Undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students' motivations have a strong influence on whether and how they will persist through challenging coursework and into STEM careers. Proper conceptualization and measurement of motivation constructs, such as students' expectancies and perceptions of value and cost (i.e.,…

Youth who have disengaged from and subsequently returned to school are qualitatively different from students with continual educational enrollment. In this study, we examined the validity for two measures: the Adult Hope Scale (AHS) and Persistence in Goal Striving (PGS) Scale, among two samples of reengaged students (i.e., students who have…

According to prevailing theory and anecdotal evidence, the congruence between institutional attributes and students' needs, interests, and preferences plays a key role in promoting college satisfaction and retention. However, this assertion has received little direct empirical attention, and the few available studies appear to have some key…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to investigate, describe, and measure factors influencing retention of nontraditional first and second year students at a university located in the Midwestern United States. Retention of adult students has become a major issue for many institutions of higher education and many…