An Examination of the Impact of First-Year Seminars on Correlates of College Student Retention

This quantitative research study sought to measure the impact of first-year seminar participation on three correlates of student retention: academic integration, social integration, and satisfaction with college life. Results suggest that students who participate in first-year seminars are not necessarily more integrated into the academic and social dimensions of college than their peers. Significant predictors of satisfaction included gender and academic achievement in college; that is, high-achieving women were most highly satisfied with college compared to their peers. Implications for college educators are discussed in the context of Tinto's (1993) theory of student departure.