This meta-analytic path analysis presents evidence that first-year academic performance (FYAP), measured by first-year grade point average (FYGPA) plays the major role in determining second-year student retention and that socioeconomic status (SES), measured by parental income, plays a negligible role. Based on large sample data used in a previous…

The primary purpose of this study was to collect evidence on the construct validity of grit using convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity principles. To accomplish this purpose and extend previous research on grit, college students from two schools completed an instrument comprised of a cognitive ability test, and a questionnaire. The…

This study was conducted in two high schools located in suburban, Long Island, New York, with a predominantly white population. The respondents in this study consisted of 234, 11th grade students. The data was analyzed using the structural equation model. Findings show that there is a positive correlation between percent of participation in…

This study examined the pathways of parenting style (permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative) to alcohol consumption and consequences through the mediators of college adjustment and academic achievement (grade point average [GPA]). Participants were 289 students from a private, mid-size, West Coast university (mean age 19.01 years, 58.8%…

Two theoretical approaches underlie this investigation of the determinants of early study success among first-year university students. Specifically, to extend Walberg's educational productivity model, this study draws on the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation in a contemporary university context. The survey data came from 407…

This study considered whether unmet financial need served as a predictor of retention and how the addition of lottery tuition assistance (LTA) to a financial aid package reduced unmet financial need. Retention was defined as a student who started in Fall, 2008 and returned in Fall, 2009.The two-year college, Greenville Technical College,…

This study gathered, analyzed, and compared perspectives of students who were honors-eligible but never began the program, students who began in honors and discontinued their enrollment, and those who were persisting in honors. Broadly speaking (and not surprisingly), the responses of students persisting in honors reflected the most positive…

The Hispanic population in the United States is the fastest growing ethnic group. It is also one of the least-educated and poorest groups and one of the least researched nationally. The purpose of the study was to identify the variables that affect the persistence of Hispanic college students who begin their postsecondary educations at community…

This article outlines a longitudinal pathway analysis of student performance within educational institutions, so as to identify student profiles which describe those groups of students who are more likely to complete or leave a bachelor degree program, and to identify the predictors for these outcomes. The analyses are based on 7314 undergraduate…

The influence of financial aid on college student persistence was studied using causal modeling. The study population was 227 full-time freshmen, who enrolled in fall 1982 at a liberal arts college at a large commuter institution. All the students received financial aid. The model, which included background and academic variables, accounted for…

Describes a study that examined which factors made a difference in distance learners' achievements and their continuous enrollment status over one year in the Korea National Open University. Results of a path analysis discusses learners' job load, grade point average, study time, social integration, face-to-face activities, and drop-outs. Contains…

Conducted as part of the Vocational Development Study project, this study utilized Path Analysis to develop, evaluate, and modify a model for predicting the stability of early expressed occupational choice of secondary students. Analysis of data from 550 students indicated that none of the 21 student characteristics investigated served as a…

This report explores the student background characteristics that might be associated with success or failure in calculus and evaluates the effectiveness of remedial mathematics education. The sample consisted of two groups at the University of California, Santa Cruz: (1) all students (105) who took first quarter calculus in spring, 1985; and (2)…

Path analysis was used to explore the relationships among a number of variables related to student persistence. The subjects were freshmen in the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota. Variables that showed the largest total effects on persistence were college grade-point average and high school rank. (Author/MLW)

Three models of multiple regression analysis (MRA): single equation, commonality analysis, and path analysis, were applied to longitudinal data from the Pennsylvania Vocational Development Study. Variables influencing weekly income of vocational education students one year after high school graduation were examined: grade point averages (grades…