Leslie Hays

Avid Program Graduates: Negotiating the First Year of College Leslie Hays

The purpose of this case study was to investigate the transition experiences of AVID program graduates who were beginning their second year of college at competitive four-year public universities. All eight participants, in the AVID pre-college program for at least three years, had successfully transitioned to the university. The study was framed by two research questions: (1) How did AVID program graduates adapt academically and culturally to a four-year public university during their first year? (2) In what ways did they attribute their persistence in college to their high school AVID experience? The findings indicated that the participants, all first generation college, felt both academically and culturally challenged during the transitional year, especially in the areas of critical reading and expository writing. Some participants, not accustomed to the academic reading and writing standards of the university, used a trial and error method to attempt to meet the requirements and did not consistently execute the strategies learned in AVID. These students reported missing classes and avoiding reading assignments.