Students’ interpersonal connections with peers and staff at the start of higher education

Makara Fuller, K. A. , Fishman, B., Karabenick, S. A. and Teasley, S. (2015) Students’ interpersonal connections with peers and staff at the start of higher education. International Conference on Enhancement and Innovation in Higher Education, Glasgow, UK, 9-11 Jun 2015.

Abstract

Establishing positive social relationships is important for students’ success and retention in higher education (HE). This can be especially challenging during the transition into HE since students often move to a larger educational setting and need to build relationships with new peers and staff. Research is needed to better understand social connections during this critical time, including the role of demographics, curricular and extracurricular participation, and how peer and staff connections predict academic achievement. Surveys of 290 first-year students at a large US public university assessed with whom students were interacting, how often, for what reasons, and with what modes of communication. Results include a detailed description of students’ interpersonal connections at the transition into HE, differences by demographics, curricular, and extracurricular participation, and the associations between students’ patterns of relationships and their academic achievement.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Makara Fuller, Dr Kara
• Authors: Makara Fuller, K. A., Fishman, B., Karabenick, S. A., and Teasley, S.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy Policy and Practice; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > People, Place & Social Change
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher