Survey says!

The 2006 freshman class of Castleton State College included a bunch of partiers, according to a survey they filled out on the first day of their freshman year. The survey of this year’s freshman however, encouraged faculty that the class of 2011 would be a whole different story.

Freshman seemed to be more academically involved in high school, congenial, cooperative, adamant on social issues, and entered Castleton with an optimistic attitude about their futures compared to the entering class a year ago.

“We (the faculty) began to suspect this was the case before we even looked at the surveys,” said Academic Dean Joe Mark.

Mark and faculty members were very impressed with this batch of students. Within the first few weeks of school, faculty could tell the number of problems this year would go down.

In terms of Residence Hall problems, disrespect of teachers and civility (how people treat each other), this freshman class is looking up.

English professor, Andrew Alexander believes civility is the biggest change in the freshman this year compared to last. According to Alexander, civility is important to a college campus. Besides that, he isn’t sure the 2007 batch is different than any other.

“I don’t see major differences. I might say that this year’s students may be a bit more sensitive to civility as an issue mostly due to the fact that the civility survey was integrated into the first-year seminar program proactively rather than reactively. I won’t say I’m sure they are more “civil” because I simply am not in a position to make that judgment,” said Alexander.

The freshman class that entered in 2007 has the largest number of students who have made the deans and the presidents list.

“If this trend continues, then I think it’s a very positive indication of the character of the college and its students in the future,” Mark said.

Admissions staff is beginning to understand the students they are accepting into CSC. They want to learn who the student is, and what they will contribute to Castleton as a whole.

Mark believes if Castleton is perceived attractively, then students will want to apply for positive reasons. When comparing this year’s results to last years, 11.9 percent more freshman said they came to CSC this year because it has a good academic reputation, and 9.2 percent more students said they came because of CSC’s good reputation for activities.

The survey also compared CSC’s freshman to that of the national (U.S.) average. Seniors in high school going to CSC in the fall tend to have more jobs to pay for college, did more homework, and played more sports than the national cohort.

“If these data are correct, it makes me wonder: how did students in the national cohort spend their out-of-class time?” said Mark, who chuckled at the thought.

According to some students, the data is probably true because there is not a whole lot to do in Vermont. Most students work because it is expensive to go to school here, and they participate in sports and activities because there isn’t anything else.

It didn’t surprise Mark that the students who apply here are interested in sports or were highly active in sports. Castleton puts an emphasis on sports, with 21 sports groups at Castleton.

The survey also shows, however, that Castleton freshmen tend to be less self confident than U.S. average. Mark believes that students are more capable then they believe. This should not be a problem though, because Mark believes that Castleton is a school that changes people.

“It’s so often that a student goes through a transformation at Castleton that can open up a lot of pathways,” he said.

But does this data truly represent the freshmen class?

Sophomores are a bit skeptical.

“I don’t think that the freshman class is any different than mine, making the same mistakes and learning the same stuff. I don’t find surveys accurate at all in gathering information about a large group of people, especially college kids,” sophomore Cherie Pfieffer said.

Surveys will be given out to these freshmen again when they are seniors. Starting with the 2010 class, they will re-survey the students again in their senior year to see how much they have grown during their time at Castleton.

Mark thinks this will be “a wonderful way to measure how students change over time.”

He said he has had great response from the rest of the faculty on these surveys who say they help them understand students better, and tune into their culture.

“Most students probably aren’t aware of all the things the administration and faculty (and staff) try to do to improve the educational experience here at Castleton. We’re always trying to think of how to do things better, make education more meaningful, etc.,” said Alexander.

Freshman and seniors will have an opportunity to take a survey called the National Survey of Students Engage very soon. A select number of seniors and freshman will be chosen to fill out these surveys to tell about what they do at Castleton.

“What students need to understand is that it really does matter when they give their input. I dearly hope that students participate,” Mark said.

The following is the report in its entirety:

Report on 2007 Administration of Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Survey
Joe Mark, Academic Dean

Summary
Students who entered Castleton in fall 2007 differed from their national peers in numerous ways. They have lower self-esteem, including academic self-confidence, and lower aspirations; they have more experience with alcohol and are more liberal on a number of social issues; their reasons for attending Castleton differ from the reasons given by students attending other U.S. institutions.

Substantial differences exist as well between Castleton’s new male and female students, including in their reasons for coming to Castleton. Men come from more affluent families, and their parents are better educated. Women were more successful in high school; they expect to be happier with and more successful at Castleton and plan to be more involved. Women are more altruistic and more liberal on social issues.

