohort

Mean average age of non-Tulsa Achieves
students was 25.8 years.
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Definition of Terms




Student Focus Group
Barrier/Challenge
Frequency
Cluster
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Student Focus Groups




Three focus groups per campus
12 total groups
101 total students
Students volunteered and were
accepted if they had completed their
first semester in Fall 2007 and had reenrolled in Spring 2008.
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Barrier/Challenge

Barrier/Challenge
“All students experience barriers or
challenges as they make their way toward
graduation.”

Common barriers include those experienced
at TCC and those connected to life
circumstances.
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Frequency

Barriers/Challenges - Frequency
• By Raw Total
• By Group
• By Campus
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Cluster


Barriers seemed related to each other.
Data Team classified barriers into
larger clusters or categories to provide
the best overall picture of the data.
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
General Findings



No single barrier was mentioned in every
focus group on all four campuses.
Many barriers occurred frequently and were
identified on all four campuses.
Barriers specific to individual campuses did
not occur frequently overall; College-wide
barriers were identified far more frequently
overall.
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Most Frequent
Barriers/Challenges






Adjusting to college (19)
Balancing school and life (15)
Textbook issues (13)
Tulsa Achieves implementation issues (13)
Communication issues with instructors (12)
Choosing courses (8)
All six barriers/challenges were identified on all four
campuses.
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Specific Findings
82% of all barriers/challenges fell into
one of three clusters:
 Academic Barriers (63)
 Service Barriers (53)
 Adjustment Barriers (48)
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Academic Barriers (63)
63 Academic Barriers were grouped into
two types:
• Instructional Issues (33)
• Student Issues (30)
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Academic Barriers
Instructional Issues (33)
• Communication issues with instructors (12)
• Instructional quality (6)
• Understanding instructor’s course
requirements (6)
• Instructor attitudes (2)
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Academic Barriers
Student Issues (30)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Choosing courses (8)
Meeting academic workload (8)
Using Blackboard and MyTCC email (4)
Academically underprepared (3)
Lacking computer proficiency (3)
Course placement (3)
Choosing a major (1)
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Service Barriers (53)








Textbook issues (13)
Poor customer service (8)
Financial Aid service (8)
Confusing enrollment process (7)
Limited times and locations of classes (6)
Finding your way around campus (5)
Parking (5)
Inter-campus communication (1)
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Adjustment Barriers (48)




Adjusting to college (19)
Balancing school and life (15)
Time management (7)
Lack of motivation (7)
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Tulsa Achieves
Implementation Issues

13 barriers/challenges identified
These were not included in the three
clusters.

Examples:
• Paying for textbooks
• Financial aid processing
• Information about TA changed and sometimes
not accurate
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
The Four Components
What’s Wrong?
Why?
(Quantitative Data)
(Focus Group Student Data)
Goals
Top
Persistence Barriers:
• Persistence
(Year 2 – 4 )
1. Adjusting to college
2. Balancing school and
life
• Developmental
Reading
(Year 3 – 4 )
• Developmental
Math
(Year 4 )
3. Textbook issues
4. Tulsa Achieves
implementation
issues
5. Communication issues
with instructors
6.
Choosing courses
Revised Interventions
New Interventions
Policy Changes
Questions
• How do we revise
current interventions
to directly address
common barriers?
• What new
interventions can
be implemented to
address common
barriers?
• What policy changes
need to be made to
address common
barriers?
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence
Assess Impact
Assessments
Formative:
• To what extent
did interventions
(or policy changes)
effectively address
common barriers?
Summative:
• To what extent
did interventions
increase
persistence?
Next Steps
*
*
*
TCC’s goal is to achieve a 3% increase in
student persistence each year.
Based on the data, major barriers are
selected for intervention and improvement.
Intervention and assessment strategies are
then devised or modified for the selected
barriers.
Student Focus Group Data: Persistence