A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Effect of Freshman Seminars on Student Attrition at Four Year Colleges and Universities

Tinto (1975) theorized that for a student to complete his/her education, he/she must integrate socially as well as academically at the institution. Freshman seminars are designed to ease students into college life and provide them with skills to cope socially and academically, thereby paving the way for institutional integration and, ultimately, degree completion. Researchers at a number of institutions have evaluated the effectiveness of the freshman seminar at reducing freshman to sophomore year attrition. They have reported mixed results. Here, the literature addressing the efficacy of freshman seminars for reducing attrition is reviewed using meta-analysis. The number of weekly contact hours between instructors of the freshman seminar and students significantly moderates the effect size. The results also suggest selection bias may have distorted the results of many studies. Suggestions for future research are also discussed