The Swedish National Board of Education studied 7,095 youths (mostly immigrants) who left compulsory school in 1979 and who spoke home languages other than Swedish. The part of the study reported on here revealed that no less than 42% of them stated that they always spoke Swedish with at least one parent, while 22% never spoke Swedish with their…

This project report describes the participation of South Mountain Community College (SMCC), in Phoenix, Arizona, in the Ford Foundation's Urban Community Colleges Transfer Opportunities Program, and the activities developed at the college to guide students from the beginning of their college careers at SMCC through their transfer and retention at…

An analysis is presented of factors and conditions affecting student completion rates in the remedial mathematics program (Mathematics 1403) in the Tarrant County (Texas) Junior College District. Following introductory material on the purposes of the study and the tasks of five project teams, chapter I examines the purpose and historical…

In 1984, a study was conducted to gather information regarding the rates and patterns of student transfer from Roxbury Community College (RCC) to four-year institutions. Information on the 178 students who graduated from RCC in 1981 and 1982 was obtained from the RCC Registrar's office and the four-year institutions in Massachusetts to which…

Results of a 1981 needs survey for 8,564 students at 12 campuses of the California State University (CSU) system are summarized. The Student Needs and Priorities Survey assessed: life goals and educational priorities, attitudes concerning academic and social experiences on campus, and institutional and personal problems. Variations are reported by…

This paper addresses the problem of student retention faced by colleges and universities through the presentation of a university course, the University Life Seminar. The seminar is described as a program designed to help entering students cope with various aspects of the academic environment, specifically human relations, academic…

Social isolation, extreme weather conditions, inadequate housing, and low salaries often characterizing rural areas cause problems in recruiting and retaining special education personnel. Successful interviewers for rural districts must include four components in their recruitment strategies: the use of intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivators,…

This brief focuses on student attrition and retention in the two-year college. An introductory section discusses the definitions of attrition used in studies of student persistence; and how these definitions, which often include students who are actually completers in terms of their own educational goals, may exaggerate attrition rates, which are…

Results of three studies conducted at Clayton Junior College, Georgia, concerning differences between traditional and nontraditional age students relative to academic success and persistence are discussed. In the first two studies discriminant analyses were used to determine the influence of age in relation to other entering characteristics on…

IN AN ATTEMPT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF STUDENTS THROUGH OAKLAND CITY COLLEGE, AN INTENSIVE STUDY OF ONE ENTERING CLASS OF 1,463 FIRST-TIME FRESHMEN WAS STARTED IN THE FALL SEMESTER 1960. A SERIES OF EIGHT REPORTS FOLLOWS THESE STUDENTS FOR SEVEN SEMESTERS. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY 11 PERCENT OF THE ORIGINAL GROUP WERE STILL…

This report dealing with groups with historically high incidences of unemployment is made in response to Section 4 (d) (3) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. (These groups include teenagers; 20-24 year-olds; veterans [20-24 year-olds]; females; blacks and other minorities; persons of Hispanic origin; and the elderly [65 years and older]). The report…

In 1976, a study determined that student retention had increased markedly following Barstow College's transition from a semester to a quarter system. In 1979, another study was conducted to determine: (1) the accuracy of the 1976 figures; (2) the effect of the shortness of the time period considered in the 1976 study on its reliability; (3) the…

The Reading Progress Scale (RPS) was administered to 4,714 students from 46 courses ranging from accounting to welding at Lansing Community College in two studies conducted from fall 1975 to spring 1976. The scale which assesses reading skills sought to answer two research questions: (1) is the RPS a good indicator of student persistence in a…

The academic performance and aspirations of first-time entering Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) students in Fall 1973 were compared to those of all other first-time entering day students at San Jose City College using data from student records. Findings indicated that while 62% of all other students stated that an associate…

Two hundred seventy-one graduates of 19 University of Massachusetts alternative teacher preparation programs rated these alternative programs on 48 variables. Questions on training, classroom teaching experience, program affiliation, and current employment status were included. The hypothesis that students who were enrolled in different teacher…