Impact of Counseling on Degree Recipients Prepared by Hannah Lawler for the Counseling Department

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1 RESEARCH BRIEF #1010 MARCH 2016 Impact of Counseling on Degree Recipients Prepared by Hannah Lawler for the Counseling Department A 2014 study examining the impact of counseling contact for first-time freshmen found a positive relationship between counseling contact and persistence. The data revealed that first-time freshmen who had contact with a counselor before and/or during their initial term at Santa Monica College persisted to the subsequent spring and fall terms at significantly higher rates (over twice as likely) than their counterparts who did not meet with a counselor. Significant counseling contact was defined broadly as participation in a special program, one-on-one counseling in a general counseling center or through online counseling, and enrollment in the Counseling 20 course. The current study provides a follow-up to the 2014 study by broadening the target population to include the general student population. The current study answers two research questions: (1) What percentage of Fall 2015 credit students have or have had significant counseling contact? (2) What percentage of students who earned an Associate Degree in had significant counseling contact? Does counseling contact influence the number of semesters it takes students to complete the degree? Santa Monica College Page 1

2 General Student Population and Counseling Among the 30,619 students enrolled in credit courses in Fall 2015, a total of 26,577 or 86.8% had significant counseling contact at least once while enrolled at Santa Monica College. The following figure describes the percentage of counseled students by counseling type. Figure 1. Credit Students by Counseling Type Special Program + Counseling % General Counseling + Special Program 12.4% All Three 13.5% Counseling 20 Only 0.8% Special Program Only 2.0% General Counseling + Counseling % General Counseling Only 52.6% The largest proportion of counseled students (53%) received counseling solely through one of the general counseling centers. About 18% of counseled students had counseling contact both through general counseling and the Counseling 20 course. Fourteen percent of counseled students had counseling contact through all three counseling types (general counseling, Counseling 20, and participation in a special program). Table 2 describes the percentage of Fall 2015 students who were counseled by key demographic variables. Santa Monica College Page 2

3 Table 2. Percentage of Counseled Students by Demographic Variables Demographic Variable Count Percent Counseled Ethnicity/Race Residence Status Enrollment Status Asian % Black % Hispanic % Native American % Pacific Islander % Two or more races % White % California % Out-of-state % Foreign Country % First-time Freshmen % Reverse Transfer % Returning Student % Continuing Student % Counseling contact data by student ethnicity/race reveal that Hispanic students (89.8%), followed by Asian (88.9%) and Black (87.2%) students, had the highest rate of students who had significant counseling contact. Over 99% of students with foreign residency had counseling contact, a higher proportion than out-of-state (90.6%) California (84.8%) residents. Data by enrollment status reveal that disproportionately fewer reverse transfers had counseling contact (63.2%) when compared to continuing (93.7%), first-time freshmen (91.0%), and returning (82.1%) students. Regardless of student ethnicity/race, a large majority of all student subgroups had some sort of counseling contact before or during the Fall 2015 semester. Santa Monica College Page 3

4 Degree Recipients and Counseling In , a total of 1,325 students earned an Associate Degree. The data reveal that nearly all of the degree recipients (1,322 or 99.8%) have had significant counseling contact while enrolled in courses at Santa Monica College. The degree recipient cohort was grouped by whether students were first-time freshmen (FTF) or reverse transfers when they first enrolled at the College. Figure 3 displays the percentage of degree recipients who received one-on-one counseling in a general counseling center, participated in a special program, and/or enrolled in the Counseling 20 course by initial enrollment status group. Figure 3. Percentage of Degree Recipients Receiving Counseling by Counseling Type and Enrollment Status FTF (N = 807) Reverse Transfers (518) Total (N = 1325) 97.8% 97.5% 97.7% 49.2% 48.3% 45.0% 38.4% 37.1% 19.7% General Counseling Special Program Counseling 20 Nearly all of the degree recipients in , including first-time freshmen and reverse transfers, had received counseling in one of the general counseling centers. About half of FTF degree recipients had participated in a special program and/or enrolled in Counseling 20, while fewer (38.4% and 19.7%, respectively) of reverse transfers did the same. The following section describes the results of analyses conducted to compare the average numbers of semesters to degree completion between special program participants with nonparticipants and those who enrolled in Counseling 20 with those who did not. A comparison between students who received counseling in a general counseling session with those who did not was not made since only a handful of degree recipients had not visited a general counseling center. IMPACT OF SPECIAL PROGRAM ON NUMBERS OF SEMESTERS TO DEGREE COMPLETION Statistical analyses were conducted to determine whether differences in the average numbers of semesters to degree completion exist between special program participants and non-participants. Semesters to degree completion was calculated by counting the number of primary (fall and spring) semesters between the first semester enrolled by degree recipients at the College and the semester in which the degree was conferred. Students who began Santa Monica College Page 4

