Effectiveness of Pre-College Outreach Programs at WSU

WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Effectiveness of PreCollege Outreach Programs at WSU Editors: Shaylee Wheeler and Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski, Ph.D 2009-2010 D E PA R T M E N T O F S O C I O L O G Y A N D A N T H R O P O L O G Y Student Researchers: Fall 2009 Kelsey Boyer Christopher Griffith Shaylee Wheeler Spring 2010 Holly Krieger Jennifer Manolis Michelle Sonognini Research Assistants: Karissa Barlow Jennifer Farrell Shaylee Wheeler The purpose of this research is to evaluate the overall effectiveness of Weber State University’s pre-college outreach programs The project is centered on three main objectives They are, first, to investigate the success of the pre-college outreach programs among traditionally non-college bound high school seniors in providing awareness of college, access to college, exposure to college and campus life, academic preparation for college, and assistance in transitioning to college The second objective is to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the delivery of the pre-college outreach services The third and final objective is to investigate the influence of the pre-college outreach programs on the students’ decision to go to college This research attempts to fully answer three specific questions First, what did the precollege outreach programs to achieve the above listed outcomes? Second, did the students find the delivery of the services to be effective in accomplishing the outcomes? Third, did the provided services influence the students’ decision to go to college? Background Information Several studies that have evaluated the effect of various pre-college outreach programs on college enrollment are reviewed here to provide background information One such study included a national survey conducted by the College Board in 2001 The findings from the survey concluded that pre-college academic development programs in fact get traditionally non-college bound students into higher education more so than without intervention (Gullatt & Jan 2003) Within this same study, ten “principles of practice” were identified and outlined by researchers as key components of successful academic development programs These principles are: set high standards for program students and staff, provide personalized attention for students, provide adult role models, facilitate peer support, integrate the program within K-12 schools, provide strategically timed interventions, make long-term investments in students, provide students with a bridge between school and society, provide scholarship assistance, and design evaluations that contribute results to interventions (Gullatt & Jan 2003) This study and another study both concluded that although these programs have been proven to be effective in terms of college enrollment, little research has been done in reference to the actual impact of such programs For this reason, not much is known about the extent to which these programs are helpful and how they can assist students more effectively (Tierney & Hagedorn, 2002) What is known is that most of the outreach services aim at blocking negative influences that deter students from becoming college-bound This means that the programs’ interventions must not only be academically worthwhile, but they must also be socialization tools that develop positive attitudes and beliefs about college The pre-college outreach programs in the Ogden City School District are provided by Weber State University’s Education Access and Outreach office Their mission is to increase educational opportunities and college participation for underrepresented students who are traditionally non-college bound Their vision is to provide a pipeline for educational opportunities that would include collaborative partnerships from the K-12 spectrum to encourage traditionally non-college bound students to pursue and successfully complete a post-secondary education that meets the mutual needs of the university, public school system, and community When six target schools in Ogden City School District were studied, the percentage of students who enrolled at Weber State University was higher among outreach program participants than among the student body in general Of the 176 participants in the program, 80 enrolled at Weber State University with an enrollment rate of 45%, as compared to only a 17% enrollment rate among all students in the target schools (Jones 2009) The three specific programs within the Education Access and Outreach department that are of interest in this study are Student to Student, Educational Talent Search, and Multicultural Youth Conference Student to Student provides academic support to students in Ogden city’s middle and high schools Students from Weber State serve as tutors in a variety of academic subjects This program allows those being mentored to develop a relationship to someone who is participating in secondary education so as to better understand what to expect upon entrance into college, and allows students to participate in extra-curricular activities with their mentors It also hosts a summer program to assist in the college entrance process The program assists the students in all five of the aforementioned areas Educational Talent Search is a federally-funded TRiO program that aims to assist traditionally non-college bound students to attend and graduate from college It identifies qualified students and encourages them to complete high school and undertake a secondary education It provides students with information about financial aid, scholarships, and preparation necessary to attend the college of their choice The program assists the students in all five of the aforementioned areas Multicultural Youth Conference is a “conference is designed for ethnic minority high school juniors and seniors interested in learning about WSU’s