Informal Interaction with Faculty and Freshman Ratings of Academic and Non-Academic Experience of College 1

This study investigated the multidimensional differences in freshman perceptions of the academic and non-academic experience of college associated with varying amounts of informal contact with faculty. A stepwise discriminant analysis indicated that two factor dimensions, termed Interest Value and Practical Appeal, best distinguished between groups of freshmen categorized as high, moderate and low interactors. High and moderate interactors were characterized by more positive ratings than were low interactors of their academic program on both dimensions and of their non-academic life on Interest Value. Academic achievement, as measured by cumulative freshman grade point average, contributed relatively little to discrimination among die three groups. Additional analysis also indicated that high interactors ranked faculty members significantly higher as a source of positive influence on both their intellectual and personal development than did low interactors. Moreover, in a follow-up analysis of the same subjects conducted during the subsequent academic year, amount of informal contact with faculty was found to be significantly associated with persistence at the institution.