Can anyone help me summarize the article attached?

 ATTACHMENT PREVIEW Download attachment35±PEER-REVIEWED±JOURNAL±ARTICLESContentsMethodParticipantsInstrumentationResultsSummary and DiscussionTable 1ReferencesTis study investigated the effectiveness of afreshman seminar in enhancing the students’overall perception of: (a) being prepared for theuniversity experience, (b) satisfactory selection ofa college major, (c) general confidence as a stu-dent, (d) knowledge of campus resources, and (e)study skills competence. One-hundred eighteenstudents responded to pre-and post-test question-naires. Results indicated a significant gain onfour of the five with no evident positive impact onthe selection of a major. On the other four ques-tions, positive change was evident independent ofentering ability levels with the exception of studyskills where the greater gain was obtained by stu-dents with low high school grade point averages.Acommon concern among institutions ofhigher education in the United States isretention. Schaeffer (1999) reports a nationalattrition rate of 25 percent and notes that thecosts are more than just loss of funds to theinstitution. Tere is a significant negative per-sonal impact on many of the students.Historically (Beal & Noel, 1980), the periodbetween freshman and sophomore yearshas been the time of greatest attrition. ±into(1987) found that of the students who leave,75% do so during or immediately after thefirst semester. Liu and Liu (1999) confirm acontinuing problem with freshmen retention,noting that transfer students tend to continueenrollment at a higher rate than do enteringfreshmen.Students enter the college and universitysetting from a myriad of diverse backgrounds,including various levels of academic prepara-tion, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, andreasons for enrolling in college. ±here are, ofcourse, many reasons for leaving, not all ofwhich are within the scope of responsibilityof the institution. It is, however, reasonable toassume that in many instances the decision toleave rests simply on the student’s lack of suc-cess in the setting. ±his appears particularlyevident for freshman who enter the settingunprepared personally and academically forthe difficult transition from secondary to post-secondary education. Kendall (1999) found,for example, that in one state system, one-halfof the system’s entering freshmen are requiredto take remedial classes in math and English.Colleges and universities often consideroffering a freshman course or seminar focusedon content and experiences to facilitate thetransition between secondary and post-secondary education. Fidler and Hunter (1989)report that of the various interventions used toenhance freshman success, the freshman semi-nar is typically the most effective. With samplesobtained over a period of fourteen years, theyEffectiveness of a Freshman Seminar in anUrban University: Measurement of SelectedIndicatorsHoward, Heather E., Jones, W. Paul, College Student Journal, 01463934, 20001201, Vol. 34, Issue 4Howard, H. E., & Jones, W. P. (2000). Effectiveness of a freshmen seminar in an urban university: Measurement of selected indi-cators.College Student Journal, 34, 509–515. Reprinted by permission of Project Innovation, Inc. PO Box 8508, Mobile, Alabama,36689-8508.

View the AnswerCHAPTER±1±±±Getting±started:±Knowing±your±college±and±its±resources36found that students at the University of SouthCarolina who took the freshman seminar coursehad a higher sophomore retention rate andfound similar findings of positive relationshipsbetween retention and participation in fresh-man seminar courses at a variety of other insti-tutions as well.Shanley and Witten (1990) and Cone (1991)also report that dropout rates for freshmanseminar participants were significantly lowerthan non-participants. Participation in suchseminars results in increased knowledge aboutcampus services and activities (Fidler & Hunter,1989), and this may be one of the features whichenhances the retention rate.Studies also suggest a link between participa-tion in a freshman seminar and higher eventualgrade point averages. For example, Maisto andTammi (1991) found that students enrolled ina freshman seminar course earn significantlyhigher grade point averages than do non partic-ipants and also report more out of class contactwith faculty. In a study at a small liberal arts col-lege, Hyers and Joslin (1998) found that gradesearned in a required freshman year seminarwere better predictors of academic achievementand persistence than high school rank andS.A.T. scores.Wilkie and Kuckuck’s (1989) report thatthat freshman seminar courses result in manypositive developments for freshmen, includ-ing development of appropriate study skillsand familiarity with university resources. ±eimportance of the latter was particularly evidentin Banta and Kuh’s (1998) description of severalinnovative approaches to increase retentionrate. For example, one urban university initiatedcontact with all students who did not returnafter the freshman year. Most cited financial andpersonal reasons and indicated an intent to re-enroll at some point in the future. Most reportedbeing generally satisfied with classroom instruc-tion and advising. Of this group, however, nearly80 percent reported that there had been nomeaningful personal contact with any campusoffice, faculty or staff member, or student.±e national concern about retention isevident on our campus as well. In the 1997-98academic year, data indicated a retention rateof approximately 71 percent for full-time stu-dents and 58 percent for part-time students.Almost 90 percent of our graduates neededmore than four years to complete their pro-grams with approximately 2/3 taking morethan six years.To address this concern on our campus, theStudent Development Center designed andimplemented a freshman seminar course. ±eobjective of the course is to provide studentswith critical thinking skills, writing skills, infor-mation, and experiences that will improvetheir academic success rate and aid in devel-oping realistic academic and career planninggoals. ±is two credit seminar, offered as anelective, is taught by professional staff andStudent Services’ administrators with a vari-ety of instructional methodology, includinglectures, group activities, guest speakers, andvideotapes.±e course is offered with an assumptionthat freshmen can be taught how to be suc-cessful students with belief that when studentsare given accurate information and ample sup-port, they will feel more secure and thereforehave a greater chance of success in this newenvironment. Data from other settings sug-gests that this assumption is reasonable, butthere was no extant data to support the specificdesign and implementation on our campus.±is study was thus designed to gather dataregarding the effectiveness of the seminar withparticular attention to questions associated withthe extent to which the course: (a) increasedthe perception of being prepared for college,(b) assisted in developing a college major, (c)enhanced the overall level of confidence as astudent, (d) enhanced knowledge about avail-able campus resources, and (e) enhanced theperceived level of study skills competence.Specifically, we hypothesized that all stu-dents who completed the seminar would reportstatistically significant growth in each of thesefive areas and that the extent of growth wouldbe significantly greater among students whoentered with lower high school grade pointaverages.

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