support services and accessing higher education The conference includes[s] workshop sessions on admissions, financial aid, leadership and scholarships” (WSU News and Events) This program mainly assists in the areas of awareness, access, and exposure to college Concepts The concepts most central to this research include the five main outcome areas of Weber State University’s pre-college outreach efforts: awareness, access, exposure, readiness, and transition Each concept is discussed below in terms of how it was defined for the purposes of this research Awareness is the increased visibility of Weber State University in the local junior high and high schools The programs aim to make Weber State a better option for the students’ college education through an attempt to “market” the university to high school students Access is the process of providing step-by-step information-based guidance to help the students enroll at college (i.e filling out the admission form and helping to apply for financial aid) This aspect of the program is basically the effort to get the student in the door to higher education Exposure is interactive experience on a college campus in order to know what programs and opportunities are available to the students It attempts to familiarize the student with the university and aims to increase the students’ sense of comfort and belongingness with the campus Readiness is ensuring that the students are prepared to handle college-level coursework This is accomplished by making sure that the students’ high-school transcript is complete (i.e taking the required courses to graduate and completing the UBSCT and the ACT or SAT.) This is also accomplished through academic tutoring Transition is the follow through after enrollment into college to assist the students in their first semester This essentially begins when students receive their W number This includes a thorough orientation, information regarding the setting up of classes, follow-ups in the summer after high school graduation, and keeping in contact with an advisor into their freshman year In addition to establishing working definitions for the five program outcome areas, it is also important to establish definitions for the population of interest in this study, traditionally non-college bound students It is also necessary to define what is meant by pre-college outreach programs in this research Traditionally non-college bound (TNCB) students are students who are identified as being low income, first generation, and minority students The pre-college outreach programs at Weber State University are specifically designed to assist students who fall into these categories Pre-college outreach programs are the programs implemented by the Education Access and Outreach office for the purpose of increasing the likelihood of TNCB students going to college For purposes of this study, Student to Student, Educational Talent Search (ETS), and Multicultural Youth Conference are the specific outreach programs of interest Methods Subjects for Study There were two sample frames from which the participants were chosen for this study, one used in the fall and one in the spring Both were obtained from Education Access and Outreach and included traditionally non-college bound 2009 high school graduates from both Ogden and Ben Lomond High Schools who had participated in at least one of the three precollege outreach programs of interest to the study: Student to Student, Educational Talent Search, and/or Multicultural Youth Conference Ideally, the students on this list were those who received some of the most exposure to the outreach program’s offered services The sampling frame in the fall consisted of thirty such names of students, while the list in the spring contained one-hundred and eighteen Those students who were attending educational institutions other than Weber State (i.e BYU, OWATC) were excluded from this study Of the combined number of remaining students, ninety-six were currently attending Weber State, while twenty-eight were not currently attending any educational institution Although making contact with these students proved to be a difficult task – and, in fact, some of the students were entirely unreachable - there were a total of twenty-eight students who eventually agreed to participate in the study Of these students, twenty-four had enrolled at Weber State after graduating from high school and four had not enrolled at any educational institution The participants were contacted through telephone calls or text messaging by the researchers themselves or with assistance from EAO by an advisor with whom they had developed a rapport The subjects for study included fourteen females and fourteen males The participants who had not enrolled at any educational institution were all female Gender was the only demographic characteristic that was gathered for all participants in the process of this study Data Collection The methods used for collecting the data were focus groups and phone interviews Originally, focus groups were the only method that was to be utilized However, after running the scheduled focus groups, the amount of participation was much less than anticipated because many students did not come through with their commitment to attend Also, some students wished to participate in the study but were unable to attend the scheduled focus groups Therefore, the decision was made to interview the remaining participants over the phone for the sake of convenience The utilization of phone interviews had already been intended to collect data from the participants who had not enrolled at any educational institution A total of five focus groups were held for the students who had enrolled at Weber State University These sessions were held on the afternoons of October 27th, November 4th, March 10th, March 11th, and March 24th A total of fourteen students participated in these sessions All