IN SEARCH OF AN UNDERSTANDING OF GOALS-SETTING: A FOCUS ON FIRST-TIME DEGREE-SEEKING STUDENTS

Tonia McKoy Morgan State University EDSR-604 W07

RESEARCH PURPOSE
This purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how first-time, degree-seeking students select their goal(s) for enrolling in the community college, and how these goals affect their persistence.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study seeks the answer to the following questions:
How do first-time degree-seeking students describe their process for selecting their educational and career goal(s)? How do first-time degree-seeking students describe the importance of their educational and career goals in their long term and short term plans? How do students describe the support they received from the college during their first semester?

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Students with and ambitious goals were likely to persist and succeed Race and socioeconomic status affect goal setting and goal attainment Colleges should help students realize their goals and aspirations Colleges should help students raise their aspirations

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Colleges should offer non-academic support to help students clarify aspirations and commitment Colleges should find way to clarify the utility of college, and improve students ability to plan Advising is one activity that can accomplish this clarification Success courses and new technologies are other alternatives

Motivation

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

(Howey, n.d; Shia, n.d.; Maxwell, 1979).

There

Intrinsic factors internal motives that may lead to participation in tasks/activities the sake of completing or mastering a task or skill. Extrinsic factors participation or performance is seen as a means to an end, for example, to gain acceptance by others, money or status - external motives.
These

factors can be applied to student goals and performance in educational settings

METHODOLOGY
This study was approved by the Vice President of Student Affairs and the Institutional Review Board of Paradise Community College. Study Design Qualitative Collective case study
Participants Purposeful selection Maximal variation sampling technique First-time degree-seeking in fall 2012

METHODOLOGY
Participant Characteristics

Participant* Participant 1 Participant 2 Participant 3 Participant 4 Participant 5 Participant 6 Participant 7 Participant 8 Participant 9 Participant 10

High Sch./Nontrad.** HS NT HS HS HS NT NT NT HS NT

Gender Female Female Female Female Male Female Female Female Female Female

Race/Ethnicity African Am. Hispanic Asian African Am. White White African Am. Hispanic Hispanic Asian

Enroll Status Full-time Full-time Full-time Part-time Part-time Part-time Full-time Full-time Part-time Full-time

Used Advising /Counseling Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes No Yes No

Degree Type*** AS AS AS CERT CERT AS CERT AS AS AS

* Name were removed for reporting purposes ** HS(High School graduate); NT (non-traditional student) *** AS (Associate Degree); CERT(Certificate)

METHODOLOGY
Research Site Paradise Community College Public two year Sub-urban Service Area: Clearview County Enrollment: 10,000 Fall 2012 First-time student: 1,000
degree-seeking: 600 full-time: 500

METHODOLOGY
Procedures for Data Collection & Analysis
A semi-structured interviews Incentive for participation: $5 to Dunkin Donuts Audio recorded for transcription Transcript analyzed for emerging themes Short demographic survey which were scanned using Remark OMR Data analyzed for themes related to goal selections, motivational orientation, and perceptions on institutional support.

RESULTS
(PRELIMINARY)
Question 1
How do first-time, degree-seeking students describe their process for selecting their educational and career goal(s)?
Two categories of goals: Need for personal development Consultation with others Goals are selected based on factors that are aligned with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Goals are not static, and so are the factors affecting them

RESULTS
(PRELIMINARY)
Question 2 How do first-time degree-seeking students describe the importance of their educational and career goals in their long term and short term plans?
Importance is influenced at factors used in goals selection With guidance, vague and extrinsic goals can lead to concrete, long term goals that are more intrinsic in nature

RESULTS
(PRELIMINARY)

Question 3 How do students describe the support they received from the college during their first semester?

Advising can help clarify aspirations and goals of some students A better advising model is needed to reach students who are not even aware that they need guidance to plan for the future.

REFERENCES

Amerson, R. (2011). Making a Case for the Case Study Method. Journal of Nursing Education, 50(8), 427428. Bailey, T., Jenkins, D., & Leinbach, T. (2005, September). Graduation rates, student goals, and measuring community college effectiveness. CCRC Brief, 28(), 1-4. Retrieved from [Link] Bailey, T. R., Jerkins, D., & Leinbach, D. T. (2007, March). The effect of student goals on community college performance measures. CCRC Brief, Number 33, 1-4. Retrieved from [Link] Bailey, T. R., Leinbach, D. T., & Jenkins, D. (2006, September). Is student success labeled institutional failure? Student goals and graduation rated in the accountability debate at community colleges [Working Paper Paper 1]. Retrieved from Community College Research Center: [Link] Cohen, A. M., & Brawer, F. B. (2008). The American Community College (5 ed.). San Francisco: JosseyBass. Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4 ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Hammer, C. S. (2011, August). Expanding Our Knowledge Base Through Qualitative Research Methods [From the Editor]. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20, 161-162. [Link] Hawley, T. H., & Harris, T. A. (2005). Student characteristics related to persistence for first-year community college students [White Paper]. : Baywood Publishing Co. Inc.

REFERENCES

Hegarty, N. (2010, December). Application of he academic motivation scale to graduate school students. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning, 6(2), 48-55. Retrieved from [Link] Howey, S. C. (n.d). Factors in student motivation. Retrieved from [Link]/resources Karp, M. M. (2011, February). Towards a new understanding of non-academic student support: Four mechanisms encouraging positive student outcomes in the community college [Working Paper 28]. Retrieved from Community College Research Center: [Link] Maxwell, M. (1979). Improving student learning skills. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc., Publishers. Shia, R. M. (n.d.). Assessing academic intrinsic motivation: A look at student goals and personal strategy (Doctoral dissertation, Wheeling Jesuit University). Retrieved from [Link]