The purposes of this third report in a series of 5-year follow-up studies of a school district in San Jose, California, are (1) to compare Mexican American and other graduates and dropouts from the school years ending in 1963 and 1965 and (2) to compare the results of this study with the 2 previous studies (school years ending in 1956 and 1961).…

In an effort to determine variables related to Mexican American school dropouts' decisions to quit school and their orientations toward further educational attainment, personal interviews were conducted in 1967 with 74 Mexican American high school dropouts residing in 4 rural south Texas counties. The variables examined included (1) decision to…

This document presents 700 key tables from the thousands of tabulations made by Government agencies, private surveys, and extensive research projects, comments on their significance to the history and economy of higher education, and provides guidance to their sources. The 28 chapters cover questions relating to undergraduate and graduate student…

A followup study was conducted by Wilkes Community College of its attrition population. The purposes were to: (1) determine factors contributing to student withdrawal; (2) create a profile of conditions concerning students who withdrew; and (3) ascertain what students did during the first quarter after leaving. One hundred questionnaires,…

Path analysis was used to explore the relationships among a number of variables related to student persistence. The subjects were freshmen in the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota. Variables that showed the largest total effects on persistence were college grade-point average and high school rank. (Author/MLW)

A survey of a sample of aid recipients at the University of Nebraska at Omaha showed that over 50 percent of those receiving only loans do not finish the semester. Grants in combination with loans had a slightly positive effect on persistence. (MSE)

Student departure is a long-standing problem to colleges and universities. Approximately 45 percent of students enrolled in two-year colleges depart during their first year, and approximately one out of four students departs from a four-year college or university. The authors advance a serious revision of Tinto's popular interactionalist theory to…

To determine factors influencing attrition and retention at Pennsylvania College of Technology, a survey was conducted of the 688 students who were enrolled in spring 1996 but neither graduated nor enrolled in fall 1996. Responses were received from 437 former students and were compared to findings from a similar survey of 482 leavers in 1994.…

This study examined what combination of students' adjustment, institutional attachment, Scholastic Assessment Test scores, high school class rank, college grade point average (GPA), adaptive style, self-efficacy, and help-seeking would discriminate persisters from nonpersisters after 1 year of college. Researchers investigated the degree of…

This study explored the possibility of linking the Luna (1999) student flow matrix model with institutional planning at a comprehensive state institution, investigating how student flow environments were associated with student characteristics such as race, gender, citizenship, class level, entry type, and cumulative grade point average. The study…

A study in one private residential and one public commuter liberal arts college compared these characteristics in students whose parents had not attended college with those whose parents had: social integration, academic integration, external support, institutional context, satisfaction with college, role embracement, academic rewards, and…

An institutional attrition study showed certain reasons for dropping out cited by all students reemerging in analysis of subgroups. Financial and personal problems were most common, with unavailability of a desired major also common. However, individual differences also emerged, and strict adherence to a dropout profile is not recommended. (MSE)

Presents the results of a study that tracked the educational progress of a group of first graders from 1982 to 1996. Examines the children's personal qualities, first-grade experiences, and family circumstances as precursors to dropping out in high school. Identifies dropping out as a long-term process of disengagement. (MJP)

Correlations between delinquency among high school dropouts and a number of non-educational factors are explored. The study posits that unemployment and other labor market factors, as much as academic failure, influence dropout criminal behavior. The effects of free time, boredom, youthfulness, substance abuse, and peer pressure are also…

Reports on a study of 14,249 students to determine whether participation in specific extracurricular activities (athletics and fine arts) significantly reduces a student's likelihood of dropping out. Finds that, when all activities are examined, only athletic participation remains significantly related to dropping out. (ACM)