ARTICLE CRITIQUE

The Enrolment of the Graduate Students has been increasing throughout the Years. In the

Article “Student Anxiety: Effects of a New Graduate Student Orientation Program” Researchers,

including Poock (2002) and Taub and Komives (1998) have concluded that these Graduate

Students are struggling with Academic Performance and Persistence within their Programs.

However, the Authors, Megan Hullinger and Dr. R. Lance Hogan (2014) studied and examined

the Online Orientation Program about the Student Anxiety. This Article will show Significant

results about the Orientation Program. However, there are Limitations, regarding the Outcome of

the Study related to the Generalization of the Results.

According to some Researchers, Phillips, Daubman and Wilmoth (1986), Graduate Study

could indeed be Stressful on a Person, causing a decline in Academic Performance derived from

fear of Failure and extreme Anxiety. To Alleviate some concerns of Incoming Graduate

Students, Hullinger and Hogan (2014) used a sample of 32 Students for their further Study

Analyzation regarding the Anxiety Levels of Incoming Graduate Students using t-test after

taking of a Short demographic Questionnaire and Pre- and Post- test STAI Self Evaluation,

Hullinger and Hogan are able to found that these Participants experienced Reduction of their

Anxiety through Online Orientation Program.

As the Study begun, The Population consisted of Incoming Graduate Students from the

Midwest Regional State University. Of the 802 Students who received such Information, There

are only 32 students completed the said tests for an Online Graduate Orientation. The

Researchers discussed some important Topic in the Article and the Administrators continue to

attempt to improve Retention Efforts in Higher Education.

 The come up of the idea of an Online Orientation Program could be useful for any

Students as it gives them some important information, to know if which Programs has been more

Effective to reduce the Anxiety Levels, regardless if they are on Campus or not. However,

Hullinger and Hogan (2014) did not provide Key Information regarding the Orientation Program

the used in their Study. These complications about Lacking of details make it more difficult for

them to expand the Research on this kind of Program.

The outcome of Significant Results draw the Attentions of many, Furthermore, the results

of the Study has been noted, but there are Limitations to these Findings. First, the lack of

Students who participated to said program were very small. There were 802 Students who

invited to Participate but out of those numbers, there are only 32 who completed the Pre- and

Post- Anxiety Inventory. Of course, with such a small sample size, it is difficult to generalize

these Findings to the larger Graduate Student Population, with approximately rising of 1.3

Million Students according to the Digest of Educational Statistics (2013). In addition, all of the

Participants came from a State University in the Midwest. This factor also limits the whole Study

to generalize for the Findings of the larger Student Population. While Hullinger and Hogan

(2014) stated that the Research study should be duplicated in different Institutions, e.g. Public or

Private Schools with larger Population for it might yield another significant result comparing to a

smaller Population just like what made in their Study.

This Article mainly focused on an Important matter within Higher Education, specifically

the Graduate Student’s Anxiety Problems. As Administrators need to find Solutions to improve

Retention and Student’s Persistence within their Programs and a come up of a Response

regarding the Problem itself. One of the barriers, Graduate Students facing is Anxiety but

Participating on such Graduate Orientation Programs has the value of increasing Student’s
Academic persistence and Retention in their Degree, So the Online Orientation that they’ve

designed might probably help to reduce the matters of increasing Anxiety levels within the

Graduate Students and might turn out to be one of the Applicable tool to solve the Problem.

Lastly, Hullinger and Hogan (2014) shared the outcome of Research Study and turns out

to be Encouraging enough to connect with Incoming Graduate Students with University

Resources. However the Study did not adequately designed and described properly so that Future

Researchers can duplicate this Program by other means. Furthermore, the small sample size and

the Lack of Unlikeness among the Students who participated, directly limits the Program itself to

have better Totality of these Findings. Future Research on Online Orientation Programs should

be participated on much more larger and diverse Population. In this way, the Study will have

more clear result than the usual and will provide Effective Creditability of the Impact of Online

Orientation Programs.

REFERENCES

Hullinger, M., & Hogan. R.L. (2014). Student Anxiety: Effects of a new Graduate Student

orientation Program. Administrative Issues Journal: Education, Practice and Research, 4(2), 27-

34. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1058507.pdf Phillips, M., Daubman, K., &

Wilmoth, D. (1986). A Graduate student Orientation program. Journal of College Student

Personnel, 27(5), 280-1. Poock, M.C. (2002). Graduate student Orientation: Assessing need and

methods of delivery. Journal of College Student Development, 43(2), 231-45. Taub, D., &

Komives, S. (1998). A comprehensive graduate Orientation program: Practicing what we preach.

Journal of College Student Development, 39(4), 394-8. Retrieved from

http://www.myacpa.org/journal-college-student-development