focus groups were held in rooms in the Student Service Center on Weber State’s campus The three researchers in attendance acted as moderators As an incentive, the participants were given $5 on their Weber State Wildcard and provided pizza and drinks during the session These participants were told that the session would last up to two hours Consent forms containing information about the project were passed out at the beginning of each session These forms also asked for the participants’ permission for the session to be audio-recorded After the consent forms were gathered and it was seen that all had given their permission to be recorded, the students were informed that we would be referring to them as “respondents” with corresponding numbers during the session to ensure their confidentiality A total of fourteen phone interviews were then conducted shortly after the first two focus groups in the fall and in the spring The students who were attending Weber State also received $5 on their Weber State Wildcard for their participation, while those who were not enrolled received a $20 gift certificate via mail Again, a brief overview of the project was provided to the individual participants before the commencement of the interview Data received from these interviews were either audio-recorded with a device on the cell phone being used (with consent from the participant), or written down in notes by the researcher while the interview was taking place, with the full-version typed up soon thereafter The students were told that the interview would take no more than twenty minutes to complete At the beginning of each focus group session or phone interview, the participants were informed of the purpose of the research project and the importance of their feedback to evaluate the program’s overall effectiveness They were told that all questions would be in reference to their involvement in the three specified pre-college outreach programs, Student to Student, Educational Talent Search, and Multicultural Youth Conference Open discussion was encouraged, but they were informed that all information offered would be strictly voluntary The participants were also informed that all information they gave would be kept confidential so as to not feel intimidated by any opinions they may provide Measurement of Concepts The questions asked during the focus group session and phone interviews were openended questions concerning the effectiveness and influence of the pre-college outreach programs, as viewed from the students’ personal experiences The students were asked questions regarding their participation in the pre-college outreach programs Student to Student, Educational Talent Search, and Multicultural Youth Conference The five areas of awareness, access, exposure, readiness, and transition were the concepts being measured with these questions The same set of questions was asked to both the students who were enrolled at Weber State and those who were not enrolled As displayed in Table 1: Measurement of Concepts, each concept had at least one question directly related to it For example, to measure the concept of college exposure, the participants were asked, “Through your participation in these pre-college outreach programs, did you ever participate in any activities on a college campus?” Then they were asked to name specific activities, which were then most influential, and then if they felt as if there could be any improvements within that aspect of the program The full set of questions and the order in which they were asked is included in Appendix C 10 advisor or, like, more advisors” could help increase access to college because “just the one advisor I don’t think was enough because there would be times when I would go into to talk to them and there was another student in with them…” Exposure: The majority of the respondents remarked that they all had the opportunity to visit college campuses Some, however, shared that because of their high school schedules they were unable to take advantage of the offered trips to colleges and universities One respondent said, “I never had time to so I didn’t go on them…every time they did those they offered me the opportunity… I just never had the chance to.” In contrast, another respondent said that the opportunity to get out of high school classes was what lured her to the pre-college outreach program in the first place: “We wanna go places That’s actually how I got enrolled I had no idea what it was about or anything All I knew is that they would go on field trips.” In regards to exposure to college campuses, this respondent also said, “I think the one that I liked the most was the college experience—what other people thought about it and not just what, you know, you've heard It was just like the real deal that they were telling you and everything.” One respondent was critical in the delivery of this service, however, saying, “…we had little tour guides, but I don't think they [helped] that much ‘cause they didn't know what they were doing I knew more than they did.” Readiness: The pre-college outreach participants interviewed held varying degrees of feelings regarding readiness for college-level coursework upon completion of the program The ones who expressed that they felt the most prepared were those who took advantage of the tutoring programs in high school (through Student-to-Student and/or Educational Talent Search) and also continued to receive academic guidance their first semester at the university However, this was a small percentage of the participants The majority did not feel adequately prepared 16 One respondent illustrated this feeling among the students when she remarked that the programs were “more focused on getting you to college not through college.” One respondent who did indeed utilize Student-to-Student tutoring as a high school student and then became a mentor for the program in summer