Geographic demographic characteristics of 120 Kentucky counties were utilized to group counties with similar characteristics. ACT test results, demographic data, and enrollment data for high school graduates enrolled in Kentucky state-supported colleges were analyzed to determine whether geographic origin influenced college attendance. (Author/MLW)

Analyzed longitudinal data covering six years for transfer student (N=3,407) performance and degree completion. Results showed that: (1) transfer students completed degrees as often as nontransfers; (2) junior college transfers performed less well than other groups; and (3) sex and ethnicity related to performance and retention. (Author/WAS)

A review of the literature on the impact of student financial aid on its stated goals of student access, choice, and retention concludes that its principal objectives are being accomplished. Further research is recommended, to be funded in part by a portion of the public aid allocated for financial aid. (MSE)

Describes a study conducted to determine the percentage of students who complete their initial science course; the relationship between students' first science course grades and their enrollment and success in subsequent science courses; and the similarity of science grades and overall grade point average. Suggests ways of promoting success. (AYC)

Longitudinal data on student absence rates from kindergarten through eighth grade were collected and analyzed. Absence correlated significantly with teacher-assigned reading grades and standardized test scores. (Authors/CJ)

Examined the relationships between students' level of consistency in choosing a major in college and their persistence, stability, and achievement in a five-year follow-up. It was found that consistent students tend to persist in college, not to change majors, and that they have higher achievement than inconsistent students. (Author)

The question of how to build a student body from a large applicant pool was addressed in a 1980 study of students at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design from 1969-78. The results of the selection process are presented. (MLW)

The article compares the burnout process among helping professionals and teachers of exceptional children. Literature relating to burnout among the helping professions is reviewed. Causes and symptoms of burnout are applied to the field of special education. (Author/PHR)

Salient findings of six studies assessing the construct validity of Tinto's model of college student attrition are described. The studies are based on three independent data collections over a three-year period and indicate the students' informal contacts with faculty are consistently related to subsequent persistence/withdrawal decisions.…

Fifth-grade boys of relatively good, average, and poor reading ability were assessed on tasks in which success and failure were manipulated. Consistent with predictions, poor readers displayed characteristics indicative of learned helplessness and low self-concepts of ability, including low expectations and less persistence. (Instructional…

In general, students receiving financial aid in their freshman year show greater academic persistence than nonreceivers, but increasing amounts of aid per semester have nonsignificant negative impacts on the number of semesters attended in a four-year period. Persistence may be hampered by increasing loan burdens on students. (MSE)

Residency in a college dormitory during the freshman year of college positively influences educational and personal growth and academic persistence. The mediating effects of relationships with peers and the ambiance of the intellectual community are noted. (JD)

A five-scale instrument developed from a theoretical model of college attrition correctly identified the persistence/voluntary withdrawal decisions of 78.5 percent of 773 freshmen in a large, residential university. Findings showed that student relationships with faculty were particularly important. (Author/PHR)

The study presents an investigation of the association between freshman year voluntary persistence/withdrawal decisions and different types of student-faculty informal contact beyond the classroom. (JMF)

Examines the relationship between residential learning communities and students' experiences and persistence during the first year of college. Data taken from 2,678 students indicated that the residential learning communities did not improve students' academic achievement and persistence directly, but did indirectly improve students' success by…