In 1972 self-improvement and education were equally cited reasons for continuing education. By 1978, three-fourths of the respondents had continued their education but only half had reached the level planned in 1972. Self-improvement was the main reason for continuing. Very few cited encouragement from others. (JAC)

A study was conducted at a rural community college to explore the process by which adult women who had returned to college decided whether to persist or drop out. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 women who had been identified as exceptional in that they either persisted and graduated even though they had been initially identified as…

A two-phase study was conducted to gather data on the persistence of adult women enrolled in a 1-semester re-entry program at a community college. Specifically, the study sought to develop a model of persistence that took into account the effect of student characteristics, initial goals, academic and social integration, goal changes, and external…

For educators to effectively meet the needs of at-risk nontraditional college students, they must quickly identify such students, utilize the best available teaching techniques, and work to guarantee student retention. Swift identification of potential at-risk students depends on educators' awareness of common indicators, such as the student…

In 1988, a retrospective study was conducted at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) of the enrollment patterns of 1,521 students who graduated from the district in spring 1987. The study was designed to determine the length of time it took a sample of CCC graduates to receive a two-year degree. Data for the study were drawn from computerized and…

In spring 1985, a study was conducted to evaluate the basic skills program of San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC). The study focused on student demographics, skill growth, the effects of basic skills classes on performance in other classes, retention rates, self-confidence, assessment scores related to course selection/performance, and re-entry…

In 1990, a study was conducted of 1,912 students receiving associate in arts or associate in science degrees the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) in spring 1989 to determine the length of time taken to graduate. Data for the study were gathered from spring 1989 graduates' district transcript records which contained enrollment dates…