semester did not feel that this service was a very effective aid in making students feel prepared for college academics She said, “When I was in high school I'd say it would probably help me just a little bit for high school, but then for, like, college and everything I don't think that it kinda really did very much.” However, another respondent spoke of the helpful assistance he received his first semester at Weber State He said, “After I came to college I switched to TRIO…but TRIO, they actually, they actually helped me with some stuff academically Well they pay for well they loan you books They give me tutors they got me tutors ‘cause I needed a tutor in math ‘cause I was, like, bad at it So they helped me out getting a tutor and now I'm actually doing kinda good.” Interestingly, those who said they did not feel very prepared for college-level academics often placed themselves with at least part of the blame; one respondent said, “I don't think, well I was kinda ready, but I don't think my high school taught me everything that I need to know at college level Or maybe it was just me, I don't know.” Another respondent also claimed that when it came to being ready to work on college homework, “I felt kinda stressed ‘cause I didn't much in high school.” This respondent also added, however, that she did not feel the high school counselors aided in keeping students up academically “I didn't really get any help like that My advisor would ask me, ‘How are you doing in class?’ you know and, ‘Oh good.’” she said Respondents offered feedback on how the program could help high school students feel more ready to take on college-level coursework, mentioning that examples of actual coursework 17 and more connection with academic advisors would be beneficial One respondent remarked, “If I would’ve known what I was getting into, I could’ve probably asked him [the advisor], give me, like, more information on certain departments and how they run their…thing ‘Cause every department is different And, like, my math department is weird And I wish I would’ve got more information on that math so I could better.” Also, one of the respondents felt the need (as a high school student) to talk to someone about personal stressors that can interfere with keeping up on schoolwork “Especially considering all the crazy things that happen during our teenage years,” she said Some other suggestions from the students included information on time management, how to study for exams, and how to take better and more effective notes Transition: The respondents seemed very comfortable in telling us about help they had received in transitioning to Weber State, referring to their advisors by name and admitting that the program did indeed help them to feel more at home on a college campus One respondent remarked, “I actually got a lot of help from everybody I got tutoring help, I got help from my—I don't know what he is—he’s probably a mentor to me He's like, you guys probably know, Luke, I got help from him a lot for a lot of stuff From more grant money, to just information on up and coming projects So…he helped me out a lot and…the building down stairs, the SSS it helped me a lot.“ Another respondent spoke of the continuing assistance into college when she said, “I've seen my advisors around and I talk to them every once in a while when I see them on campus and other places,” Another said, “Whenever I have questions, I just go talk to them.” The lasting connections these students made with their advisors seemed to have had a positive effect on helping them make a healthy transition into college-life Both positive and negative feedback for the pre-college outreach program in general were gathered at the end of each interview Suggestions included starting the outreach at an earlier 18 age for the students in order to receive increased intervention, and also more communication between students and advisors Two respondents even remarked that the services provided by the pre-college outreach program should be opened up to more students in the school These two respondents said that they felt as though there were other students who were more deserving of the assistance, and that there may have even been some conflict between those students who were able to participate and those who could not But overall, the participants we interviewed seemed to have a very positive reaction to the outreach “They did a good job,” one respondent remarked Decision to Attend College When asked if their involvement in the pre-college outreach programs affected their decision to go to college, all of the respondents that answered said that it had The majority of the respondents already had a desire to attend college, even though they held many concerns about the financial hardships and were therefore not sure if it was ever to become a reality The four respondents who did not go on to attend college all remarked that they had the desire to attend, and still might at some point, but that financial issues were holding them back Of the college-attending respondents, a total of seven had not been planning on going to college, but said that being in the program changed their direction The programs were most effective in influencing the students’ decision in two main aspects First, they helped make college more attainable, and second, they helped students see a clear connection between a college education and a good job offering opportunities for advancement The majority of respondents suggested that the programs made college seem as though it was a more attainable goal One respondent said she had reservations about attending college 19 because she thought it was going to be “too hard” and she didn’t know how she was going to pay for it “The whole college thing scared me for a while,” she said After going through the programs, though (and for this respondent, specifically talking to real college students about their