Can Social Computing Networks Be Used to Engage and Retain - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Can Social Computing Networks Be Used to Engage and Retain Students?

Presenter: Dr. Charles W. Mattis Dean of the First-Year Program Abilene Christian University Contributors: Dr. Jason Morris McNair Scholars Program Abilene Christian University

• Dr. Richard Beck

Professor of Psychology Abilene Christian University

• The proliferation of social computing

networks on college campuses has generated numerous questions in multiple areas about the effects of computer- mediated social interaction:

– Psychological – Interpersonal – Social – Cultural

• Additional questions being asked by

higher education:

– “should we encourage student involvement in these networks?” – “should the institution become involved itself in online networks?” – “does a students’ involvement enable them to be more engaged with the community?” – “does a students’ involvement enhance their probability of remaining at the institution?”

Overview of Presentation

• Purpose and need for the study
• Theoretical framework (Tinto’s Model of

Student Departure)

• Social networking and college students
• The research design
• Preliminary results of this study
• Implications for practice
• Suggestions for future research

Purpose of the study

• The primary purpose of this study is to

elaborate on Tinto’s construct of social

• integration. This study will attempt to

measure social integration by assessing first-year students’ activity on the social computing system known as Facebook.

Purpose of the study

This purpose will be accomplished through three research objectives:

• 1. Operationalizing a social integration measure

by quantifying student activity on Facebook.

• 2. Testing the ability of the new social integration

measure (Facebook activity) to predict freshman to sophomore retention in first-year students at a private four-year institution.

• 3. Comparing the effectiveness of this new

measure of social integration to more traditional measures of social integration.

Additional Institutional Benefit

• To enhance ongoing institutional

research by graduate students of Psychology into social computing networks including “e-connections”, “e-personality”, “e-spirituality”, “e-hypocrisy” and “e-flirtation”.

Need for the Study

• Despite the ever-growing popularity of Facebook

empirical research is slowly beginning to catch up on this subject.

• This study potentially provides a new tool to

measure social integration.

• First-year advocates are constantly looking for

tools to enhance community within their campus...can Facebook be one of these tools?

• This approach is appropriate for learning more

about students who are a part of the “connected generation.”

Models and Theories

• The development of explanatory conceptual

models has significantly contributed to the understanding of student retention and

• attrition. In the literature, four models of

student retention have been widely discussed and explored.

– Spady (1970) – Tinto (1975) (1987) and (1993) – Pascarella, Duby, and Iverson (1983) – Bean and Metzner (1985)

Theoretical Framework: Tinto’s Model of Student Departure

– Tinto revised and updated his model in 1993. – This model attempts to explain why some individuals leave institutions prior to degree completion. – The central proposition of this theory is that students have various pre-entry attributes that interact with, and integrate into, the academic and social systems of the institution.

Theoretical Framework: Tinto’s Model of Student Departure

– Tinto (1993) postulates that these interactions either lead to positive (integrative) experiences that heighten intentions and commitment to the institution or lead to negative (malintegrative) experiences that weaken intentions and commitment to the institution.

Tinto’s (1993) Model of Student Departure

The Internet: Bringing people together virtually or pushing them apart physically?

Social networking and college students

• Facebook has emerged in a few short years as

the newest tool in connecting students with each

• ther.
• Benefits: Gain familiarity with students and peers

as well as familiarity with a university prior to attendance; Provides opportunities for first-year students to engage the campus community; and provides an outlet for distributing information within the campus community.

• Concerns: Privacy issues and use of material for

monitoring and patrolling student behavior.

Social networking and college students

Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education, April 2006 (20)4.

• “Facebook is emerging as the newest tool

in engaging students and aiding retention, particularly that of first-year students.”

• “…administrators are using Facebook to

connect with students openly and efficiently.”

Social networking and college students

Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education, April 2006 (20)4. Primary Uses:

• Increasing engagement and community
• Building relationships with faculty and

administrators

• Connecting with freshman and freshman

parents before they arrive

Social networking and college students

• Facebook was launched in February of 2004 by

Harvard undergraduate Mark Zuckerberg in an effort to help college students control their image.

• Ranks as the 6th most trafficked site in the U.S.,

and as the top photo-sharing site.

• Today there are over 4 million registered users

covering over 2,000 campuses with nearly ¾ of Facebook users signing on at least once every 24 hrs.

How Facebook Works

• Internet-based social networking services (ISNS)

can be used to connect people with messages, pictures and thematic groups.

