This study extended the knowledge of the explanatory power of Tinto's theoretical model of college persistence/withdrawal through a multi-institutional validation. Path analysis was used to test the model overall and at three different groupings of postsecondary institutions: four-year, predominantly residential; and four-year, and two-year,…

A five-scale instrument developed from a theoretical model of college attrition correctly identified the persistence/voluntary withdrawal decisions of 78.5 percent of 773 freshmen in a large, residential university. Findings showed that student relationships with faculty were particularly important. (Author/PHR)

Multiple group discriminant analysis was employed to determine the utility of preenrollment traits and academic performance in identifying freshman students who persisted, stopped out, or withdrew early. After first-quarter academic performance, relatively clear distinctions can be made between students who persist and those who do not.…

Path analysis was used to provide a comprehensive test of the validity of Tinto's causal model of voluntary withdrawal from a postsecondary institution. This study also tests Tinto's hypothesis of compensatory interactions between social and academic integration and between institutional and goal commitment. (Author/PN)

The interactive influence of student characteristics and eight measures of student-faculty relationships on the prediction of freshman year voluntary persistence/withdrawal decisions was studied. A questionnaire was sent to the total population of incoming freshmen at a large, independent, residential university in New York State. Usable responses…

The influence of an intensive two-day orientation to college on freshman voluntary persistence and withdrawal decisions was estimated with an explanatory causal model. Results suggest the major influence of orientation on persistence is indirect, transmitted through positive effects on student social integration and commitment to the institution.…

The extent to which Tinto's model of college withdrawal has predictive validity in different types of postsecondary institutions was tested during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 academic years. Secondary analyses were conducted on a sample of 2,326 freshman students from 11 diverse institutions participating in project CHOICE (to better inform…