experiences), she said that it “made it a lot easier” and “made [her] want to come more to college.” One respondent who had not been planning on attending college said that advisors from ETS had just “started talking to me…and got me going up [to Weber State].” Soon after, he “started liking it… [and] got all into it” and started improving his grades He said, “…being in these programs really opened my eyes and really showed me that there are really good opportunities for me to be able to go to college still.” Another respondent who had the desire to attend college but didn’t know how said “I think since I’m a first generation student, like, I didn’t know much about college and stuff.” However, with help from the pre-college outreach programs, he received the guidance needed to be able to attain a college education Another respondent who was already planning on attending college said that his participation in the program still affected his decision He said, “…it made me realize that college isn’t really that bad – really isn’t as bad as you think it is.” The second theme that emerged about the influence of the pre-college outreach programs on students’ decision to go to college focused on the information given to the students about how having a college degree would positively affect their chances of receiving a better job This was one of the most persuasive factors with two of the respondents who had not been planning on attending college, but then went on to enroll One such respondent said that he realized that by going to college, he would be “better off.” He said, “When you go to Weber, it’s going to be hard, like, going four years or more, but after that it’s going to be worth it.” The other respondent said that he was told by his ETS advisors that by his senior year, most of his friends 20 will have dropped out of school He said this realization “got me rolling the ball.” He said, “They told me that without college, you basically can’t really get a good job after that, so that kinda pushed me to go to college too, cuz everyone wants a good job.” Another respondent who had already planned on going to college said that that guidance still affected his decision He said, “They told me how it’s better to get a job if you go to college…you can get a better career Yeah, it just makes my life easier to go to college.” The prospect of getting a good job and a decent income proved to be a major motivating factor in getting the students to go to college Conclusions Program Success The pre-college outreach program at Weber State University was considered to be very successful on many levels, but three main areas of success were apparent in the respondents’ answers: financial assistance, on-campus experiences, affect on decision to attend college The first successful area was in regard to the availability of financial assistance Since the pre-college outreach program specifically reaches out to low-income students, the availability of obtaining financial assistance was a great incentive for the respondents Knowing that through their participation in these programs, they would receive help with fees and information regarding financial aid, they were able to feel more confident about the prospect of affording college Because one of the biggest deterrents to attaining a college education is difficulty of financing, any assistance regarding its funding is invaluable In fact, the only difference found between college attending and non-college attending respondents was lack of financial resources This is not to say that the program did not adequately provide assistance in this area, but only that financial issues were essentially the only issue holding them back from a college education 21 The second area involved on-campus experiences Activities where students were brought onto a college campus proved to be a huge motivating factor for participating in the program Discussing on-campus experiences invoked the most excitement from the respondents They enjoyed coming to campus for the fun activities, but they also appreciated coming up for academic guidance The third area of success involved the programs affect on the students’ decision to go to college From the students’ responses, it is clear that the Education Access and Outreach office is accomplishing their mission to increase “educational opportunities and college participation” among these traditionally non-college bound students The ways in which these services were provided seemed to have been conducive to the students’ needs and proved to have a great affect on their decision to attend college The programs came through in the area where it was most important, which was helping these traditionally non-college bound students attain a college education Areas for Improvement There were three main areas in which the pre-college outreach programs were considered to have fallen a bit short: preparation for college academics, consistency of advisors, and availability of scholarship assistance The first area surrounds the aspect of college “readiness.” Though one of the main aims of the program is to promote academic preparedness amongst its participants, most of the individuals did not feel overly confident in their readiness for college-level coursework While some pointed at individual faults as the blame, others felt as though more could have been done to prepare them for college academics It wasn’t as if they thought the program necessarily had a negative impact, it was more as though that academic assistance was non-existent So, although 22 the program was an excellent socialization tool, its intervention proved to not be as academically worthwhile as was ideal However, it is important to note that some of the students did not (or were unable to) utilize the Student-to-Student tutoring program that was offered The second area was regarding the issue of advisors, which was a topic that seemed to