Person, Place, or Thing: The Role Student Conceptions Play in Identification and Usage of Support Resources

Abstract

This article reports on data collected from a study of 101 students taking a first-year experience course. Using a mapping methodology in an effort to understand what resources students could identify and what relationships they saw between resources, the study showed that resources associated with a specific location or connected with people were more likely to be identified by students, and students who identified more people resources were more likely to persist. These results suggest that student support providers should look for ways to leverage physical spaces for awareness but focus on people-centered experiences to help students feel supported.