No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Understanding and Reducing College Student Departure / J.M. Braxton, A.S. Hirschy, S.A. McClendon ; Ed. Adrianna J. Kezar.
Abstract
Whole issue. Incl. bibl., index. Student departure is a long-standing problem to colleges and universities. Approximately 45 percent of students enrolled in two-year colleges depart during their first year, and approximately one out of four students departs from a four-year college or university. The authors advance a serious revision of Tinto's popular interactionalist theory to account for student departure, and they postulate a theory of student departure in commuter colleges and universities. This volume delves into the literature to describe exemplary campus-based programs designed to reduce student departure. It emphasizes the importance of addressing student departure through a multidisciplinary approach, engaging the whole campus. It proposes new models for nonresidential students and students from diverse backgrounds, and suggests directions for further research. Academic and student affairs administrators seeking research-based approaches to understanding and reducing student departure will profit from reading this volume. Scholars of the college student experience will also find it valuable in defining new thrusts in research on the student departure process.
... However, the concern of retaining Black students is not new to the field of higher education. For decades, several scholars have examined the issues impacting the retention of Black students and how to best address them (Tinto, 1987(Tinto, , 1993Kuh & Love, 2000;Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon, 2004;Museus & Quaye, 2009;Quaye & Harper, 2015;Wood & Palmer, 2015;McClain & Perry, 2017). Consequently, some institutions have turned to programs that support persistence among students of color (Johnson, 2013). ...
... Consequently, some institutions have turned to programs that support persistence among students of color (Johnson, 2013). These often range from programs of all students to programs exclusive of racial minorities (Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon, 2004). This paper presents the components and analyzes the implications of one such persistence program that has yielded successful results in retaining and graduating Black students. ...
... American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) 2019 Conference Proceedings Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon (2004) noted that exemplary in this context refers to programs that satisfy at least two of Tinto's three principles. It is the author's contention that the Crew Scholars Program fulfills all three principles, solidifying it as an exemplary retention program. ...
This proceeding argues for the implementation of model retention programs to support the retention and graduation of Black students. Specifically, the author utilizes the Crew Scholars Program at Drake University as a model program to interpret its impact on Black students. The author specifically utilizes Museus & Quaye’s (2009) intercultural persistence model to interpret the model program. Additionally, the author profiles the Crew Scholars Program’s components and institutional impact. Lastly, recommendations are given for implementing institutional retention initiatives as model retention programs for students of color.
... College student persistence constitutes a significant problem for many colleges and universities. Lower persistence rates harmfully affect the stability of enrollments, budgets, and the public perception of institutional quality, not to mention measurable student outcomes such as degree completion (Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon, 2004). The average national rate of first-to-second-year persistence stands at 68.5%, with rates varying from an average low of 56.4% for 2-year public colleges to an average high of 81.5% for private doctorategranting universities (American College Testing Program, 2016). ...
... As a consequence, the prior testing of the full version of the survey is applicable to the current version. The scholarship of Braxton et al. (2004Braxton et al. ( , 2014, Cabrera et al. (1999), Okun et al. (1996), Hagedorn et al. (2001), Pascarella and Terenzini (1980), Stern (1970), St. John and Starkey (1995), and Tinto (1975Tinto ( , 1993 provided a grounding for the development of the survey items of both surveys. Table 1 presents the operational definitions of the constructs of the focal theory, which provide face validity for our measurement of these constructs. ...
... Theory of Student Persistence in Commuter Colleges and UniversitiesSource: Adapted fromBraxton, Doyle, Hartley, Hirschy, Jones, & McLendon (2014) andBraxton, Hirschy, & McClendon (2004). ...
... Nontraditional students are much more likely to leave during their first year of collegerather than later in their educational career -than traditional college students (Bowl, 2001;Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Radford, Cominole, & Skomsvold, 2015). Similarly, first-generation students are twice as likely to drop out during or after their first year of college, as compared to continuing-generation students (Saenz et al., 2007;Wurster et al., 2013). ...
... This may also be the case for first-generation students, who often remain embedded in their home communities by virtue of attending college close to home. Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon (2004) found that socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, age, gender, marital status, parental status, total previous college credit earned, and goal commitment were all significant predictors of adult nontraditional student attrition. The authors found that other characteristics such as high school class rank, standardized test scores, college preparation curriculum, and high school friends were all less relevant to adult students' persistence. ...