Data suggest that the 2007 cohort is quite different from the 2006 cohort in several important ways. Compared to the 2006 cohort, new students starting at Castleton in 2007 were more successful in high school, are more intellectually self confident, have higher aspirations, and are more open to relating to their faculty and, in general, getting involved in the life of the college. Overall, except for their positions on social values, Castleton’s 2007 new students are more like the national cohort than was true of the 2006 entering class.

Finally, for the first time in 2007, we asked incoming new students questions about their access to and experience with technology. Virtually all of them own computers (95%) and cell phones (92%), and the vast majority have high-speed Internet access at home (73%). 85% of our new students have been irritated by cell phone or MP3 player use by others.

Part A. Differences between the Castleton and national cohorts
1. The parents of Castleton’s students have more formal education than do the parents of national cohort students. This difference is most pronounced for the mothers of students (46.8% of the mothers of Castleton students hold at least a college degree as compared to 35.5% of students in the national cohort).

2. Compared to the national cohort, our students are less religious, and fewer of them are Baptist. 39.6% of Castleton’s students expressed no religious preference (as compared to 15.4% nationally) and only 2.4% reported being Baptist (as compared to 19.2% nationally).

3. More students at Castleton attended “Mostly White” or “Completely White” high schools (70.3% and 18.7%, respectively) than is true of students in the national cohort (40.7% and 6.2%).

4. Within the last year, our students reported different levels of participation in certain activities than did students in the national sample.
Castleton U.S.
Attended a religious service 59.6 78.1
Tutored another student 31.8 50.1
Drank beer 58.9 33.5
Drank wine or liquor 59.9 42.4
Voted in a student election 11.4 20.0

5. Many of our students did little homework during their last year of high school, but the Castleton cohort did more than the national cohort. Similarly, as high school seniors, Castleton students spent more time engaged in sports or exercise than did students nationally, and they also worked more hours each week for pay. (If these data are correct, it makes one wonder: how did students in the national cohort spend their out-of-class time?)

6. Our students’ self-ratings differ from the national sample in a number of ways. The percentages below indicate the % that rated themselves “above average” or in the “highest 10%” as compared with the average person of his/her age.
Academic ability 42.1 51.5
Drive to achieve 57.6 69.8
Mathematical ability 21.9 31.4
Self-confidence (intellectual) 42.4 55.8
Self-confidence (social) 45.2 55.4
Spirituality 21.9 38.8

7. Our students are less likely to plan on earning an advanced degree than are students in the national sample.
Castleton Public 4-yr. colleges
(low selectivity)
M F Tot. M F Tot.
Associate (A.A. or equivalent) 0.6 2.3 1.5 1.0 1.2 1.2
Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) 54.8 44.8 49.5 31.9 25.3 28.2
Master’s degree (M.A., M.S., etc.) 34.8 37.4 36.2 43.0 44.4 43.8
Ph.D. or Ed.D. 7.1 8.6 7.9 14.1 17.6 16.0
M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M. 0.6 4.6 2.7 3.6 5.6 4.8
J.D. (Law) 0.6 1.7 1.2 2.6 2.8 2.7

8. There are differences between our students and the national samples when students predict what they will do while in college or how they will regard the collegiate experience.
Castleton U.S.
Get a job to help pay for college expenses 60.1 50.0
Join a social fraternity or sorority 1.6 15.3
Play varsity/intercollegiate athletics 30.0 17.2
Participate in student government 1.0 7.2

9. We find differences between our students and the national group when students identify objectives that they consider “essential” or “very important.”
Helping to promote racial understanding 26.9 40.2
Influencing the political structure 12.5 23.0
Influencing social values 36.6 45.9
Having administrative responsibility for the work of others 30.0 45.1
Being very well off financially 73.4 83.0
Becoming successful in a business of my own 33.2 48.9
Making a theoretical contribution to science 10.6 20.1

10. The CIRP data also give us insight into what our students value. Here are some ways in which our students differ from the national cohort.
Abortion should be legal 69.8 52.2
Marijuana should be legalized 48.3 36.8
It is important to have laws prohibiting homosexual relationships 15.4 27.2
Same-sex couples should have right to legal marital status 76.0 61.4
Part B. Differences between men and women in the Castleton cohort
11. There are substantial differences in the high school achievement of women as opposed to men in the entering class.
Average grade Male Female
A or A+ 2.2 7.7
A- 6.7 16.8
B+ 23.5 28.8
B 30.7 26.9
B- 26.8 14.9
C+ 6.1 2.9
C 3.9 1.9

