The STEM fields, otherwise known as the Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics areas, have become the focus of multiple studies and funding initiatives in recent years. Despite these efforts, lingering concerns exist about who enters, who is retained, and who completes the doctorate in STEM fields. This study utilizes discrete-time…

Freshman student retention has become a major focus in higher education. The loss of incoming students is not only financially burdensome to the institution, but it can be academically and personally discouraging for students. Many theoretical constructs have been applied to the problem of student attrition, including the individual constructs of…

The purpose of this quantitative research study is to identify variables that lead students to having thoughts of leaving their institution, talking with someone about leaving their institution, or taking steps to leave their institution. This attrition study identifies variables that institutional faculty, administrators, and staff can address…

Student retention is an important issue for all university administrators and faculty due to the potential negative impact of student attrition. In this study, retention rates will be studied with data from sophomore students who initially enrolled in the 2002 academic year at Arizona State University, following these students through their junior…

The main aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of why students abandon their studies, or perform less well than expected given their high school grades, and to develop predictive models that can help identify those students most at-risk at the time they enter college. This will allow teachers and those responsible for student…

The impact of financial assistance on students' decisions on whether to discontinue college studies was investigated. Students enrolled in either two- or four-year institutions were included. Grants, loans, and college work-study funds were considered as financial aid. A casual model was used to illustrate how withdrawal was affected by…

Family socioeconomic status, ability, high school curriculum, scholarship receipt, age, race, marital status, enrollment status, employment status, and type of college attended were examined. The importance of these factors varied widely with year of college completed. Results demonstrated that these factors cannot be molded into a single equation…

Finds that developmental reading students were as successful in college as low ACT nondevelopmental students but not as successful as the higher ACT students. Suggests that ACT scores and age were the best predictors of college success. Demonstrates the need for developmental classes for underprepared college freshmen. (RS)

Logistic regression is employed to develop a model that enhances early identification of freshmen at risk of attrition. Independent variables employed to predict attrition include demographics; high school experiences; and attitudes, opinions, and values as reported on a survey administered during freshman orientation. Model and results are…

A conceptual model of the factors affecting dropout syndrome was develop emphasizing academic, social, and personal outcomes of the selection or socialization of students at a university. The model was estimated using path analysis, and the intervening variables were found to be important predictors of dropout syndrome. (Author/DWH)

Identifies issues relevant to nontransfer college seniors who disenroll before graduating. Analysis suggests that nonretention of seniors was best predicted by dissatisfaction with academic guidance, access to school-related information, and quality of education, as well as by feelings of institutional alienation. Discusses implications for future…

Distance education cannot escape comparisons to traditional classes, and critics of distance education frequently point to the higher drop rate in distance education as evidence of its lower educational quality. While David Diaz and Ryan Cartnal note that this conclusion is a debatable one, they acknowledge that reducing drop rates in online…

Effects of credit load on the intent-turnover relation at a community college were assessed. Results of a stepwise logistic regression model for 316 students indicate that intent was more strongly related to turnover among students carrying 13 or more credit hours as compared to students carrying fewer credit hours. (TJH)

Examines the problem of high attrition rates after the introductory compulsory year for students studying languages other than English (LOTEs) in Australian high schools. A quantitative study is described that determined students' intentions to continue with language studies in the following year. Implications for LOTE teaching are discussed. (51…

The validity of students' first-quarter academic performance in predicting attrition at Central State University, Ohio, was investigated. It was hypothesized that freshmen who performed satisfactorily during the first quarter were more likely to complete their baccalaureate programs than were those who performed less well. Data on 287 students…