... They also found that individuals with all three stigmatized aspects of identity experienced significantly larger stereotype threat effects than those with zero-, one-, or two-6 Some of the differences in these findings can be explained by the authors' definition of nontraditional student. For example: Metzner and Bean (1987) and Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon (2004) focused commuter or part-time students; Bergman, Gross, Berry, and Shuck (2014) studied students over the age of 25 enrolled in bachelor's degree programs; and Bowl (2001) studied working-class students over the age of 25 entering higher education for the first time. All of these population specifications fit student veterans to some extent, but Bowl's population seems to most closely mirror the characteristics of student veterans, making her findings about the role of institutional in nontraditional student attrition most applicable. ...
To address concerns about student veterans, including lagging BA attainment and troubling drop-out rates, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners would benefit from a more in-depth understanding of the processes student veterans undergo as they transition out of the military and into higher education. This paper synthesizes the literature related to the transition processes and post-secondary experiences of student veterans, nontraditional students, first-generation students, and under-represented minority students in order to identify points of convergence and divergence. These disparate literatures all recognize that the transition to higher education provides additional challenges, relative to the challenges faced by traditional students; however, over the past several decades a growing body of literature points to co-identity organizations – organizations that are centered around one aspect of a student's identity – as one factor that has potential to ease adjustment to higher education. By integrating existing research focused on the groups of students noted above with the burgeoning literature on student veterans, future researchers can to conduct more informed research and policy-makers and administrators can be empowered to create more effective policies and programs.
... Given this background, our study seeks to examine whether there are systematic differences in the factors that contribute to departure for students of different racial subgroups based on the retention model by Tinto and the later revisions put forth by Braxton et al. (2004) and Braxton and Hirschy (2005). We hope this study can offer better knowledge about the retention of URM students, particularly Black/African American (hereafter referred to as Black) students and provide insight into how and where program or policy revisions may be required in order to lower the rates of voluntary dropout of college students. ...
... Researchers have proposed refined theoretical models from sociological, economic, and psychological perspectives. Among them, Braxton et al. (2004) presented revisions to Tinto's model by placing social integration as the pivotal factor in retention. Their revisions purport that student characteristics (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), academic ability, high school preparation, and self-efficacy) shape initial commitments to attaining a degree and to the institution. ...
... URMs are more likely from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those who perceive financial constraints may fail to experience social integration (Braxton et al., 2004). Their lower degree of social integration may, in turn, lead to lower commitment to the institution. ...
Theoretically grounded in Tinto’s model of retention and Braxton and colleagues’ revisions , this study is designed to examine the applicability of the integration model to students of different racial backgrounds. Results from a sample of full-time undergraduate students at a research-extensive university suggest that (a) academic and social integrations function differently to the persistence of Black and White students, (b) financial pressure was the most consistent impediment to college retention for all students, and (c) institutional control over academic quality is critical to student retention. In addition, results show that students of different racial backgrounds do not differ significantly in their reported intention to drop out. Implications for policy and planning are discussed.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025116643325
... Integration for international students from Asia on a campus has the greatest potential for affecting their possible success on a campus. Academic and social integrations are pressing issues for minority students (Braxton et al. 2004), and they are widely examined as outcomes in the I-E-O model. We borrow the definition of social and academic integration from Tinto (1987) who proposed to assess academic integration based on the feedback students receive from faculty on academic performance and how comfortable students feel about their communication with faculty regarding academic matters. ...
... While social integration is a concern for all student populations (Braxton et al. 2004), it is particularly a challenge for international students from Asia. For example, although domestic minority students are often concerned about their social integration on campus, they possess social currency such as linguistic and socio-cultural knowledge that international students from Asia lack. ...
... • College "soft skills": Poor timemanagement skills and study habits (Sithole et al., 2017). • Intrapersonal: Perception of uncertainty about academic ability, low tolerance for failure, diminished personal commitment to attaining a STEM degree, and low self-efficacy and motivation (Ackerman et al., 2013;Braxton, et al., 2004;Shedlosky-Shoemaker & Fautch, 2015). • Course structure: Enrollment in fast-paced courses where small group work and attendance are not emphasized (Mervis, 2010). ...
... • Gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status: Being an underrepresented minority (except for Asian or Asian American), a female student, or coming from a low socioeconomic status (Chen, 2013;Gayles & Ampaw, 2016;Griffith, 2010;Mervis, 2010;Seymour & Hewitt, 2000). • Student perceptions of institutional conditions: Lower quality of teaching and academic programs, dull classroom presentations, larger faculty-student ratios, and poor accessibility to faculty for help and support (Braxton, et al., 2004;Watkins & Mazur, 2013;Xu, 2018). ...
... In addition to the growing body of evidence suggesting clear and organized instruction influences gains in a number of important student outcomes, researchers hypothesize that these good teaching practices may extend to another especially important outcome-college persistence (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Tinto, 2006Tinto, -2007. A number of studies examine the influence of the nature and quality of teaching, generally, on the intent to re-enroll (e.g., Berger & Braxton, 1998;Braxton, Bray, et al. 2000;Braxton, Milem, & Sullivan, 2000), as well as persistence (Nora, Cabrera, Hagedorn, & Pascarella, 1996). ...
... We base our conceptual model on a number of investigations exploring college persistence (Braxton et al., 2004;Pascarella & Terenzini, 1983;andTinto, 1975, 1993). College persistence is one of the most widely-studied areas in higher education research, and Tinto's work in particular is the basis for a legion of investigations on the subject (Berger & Lyon, 2005). ...
Analyzing data from the Wabash National Study, we use probit models while adjusting for sample selection to estimate the influence of effective instructional behaviors on graduating from college. Net of a host of potential confounders, we find that exposure to effective instruction significantly predicts graduating from college in four years. We also find that this relation is indirect. Specifically, students who report greater exposure to effective instructional practices are more satisfied with the collegiate experience, which in turn leads to a greater likelihood of graduating from college in four years. Lastly, it appears these effects do not vary by students’ race, sex, or precollege academic ability.
... An important part that is missing from the previous models/theories is to understand how student retention and persistence applies at various types of institutions. Braxton at al., (2004) questions Tinto's model validity at non-residential institutions for example. Furthermore, Padilla's (2009) research is based on only one university in the US. ...
... Furthermore, due to student retention process may differ in different types of institution (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004), the researchers reviewed similar studies administered in various universities. They excluded, though, studies administered in two-year institutions due to "the indeterminate nature of empirical research testing Tinto's proportions in this institutional setting" ...
This study investigated the experiences of undergraduate learning communities in a UK Higher Education Institution and the causes that may lead to low retention rates amongst first year undergraduate computing students. Using learning communities as a lens, the author examined students’ perception of teamwork experiences, academic and social integration issues, and knowledge and characteristics that might help students to be successful. Four research questions guided the current study: (1) How do first year undergraduate computing students perceive their university experience? (2) To what depth and breadth does learning community participation affect social and/or academic integration? (3) What are the identified barriers/limitations to improve retention? (4) What learning characteristics or knowledge do students maintain and how are they accomplished? The study applied a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods using a concurrent triangulation. Firstly, a quantitative data analysis was performed including first year undergraduate students from various departments of the examined UK Higher Education Institution. Tinto’s model of student retention connects to behavioural patterns. Behavioural patterns were therefore identified using data collected from students in order to map factors as predictors for low student retention. The data collection was driven by the information collected when students enrol at the university, as well as Pascarella and Terenzini’s questionnaire (integration scales). The data was analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique which offers the opportunity to test various theoretical models, such as Tinto’s, through understanding of how sets of variables characterise constructs, and in what ways these constructs are associated to one another. The quantitative data analysis results suggested that the theory of Tinto proved to be beneficial in analysing retention in first year undergraduate students. Not at its maximum potential, though, because the model variables accounted for only a modest amount of variance in retention. Nevertheless, the data analysis discovered important relationships amongst student’s initial and later academic goals and commitments. In particular, the results revealed that academic and social integration constructs can have a significant influence on student retention processes. It is recommended that when all or some of these relationships are operating towards students’ benefit, it may be necessary to promote them with appropriate services or programmes, such as student support systems. Secondly, after the quantitative approach was applied to the aforementioned large-scale comparative study within the institution, a qualitative approach was used to further explore student needs. Specifically, during the quantitative phase data from all first year students of the institution studied was collected in order to offer the opportunity for a comparison amongst students from different course divisions, and investigate any major similarities and/or differences regarding factors affecting retention. As this phase identified similar factors amongst all students, the qualitative phase was employed in order to narrow down the research focus. Therefore, the qualitative approach offered the opportunity for a thorough exploration of the first year computing students’ reasons for dropping out of university through the use of the ‘unfolding matrix’. The matrix was completed during group interviews, in which students were invited, and had the opportunity to read and comment on previous students’ experiences. The findings of the qualitative data analysis offered further insights, which were then mixed with the quantitative results and interpreted as one. The final results, which were an interpretation of both quantitative and qualitative findings, revealed that learning communities critically affect students’ academic and social integration. Specifically, the importance of student support and guidance from academic staff were considered important factors which could enhance students’ motivation to continue their education. Their relationships with fellow students and academic staff were reported as vital elements in order to become academically and socially integrated. In addition, developing a sense of personal awareness and the need to develop an effective academic skill-set in order to succeed was identified as critical.
