Abstracts of "Persistence Strategies"
Author(s):
Dr. Nancy M. Hewitt and Dr. Elaine Seymour
Undergraduate students who remained in Science and Engineering majors did not, by their own account, feel they were more intelligent or more dedicated to their studies than those who had switched. What distinguished them was their development of coping strategies to overcome the difficulties endemic to these majors.
Students assessed the value of formal structures which had been established to encourage retention by schools and departments, or across institutions as a whole. Their evaluations (generally positive) included the following:
- Freshman engineering or science dorms were reported to be a particularly effective way to encourage the formation of peer study groups and support networks.
- Counseling centers on some campuses offered both S&E peer counseling and professional staff advising. The system sometimes filled the void left by poor departmental advising or the lack of any S&E career counseling.
- R.O.T.C. sponsorship and support for S&E majors was reported to be important, especially for minorities, in terms of financial help and personal support.
- Engineering societies and/or clubs: women engineers particularly found these organizations supportive--and more helpful than the formal women's advisory programs set up by engineering schools.
Although these formal programs were seen as useful, the majority of coping techniques were developed and learned within the student culture. While these became normal practice, they were rarely initiated by faculty or administrators. The number in parentheses after each strategy represents, the percentage of students using that method, and thus, to some extent suggests how successful the method is.
- Uses a peer study group (20%)
- Relies on peer-group psychological support (18%)
- Seeks out faculty and T.A. support/assistance (12%)
- Develops a less self-critical attitude (10%)
- Employs time management and has a balanced lifestyle (10%)
- Engages in sycophantic behavior with faculty ("sucks up") (7%)
- Takes "easy" courses to raise GPA (7%)
- Carries a light course load (6%)
- Learns test-taking techniques (6%)
- Cheats on exams (4%)
In addition to these student-generated persistence strategies, students described efforts that particular deans and faculty members made to interact with their students in a personal way, which students described as "caring" about them. This created a sense of belonging to their departments or schools, which in turn prevented some able students from abandoning their majors during periods of difficulty.
However, peer support is less effective when it is the only support system for a student facing academic or psychological problems in coping with the demands of an S&E major. Programs which encouraged developing strong peer bonds, effective study --group systems, and peer counseling and support were found to be very effective retention strategies. It is unfortunate that peer support is often undermined by aspects of S&E culture which encourage aggressive competition among students or imply that the students are expendable.
In addition to persistence strategies reported, both switchers and non-switchers emphasized that without a strong love for the subject, survival in these majors is unlikely.
--abstracted by Online Ethics Center staff
Dr. Nancy M. Hewitt and Dr. Elaine Seymour
"Persistence Strategies: Factors Contributing to High Attrition Rates Among Science and Engineering "
Ethnography and Assessment Bureau of Sociological Research University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
(April 26, 1991 ):
105-108