Retention is a significant challenge at small universities and therefore research in this area is needed. The purpose of this quantitative correlational-predictive study was to examine to what extent high school GPA, standardized college entrance exam scores, and grit (perseverance and consistency) predict first to second year student retention at…

The Big Five-Factor personality traits are examined in the present review. Individual characteristics and personality types may contribute differently to choices of learning strategies and overall cognitive performance. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to provide a brief overview of consistent research findings on personality constructs…

Colleges and universities have become increasingly concerned that requiring standardized test scores for admission is an impediment to campus diversity, and these objections have grown with the recent focus on societal inequities. In addition, the pandemic led to the cancellation of test administrations, which, in turn, caused many institutions to…

Younger siblings take more advanced high school course end of year exams when their older siblings perform better in those same exams. Using a regression discontinuity and data from millions of siblings who take Advanced Placement (AP) exams, we show that younger siblings with older siblings who marginally "pass" an AP exam are more…

The current study examined characteristics of natural mentoring relationships (NMRs; i.e. mentoring relationships that develop organically with adults in one's pre-existing social network) among underrepresented college students as contributors to NMR retention across the first year of college. The sample consisted of 209 underrepresented college…

Focusing on a cohort of high school students from a Midwest metropolitan region, this study combines multiple sources of data and uses a multinomial logistic regression to model student postsecondary choices with respect to whether and where to attend college. Specifically, we examined the enrollment patterns by proximity to the home region and…

The present study builds on previous findings and analyzes how social climate (Moos, 1988), chapter advisement, and living status differ for members of high- and low-achieving fraternities (as measured by cumulative chapter GPA) and how the interplay of personal and environmental factors influence binge drinking and GPA among college men in…

The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic, family, and school variables, including the variable of the number of years at a residential school for the deaf and examine the relationship of these variables to English reading comprehension. This focused study involved a sample of 60 deaf students attending a southwestern U.S. school…

The purpose of this research study was to determine benchmark scores on the SAT that predict a 65 percent probability or higher of getting a first-year college grade point average of either 2.7 or higher or 2.0 or higher, to use these benchmarks to describe the level of college readiness in the nation and in certain demographic subgroups, and to…

A study of the relationship of preadmission characteristics of students was conducted across nine colleges with over 25,000 applicants and 4,800 admitted students. Among the findings are: ratings by college staff were influential in admission decisions, but students so identified were not likely to achieve higher grades or persist into sophomore…

This study seeks to identify in advance the personality traits of freshmen who will later seek counseling because of psychological discomfort. When clients were compared with nonclients (415 males, 257 females), psychiatric clients (10 males, 16 females) were higher in impulsivity, and lower in order and cognitive structure; and personal…

The Annual Condition of Education Report provides a wide range of state-level data, including shifts in student populations and demographics, teacher salaries and characteristics, student achievement results, and school financial information. A few examples of the categories presented in this 22nd edition report include: (1) Enrollment; (2) Early…

This is an empirical study of selected learner characteristics and their relation to academic success, as indicated by course grades, in a structured independent study learning program. This program, called the Audio-Tutorial System, was utilized in an undergraduate college course in the biological sciences. By use of multiple regression analysis,…

A joint research project between an office of institutional research and the education department at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is described. The study focuses on factors that might affect the scores of NCCU students on the National Teacher's Examination (NTE). The project enabled the education department to begin counseling NCCU…