5 their coursework at the College during the summer and winter intersessions were identified as having started in the subsequent fall and spring semesters. Only primary semesters (fall and spring) were counted. For example, a student who started at SMC during the fall 2013 semester and earned a degree in the spring 2014 semester was identified as having completed the degree in 2 semesters. Figure 4 below compares the average numbers of semesters to degree completion by special program participation and initial enrollment status (FTF vs. reverse transfers). Figure 4. Average Numbers of Semesters to Degree Completion by Special Program and Enrollment Status Special Program Participant Non-Participant FTF Reverse Transfers Total On average, FTF students who participated in a special program earned their degrees in less time than those who did not participate (an average of 0.18 fewer semesters), however, the difference was not found to be statistically significant, t(805) = 0.644, p = ns. There was little to no difference in average numbers of semesters to degree completion for the reverse transfer group. The average numbers of semesters to degree completion was analyzed by student ethnicity/race group (see Table 5). Only the groups with more than 25 degree recipients were included in the table. Table 5. Average Semesters to Degree Completion by Student Ethnicity/Race and Special Program Participation Ethnicity/Race Participant Non-Participant Difference Asian Black(*) Hispanic White The data reveal that for all groups, students who participated in a special program completed their degrees in less time (fewer average semesters) than non-participants, however, the difference was found to be statistically significant only for Black degree recipients. Black students who participated in a special program completed their degree in an average of 2.60 fewer semesters than non-participants, t (94) = , p <.05. Santa Monica College Page 5

6 IMPACT OF COUNSELING ON NUMBERS OF SEMESTERS TO DEGREE COMPLETION Statistical analyses were conducted to determine whether differences in the average numbers of semesters to degree completion exist between students who took the Counseling 20 course and those who did not. Figure 6 below compares the average numbers of semesters to degree completion by Counseling 20 enrollment and initial enrollment status (FTF vs. reverse transfers). Figure 6. Average Numbers of Semesters to Degree Completion by COUNS 20 and Enrollment Status COUNS 20 No FTF Reverse Transfers Total Overall, it took students who enrolled in the Counseling 20 course longer to complete their degrees (M = 1.21 semesters more) than students who did not enroll in Counseling 20. However, because a large majority (approximately 90%) of Counseling 20 students place into basic skills English and/or math courses, these students would have more courses to complete before being able to enroll in the college-level English and math courses required for degree completion. Enrollment in Counseling 20 appears to have a positive impact on Black students who earned a degree (see Table 7); these students who took Counseling 20 graduated in fewer semesters, on average, than those who did not. However, the difference is not statistically significant. Table 7. Average Semesters to Degree Completion by Student Ethnicity/Race and Special Program Participation Ethnicity/Race COUNS 20 No COUNS 20 Difference Asian Black Hispanic White Santa Monica College Page 6

7 Key Findings Approximately 87% of all students enrolled in credit courses in Fall 2015 had significant counseling contact at least once while enrolled at the College. The data suggest that a large majority of students, including our African American and Latino students, access counseling services. Nearly all (99.8%) of the students who earned an Associate Degree in had significant counseling contact while enrolled at the College, with 98% of degree recipients receiving one-on-one counseling at a general counseling center, 49% participating in a special program, and 48% enrolling in Counseling 20. Overall, first-time freshmen degree recipients who participated in a special program earned their degrees in less time than non-participants. Black degree recipients who participated in special program completed their degrees in an average of 2.6 fewer semesters than non-participants. Black degree recipients who enrolled in Counseling 20 graduated in fewer semesters, on average, than those who did not enroll in Counseling 20. Santa Monica College Page 7