appear often It was evidenced by the respondents’ answers that they held their advisors in high esteem and that they played a large role in the students’ path to getting a college education However, because of this bond that was created between the advisor and the student, it proved to be very difficult for the student when it was disrupted in any way, as when the advisors would abruptly change in the middle of a school year Consistency with the advisors was shown to be an incredibly important aspect It was evident that the student wanted and needed that connection with their advisor during a time when they were making major life decisions The third area involves access to scholarship information and assistance Some of the students mentioned that they had not received adequate guidance regarding the scholarship process This involved aspects such as where to look for scholarships, when the due dates were, what was required to apply, and how to go about that application procedure The whole prospect of applying for and receiving scholarships was such a crucial component of getting to college, and some felt as though they did not get the help they needed and that the entire process was a bit overwhelming Recommendations Maintenance of Positive Aspects The overall program, especially the three main aforementioned areas, appeared to have thrived and therefore should be continued They worked well for the students and positively 23 affected their participation in the program Greater Focus on Academic Preparation More consideration and attention should be paid to the area of preparation for college academics This could be done by greater encouragement for participation in Student to Student or more information given to the students regarding the realities of college-level coursework Consistency of Program Advisors Advisors in the pre-college outreach program should be kept consistent, or at least constant throughout an entire school year, so as to be able to continually provide guidance for the students for which they are assigned Greater Availability of Scholarship Assistance More information about the entire scholarship process should be provided to the students in order for them to feel more comfortable with the financial aspect of college More focus and guidance in this area would be very beneficial Limitations of the Study A major limitation to this study was obviously the small sample size Although the responses that were received by the respondents were felt to be a worthy reflection of the larger program participant population, the small number of respondents makes it difficult to confidently generalize to that entire population Further research should be conducted to contact the remaining students who are attending college and the participants who did not enroll in any educational institution There were also two issues worth mentioning that may have disrupted our data collection process The first was that the respondents who had participated in the focus groups tended to 24 give longer and more in-depth answers than those who had participated in the phone interviews This is assumed to be attributed to the group dynamic of the focus group sessions This made it easier for the participants to open up, and they would often get ideas from what other respondents had previously stated Also, since focus group respondents had perhaps expected a long session while the phone interview respondents had expected just a quick interview, this mindset may have made them shape their answers accordingly The respondents in the phone interviews still offered valuable information, but it just proved to be more difficult for the interviewer to get more elaborate responses The second issue involves two factors that may have caused variations between the first and second focus groups The first factor was that of the setting The first session was held in a typical conference room The moderators stood near the head of an oval-shaped table while the two respondents sat across from each other on either side of the moderators This setting was very conducive to open communication However, that room became unavailable for use during the second session, so the group was moved to another room that was more of a classroom-type setting The moderators stood at the front while the four respondents sat at desks, one in the front row and three behind This arrangement did not allow the respondents to communicate with each other as well and also may have made them feel as though they were in a lesser position than the moderators Even though this group contained two more participants than the first, it ended up being a shorter session The second factor was that of gender The first focus group consisted of two females who had known each other from a class they had together at college During the session, they were both very open and willing to share their thoughts and opinions The second session, however, consisted of one female and three males The female sat in the front row by herself while the 25 males, who were all good friends, sat in the second row This may have been an intimidating setup for the female, as was evidenced by her speaking only about three times throughout the session Of the three males, one tended to dominate the conversation while the other two answered less frequently, but more frequently than the female Regardless of these factors, the moderators attempted to give all the respondents an opportunity to answer each of the questions if they so desired Despite the limitations of this study, it became apparent that the pre-college outreach programs offered by the Education Access and Outreach at Weber State University are indeed making a difference in the lives of the students they are trying to reach The programs’ objectives are appearing to be met and the services being provided are seen to be very effective in providing students with the tools and enthusiasm