The First Year Colloquium: Creating a Safe Space for Students to Flourish

Abstract

College is one of the most formative times in an individual's life. Its intense living-learning environment can promote students' extreme self-confidence and positive development, or alternatively, can result in low levels of well-being. The first year in college is an opportunity for faculty and staff to engage with students to help them build learning skills, a sense of responsibility, and ownership of their college experiences. The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of a first year colloquium on student well-being. In the fall of 2015, 91 entering first year students at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, participated in a mixed method study using written reflection responses and in a pre/post survey using Keyes (2009) Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF). Gains were seen in psychological well-being with an increase in flourishing as compared to early semester moderate flourishing. Students reported that having one course that provided a safe space for them in their first semester, and that addressed well-being in college, was critical for them to succeed and thrive in their first year.

Human flourishing: an enabler of entrepreneurial intention in Latin American students

“…Recent studies have associated the concept of HF with aspects of human functioning, such as personal relationships (Deci and Ryan, 2000;Diener et al, 2010;Huppert and So, 2013;Ryan and Deci, 2000;Ryff, 2019;Seligman, 2012), purpose and meaning (Diener et al, 2010;Huppert and So, 2013;Ryff, 2019;Seligman, 2012), environmental mastery (Diener et al, 2010;Huppert and So, 2013;Ryan and Deci, 2000;Ryff, 2019) and happiness and life satisfaction (Vuckovic, Floyd and Riley, 2019), as well as experiencing positive emotions, such as optimism and vitality (Diener et al, 2010;Huppert and So, 2013;Seligman, 2012). These have been included in previous studies as indicators that individuals are reaching their full potential and leading a good life; that is, they are experiencing HF.…”

Psychometric properties of the Flourishing Scale for South African first-year students

“…As students are often far from their loved ones, they feel alone, isolated, and stressed (Eagan et al 2015). As a result, transitioning to higher education and adjusting to all the unfamiliar challenges encountered during the first year can negatively affect students' well-being (Eagan et al 2015;Vuckovic, Riley & Floyd 2019). However, it is also essential to identify and support students who are doing well and provide resources to help them flourish.…”