Background: The representation of women in physics majors is persistently low despite ongoing calls for reforms to improve gender equality. This article builds upon prior research by applying the sociocognitive construct of self-determination in analysing women's experiences leading to their choice of physics study, along with factors affecting…

The aim of this study was to verify if external factors influence persistence in online courses in higher education. These external factors, borrowed from Kember's (1995) model, included some students' characteristics; cost benefits; social integration of adult students (enrolment encouragement, study encouragement, and family support); and…

This dissertation examined whether student social integration through participation in a learning community is associated with the retention of freshman minority students from the first semester to the second semester of their first year in college. A web-based Qualtrics survey questionnaire was administered through social media to the target…

While Tinto's (1975, 1987, 1993) Interactionalist Model has reached near paradigmatic status, and introduced the construct of social integration, the research has been inconsistent when applied to community college student retention. This has led Maxwell (2000) and Deil-Amen (2011) to suggest that a different construct of social integration exists…

Many colleges and universities have created college-sponsored communities on Facebook and Twitter as a means to interact, connect, and build community online (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2009; Wankel & Wankel, 2011). However, the literature provides no clear picture of how community college students use social network…

A collaborative project of several Quebec universities, this study investigates nontraditional student withdrawal from undergraduate accounting programmes. A nontraditional student is older than 24, or is a commuter or a part-time student, or combines some of these characteristics. Univariate and multivariate analyses of student dropout factors…

One third of undergraduate students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities are considered nontraditional as defined by the single criterion of being aged 25 years and older. Nontraditional students have significantly lower graduation rates than traditional students. Using a role theory perspective this mixed-methods study examines the factors…

Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States and the second fastest growing group in the in post-secondary education. However, at most major universities Hispanic students are less likely to stay enrolled and less likely to graduate than any other racial group. It is vital for Hispanics to earn a college degree, as earning…

Social Integration has been found by several scholars to have a significant impact on the subsequent institutional commitment and retention of college students. Few of these scholars, however, have attempted to examine whether social integration has a different impact on female students as compared to male students. This paper presents the results…

Many factors can influence a student's decision to withdraw from college. Intervention programs aimed at retention can benefit from understanding the factors related to such decisions, especially in underrepresented groups. The Institutional Integration Scale (IIS) has been suggested as a predictor of student persistence. Accurate prediction of…

Women's advantage in college graduation is evident at all socioeconomic levels and for most racial and ethnic groups. This study examines whether college experiences critical to persistence to graduation, including college major, attendance patterns, social integration, and academic performance, contribute to this gender gap in graduation.…

The purpose of this study was to examine factors of student persistence and attrition in addition to strategies that may help students persist in associate degree nursing programs at community colleges. Data were collected from nursing students enrolled in first-year associate degree nursing programs at participating Mississippi community colleges…

The researcher investigated three types of factors, academic, commitment, and social on college sophomore's decisions to persist at predominately White institutions. The academic factors (academic integration, academic rigor), commitment (goal commitment and institutional commitment) and social factors (social integration and racial climate) were…

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…

Faculty are the academic heart of colleges and universities. They guide learning and facilitate student academic and social integration in the campus community. As described by Tinto, student integration is an important component to success in college. Out-of-class and in-class faculty-student interaction supports student integration and may lead…