To develop and test a theoretical model, based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975), for understanding and predicting the decision to stay in or drop out of school, to identify the specific beliefs that are the basis of that decision, and to evaluate the use of moderator variables (sex, race) to individualize the model,…

Relationships between constructs in the Tinto model of college student withdrawal were explored. Within the Tinto model, LISREL was used to examine: (1) the influence of academic integration on social integration and vice versa; and (2) the effect of goal commitment on institutional commitment and vice versa. Survey data were collected at a major…

Computerized analysis of 1980 Census data documented educational deficiencies in 85 Central Appalachian counties of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Dropout rates among youth ages 16-19 were found to be higher in Central Appalachian counties than in non-Central Appalachian counties, the poorest counties had the highest dropout…

One of the concerns expressed by educators nationwide is the alarmingly high numbers of students who withdraw from schools before graduating. In response to this concern, the Austin Independent School District interviewed 95 dropouts in their homes, asking them why they left school and what could have been done that would have enabled them to…

As part of a continuing program of monitoring the number of student withdrawals and tuition refunds at William Rainey Harper College, students dropping courses during fall 1980 were surveyed to determine their characteristics and reasons for withdrawal. Students who simply stopped attending courses were not included in the study. The survey…

Team Resources for Youth (TRY) is an agency which works with dropouts and students experiencing difficulty in school. To gain insight in dealing with local youth, TRY conducted an investigation of student attitudes at Caprock High School in Amarillo, Texas. One questionnaire was administered to 746 students and a second questionnaire was completed…

A survey was conducted by North Shore Community College during 1979 to determine the reasons why students in the Division of Continuing Education drop out of college. During the survey, a randomly selected sample of the 1,706 continuing education students who had been enrolled during Fall 1978 but who did not reenroll in Spring 1979 were asked to…

A theoretical model of turnover in work organizations was applied to the college student dropout process at a major midwestern land grant university. The 854 freshmen women subjects completed a questionnaire that included measures for 14 independent variables: grades, practical value, development, routinization, instrumental communication,…

In Spring 1980, a study was conducted at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) to determine selected information about students who indicated during Fall semester registration that they intended to return the following Spring, but who failed to do so. One aspect of the study involved a comparison of returning and non-returning students with…

This selective review of literature related to school dropouts looks at the issue of high school dropouts, emphasizing the disproportionate number of black female dropouts. Several examples illustrate that the reasons given for dropping out vary greatly depending upon the source and that reasons given by dropouts and their parents are at variance…

Dropout rates were investigated with a special emphasis on comparing loan users with users of other forms of aid. Differences in dropout rates for students in the following groups were analyzed: loans only, loans in combination with other aid, other aid only, and aid from families only. Using analysis of variance the following variables were…

This study asks, "Are proprietary schools able to hold their students to graduation better than public schools?""Who are the dropouts and what difference does completing a vocational program make? Do completers get better jobs and earn more than dropouts?" A total of 1,576 students were followed after they enrolled in 50 public…

A CONCERN OVER THE LOSS OF POTENTIALLY CAPABLE STUDENTS LED RESEARCH PERSONNEL ON THE DAVIS, LOS ANGELES, AND SANTA BARBARA CAMPUSES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA TO JOIN FORCES IN A STUDY TO IDENTIFY WAYS FOR ACCOMMODATING THE VARIOUS TYPES OF STUDENTS ADMITTED TO THE THREE SCHOOLS. A 2-YEAR PROJECT WAS PLANNED. THIS INTERIM REPORT COVERED A…

The ability to estimate a student's chances of dropping out should be of value to advisors counseling entering freshman. Students who had been college freshmen in the fall of 1978 and who did not enroll for the fall of 1979 (N=111), and a random sample of students (N=509) continuing their education in the fall of 1979 completed questionnaires…

This document was developed to (1) help clarify the various concepts of retention and attrition within a unifying conceptual framework, (2) synthesize the research on retention and attrition, and (3) examine the implications of the research for postsecondary administrators and researchers. Retention and attrition research pertains to both the…