... In several of these theories, social dynamics-in terms of interpersonal interactions and perceptions of one's social relationships, "fit," and/or belongingcontribute to institutional commitment, which then leads to persistence or attrition (Bean & Eaton, 2000;Cabrera, Nora, & Castañeda, 1992;Nora, 2004;Tinto, 1993). Questioning the generality of these phenomena, Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon (2004) argued that the role of social integration is not universal across institutions. Instead, according to their review of the literature, social integration is important primarily at residential colleges and universities, whereas academic factors are integral at commuter institutions. ...
... However, this institutional distinction is likely not central to understanding the potential impact of social fraternities and sororities. The vast majority of schools with these organizations are likely residential campuses, and Braxton et al. (2004) suggest that institutional commitment-which could be bolstered by fraternity/sorority membership -is important at both residential and commuter campuses. In addition, engagement in fraternities and sororities has the potential to affect academic outcomes positively through an emphasis on academic success (e.g., NPC, 2017) or negatively through binge drinking and substantial social engagement (e.g., Routon & Walker, 2014). ...
Despite considerable debate about the effects of fraternities and sororities on college campuses, the extent to which these organizations promote or detract from student success is unclear. Therefore, we used propensity score analyses to examine the link between membership in a social fraternity or sorority and several student success outcomes. For female students, membership is associated with greater college satisfaction, grades, retention, and 4-year graduation, whereas the findings are mixed and mostly nonsignificant for male students. The results are similar regardless of students’ race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and precollege academic ability.
... Here too scholars have investigated numerous research questions pertaining to developmental education, including how to improve: developmental classrooms (Horner, 2011;Perin, 2013;Reynolds & Rice, 2006;J. S. Taylor, Dimino, Lampi, & Caverly, 2016), academic assessment (O'Neill, 2011;Saxon & Morante, 2014;Schendel & Macauley, 2012;Scott-Clayton et al., 2014;Zayani, 2001), and the structure of postsecondary institutional systems themselves (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Conner & Rabovsky, 2011;Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley, Bridges, & Hayek, 2007). Furthermore, divergent scholarly opinions and commentary on policy's appropriate role in developmental education pervade the research literature (M. ...
... Many scholars agree that improving placement for developmental education is critical (Scott-Clayton et al., 2014) because up to 40% of all students in US postsecondary institutions take developmental coursework (Melguizo et al., 2011), and between approximately 58% (Braxton et al., 2004) and a 74% (Crews & Aragon, 2004) of students attending community colleges are placed in developmental coursework. This has led to education policy solutions that are impacted by the complexites of placement testing. ...
