Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Student retention'

The purpose of this study was to determine if retention of first-year college students was influenced by specific variables and programs at one Midwest community college. The study was focused on responses from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2013) and peer mentoring program data. Data and retention were measured using Wald chi-square tests and t-tests, respectively. The CCSSE benchmarks were Academic Challenge, Active and Collaborative Learning, Student Effort, Student-Faculty Interactions, and Support for Learners. Benchmarks were analyzed using student variables age, gender, working for pay, student loans, and race/ethnicity. Benchmarks titled Student Effort and Support for Learners had a significant impact on retention. The relevance of this finding became clear through analyzing specific student variables to determine their impact on each specific benchmark. Also investigated were the retention rates of first-time students who participated in the college’s peer mentoring program and first-time students who did not participate in the college’s peer mentoring program. Following analysis of the data, there was a statistical difference in the retention rates of first-year, peer-mentored students and non-peer mentored, first-year students. The peer mentoring program was also studied by analyzing the effects peer mentoring had on students who were on academic probation. No statistically significant difference was found in retention rates of students who remained on academic probation and their peers who had moved off probation. Data for all aspects of peer mentoring suggested program consistency positively affects retention rates of first-year students.

The purpose of this research study was to examine student and academic advisors? perceptions of advisement techniques to determine the connection between academic advising strategies and student retention. If student retention rates are not addressed, higher education institutions are at risk of losing students, which is costly to the institution and the student (Himes, 2014). Most college students are in a state of change and need academic advice to achieve success during a college transition (Tinto, 2012). Academic advisors can assist students in finding the right career for students? specific strengths. This qualitative study utilized Tinto?s (2012) theories of student departure and retention to provide an understanding of how student retention rates can be based on a lack of positive institutional relationships between students and academic advisors. A higher education institution must establish conditions within its own system to promote positive student experiences and outcomes (Vianden & Barlow, 2015). Four research questions guided this study. Focus groups and interviews were used to collect data from students and academic advisors. Students and academic advisors discussed academic advising experiences, student satisfaction, and information needed to achieve successful advising sessions. Themes emerged relating to developing relationships, personalized advising sessions, and a consistent campus. Tinto (2012) stated students need individualized academic and social support to properly transition into college. Findings of the study indicated progressive academic advisement strategies have a positive impact on student retention.

Student retention, the practice of having a student repeat a grade level of schooling due to low academic performance or delayed behavioral and social development, is a common yet controversial educational practice in the United States. Extensive literature exists on the effects of retention on students’ academic outcomes, socialization, and self-esteem, but with mixed results. The perceptions of teachers and principals on the practice of retention have also been studied. Even though many school districts have policies stating that decisions on retaining students at the elementary level are made by teachers and parents/guardians, the perceptions of parents/guardians as compared to teachers on the practice of retention has not been thoroughly examined. This mixed methods study collected quantitative and qualitative data on the perceptions of teachers and parents/guardians on student retention through an established survey and through personal interviews. The study revealed that there are significant differences in the perceptions of parents/guardians as compared to teachers on when retention is appropriate for students. There are also differences in what teachers and parents/guardians identify as factors to consider for recommending retention and their long-term concerns for students when considering retention. Revealing these differences and understanding that both parties have an overall concern for the well-being of the student will help to bridge the communication gap between teachers and parents/guardians and guide them toward making collaborative decisions for students. Although this study is a first step toward this understanding and collaboration, there are many factors involved in making decisions on student retention, so these findings will require further research.

Post-secondary student retention and persistence is on the minds of professionals at various higher learning institutions due to the disparities in educational attainment. These disparities may lead to inhibited social mobility, and lack of cultural and social capital. This study examined what factors Southern Connecticut State University sophomore students perceived as aiding or impeding their degree path. It questioned how underrepresented students shaped their perception on their educational attainment and how this compares to the existing research and literature on the success practices of underrepresented students in higher education. The study was conducted using open-ended semi-structured interview questions administered to second year sophomore students at Southern Connecticut State University. Specifically, they were underrepresented students defined as being low-income, racial minority, and first-generation students. This study aimed to explore the narrative of underrepresented students by exploring why college access doesn’t necessarily result in college completion.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship of student anxiety, student engagement, and student performance to the retention of students at a proprietary institution. Student anxiety, engagement, performance, and retention have been discussed in previous education literature; however, no such relationship has been investigated when linked to the proprietary institution. The study used the Noel-Levitz College Student Inventory ^TM online survey containing 74 closed-ended questions to measure a planned sample off 100 enrolled students' academic motivation, general coping, receptivity to intuitional services, and educational plans at the proprietary institution. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 22.0) was used to code and tabulate scores collected from the survey. Inferential statistics were used to draw conclusions from the sample tested. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the four research hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that students' engagement and anxiety was not significantly related to students' retention; however, students' performance was significantly and positively related to retention. Further study is recommended for the research by using a larger sample, qualitative and mixed method formats to ensure true record of opinion from the sample, and results from the study should be compared with surveys to find correlation in students' satisfaction.