• Friends are made on Facebook by (1) a user

sending an invitation to another to be his/her “friend” and (2) the recipient accepting the invitation.

• Users are able to paint their own self-portrait with

self-descriptions and photographs while viewing the portraits of their friends and associates.

The research design

• In order to determine a student’s level of activity,

which for the purpose of this study equates to institutional involvement, certain elements of the Facebook network were taken into consideration in order to quantify the level of a student’s activity.

• The initial research took place in three data

points: 1) self-reporting survey of the 2006-2007 freshman class, 2) data capture by the graduate research team, and 3) the input of the fall to spring retention rates into SPSS and analysis.

The research design

Data point 1

• The freshman class was asked to

participate in the study by completing Tinto’s traditional social integration survey that included questions about their perception of their social integration on

• campus. We added three questions of our
• wn regarding Facebook usage.

Survey Questions (based on Tinto’s model)

1) In the past academic year, approximately how many hours per week, on the average, did you spend in organized extra-curricular activities? 2) The student friendships I have developed this past year have been personally satisfying. 3) I have developed close personal relationships with other students. 4) My interpersonal relationships with other students have had a positive influence on my personal growth, values and attitudes.

Survey Questions

5) My interpersonal relationships with other students have had a positive influence on my intellectual growth and interest in ideas. 6) It has been difficult for me to meet and make friends with other students. 7) Few of the ACU students I know would be willing to listen to me and help me if I had a personal problem. 8) Most students at ACU have values and attitudes which are different from my own.

Additional Facebook Usage Questions

9)Please fill in the space with the appropriate numbers: I spend ___ HOURS and/or ____MINUTES on Facebook during a TYPICAL day. 10) Do you feel that Facebook has helped you make friends and feel connected here at ACU (check one)? ___Yes ___No 11) Which of the following do you use Facebook for most often (check one): _____Connect with people AT ACU ____Connect with people NOT AT ACU

The research design

Data Point 2

• Number of

Friends

• Number of

Wall Posts

• Number of

Photo Albums

• Number of

Groups

The research design

Data point 3

• Preliminary retention results from Fall

2006 to Spring 2007.

• A second analysis will be done in

September on retention results from Spring 2007 to Fall 2007.

Preliminary results of this study

Table 1: Correlations between Facebook indices and Tinto’s Social Integration

• Tinto’s Social Integration

measure was significantly (albeit weakly) associated with three of the Facebook indices: Friends, wall-posts, and photo

• albums. In short, as predicted

the self-report and Facebook measures of social integration show a degree convergence.

Tinto Social Intergration Facebook Indices: # of ACU Facebook Friends .18** # of Groups .09 # of Wall Posts .16** # of Photo Albums .10*

*p < .05 **p < .01

Preliminary results of this study

• Table 2: Comparison of persisters and non-persisters on Facebook indices and Tinto

Social Integration

• *p < .05
• Summary of Table 2: Consistent with predictions, non-persisters had significantly

fewer Facebook friends and Facebook wall-posts. Non-persisters had significantly lower social integration scores as well. In short, both the self-report and Facebook measures of social integration showed the predicted associations with retention.

Persisters (n=339) Non-Persisters Student (n=23)

Variables: M SD M SD t-value Facebook Indices: # of ACU Facebook Friends 108.42 66.84 81.16 49.91 1.74* # of Groups 29.20 27.23 25.61 22.68 .55 # of Wall Posts 179.88 190.11 96.33 97.83 1.85* # of Photo Albums 3.76 4.20 3.33 3.37 .41 Tinto Social Integration 15.87 4.20 14.30 4.57 1.72*

Implications for practice

• This research suggests that online

relationship building is not a replacement of face to face interaction, but seems to mirror real world interpersonal interaction.

• This research suggests that those

institutions desiring to assess retention on their own campus may want to examine this alternative measure of social integration.

Implications for practice

• This new measure of social integration into

a college campus is perhaps more appropriate for a hyper-connected generation.

• This research suggests that faculty/staff

encouragement of Facebook interaction can have a positive social impact on students that may lead to greater retention.

• Others?

University Seminar Facebook Groups

ACU Academic Facebook Groups

Biology Math Music Business Education Computer Science

Suggestions for Future Research

• Students primarily use Facebook as

entertainment, but can it be used as an educational tool?

• Does institutional involvement on Facebook help

connect students or does it simply drive them “underground”?

• What should be the nature of faculty/student

interaction on Facebook? Does this make faculty too “approachable”?

Questions / Discussion