12. Men report that they come from families with higher total income.
$50,000 to $59,999 10.9 13.6
$60,000 to $74,999 10.9 15.8
$75,000 to $99,999 20.6 16.3
$100,000 to $149,999 15.8 9.2
$150,000 to $199,999 7.9 2.2

13. More men have parents who have earned college and graduate degrees.
Father’s education
College degree 35.6 24.6
Some graduate school 1.1 2.4
Graduate degree 12.4 8.7
Mother’s education
College degree 38.0 31.7
Some graduate school 0.6 2.4
Graduate degree 15.6 6.3

14. On some self-ratings, Castleton’s women and men differ. The percentages below indicate the % that rated themselves “above average” or in the “highest 10%” as compared with the average person of his/her age.
Competitiveness 66.5 47.8
Drive to achieve 51.7 62.7
Mathematical abilities 27.2 17.2
Leadership abilities 56.6 44.4
Physical health 69.4 35.4
Self-confidence (intellectual) 52.2 34.0

15. There are gender differences in the reasons for choosing Castleton.
I wanted to go to a school about the size of this college 52.5 65.4
I wanted to live near home 17.0 28.9
The cost of attending this college 42.4 61.7
This college has a very good academic reputation 29.0 52.6
This college’s graduates get good jobs 30.2 43.4
I was offered financial assistance 22.7 36.1
A visit to campus 34.7 48.3

16. There are differences between Castleton’s men and women when students predict what they will do while in college or how they will regard the collegiate experience. (“Chances are very good that I will . . . . “)
Get a job to help pay for college expenses 51.4 67.5
Communicate regularly with your professors 26.6 39.3
Be satisfied with your college 40.9 56.3
Participate in volunteer or community service work 11.4 30.9
Participate in a study abroad program 8.0 20.3
Socialize with someone of another racial/ethnic group 45.5 66.5

17. We find differences between our men and women when students identify objectives that they consider “essential” or “very important.”
Helping others who are in difficulty 52.6 71.4
Becoming involved in programs to clean up the environment 16.6 26.9
Participating in a community action program 14.9 31.0
Improving my understanding of other countries and cultures 31.0 45.7

18. The CIRP data also give us insight into student values. Here are some ways in which our men are different from our women.
The death penalty should be abolished 19.7 35.9
Affirmative action in college admissions should be abolished 45.6 31.1
Same-sex couples should have right to legal marital status 68.0 82.8
The federal government should do more to control the sale of handguns 62.4 79.2
Only volunteers should serve in the armed forces 55.3 68.9
The federal govt. is not doing enough to control environmental pollution 62.4 79.2
A national health care plan is needed to cover everybody’s medical costs 74.3 88.9

Part C. Differences between the 2006 and 2007 Castleton cohorts
19. A larger portion of the 2007 cohort got very good grades in high school. 2006 2007
A or A+ 2.9 5.2
A- 9.3 12.1
B+ 21.5 26.4

20. 2007 students more often performed community service as part of a class. 52.0 62.2

21. More members of the 2007 cohort didn’t party at all in the typical week. 18.9 27.9

22. More women in the 2007 cohort attended religious services in the past year. 54.4 64.6

23. Women in the 2007 cohort felt more “overwhelmed by all I had to do.” 35.9 46.9

24. Recent students studied more each week during their last year of high school. 2006 2007
None 2.7 2.3
Less than one hour 19.3 10.9
1 to 2 hours 29.2 28.0
3 to 5 hours 31.4 33.9
6 to 10 hours 13.5 17.4
11 to 15 hours 2.2 5.2
Over 16 hours 1.7 2.4

25. When asked whether they rated themselves as “above average” or in the “highest 10%,” members of the 2007 cohort gave themselves higher ratings on:
Academic ability 32.4 42.1
Self-confidence (intellectual) 42.4 36.8
Self-understanding 40.8 46.9
Writing ability 28.8 34.5

26. On this same question, 2007 women gave themselves higher ratings on:
Cooperativeness 62.5 75.5
Leadership ability 44.4 54.5
Understanding of others 53.0 63.2