College student success outcomes have become increasingly significant to many stakeholders as student attrition has proven costly for students, institutions of higher education, and the economy (Foss, Foss, Paynton, & Hahn, 2014; Jobe & Lenio, 2014). Historically, a positive relationship between college students who live on-campus and retention has been found (Astin, 1993; Bronkema & Bowman, 2017; Chickering, 1974; Pike & Kuh, 2005; Schudde, 2011; Soria & Taylor Jr., 2016; Walsh & Robinson Kurpius, 2016). However, commuter students now make up most of the current college student population (Skomsvold, 2014). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to advance the understanding of the commuter student phenomenon within the context of the institution. Quantitative data included first- to second-year retention rates and six-year graduation rates for the three most recent cohorts of commuter and residential students at one Midwest university. The first- to second-year retention rate was 63.21% for commuters and 66.07% for residential students; the six-year graduation rate was 35.07% for commuters and 33.68% for residential students. There were not statistically significant differences in the first- to second-year retention rates or six-year graduation rates of commuter and residential students. Qualitative data were gathered using student focus groups and faculty interviews, including 16 and nine participants respectively. Responses were reviewed through the lens of Strange and Banning's (2015) campus ecology model, and four themes emerged: getting from here to there, the double-edged sword of convenience, independence, and it is who we are. Based on the findings, higher education leaders should continue to observe and assess student groups within the context of their own unique institutions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, dispositional factors (academic characteristics, motivation, emotional outlook, physical well-being, and past performances), situational factors (social support, financial status, time commitments, job responsibilities, and family needs), and institutional factors (social integration, faculty support, academic enrichment programs, and program characteristics) and students' successful retention at the end of the first semester in associate degree nursing programs in North Carolina. Additionally, as a newly developed instrument was used, the reliability factor structure and psychometric properties of the instrument were tested and compared to the original study in which the instrument was developed. A secondary aim of this study was to explore the relationship between institutional factors and first semester retention rates of associate degree programs. The study sample consisted of 439 nursing students attending 8 associate degree nursing programs in North Carolina. The relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, dispositional factors, situational factors, and institutional factors and students' successful retention at the end of the first semester was measured by specific items and factors on the Dispositional, Situational, and Institutional Questionnaire (Seago et al., 2008).

Data revealed a relationship between ethnicity, related courses completed, number of developmental courses, and other family members financially dependent and first semester retention. There was also a significant relationship between retention and autonomy, confidence in ability, and flexibility. Students not retained were 3.1 times more likely to have family members financially dependent on them compared to retained students. Students not retained were 2.3 times more likely to not have completed all their related courses compared to retained students and non-retained students were 2.1 times more likely to have taken 2 or more developmental or remedial courses compared to retained students.

Understanding and predicting student retention is a challenge. This study represents a beginning understanding of this relationship and provides implications for nurse educators when reviewing nursing admission requirements and orienting new nursing students to the program and college. With the nursing shortage expected to worsen over the next several years, nursing programs must not only attract qualified students but also employ strategies to retain students and graduate competent professionals.

The increasing numbers of incoming student orientation programs, combined with greater parental involvement aimed at facilitating their children's arrival on campus and smooth transition to college life, has resulted in a surge of parent orientation programs, over the past two decades (Lynch, 2006; Merriman, 2007). New student orientation programs are designed to prepare them for the academic and social changes which occur upon entering college. Although orientation is often used as a retention tool, the possible ramifications parental attendance on students during this critical transition into college, has been overlooked (Coburn & Woodward, 2001; Mann, 1998; Tinto, 1993; Wartman & Savage, 2008). Since Tinto's first publication in 1985, much of the research related to student retention has been directly tied to his Student Integration Theory (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005).

Although Tinto acknowledges the contributions economic and psychological experiences may have on the student's likelihood of being retained, unlike theorists before him, Tinto's model focuses more on experiences the student encounters after coming to college, rather than those occurring prior to college. Tinto's findings call for students to separate themselves completely from their past communities, in order to successfully transition into their new community. This study challenges Tinto's logic of complete separation from one's past and explores further the relationship and impact parent attendance during student orientation has on full-time, first-year retention rates.

The results of this study indicate there is a positive relationship between parent attendance during orientation and first-year student retention. Moreover, parent attendance in student orientations was found to be a positive-predictor of student retention. These results are in opposition to Tinto's imperative that retention is enhanced when students make a complete separation from pre-college communities, and reveals instead the positive impact parent involvement has on first-year retention. While the study is not intended to answer all questions surrounding parent inclusion as related to college student retention, it does point future researchers in a new direction when seeking additional insight regarding policies and practices surrounding parent involvement and student retention.