An Examination of University Sophomore Students’ Thriving Factors, Second-Year Experiences, and Student Success Outcomes

Authors

  • Margarita Perez University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Keywords:

higher education, student success, student attrition, sophomores

Abstract

Most universities have focused retention efforts on the first-year of college; however, just as many students leave college between the second year and the third year (Berker, He, & Forest, 2002; Lipka 2006). The overarching question for this study was: What is the relationship or impact of Thriving Factors, experiences, and success outcomes during the sophomore year of college. Thriving is defined as engaged learning, academic determination, social connectedness, positive perspective, and diverse citizenship (Schreiner, 2010). “Thriving provides a broader definition of student success which focuses on academic success, but also recognizes the importance of relationships, perspectives, and psychological well-being for the students, which allows students to gain the maximum benefit from their college experience (Schreiner, 2010b). Thriving implies students are not just surviving and getting by in college, but are also engaged intellectually, socially, and emotionally and are experiencing psychological well-being that contributes to their being successful in college and in life after college (Schreiner, Pothoven, Nelson, & McIntosh, 2009).

Downloads

Published

2020-03-11

Issue

Section

Rayma Harchar Outstanding Research Paper Award