27. When asked for reasons considered “very important” in the student’s decision to attend Castleton, there were differences between the two cohorts.
This college has a very good academic reputation 28.9 41.8
This college has a good academic reputation for its social activities 23.7 32.9
I was offered financial assistance 15.9 29.9
The cost of attending this college 34.3 52.8
High school counselor advised me 7.6 11.5
I wanted to live near home 17.5 23.5
This college’s grads gain admission to top grad./prof. schools 10.7 16.2
This college’s grads get good jobs 29.3 37.4
I wanted to go to a school about the size of this college 46.7 59.5
A visit to the campus 33.9 42.1

28. Members of the 2007 cohort have higher aspirations for formal education. (Data reflect highest degree sought.)
Associate’s degree or less 2.6 2.1
Bachelor’s degree 56.9 49.5
Master’s degree 34.0 36.2
Ph.D. or Ed.D. 5.2 7.9
M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M. 0.8 2.7
J.D. 0.0 1.2
Other 0.6 0.3

29. There are differences between the two cohorts when students predict what they will do while in college or how they will regard the collegiate experience. (“Chances are very good that I will . . . . “)
Get a job to help pay for college expenses 45.3 60.1
Communicate regularly with your professors 24.0 33.4
Be satisfied with your college 36.4 49.2
Participate in volunteer or community service work 11.4 21.9
Participate in student clubs/groups 22.0 30.4
Make at least a “B” average 42.3 53.4

30. We find differences between the two cohorts when students identify objectives that they consider “essential” or “very important.”
Becoming successful in a business of my own 37.3 33.2
Development a meaningful philosophy of life 34.5 40.5
Participating in a community action program 18.0 23.6
Keeping up to date with political affairs 24.3 29.4
Becoming a community leader 23.8 28.1
Improving my understanding of other countries/cultures 33.8 39.1

31. The two cohorts differ somewhat on value issues.
Marijuana should be legalized 52.9 48.3
Affirmative action in college admissions should be abolished 43.7 37.9
Same-sex couples should have right to legal marital status 68.0 82.8
Federal military spending should be increased 37.4 24.3
The federal government should do more to control the sale of handguns 62.4 79.2
Only volunteers should serve in the armed forces 55.3 68.9
The federal govt. is not doing enough to control environmental pollution 77.1 82.6
Dissent is a critical component of the political process 51.1 59.7
The chief benefit of a coll. educ. is that it increases one’s earning power 70.1 65.1
The federal should raise taxes to reduce the deficit 24.0 17.8

Part D. Some of the supplemental questions asked, including those regarding technology
32. How much did the teachers who assigned research papers discuss plagiarism or rules regarding academic honesty?
Extensively 59.8
Briefly 37.5
Not at all 1.0
Did not write research papers 1.6

33. Where do you most often learn about current events?
Newspaper or magazine 27.0
Radio 8.1
Network television 16.6
Cable television 20.7
Internet 27.3

34. During a typical week of your first year at college, how many total hours do you expect to spend doing homework, reading for class, studying for tests, writing papers, and working on class projects?
0 – 6 9.4
7 – 12 49.7
13 – 18 28.8
19 – 24 8.9
More than 24 3.1

35. If you own a computer, what type is it?
A desktop computer 19.6
A laptop computer 54.2
Both 21.2
Neither 5.0

36. If you have Internet access at home (either your parents’ home or if you live off campus), what type is it?
Dial-up 23.4
High-speed (e.g., DSL or cable) 73.4
No Internet access at home 3.2

37. Do you own a cell phone?
Yes 91.8
No 8.2

38. How frequently do you “IM,” i.e., send instant messages, or send text messages?
Many times a day 41.2
Daily 24.1
Less often than daily 24.4
Not at all 10.2

39. What type of computer will you be bringing to your residence hall room?
Not living on campus 14.4
Desktop 9.2
Laptop 73.3
Both 3.1

40. Do you ever find that the public use of personal technology devices (such as cell phones and MP3 players) can be rude or inappropriate?
Often 17.3
Sometimes 68.3
Never 13.9

Part E. Miscellaneous
41. Other interesting facts:
? Only 7% of our new students came here because their teachers advised them to.
? 66% of our students have both their parents alive and living together.
? About 44% of our students report having been bored in class during the last year. This is similar to national data.
? 25% of Castleton’s students report that they’ve participated in “political demonstrations” within the past year.
? 62% of our students performed community service as part of a class, and 79% performed volunteer work.
? 44% of Castleton’s males spent no time reading “for pleasure.”
? 62% say that Castleton was their first choice college.
? 88% of Castleton’s new students say they plan to earn at least a bachelor’s degree from our institution.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous post SA nixes bar in Huden
Next post Fashion 101