After a methodological critique of attrition-related research, factors associated with attrition in higher education are outlined. They include demographic, academic, motivational, personality, college environmental, financial, and health factors. Student reports of reasons for dropping out, the withdrawal procedure, and programs for dropout…

After dropouts were categorized into five "types" on the basis of their acceptance or rejection of cultural goals associated with university attendance and the institutionalized means of attaining those goals, it was found that different types of dropouts experienced dissatisfaction with different aspects of the institutional environment according…

Argues that most dropout prevention attempts have been hampered by the lack of an unbiased, coherent and easily accessible source of data on the total and at risk populations of young people. Provides preliminary data on several groups of students not characterized by traditional dropout descriptors. Offers recommendations for improvement in…

A study conducted at Florida State University attempted to identify the reasons for students' leaving behavior. Three models of leaving behavior are identified: discouragement, academic difficulty, and financial problems. Implications for advising are discussed. (Author/MLW)

This paper describes several issues college dropouts confront--including self-sustenance, autonomy, and escaping a fearful destiny--from a psychodynamic, social and developmental perspective. The implications for psychosocial theories of adult development are also discussed. (Author/LMO)

Explores the effect of course relevancy and goal clarity, in concert with psychosocial variables, upon persistence/dropout. The interaction of scholastic ability and course relevancy added to the discrimination of persisters and dropouts. A self-confidence and ideal self discrepancy variable was also shown to be a good discriminator of persistence…

The purpose of this paper is to describe the rise in nontraditional enrollments, define the nontraditional undergraduate student, and develop a conceptual model of the attrition process for these students. Nontraditional students are more affected by the external environment than by the social integration variables affecting traditional student…

A study of persistence/dropout among open admissions college students found: (1) accurate predictions cannot be made for individual students at the time of matriculation; and (2) it is possible to predict that about 80 percent of future groups will fall in the persist category after two semesters, 51 percent after four semesters. (CMG)

The "Focus on Basics" serial concerns adult Learning and literacy. The eight short articles in this theme issue are all devoted to the topic of "learner motivation": (1) "Power, Literacy, and Motivation" (Greg Hart); (2) "The First Three Weeks: A Critical Time for Motivation" (B. Allan Quigley); (3) "Build Motivation by Building Learner…

The data tables and listings in this report provide secondary school dropout data at the state and district levels as a supplement to Secondary School Completion and Dropouts in Texas Public Schools, 1999-00. This supplement includes annual dropout rates calculated under the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) definition and rates…

The Texas Education Agency prepares an annual report on dropouts in Texas public schools. This report contains information on the annual dropout rate used in the accountability system and state attrition rates. It also includes a series of longitudinal secondary school completion/student status rates. Of the 1,818,940 students who attended grades…

This study compared the academic achievement and retention of transfer students and native students at one university on a class-by-class basis for: (1) returning native and returning transfer students and (2) returning native and new transfer students. These comparisons are intended to take into account expected lower freshman retention rates and…

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of an alternative-school program. The research compared 1 year of the program, where there was no parental involvement, with a second year, which included family-based interventions. It was hypothesized that family involvement would generate greater improvement in students' psychosocial functioning, academic…

Describes a study of urban community college students who were incoming day students in fall 1979 and no longer enrolled in spring 1981. Focuses on number of semesters enrolled; major; certainty of career goals; mode of, reasons for, and activities after withdrawal; immediate plans; and quality of college experience. Offers recommendations to…

A study applied path analysis methods, using new techniques of causal analysis, to the problem of predicting the achievement, dropout rate, and satisfaction of university students. Besides providing explanations, the technique indicates possible remedial measures. (MSE)