Exploring the Relationship Between First-Year Seminars and Student Success Outcomes: A Narrative Literature Review

I conducted a narrative literature review on first-year seminars to provide practitioners and researchers with a current, comprehensive review of the research investigating the effectiveness of this widely used, high-impact practice so that they could use this information to improve the course at their institution. I searched for peer-reviewed research articles on the first-year seminar using six library databases and limited the search to 2014–2024. I discovered 424 articles using these search parameters. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, I determined 72 articles met the criteria and therefore included these articles in the review. There were a substantial number of research studies illustrating the positive impact of the first-year seminar on numerous success factors, including academic achievement, persistence, graduation, beliefs, and behaviors, but some studies failed to show positive findings associated with the course. Most researchers found similar outcomes for different types of first-year seminars, though some studies illustrated that academic-focused first-year seminars had more benefits. Research studies also explored implementation variables such as the number of credits, course topics, and teaching methods. A few studies highlighted how pairing the first-year seminar with other evidence-based practices can have promising results. Based on the findings, I share recommendations for practitioners and researchers.