Understanding Two Decades of Research on First-Year Seminar Effectiveness: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Scholarship on first-year seminar (FYS) courses is rapidly growing and diversifying. However, the available knowledge, for the most part, remains fragmented and limited to only one institutional setting, seminar type, or student group. Accordingly, this meta-synthesis was designed to examine 2 decades of research on FYS courses to determine the student, institution, and course characteristic themes associated with the academic success factors of GPA, retention, and completion of FYS course takers. In addition, this meta-synthesis was conducted to gain a comprehensive understanding of the state of the research on FYS courses and to provide implications for future research. This comprehensive review of the literature sets the path forward for the development and delivery of FYS courses as a high-impact practice, providing abundant room for further progress as FYS scholarship continues.