This study of Los Angeles City College (LACC) attrition examined characteristics of 397 randomly selected students who entered in the fall of 1967. Summaries of the more important findings follow. Ninety per cent of the sample population persisted through the first semester, though only sixteen per cent returned to complete a fifth semester.…

This report is the third in a series of studies conducted to provide information about the characteristics, achievements, perceptions, and activities of current and former students of Harrisburg Area Community College. Included is a description of matriculants who have discontinued their attendance without having earned an associate degree or…

In 1970 many Australian students, teachers, and schools participated in the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Science Project. The aim of the project was to measure the science achievement of students in Australia and 18 other countries, and to examine relationships between this achievement and various…

Many have asserted that high female labor turnover imposes costs on employers which induce firms to discriminate in hiring and pay against women. This study examines male and female quit data and draws two primary conclusions. First, women are less likely than men to quit for job related reasons although women do quit more often because of…

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of conditioning subjects to believe expectancy statements, and to demonstrate the effects of the conditioning on persistence and persistence of attention. A review of related research on suggestion, on cognitive dissonance, and on conditioning is included. The subjects for the experiment…

This study was designed to determine the present status of former Louisiana Technological University students who failed to complete the requirements for graduation in vocational agriculture, business, and home economics education curriculums. To determine why these students left school and to secure their opinions as to what actions could have…

Assuming that the holding power of a junior college is one of the significant indices of its effectiveness, this paper reviews descriptive and inferential data on student attrition. Included are dropout statistics, reported reasons for leaving college, and personality characteristics of dropouts versus persisters. Comparisons between numbers of…

Describes a project that compared the attitudes of freshman engineering students to their status as sophomores, i.e., whether they remained in the engineering program. Showed that motivation, commitment to engineering, and strong high school records are indices of persistors in engineering. (MLH)

Family socioeconomic status, ability, high school curriculum, scholarship receipt, age, race, marital status, enrollment status, employment status, and type of college attended were examined. The importance of these factors varied widely with year of college completed. Results demonstrated that these factors cannot be molded into a single equation…

Examined effects of verbal procedures on persistence for rehabilitation clients using experimental approaches influencing persistence on undergraduate students (N=115) The moral reasoning approach resulted in significantly greater persistence than did other approaches or controls. Concludes that persistence can be influenced by verbal approaches…

Learning-disabled (N=48) and nonlearning-disabled (N=48) fourth- and fifth-grade boys were given a task and told they had either succeeded or failed. Results indicated that learning-disabled subjects showed greater persistence, attributed outcomes to external factors, and did not exhibit lower performance expectations nor show greater expectancy…

A review of the 1950s teacher shortage and strategies developed to combat the problem points out the parallels of the current teacher shortage. Solutions which can be used in the current situation are discussed. (CB)

Describes a workshop for faculty and staff members in higher education, based on noncognitive variables that correlate with retention and grades of minority students. Includes a table profiling high and low scorers on various noncognitive variables. (Author/NB)

Administered Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) to entering freshmen international college students. Cumulative grade point averages and enrollment status for each student obtained for eight semesters following matriculation were used to examine predictive validity of NCQ. Found NCQ predicted college grades and retention for international students.…

A survey of 139 elementary and secondary teachers provided data that suggest why a random group of teachers selected teaching as their profession. Results also indicate factors that teachers considered important when accepting their first jobs. The data has implications for teachers as well as school systems and the general public. (CH)