needed in order to gain a college education 26 Appendix A Consent Form Consent form given to focus group participants The basic information on this form was shared with the phone interview participants The information collected in this study pertains to the Pre-College Outreach Program and is being conducted by a research methods class at Weber State University The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pre-College Outreach Program You will be participating in a focus group consisting of 6-8 people The duration of this session should not exceed hours Your participation is voluntary All questions are regarding the Pre-College Outreach Program All questions are voluntary and you are not required to answer anything that you are not comfortable with You have the right to refuse to participate in this focus group There are no consequences for withdrawing and not participating in this focus group Confidentiality of your identity is assured You will not be identified by name in any use or publication of this research The information gathered in the project will only be used to determine whether the Pre-College Outreach Program is achieving the goals it intends to achieve If you have questions or comments regarding this study, please contact Brenda Kowalewski at (801) 626-7893 or through email at bkowalewski@weber.edu You may also contact her at her office at 1208 University Circle, Weber State University, Ogden UT 844041208 Please indicate below your willingness to be audio recorded during the session I agree to be audio recorded during the focus group session I not wish to be audio recorded during the focus group session Please sign to indicate that you have read the above information and that you consent to participate in this study of your own free will Signature: Date: _ Print Name: _ W#: _ 27 Appendix B Questionnaire distributed to the respondents to gather demographic information: What is your gender?  Male  Female What is your race/ethnicity? (Check all that apply)  African American/Black  American Indian  Asian  Caucasian/White  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander  Hispanic/Latino  Other (please specify) _ How many credit hours are you taking this semester?  Not enrolled in college  1-5  6-11  12-17  18+ What is your parent’s/guardian’s annual household income?  $0–9,999  $10,000-19,999  $20,000-29,999  $30,000-$39,999  $40,000-49,999  $50,000-$59,999  $60,000+  Don’t know How many hours you work each week?  Not Employed  1-9  10-19  20-29  30-39  40+ What is your current living situation?  Living in home with parents/guardians  Living in apartment with parents/guardians  Living in on-campus student housing  Living in off-campus student housing  Other (please specify) 28 Appendix C Questions asked during focus group sessions and phone interviews: Did the pre-college outreach program help you to understand how to enroll for college? a What specific services did you receive that increased your understanding of enrollment? b Which of these activities were most influential in your decision to attend college? c Is there anything you think could have improved your understanding of enrolling for college? Through the pre-college outreach program, did you participate in any activities on a college campus? a What specific services did you receive that provided this experience? b Which of these activities were most influential in your decision to attend college? c Is there anything you think could have improved your experience of actual college campuses? Did you feel prepared for college-level coursework after participating in the pre-college outreach program? a What specific services did you receive that helped you feel prepared for collegelevel academics? b Which of these activities were most influential in your decision to attend college? c Is there anything you think could have improved your feelings of preparedness for college-level coursework? Do you think that the pre-college outreach program made WSU a more visible choice to your post-graduate options? a In what ways? Do you feel that you received adequate guidance from the pre-college outreach program in your first semester of college? a What specific services did you receive that helped you feel prepared for collegelevel academics? Did your participation in the pre-college outreach program affect your decision to go to college? a Why or why not? 29 Bibliography Education Access and Outreach Weber State University, 2009 Web Sep 30, 2009 http://www.weber.edu/Outreach/default.html Gullatt, Yvette & Jan, Wendy 2003 “How Do Precollegiate Academic Outreach Programs Impact College Going among Underrepresented Students?” A White Paper for the Pathways to College Network Boston: Pathways to College Network Jones, Steve 2009 October Table of Weber State University Enrollment Provided by WSU Institutional Research Reinhart, Gentry 2009 October “WSU's Multicultural Youth Conference Offers College Access and Scholarship Opportunities to Area Youth.” http://www.weber.edu/WSUToday/100609MYC2009.html Tierney, William G & Hagedorn, Linda Serra 2002 “Making the Grade in College Prep: A Guide for Improving College Preparation Programs.” The Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis; University of Southern California http://www.usc.edu/dept/chepa/pdf/makinggrade.pdf 30 ... each of the questions if they so desired Despite the limitations of this study, it became apparent that the pre-college outreach programs offered by the Education Access and Outreach at Weber State... generation, and minority students The pre-college outreach programs at Weber State University are specifically designed to assist students who fall into these categories Pre-college outreach programs. .. the Pre-College Outreach Program and is being conducted by a research methods class at Weber State University The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pre-College Outreach