Deliberate Orientation and Transition Practices as Part of a Broader Student Success Strategy: A Comparative Study of Three Large Urban Ontario Colleges

DELIBERATE ORIENTATION AND TRANSITION PRACTICES AS PART OF A BROADER STUDENT SUCCESS STRATEGY: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF THREE LARGE URBAN ONTARIO COLLEGES Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Wayne Poirier Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to examine institutional behaviour concerning orientation and transition efforts for first year college students. This case study examines three large urban colleges in Ontario focusing on the orientation and transition approach at each institution and studied the extent to which each is using known best practices in the field of orientation and transition in their effort to generate increased student success. Informed by the related literature with an emphasis on Canadian and Ontario specific content, the study examined findings in relation to the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) thematic framework and the implications and recommendations drawn from the Pan-Canadian Study of First Year College Students to uncover similarities and differences. The case study employed a document analysis and qualitative interview analysis to examine the extent to which orientation and transition efforts are part of college wide strategic planning and ingrained within the institutions. The information is cross referenced between the document analysis and participant interviews and comparisons are drawn from the key themes identified within the literature. The findings shed further light on the efficacy of the CCSSE survey instrument and its themes and identify areas for further study in the Ontario college context. The analysis conducted indicate that there is good model fit with the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) thematic framework of Educational Effective Practices in the three colleges that participated within this case study. While this study is not generalizable, the findings of this study adds further qualitative evidence that the CCSSE thematic framework is applicable to the three large urban Ontario colleges studied and, in combination with the 2010 Mandarino and Mattern HEQCO study, provides evidence that the CCSSE thematic framework is a reasonable tool to plan and assess orientation and transition practices as part of a broader student success strategy for colleges with similar characteristics. The efficacy of the CCSSE tool can be improved by supplementing it with a survey designed to account for the findings of the 2007 Pan Canadian Study of First Year College Students.Ph.D