A pilot study investigating the sophomore experience at Rowan University

The primary purpose of the study was to develop and pilot test an instrument to better understand the sophomore experience at Rowan University. The study investigated the importance and level of satisfaction of factors that contribute to the sophomore experience. Of particular interest was to identify those factors which are controlled by the university, so that improvements can be made in order to better serve students. The study was conducted at Rowan University during the 2007 spring semester of the academic year. A total of 574 students chose to participate in the study. The participants were asked to take the instrument via an online commercial survey site. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Pearson product moment correlations were calculated to determine if there were any significant relationships between the four factors and the survey items pertaining to satisfaction and importance of the sophomore experience. The study provided a significant amount of information about Rowan University sophomores and how satisfied they were on selected issues, as well as how important those issues were. The pilot study also resulted in an instrument that can be used by Rowan University to continue examining the sophomore experience