Data from a moderately-selective state university in the Midwest is used to cross-examine the most appropriate data analytical techniques for predicting versus explaining college student persistence decisions. The current research provides an overview of the relative benefits of models specializing in prediction versus explanation with particular…

Institutional researchers use skills from their diverse backgrounds to collect, analyze and report data about their institutions to stakeholders representing various interests and levels of data literacy. However, there is little research into how these professionals process data and none into what aspects are important to institutional…

Retention, persistence, and academic achievement for first-generation students have become increasingly prevalent with increasing access to higher education. Beyond access, the most discernible challenge relates to their identity as a first-generation college student and the lack of mentorship from their parents in navigating the college…

This dissertation examines two key axes of inequality in higher education -- gender and socioeconomic status (SES) -- in terms of differences in college persistence and college major using the nationally-representative High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. While gender differences in terms of STEM majors has been oft-studied, this dissertation…

Using data from 11 institutions, the authors investigate enrollments in intermediate microeconomics to determine characteristics of successful and unsuccessful students and follow the retake behavior of unsuccessful students. Successful students are significantly different from unsuccessful ones, and unsuccessful students differ by type…

This study examined the persistence of first-year engineering students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) pre- and mid-COVID-19 interruptions and whether their characteristics (race/ethnicity, financial need status, first-generation status, SAT scores) predicted their persistence. Using…

The "institutional databases audit" addresses common challenges of retention research by viewing existing databases and key surveys as resources for analyzing persistence rates. Such an audit helps verify whether student database elements have theoretically derived research referents. Positive results show that institutions can acquire…

The dataset used in this report was created by combining Bridge to Finish intervention records, provided by the United Way of King County (UWKC), with student information provided by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). The intervention records span the terms from summer 2018 through fall 2021. SBCTC data include these…

Quality education is a prerequisite and essence of human development. At present, India has improved a lot, but, in some cases, it still needs some improvement like retention and enrollment of students in education. The drop-out problem is a major in India. During this pandemic situation, drop-out problems become a significant issue. Researchers…

Higher education institutions have prioritized supporting undecided students with their major and career decisions for decades. This study used a U.S. public research-focused university's large-scale institutional data set and undecided student's retention and graduation rate predictors to demonstrate how to couple student and institutional data…

Wellness, persistence, and retention in higher education have a common goal of student success. Colleges and universities explore various methods to help students succeed and continue towards degree completion. Most of the research has focused on traditional predictors (e.g., high school GPA, ACT/SAT scores) of persistence and success. There is…

This study presents a systematic review of the literature on the predicting student retention in higher education through machine learning algorithms based on measures such as dropout risk, attrition risk, and completion risk. A systematic review methodology was employed comprised of review protocol, requirements for study selection, and analysis…

This study examined the impact of Career & Technical Education (CTE) credit accumulation on the persistence and academic attainment of student service members/veterans (SSM/V) within the 2-year public postsecondary education segment. SSM/V are a small but significant population of underrepresented non-traditional students within postsecondary…

Recommender systems in educational contexts have proven effective to identify learning resources that fit the interests and needs of learners. Their usage has been of special interest in online self-learning scenarios to increase student retention and improve the learning experience. In current recommendation techniques, and in particular, in…

In this article we report on the findings of a project funded by the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching and entitled "Learning Analytics: Assisting Universities with Student Retention." While this project was primarily focused on retention as a potential outcome of learning analytics, its application could be related to the…