Tiffany R. Wang (2014) Formational Turning Points in the Transition to College: Understanding How Communication Events Shape First-Generation Students’ Pedagogical and Interpersonal Relationships With Their College Teachers, Communication Education, 63:1, 63-2,DOI:10.1080/03634523.2013.841970
Review:
Tiffany Wang sets the scene for helping us understand how the simple interactions educators have with students, in particular first generation students, can have a lasting effect on their perception of college, their transition, and ultimately their success rates. Mainly focusing on the transition period in first generation student’s college career, Wang looks to explore and find the “Turning Points” that occur in a student’s career path caused by interpersonal communication between educator and student. Turning points being the interactions that help a student and make them feel successful and continue on an upward path, or those that are not helpful and become areas for divergence. She also poses that knowing your audience and understanding them will go a long way in helping both student and teacher achieve success. Wang utilizes several theories as a basis for research, citing many articles on the topics of interpersonal communication, retention, success and transition. Perhaps the quote that helps surmise the overall theme is “results in a change in assumptions about oneself and the world thus requires a corresponding change in one’s behavior and relationships” (Wang, 2014).
Testing:
Over the course of the research Wang used a mixed methods approach to answer the proposed research questions. The methods taken were that of interview, resulting in 480 pages of transcription, and of graphing of experiences on an x,y axis chart and plotting points self identified as turning points. The interesting point about the qualitative data received, is that from having a discussion about what the turning points were, and why they were ranked high or low on the chart. This method provided participants the ability to tell their story, which in turn helped develop a sense of shared points of reference. The researcher was then able to pull together common themes from the population.
The sample for this study consisted of 30 students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, at least 19 years of age, and qualified as first generation as defined by the US Department of Education.
Results:
Interactions with students that resulted in a “Turning Point” pedagogical
- Helped students with course-related problems
- Failed to help students with course-related problems
- Engaged students
- Misbehaved
- o Incompetence
- o Offensiveness
- o Indolent
Interactions with students that resulted in a “Turning Point” interpersonal
- Empowered students
- Minimization of power and distance
- Helped with personal problems
Through the research it can be inferred that personality of each individual can and will be a factor in the perception of interactions. Much of this can be found in the direct quotes and vivid information pulled from the qualitative data. It is also filled with rich story telling that gives much insight into the expectations and mind set of these first generation and students and what could be seen as a regular interaction with a student, can be taken as being rude, incompetent, or even failing to help, based on their contextual knowledge of navigating the collegiate environment.
Limits:
- Student population demographics of the study
- Sample size
- Classes/subjects of participants
- First generation students lack of preparedness for rigor and types of interactions at college level
- Access to students supplemental resources to assist in transition
Usage for myself:
I personally see great benefit from this study, both from the topic of inquiry to the actual design method. Gathering information through mixed methods gives me the sense that I am getting more of the full picture. In this research the participants had the opportunity to actually tell their story, to help give shared meaning and understanding of who they are and what their experience is. Personally I like the idea of the turning point, as it worked with existing theory, but also accounted for student experience not being linear, or there being defined areas of progress through a stage.
The topic was very interesting as my undergraduate degree in organizational/interpersonal communication paired with my masters in higher education; this research was a great intersection of my passions. Not only did it bring my education together, it hit on area of interest, in bridging the gap between academic and student affairs in the approach of working with each student as an individual.
This research also sheds light on the concept of students perception is their reality. Although it was not explicitly stated in the article, one can infer that checking your attitude when working with a student can have a lasting effect on their overall experience. I think to myself of how many times I was tired, frustrated, or not 100% invested in the conversation with a student, did that cause a turning point downward. Has a meeting that ran late, resulting in missing an appointment that I did not follow up on result in a turning point. Wang’s research has given me some things to think about in my own work and in future research.
References
Tiffany R. Wang (2014) Formational Turning Points in the Transition to College: Understanding How Communication Events Shape First-Generation Students’ Pedagogical and Interpersonal Relationships With Their College Teachers, Communication Education, 63:1, 63-2,DOI:10.1080/03634523.2013.841970