First Year Writing Retention and Success: Interventions and Initiatives
Start Date
August 2024
End Date
August 2024
Location
ALT 207
Abstract
Multiple studies have shown the correlation between success in first-year writing courses and overall academic success, retention, and persistence. The problem, then, lies in the rising failure to complete this course, an issue exacerbated by the after-effects of the Covid pandemic that manifests as lowered attendance rates and potential mental health concerns. The research conducted at Xavier for this project strongly supports outcomes noted by other researchers who have concluded that 1) student retention is directly linked to first-year writing success and 2) the key to that success lies in being present for those classes.
This project arose in response to increased numbers of withdrawal and failure rates from Xavier University’s first-year writing courses last year. Data gathered from the past academic year indicates several trends, such as gender differences in struggling students, a tendency for students to start off strong and decline near the midterm point, and an overall pattern of absences being by far the leading cause of withdrawal or failure in first-year writing courses, with secondary reporting indicating that mental health concerns were the underlying source of those absences. Programmatic interventions have been put into place to support student attendance and success in the Xavier Writing Program, as well as selecting a group of experimental sections that include additional interventions. It is our hope that with these interventions, improvements will be made in first-year writing success and retention, findings that will be documented in an academic article next summer.
First Year Writing Retention and Success: Interventions and Initiatives
ALT 207
Multiple studies have shown the correlation between success in first-year writing courses and overall academic success, retention, and persistence. The problem, then, lies in the rising failure to complete this course, an issue exacerbated by the after-effects of the Covid pandemic that manifests as lowered attendance rates and potential mental health concerns. The research conducted at Xavier for this project strongly supports outcomes noted by other researchers who have concluded that 1) student retention is directly linked to first-year writing success and 2) the key to that success lies in being present for those classes.
This project arose in response to increased numbers of withdrawal and failure rates from Xavier University’s first-year writing courses last year. Data gathered from the past academic year indicates several trends, such as gender differences in struggling students, a tendency for students to start off strong and decline near the midterm point, and an overall pattern of absences being by far the leading cause of withdrawal or failure in first-year writing courses, with secondary reporting indicating that mental health concerns were the underlying source of those absences. Programmatic interventions have been put into place to support student attendance and success in the Xavier Writing Program, as well as selecting a group of experimental sections that include additional interventions. It is our hope that with these interventions, improvements will be made in first-year writing success and retention, findings that will be documented in an academic article next summer.
