In spring 1997, a study was conducted to examine whether institutional contact with the student (in the form of a retention award) has a positive effect on student persistence. An experimental design was used to conduct the study. A sample of students was drawn based on their academic performance in Spring 1996. First-time students with long-term…

Using retrieved historical data, the Toronto Board of Education's Research and Assessment Department undertook to examine long-term tracking outcomes of the 1981 cohort of Grade 1 students. These 4,195 students, who had entered the Toronto (Canada) schools in 1981, were followed for over 14 years. Students who followed the traditional schedule of…

During the past decade, there has been a simultaneous decline in the number of African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American teachers and an increase in the number of students among these same groups of minorities (referenced in this text as people of color). An array of topics relative to this decline were explored as the subject of a…

A project developed and implemented a plan to retain those adult basic education students who are likely to be successful if they stay enrolled in the program but who are likely to drop out if program staff do not intervene. The plan involved use of an assessment instrument to identify these at-risk students, development of an individualized…

This paper presents a study designed to determine the reason first and post-first year students (N=61) chose to leave Chicago Urban University (CUU) prior to graduation. Data were sought from a random sample of 100 students via either a mailed or a telephone survey, with a 61% response rate. The 54-question interview/survey instrument examined the…

The skills and approaches to study were investigated for 549 students from Hong Kong/Macau enrolled in undergraduate distance learning courses with the East Asian Open Institute. The sample included students at all stages in their studies, from those in their first year to graduates with an ordinary degree and honors graduates. Correlations…

To determine factors influencing attrition and retention at Pennsylvania College of Technology, a survey was conducted of the 767 students who were enrolled in spring 1992 but neither graduated nor enrolled in fall 1992. Study findings, based on responses from 373 former students, included the following: (1) only 11% of the minority non-returners…

A project was undertaken at San Juan College, in New Mexico, to examine findings from several studies of student persistence and retention to shed light on factors influencing persistence at the college. The project took into account several definitions of persistence, including re-enrollment in the subsequent semester (semester to semester),…

Two studies examined why many adults choose not to attend adult basic education (ABE) classes and ways of improving retention in ABE. In the first study, 17 adults from the Pittsburgh area who had recently quit attending ABE classes (termed "reluctant learners") and 20 adults who had persisted in ABE were interviewed. It was recommended…

This book offers suggestions to doctoral students, primarily in the social and behavioral sciences, the humanities, and such professional fields as education, counseling, and social work, to help them succeed in earning a doctoral degree. It is based on the observation that successful students not only have knowledge obtained from the books they…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a 3-year federally funded project that developed and evaluated interventions aimed at increasing retention of special education teachers. The interventions developed and evaluated consisted of: (1) a series of stress management workshops aimed at preventing or alleviating teacher burnout,…

In order to provide information about community college student transfer behavior, this study examines results from a series of freshman cohorts. It describes trends in student transfer from Illinois community colleges to four-year institutions between fall 1990 and spring 1995. The primary transfer rate and selected secondary rates from the…

This report examines trends in the educational progress of women who attended Maryland institutions of higher education from 1978 to 1997. Data on the educational achievements of women are compared with those of men, organized under the general categories of enrollment, retention and graduation rates, degrees or certificates conferred, and…

This report examines how seven merit scholarship programs in six southern states help increase participation in postsecondary education. The programs are: Florida Bright Futures; Georgia HOPE Scholarships; Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarships; Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Program for Students; Maryland Science and Technology Scholarship…

This study, which includes a review of literature and a methodology description, investigates the persistence rates of 462 Native American first-time college students enrolled in community colleges throughout Washington State in the fall of 1988. Their progress was tracked over a six-year study period. Existing data from the State Board of…