Despite the increased attention to students leaving secondary education without a diploma numerous students still dropout yearly. This paper makes a distinction between the "individual perspective" and the "institutional perspective" of dropping out. The former is explored by multinominal logit models. We observe that…

This article examines the relationship of wartime experience and reintegration supports to students' risk of school dropout. It draws on longitudinal, mixed-methods data collected among children and youth in Sierra Leone from 2002 through 2008. The study finds that family financial support and perceived social support are positively associated…

Student success results from positive learning environments which strive to meet the basic psychological needs of students, foster self-determined forms of motivation, and cultivate learning outcomes such as knowledge transfer, meta-cognition, and engagement. Low first-year student retention rates lead many universities to assess factors…

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…

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…

A logit model was developed, using historical data, to identify characteristics inherent in a college student's decision to withdraw from college. Once the model was derived, predicted probabilities of retention for an incoming freshman class were computed, and a program for monitoring high-risk students' progress was developed. (Author/MSE)

Using self-determination theory, the authors tested a motivational model to explain the conditions under which rural students formulate their intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school. Analyses showed that the provision of autonomy support within classrooms predicted students' self-determined motivation and perceived competence.…

A longitudinal study was conducted to determine the factors influencing college student persistence in remaining in school. Persistence was examined at two points: after the first year and 4 years after enrollment. The study was conducted at an urban university using the American College Testing's Entering Student Survey and Student Opinion…

To develop and test a theoretical model, based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975), for understanding and predicting the decision to stay in or drop out of school, to identify the specific beliefs that are the basis of that decision, and to evaluate the use of moderator variables (sex, race) to individualize the model,…

A theoretical model of turnover in work organizations was applied to the college student dropout process at a major midwestern land grant university. The 854 freshmen women subjects completed a questionnaire that included measures for 14 independent variables: grades, practical value, development, routinization, instrumental communication,…

This document was developed to (1) help clarify the various concepts of retention and attrition within a unifying conceptual framework, (2) synthesize the research on retention and attrition, and (3) examine the implications of the research for postsecondary administrators and researchers. Retention and attrition research pertains to both the…

A description is presented of the "Qualitative Analysis of the University of Lethbridge (Alberta) Teacher Education Program" (QAULTEP). The overall objective of QAULTEP is to develop a model for the evaluation of teacher education programs and specifically to identify: (1) categories of pre-education variables that will best predict…

Looked beyond socioeconomic indicators to seek underlying influences on rural high school seniors' dropout/completion decisions. Data came from school records and student surveys. Students were grouped by gender, and variables of Everett's (1996) model were analyzed. The predictor model for males had a 88.89 percent correct classification rate.…

Describes conceptual model that helps explain why students drop out of correspondence courses. Student background characteristics, organizational setting and the environment, attitudes about education, and course instruction are linked with behavioral intent and lesson submission activity to determine variables that influence completion of…

This document reviews the literature on elementary and secondary school dropouts and notes the effects and possible solutions to the dropout problem. Statistical findings about dropouts from the 1960's to the present are presented along with methods of predicting who the dropouts will be. Dropout characteristics, including psychological, social,…