According to the National Educational Longitudinal Study, an estimated 28% of academically underprepared students who take developmental courses (preparatory, not credit-bearing) graduate within 8.5 years (Attewell, Lavin, Domina, & Levey, 2006), far below the national average graduation rate of near 60% of students for all postsecondary institutions (USDE, 2016). Given these statistics, some conclude that developmental education itself contributes to the low graduation rate of developmental students (Bailey, Jaggars, & Jenkins, 2015). Indeed, the causes of this attainment gap are the focus of vigorous debates by scholars from numerous disciplines, defining whether the problems exist within the organizational structure and climate of the institution, the developmental coursework, the students’ academic preparedness, or with other factors (Bailey et al., 2015; Goudas & Boylan, 2012; Grubb & Babriner, 2013). Similarly, the research methodologies most appropriate to analyze the problems are also debated (Bailey et al., 2015; Goudas & Boylan, 2012; Grubb & Babriner, 2013). In fact, since developmental education’s inception, scholars have disputed how to conduct basic skills education (Grubb & Babriner, 2013) and how best to support developmental students (Soliday, 2002). Despite the breadth of current inquiry, few scholars have used poststructural methodologies to explore the conceptual construction of “problems” related to developmental education, except within the field of basic writing (Horner & Lu, 1999). Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to reposition understandings of developmental English education through the use of poststructural theories of discourse. Specifically, I conducted research to understand how policy discourses produce understandings of developmental English education in U.S. higher-education institutions to better delineate how policies are now shaping the field. Through five rigorous stages of analysis, the investigation of 39 policy documents led to the identification of five major discourses. Four discourses, those of crisis, accountability, standardization, and efficacy, work synergistically to justify the fifth, the role of policy fiat (i.e., commands from state legislatures). These commands both dictate solutions to the field of teachers and regulate the roles of scholars studying developmental education. The discourses shape the collective understanding of problems concerning developmental education and limit the possible solutions.
... Unfortunately, existing literature on research and practice provides little guidance on the role of institutional policies and practices in student persistence. Nor does the literature address efforts at improvement (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;College Board, 2011). Specifically, research is needed on the extent to which institutions organize themselves to address student progress and the nature of those efforts. ...
... In this line of inquiry, we drew on established research, theory, and practiceoriented literature to propose a framework of institutional structures, policies, and practices for further investigation via the surveys. For the national survey of four-year institutions (SSRP), we drew primarily on the policy levers outlined by Braxton and colleagues (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Braxton & McClendon, 2001-2002Braxton & Mundy, 2001-2002. Accordingly, the survey's framework included the following policy levers for student retention: ...
... The defunding of higher education and the increase in the costs of college have coincided with growing college attendance among people of color, particularly Latinx and Black students. Students' ability to pay for college is a commonly cited barrier to completion for all students (Braxton et al. 2004). However, given the persistent racial wealth gap in the US (McKernan et al. 2017), cost increases especially hurt students of color (Baker et al. 2018;Xu and Webber 2016). ...
A growing number of college students are nontraditional learners (age 21–65) who are people of color. These students face unique challenges in a higher education system increasingly shaped by neoliberalism and the ongoing context of institutionalized racism. In Oregon, policymakers have established ambitious goals to address racial disparities in educational attainment. In this study, focus groups and interviews were conducted with 111 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) adult learners in Oregon to better understand their perspectives and experiences in regard to educational and career pathways. Participants included currently enrolled students, adults who had enrolled and left, and adults who had never enrolled in post-secondary education. Thematic analysis focused on support that facilitates educational access and persistence for these learners. Consistent with the existing literature, our findings revealed that support fell into three broad categories: economic, social/cultural, and institutional support. Recommendations focus on utilizing targeted universalism as a strategy for supporting non-traditional students of color to access and complete college through the expansion of economic support for students, shoring up relevant academic and career resources, and building more meaningful partnerships between higher education and communities of color. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.
... Within engineering, this gap furthers economic inequality and hinders our ability to meet industry demand for diverse engineering talent [6]. Student retention researchers suggested we examine teaching methods, financial supports, and educational policy to mitigate student departure and promote academic success [7]. Publications have been plentiful on improving pedagogy and addressing student financial constraints with little examining educational policy outcomes [8]. ...
... Among these interventions, social integration is a common thread. The importance of social integration into university life has been long considered in Tinto's conceptual model of retention [4], and "a statistically significant relationship has been found between social integration and retention" [5]. Engineering students can be socially integrated with their peers, their instructors, or with practicing professionals in the industry community. ...
... Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are a well-known pedagogical strategy for attracting and retaining students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Specifically, UREs improve students' learning experience (Lopatto, 2004(Lopatto, , 2007Seymour et al., 2004;Kinkel and Henke, 2006;Hunter et al., 2007), increase student interest and success in postgraduate studies and careers in science (Hathaway et al., 2002;Lopatto, 2004;Hunter et al., 2007;Russell et al., 2007), enhance examination performance (Barlow and Villarejo, 2004;Freeman et al., 2014;Ward et al., 2014), and promote retention in STEM disciplines (Nagda et al., 1998;Barlow and Villarejo, 2004;Braxton et al., 2004;Kinkel and Henke, 2006;Summers and Hrabowski, 2006;Gilmer, 2007;Carter et al., 2009;Olson and Riordan, 2012). Importantly, UREs are also an effective strategy to improve the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority students in STEM disciplines (Barlow and Villarejo, 2004;Summers and Hrabowski, 2006;Tsui, 2007;Villarejo et al., 2008;CUGESEWP, 2011). ...
