Students decide to remain enrolled in community college more so during their first-year of matriculation, than at any other point in their education. For the last three decades, community college leaders across the United States have been challenged by stagnant retention rates that hover around 60% (Mortenson, 2012). While Latino college students…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between domestic and international students with regards to the variables affecting students' retention intentions. Altogether, 15 variables related to retention intentions were examined and significant differences were found in six of these variables. Variables related to personal…

This study examined the relationship between intercollegiate participation and persistence in college. In addition, it explored the different factors that influenced student athletes' persistence patterns as compared to non-student athletes at residential liberal arts schools. Using data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education…

The role of institutional factors in students' intentions to persist with or withdraw from their studies is well established in the literature. More recently, the influence of factors external to the institution has been highlighted as well. This study investigates the relationship between levels of engagement of first-year students undertaking a…

The issue of teacher shortages across the state and nation, especially in rural areas, is a complex one. The disparity between the number of teachers produced and what is needed to fill classrooms across the nation in states where student populations are growing is exacerbated by issues of attrition of current educators. Mandates for production of…

Many factors go into the decision of selecting a university, ranging from the overall costs and the programme of study to the institute's reputation; however, accommodation while at university and proximity of the university to one's permanent abode also play important roles in this decision-making process. Thus, first-year students experience…

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to examine student-athlete perceptions of the role of summer pre-enrollment in their adjustment and transition to college. The study focused on student-athletes who received athletically-related financial aid at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-AAA institution. The…

For the past several decades, factors leading to success in postsecondary education have been a target of investigation by psychologists and psychological and educational researchers. Tinto's integration theory (1975, 1987, 1993) is a dominant sociological perspective in studying college student success, especially student persistence. Academic…

This article explores the issue of older adults' access to and participation in higher education in two countries, Aotearoa New Zealand and Scotland. It discusses older adults' engagement with regard to patterns of participation and provision, using a critical educational gerontology approach. The two case studies, one in more theoretical terms,…

Approximately half the students who enroll at an institution will complete a bachelor's degree within six years (Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2008). The majority of the students who decide to leave their initial institution do so during their first year (Tinto, 1993). Tinto reported that the withdrawal rate is highest during the first…

This study sought to identify the relationship between academic and social integration and persistence for veterans in two-year colleges. Bean and Metzner's (1985) attrition theory served as the theoretical background of investigation for including variables throughout the seven research questions. The Beginning Postsecondary Student survey…

Past research in the area of college retention shows that social and academic integration are important elements in ensuring high retention rates. Many past studies show that learning communities are beneficial in helping raise retention rates as learning communities effectively increase the rates of social and academic integration. The purpose of…

A model of institutional attrition was tested by comparing undergraduate dropouts and continuing students at Washington State University based on the constructs of individual attributes, past educational experience, goal commitment, institutional commitment, social integration, and academic integration. (MSE)

A survey of 219 Ohio State University students before and after freshman year investigated the relationship between retention and changes in freshman perspectives on social and academic issues. Results indicate faculty contact may play a significant role in student attitudes but may not affect retention. Retention may be only indirectly related to…

This paper reports the results of an empirical study on the role of finances on college persistence. A quantitative causal model, that relied on several theoretical frameworks, was tested via structural equation modelling for categorical data that incorporated constructs from the financial aid literature as well as the persistence literature. The…