The Effects of Mattering on Probationary Students’ Adaptation and Success in College

1. The Effects of Mattering on Probationary Students’ Adaptation and Success in College Esau Tovar, M.S. Merril A. Simon, Ph.D. Annual Conference for the California Association for Institutional Research Rohnert Park, CA November 13, 2003

2. Esau Tovar, M.S. Faculty Leader/Counselor, Assessment Center       Santa Monica College       1900 Pico Blvd.       Santa Monica, CA 90405       (310) 434-4012 tovar_esau@smc.edu Merril A. Simon, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling CSU Northridge 18111 Nordhoff Street Northridge, CA 91330-8265 (818) 677-2558 merril.simon@csun.edu Presenter Contact Information

3. Program Abstract The issue of retention and persistence are often studied in community college settings, and students’ success and decisions to stay or leave college are explained in terms of academic and social integration. This research study sought to further explain and measure the construct of mattering and its relation to the above concepts. This was accomplished through the development of a mattering questionnaire, whose factorial structure, internal consistency, and discriminant validity lend support to the importance of the construct in explaining the experiences of non-successful community college students. Implications and future directions for mattering will be emphasized.

4. Background • Large number of probationary students at college: • 35% of all first-time students are on probation at the end of their first term. • 54 - 73% success rate for first semester students (based on ethnic breakdown) • Persistence rate of 54% from semester one to semester two. • Research showing a significant lack of engagement by community college students compared to four-year university students.

5. Theoretical Background • Rosenberg and McCullough (1981) • Mattering as motive • Schlossberg (1989) • Mattering • Marginality

6. About Santa Monica College • Spring 2003 Enrollment: • Population: 27,850 graded students • Gender: 57% female, 43% male • Status: 30% full-time; 10% F1-Visa • Race/Ethnicity: 37% White, 27% Latino, 20% Asian, 9% African American, 4% Other, 3% Filipino

7. Study Sample • Students attending a probationary student re-orientation: N = 344. • 46% male, 54% female; • 16% Asian, 15% African American, 43% Latino, 17% White, and 9% other; • Age: ranged 17 and 73, with a mean of 22.68 years (SD = 7.26); • Attendance: 48% first year; 19% second year; 33% third + years.

8. Instrument Characteristics • Section 1: Demographic items, including: • Background characteristics, self and parent’s educational goals, career decidedness, study habits, reasons for probation. • Section 2: Mattering Items: • 22 items initially written and tested; • Items phrased positively and negatively; • Answered on a 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) Likert scale.

9. Factor Analysis for Mattering Items .(1 of 7) • Items subjected to: • Principle Components Factor Analysis • Varimax Rotation • Criteria for factor retention: • Initial Eigenvalues > 1 • Scree Plot test • Item loading > .40 • Theoretical justification of item loading on factor

10. Factor Analysis for Mattering Items(2 of 7) Extracted Communalities

11. Factor Analysis for Mattering Items(3 of 7) Variance Explained Note: additional 15 components extracted with eigenvalues of < 1.0

12. Factor Analysis for Mattering Items(4 of 7)

13. Factor Analysis for Mattering Items(5 of 7) Component Rotation Matrix • 4 Factors & • 18 items retained • Q16T, 31T, Q24T, Q24T, & Q15T were reversed to being positively stated.

14. Factor Analysis for Mattering Items(6 of 7) • Sense of Belongingness: • I sometimes feel alone and isolated because of my gender. • My instructors sometimes ignore my comments or questions. • Interaction with Peers: • I have had adequate opportunities to get to know other students at SMC. • I get support from my classmates when I need it.

15. Factor Analysis for Mattering Items(7 of 7) • Supportive Learning Environment: • The classroom atmosphere encourages me to speak out in class. • When I speak in class, I feel my contributions make a difference in class discussions. • Mattering to Others: • I believe that who I am as person matters to my academic counselor. • I believe that who I am as person matters to my instructors.

16. Internal Consistency for Mattering Scale Internal Consistency for Full Mattering Scale and Subscales

17. Discriminant Validity Assessment • Initial validation for Ethnic Groups • Assessed via MANOVA • Multivariate effect of ethnicity on mattering scales: Wilk’s lambda, F(12,281) = 2.84, p = .001, partial η2 = .04. • Univariate Effects:

18. Discriminant Validity Assessment • Asian students in general experience lower degrees of belongingness, interact less with peers, experience a lesser supportive learning environment, and more generally, indicate they matter less. The opposite is the case for African Americans. * p < .05, ** p < .01 *** p < .001

19. Construct Validity Assessment (preliminary & exploratory) (1 of 4) Mattering Scales correlated with College Student Inventory scales: • Total Mattering Scale: • Attitude Toward Educators: r = .75** • Verbal Confidence: r = .50* • Educational Stress: r = -.53* • Academic Stress: r = -.50* * p < .05, ** p < .01 *** p < .001

20. Construct Validity Assessment (preliminary & exploratory) (2 of 4) Mattering Scales correlated with College Student Inventory scales: • Sense of Belongingness subscale: • Opinion Tolerance: r = .67*** • Receptivity to Social Enrichment : r = -.44* • Receptivity to Personal Counseling: r = -.51* • Receptivity to Institutional Assistance: r = -.48* • Attitude Toward Educators: r = .60** • Verbal Confidence: r = .54** • Math & Science Confidence: r = .49* • Academic Stress: r = -.64*** • Educational Stress: r = -.52* * p < .05, ** p < .01 *** p < .001

21. Construct Validity Assessment (preliminary & exploratory) (3 of 4) Mattering Scales correlated with College Student Inventory scales: • Interaction with Peers subscale: • Academic Difficulty Likelihood: r = -.51* • Math & Science Confidence: r = .46* • Study Habits Motivation: r = .48* • Mattering to Others subscale: • Family Emotional Support: r = .51* * p < .05, ** p < .01 *** p < .001

22. Construct Validity Assessment (preliminary & exploratory) (4 of 4) Mattering Scales correlated with College Student Inventory scales: • Supportive Learning Environment subscale: • Opinion Tolerance: r = .59** • Receptivity to Social Enrichment : r = -.54* • Receptivity to Personal Counseling: r = -.45* • Receptivity to Institutional Assistance: r = -.47* • Attitude Toward Educators: r = .58** • Verbal Confidence: r = .56** * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001

23. . Non-Significant Findings for Mattering • No significant findings for: • Gender • Age • Degree of Career Decidedness • Length of College Attendance

24. Conclusions • Psychometric properties of the Mattering Scale supported by sound: • Factorial structure; • Moderate levels of Internal Consistency; • Construct Validation by widely supported College Student Inventory; • Discriminant Validity for ethnic groups

25. Current & Future Research • Expansion of 22-item scale to 36 items; • Given to other groups of community college probationary students and freshmen university students; • Construct validation via Confirmatory Factor Analysis and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire; • Degree to which mattering influences students’ retention, persistence, success, and engagement in college.

26. Select References Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college: Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Rosenberg, M., & McCullough, B. C. (1981). Mattering: Inferred significance to parents and mental health among adolescents. In R. Simmons (Ed.), Research in Community and Mental Health, vol. 2. Greenwich, CN: JAI Press. Schlossberg, N. K. (1989a). Improving higher education for adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Schlossberg, N. K. (1989b). Marginality and mattering: Key issues in building community. In D. C. Roberts (Ed.), Designing campus activities to foster a sense of community (New Directions for Student Services, No. 48, pp. 5-15). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Schlossberg, N. K., LaSalle, A., & Golec, R. (1989). The Mattering Scale for Adults. College Park, MD: University of Maryland.