Social Networking Web Sites as a Tool for Student Transitions: Purposive Use of Social Networking Web Sites for the First-Year Experience

The current study investigated the potential role that social networking Web sites (e.g., Facebook) played in creating both actual and virtual learning communities within the first-year seminar. Researchers conducted a 2-year longitudinal study to assess whether students who were connected within a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of college student retention : Research, theory & practice theory & practice, 2016-02, Vol.17 (4), p.489-512
Main Authors: Nalbone, David P., Kovach, Ronald J., Fish, Jessica N., McCoy, Kelsey M., Jones, Kathryn E., Wright, Hillary Rawlings
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Persistence
College Freshmen
Control Groups
Experimental Groups
First Year Seminars
Learner Engagement
Longitudinal Studies
Multivariate Analysis
National Survey of Student Engagement
National Surveys
Regression (Statistics)
School Holding Power
Social Media
Social Networks
Student Adjustment
Student Experience
Student Motivation
Student Satisfaction
Student Surveys
United States (Midwest)
Urban Areas
Web Sites
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Summary:The current study investigated the potential role that social networking Web sites (e.g., Facebook) played in creating both actual and virtual learning communities within the first-year seminar. Researchers conducted a 2-year longitudinal study to assess whether students who were connected within a university-founded virtual network persisted in greater numbers, transitioned more smoothly, and rated overall university satisfaction higher than those in a control group. Results indicated that Facebook led to small, but significant, changes in students’ desire to work with others, adjustment to college, and satisfaction with their institutions. Administrative uses for social networking in student transitions, persistence, and satisfaction are also proposed.
ISSN:1521-0251
1541-4167
DOI:10.1177/1521025115579253