This study explored the role of financial aid in promoting year-to-year persistence over a five-year period following reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 1992. The study cohort included 6,711 full-time beginning freshmen in the fall 1993/1994 terms at Arizona State University. Variables examined were (1) effects of receiving any…

This study addressed the question of how much graduation rates would improve if new students were followed for 10 instead of four or six years from their date of first enrollment; it also compared enrollment and graduation patterns of new freshmen and new transfers to see if graduation rates were similar after 10 years. Participants were all…

Tinto's model of college persistence/withdrawal, developed for residential colleges, is tested at a nonresidential institution. Results indicated that the concepts of person-environment fit, social integration, and institutional commitment operated differently in the commuter institution. A reconceptualized model for explaining…

Educators working to improve dropout prevention programs should closely examine the development of defensive overlays in children's world views. Efforts to neutralize defensive world views within existing dropout prevention initiatives should refocus efforts to be more holistic. Such neutralization may best succeed in small schools. (SM)

Analyzes data from the "High School and Beyond" survey and presents significant findings concerning the relationship between working and dropping out of high school. Discovers that the type of employment and the student's gender significantly impact the drop out statistics. Discusses previous research and includes statistical and tabular…

Reports on a study that investigated the problem of junior high school dropouts in Guangzhou, China, in order to determine how some schools lost fewer students by adopting different approaches. Concludes that effective education must be based on genuine care and concern for students. (GEA)

Interest in the dropout question has centered on the disadvantaged dropout. The gifted or talented dropout has not been addressed, but some characteristics of gifted students at risk of dropping out can be recognized. Interventions that take individual learning styles and developmental needs into account can be derived. (SLD)

Two case studies of men from diverse cultures, African American and Vietnamese American, illustrate the potential for underachievement among first-generation gifted students at comprehensive universities. Amplifying previous studies, this research provides an examination of attrition and highlights influences on underachievement. Conclusions…

This study examined the engagement of students with learning disabilities and emotional disturbance and the relation of this engagement to school completion. Participants were parent-identified students with learning disabilities (LD) and emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) and comparison groups of average-achieving peers and students without…

In winter 1995, Schoolcraft College, in Michigan, conducted a study to determine reasons why fall 1994 students withdrew from classes. Telephone interviews were conducted with 100 students who withdrew from at least one course and data on student characteristics were collected from student transcripts. Study results included the following: (1) the…

This study examined voluntary and involuntary withdrawal rates of students of various racial origins at York University in Ontario (Canada). Data were obtained from three surveys of first-year students conducted in 1993, 1994, and 1995, and involving 1,864 students. Information on Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) marks, first year grade point…

This study examined the extent to which an individual doctoral student's characteristics and involvement in the academic and social life of the department influences the student's perception of growth and development during graduate school, and thus the student's persistence in pursuing a graduate degree. The study surveyed doctoral students…

This paper reports the results of an empirical study on the role of finances on college persistence. A quantitative causal model, that relied on several theoretical frameworks, was tested via structural equation modelling for categorical data that incorporated constructs from the financial aid literature as well as the persistence literature. The…

In fall 1992, a study was conducted at Sinclair Community College (SCC) in Dayton, Ohio, to determine factors contributing to former students' decisions not to return to the college. Two groups of former students were included the study: those who had last attended in fall 1990 and had thus been absent for 6 quarters, and those who had last…

This monograph draws upon theories of student involvement and persistence to demonstrate how cultural activities can involve and serve to validate underrepresented groups on campus. A critical element of minority student academic persistence is the extent to which students become integrated into the academic and social systems of their…