College student persistence and dropout have been studied for decades, but little inquiry has focused on community college or private two-year college students. Although about half of first-time postsecondary students enroll in a two-year college, researchers understand little about why only approximately a quarter of these degree-seekers complete…

The Northern California Research Project on Student Attrition, or NORCAL, represents the cooperative effort of 22 junior colleges. The purposes of the project are to identify school dropouts, reasons for their withdrawing, and possible solutions for some of the problems. (BB)

Results of a follow-up study comparing persisting and withdrawing students at Foothill College (California) suggest typical" characteristics, perceptions of the teaching and learning environment, individual academic motivations, and reasons for withdrawal. Analysis of data reveals that almost half the withdrawal group returned to college at…

A COMPARISON WAS MADE OF THE RESULTS OF A STUDY IN SPRING 1962, OF EVENING STUDENTS WHO WITHDREW FROM CLASSES OFFICIALLY (THE "OCW" GROUP) AND OF A QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR OF THOSE WHO WITHDREW FROM EVENING CLASSES UNOFFICIALLY (THE "UCW" GROUP). STUDENTS IN BOTH GROUPS USUALLY HAD HAD NO PREVIOUS COLLEGE…

INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS, AS DO MOST DROPOUT STUDIES, THIS ONE (1) CONSIDERS SPECIFIC INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GRADING PRACTICES, (2) ANALYZES THESE PRACTICES WITHIN A GIVEN TERM INSTEAD OF OVER SEVERAL YEARS, AND (3) BROADENS THE DEFINITION OF ATTRITION TO INCLUDE BOTH FAILURE AND WITHDRAWAL. IT ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY…

THIS SURVEY, PREPARED TO DISCOVER HOW TO REDUCE STUDENT DROPOUT RATES, FOUND THE FOLLOWING GENERAL AREAS OF SIGNIFICANT DISSATISFACTION--(1) PERSONAL COUNSELING AND ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT, (2) INSTRUCTION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES, ENGLISH, AND BUSINESS, AND (3) STUDENT ACTIVITIES. OTHER, LESS CRITICAL AREAS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT WERE ALSO DISCLOSED. TABLES…

A REVIEW OF 16 INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH REPORTS IN THE CLEARINGHOUSE FOR JUNIOR COLLEGE INFORMATION INDICATES THE TYPE OF EFFORTS BEING MADE BY JUNIOR COLLEGES TO REDUCE THEIR NUMBERS OF DROPOUTS. QUESTIONNAIRE STUDIES, ANALYSIS OF STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS, AND ADJUSTMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE TYPICAL PRACTICES. INSTITUTIONAL…

Research in the area of student attrition in junior colleges is fairly limited; however, the findings of studies conducted at 4-year colleges, where more extensive research has been done, often have relevance for 2-year colleges. This survey of the literature from both areas points to several student-related and college-related factors that appear…

This study sought to determine whether significant differences exist between successful students and dropouts in terms of mean grade point averages (g.p.a.'s) in each college department, and to ascertain composite course evaluation patterns on an intra- and inter-divisional basis. The students involved in this study were the same as those who were…

Answer to how long it takes to get a junior college (2-year) degree; the percentage of the total enrollment who drop out without completing one hour for credit; the average number of hours taken, or completed, by a student; and the percentage of students expected to complete one quarter successfully provided the central themes for this study. The…

Of 1,629 students enrolled in the fall semester of 1975 at Allegany Community College, 340 (20.9 percent) did not re-register for spring 1976. Although the fall enrollment contained almost twice as many full-time as part-time students, more than half of the non-returning students were part-time. Attrition also correlated to age of the students,…

This report is the initial part of a 2-year study investigating first-year student attrition at Cuyahoga Community College (CCC). Of 388 students entering CCC in the fall of 1968, but not enrolling in the subsequent spring quarter, 146 (38%) supplied data on which the following results are based. A check of respondents' characteristics showed them…

The ultimate purpose of studying the problem of students dropping courses is to develop a method of minimizing their number and maximizing the number of those succeeding in courses. The purpose of this preliminary study is to analyze presently available data in terms of success, failure, and dropping of courses. Data were obtained from the grade…

This paper reports the results of a major research effort by the Northern California Cooperative Research Group (Nor Cal) and the Coordinating Council for Higher Education (CCHE) in California to study junior college attrition. This study differs from the original Nor Cal attrition study in that it was designed to follow up those students who…

In an effort to examine the variables contributing to academic persistence, 1,691 St. Petersburg (Florida) Junior College (SPJC) students (960 male and 731 female) were tested two years after their initial enrollment. Ten cognitive variables and 15 non-cognitive variables were examined to determine their relationship to persistence, defined as the…