Three Factors to Consider in Order to Succeed in College
One good news is that enrollment in American colleges is increasing. The bad news is that the U.S. lags behind college completion rates compared to other developed nations. To address this concern, the National Science Foundation commissioned a study to determine the factors that make students succeed.
Conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the study is the most comprehensive research done on college success involving 12 psychologists and Ph.Ds from universities and think tanks around the country. They reviewed 49 articles targeting 61 experimental trials on student motivation.
Entitled "Supporting Students' College Success: the Role of Assessment of Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Competencies," the paper identified three competencies that supported students' persistence and success, as measured by grades, retention and graduation.
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The first factor identified is a sense of belonging. Students who are socially integrated with the school community have a greater chance to succeed. This is crucial for underrepresented minorities and college freshmen. More than 50 of the 61 studies reviewed concluded that a sense of belonging had a positive impact on students' grade point average (GPA).
Another factor is enabling a growth mindset. The report stated that students with this kind of thinking perform better than those whose mindset is fixed. They believe that their personal qualities such as intelligence and character can be improved which reflected positively on their GPAs, based on 45 of the 61 studies reviewed.
The last competency is setting personal goals and core values. Some 51 of the 61 studies reviewed perceive that personal goals (both short and long term) and core values provided clearer focus to students and helped them achieve their desired end. These characteristics also reflected positively on their final course grades.
Researchers also learned that the best way for students to get a grasp on these factors is to lay them down through writing. Students were given a writing exercise about the relevance of course topics to their own life so that they can internalize the three competencies.
