Korean Educational Development Institute(KEDI)

An Analysis of the Freshmen in Higher Education Institutions

This study aims to conduct a survey of freshmen in universities and colleges based on the KEDI Survey Questionnaire for Freshmen in Higher Education Institutions, published in ‘A Study on Designing the Survey of Freshmen in Higher Education Institutions’ (Park et al., 2018), and to analyze the results of the survey. This study collected and analyzed data through freshman survey that can monitor the characteristics and initial status of students entering higher education institutions, and sought ways to link the survey with other surveys on higher education in order to settle the freshman survey as a means to examine the students’ starting point in higher education.

To achieve this aim, this study reflected the demand of higher education institutions based on expert opinions while adjusting and systemizing the questions for the freshman survey, adjusted questions in relation with other surveys (e.g. National Assessment of Student Engagement in Learning: hereby NASEL), and improved questions through student review. After adjusting and systemizing the previously developed questionnaire, the freshman survey was carried out as one of the additional surveys of the NASEL between late May and early July on students from institutions that volunteered for the survey. Using the survey results, this study conducted a basic analysis, an analysis to enhance the availability of survey results by universities, and an in-depth analysis. Based on the results, suggestions were drawn for the implementation of the survey and for future research.