Missing data patterns are the combinations in which the variables with missing values occur. Exploring these patterns in multivariate data can be very useful but there are few specialized tools. The current paper presents a plot that includes relevant information for visualizing these patterns. The plot is also dynamic-interactive; so, selecting…

This study investigated deference to scientific authority [Brossard, D., & Nisbet, M. C. (2007). "Deference to scientific authority among a low information public: Understanding U.S. opinion on agricultural biotechnology." "International Journal of Public Opinion Research," 19, 24-52] as it relates to support for science…

In recent years there has been a proliferation of massive open online courses (MOOCs), which provide unprecedented opportunities for lifelong learning. Registrants approach these courses with a variety of motivations for participation. Characterizing the different types of participation in MOOCs is fundamental in order to be able to better…

Academic performance is a primary predictor of college graduation, yet few studies have examined one of the earliest indicators of academic performance--first-semester grade point average (GPA). Given the considerable public and private investment in ensuring access for underrepresented students, a focus on the role of first-semester GPA for these…

Since the publication of the "College Scorecard" by The U.S. Department of Education in 2015, comparisons between college attendance costs and institutional outcomes (i.e., graduation rates, post-graduation earnings) have come into sharp focus. This increased scrutiny requires institutions of higher learning to be more transparent about…

In the United States, seven thousand students drop out of school every day (Alliance for Excellence Education, 2010); that is more than one million per year (Balfanz & Bridgeland, 2014). Administrators, former educators and private entities have taken an interest in the dropout epidemic and have developed numerous dropout prevention and…

In Quebec's French-language secondary schools, youth originating from South Asia have the highest dropout rate among all immigrant-origin students, whereas in the English sector, their coethnic peers have a more positive academic profile than third-plus-generation students. Using quantitative data, this paper aims to understand the difference in…

The educational system in the United States continues to pose many challenges for law and policy makers. Many of these challenges can be traced back to two landmark cases, "Plessy vs. Ferguson" and "Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka." And, while the U.S. Department of Education developed programs to address many of these…

Online course delivery continues to grow as a viable means of providing increased educational access to more students, but low student retention rates remain a major challenge. In this study, key institutional characteristics that influence student retention in postsecondary education are analyzed. These are student-faculty ratio, graduation rate,…

The low graduation rate of degree-seeking students at public community colleges is an important crisis facing communities across the United States. College satisfaction and withdrawal cognitions in students have been identified as key factors in college persistence by researchers. However, a review of the literature revealed no study in which a…

Prevalence of academic risk (PAR) group profiles provide data enabling empirically based group-specialized prescriptions for targeted academic success interventions to increase student retention, completion, and graduation rates, while improving allocation of institutional resources. Postsecondary student attrition engenders student debt,…

This study investigated the connection between the academic evaluation of Division I FBS football programs and the various social settings that influenced these student-athletes. These social settings were classified as: institutional, departmental and program-specific. The experience of the student-athlete is thought to be impacted by all three…

The importance of college completion has risen high on the U.S. policy agenda in recent years. An obvious strategy for increasing college completion is improving graduation rates, which for public universities have hovered around 50% for decades. Higher education scholars previously have revealed many student and institutional characteristics…