Student learning outcomes are a critical indicator of the quality of instruction and the competence of faculty members and students in higher education settings. This research explored the students' perceptions, the relationship of student individual characteristics and how educational environment at university influenced on the assessment of…

This study aimed to replicate, revise, and validate the model of Institutional Performance in Graduation Rate developed by Fung based on Tinto and Astin theories. The sample included 706 public, 4-year, Title IV postsecondary institutions in the United States. Two CFA-SEM models were conducted with the IPEDS 2011-2017 data. The relationships among…

Guided by Astin's I-E-O model and critical quantitative inquiry, we examined institutional environments that contributed to belongingness, especially for students from different racial groups, college generation statuses, and the intersection of both. Using multiple linear regression analyses, we analyzed data from 7,888 students and found that…

Low rates of student persistence and degree completion are a major concern of colleges and universities across the United States. It is therefore important for higher education researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to better understand how to maximize the success of higher education's increasingly diverse undergraduate populations. This…

Roughly half of all undergraduate students in the United States fail to persist to degree completion (American College Testing [ACT], 2010; Tinto, 1993; U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). Adult students often have higher levels of attrition than traditional-age students (Justice & Dornan, 2001;…

Objective: To explore the predictive factors of student mental health within the college environment. Participants: Students enrolled at 7 unique universities during years 2008 (n = 1,161) and 2009 (n = 1,459). Methods: Participants completed survey measures of mental health, consequences of alcohol use, and engagement in the college environment.…

This qualitative study employs three theoretical frameworks as the source of its foundation, covering literature from Acting White, Stereotype Threat and Campus Climate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of Racial Climate as perceived by African American college students attending a University with a Diverse Student Body…

The concept of student-institution fit is described and linked to a conceptual framework that emphasizes the interactive relationship between student and campus environment. Attention is also directed to how enrollment managers can utilize a systematic approach to optimize levels of fit between student and campus with a goal to recruiting and…

The concept of student-institution fit in higher education and conceptual foundation on which it is based is clarified. The concept of fit is linked to enrollment management by a model for operationalizing the conceptual and theoretical construct such that levels of fit can be more effectively managed. (Author/MLW)

First of a 2-part series concerned with: different types of inferential errors, single- vs. multi-institutional studies (MIS), longitudinal vs. cross-sectional data, statistical designs, measurement error effects, and measuring student-environment interaction effects. The best data is obtained from longitudinal MIS on student inputs and outputs,…

While any method of data collection is subject to certain unique types of systematic errors, the investigator has available several techniques for detecting such errors or for minimizing their effects on his conclusions. (Author/JB)

Birnbaum's 1982 study of diversity in higher education is reviewed, and the development of an indicator series on institutional diversity is evaluated. Birnbaum studied diversity in higher education in the framework of a natural selection or population ecology model, which emphasizes the importance of environmental factors in shaping populations…

Student characteristics related to out-of-class interactions with faculty were studied. Interviews with 26 undergraduate students focused on the following topics: students' college and life goals, interpersonal relationships, relationships with faculty, undergraduate activities, self-image, approach to education, and feelings about college. A…

Research on the association between student-faculty informal, nonclass contact and various outcomes of college is reviewed and synthesized. Relevant investigations are summarized, methodological problems are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested. A conceptual model to guide future inquiry is offered and discussed briefly.…

A model to distinguish persisters and nonpersisters at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, was developed. Persisters and nonpersisters differed in background characteristics, attitudes toward and interaction with the university, opportunities to leave, and intentions. Responses to a mail survey were returned by 86 first-time freshmen…