Introduction
We describe herein a large-scale, multidisciplinary course-based undergraduate research experience program (CRE) developed at Lawrence Technological University (LTU). In our program, all students enrolled in CRE classes participate in authentic research experiences within the framework of the curriculum, eliminating self-selection processes and other barriers to traditional extracurricular research experiences.
Methods
Since 2014, we have designed and implemented more than 40 CRE courses in our College of Arts and Sciences involving more than 30 instructors from computer science, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, English composition, literature, philosophy, media communication, nursing, and psychology.
Results
Assessment survey data indicates that students who participate in CRE courses have an enhanced attitude towards research and discovery, as well as increased self-efficacy. This intervention is particularly relevant for non-traditional students, such as students who commute and/or have significant work or childcare commitments, who often experience limited access to research activities.
Discussion
Herein we highlight the importance of a systemic institutional change that has made this intervention sustainable and likely to outlast the external funding phase. Systemic change can emerge from a combination of conditions, including: (1) developing a critical mass of CRE courses by providing instructors with both incentives and training; (2) developing general principles on which instructors can base their CRE activities; (3) securing and maintaining institutional support to promote policy changes towards a more inclusive institution; and (4) diversifying the range of the intervention, both in terms of initiatives and disciplines involved.
... These issues include motivation level, self-control and efficacy, empathy, affiliation needs, parental education, and deterring socialization. When these issues are aligned with the institution's initial commitment, each student's internal commitment towards academics can be achieved (Braxton,Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004). ...
In order to assist community college students in completing their program of study at a more rapid pace, this quantitative, correlational study examined the effectiveness of acceleration as a method to help community college students complete the developmental reading sequence quickly and more successfully. Acceleration is a curricular redesign that includes challenging readings and assignments and reduces the number of required classes in the developmental sequence. Past research does not adequately measure student success in the current community college trend of securing the most efficient pathway possible for attaining an associates degree or career certificate. Students who scored 80 or higher on the post-course, COMPASS reading placement test skipped a developmental class and were eligible to take college-level gateway courses sooner, for the purpose of saving them time and money. Retention and grade-point-average of developmental reading students who pursued an accelerated path was compared to developmental reading students who followed the traditional, two-tiered course sequence to determine first year success. In the college of the study, findings indicated developmental reading intervention, regardless of model, was effective for the students who persisted, as measured by their literacy skill gains.
... It has also been proposed that student expectations are an important factor for understanding the various relationships between student and university (Mainardes, Raposo, and Alves 2012). According to Tinto's theory, widely cited in the student retention literature (see Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon 2004 for a detailed review), students enter college with a set of expectations about what college life will be like. These expectations are of particular importance because they calibrate the students' initial levels of academic and social commitment to the institution. ...
Abstract: It is claimed that student expectations about university is an important factor in understanding the relationship
between the student and the university. There are some scattered studies that investigate various dimensions of students’
expectations; however, there is a need for valid and reliable measures in different educational–cultural environments that will
provide further data on the nature and development of students’ academic expectations in higher education. The aim of this
study was to adapt the academic expectations questionnaire (AEQ) in the Greek language and to examine its structural validity
and internal consistency. Moreover, the relationship between students’ academic expectations and their adaptation to their
university was examined as an indication of the instrument’s convergent validity. The participants were 439 first- and secondyear
university students from teacher education departments. Before the pandemic, the students completed, anonymously and
online, two scales: the AEQ version and the college adaptation questionnaire. The results of the study attested to the AEQ
version internal structure, confirming five different but interrelated expectation factors with adequate internal consistency:
personal–social development, student international mobility, social interaction, social pressure, and training for employment.
Moreover, positive associations between academic expectations and students’ reported academic, personal, and social
adaptation to their university were found adding, thus, to the instrument’s convergent validity. The study offers further data on
understanding university students’ academic expectations in a different educational and cultural environment. This might help
to support students with unrealistic expectations to overcome possible difficulties in transition and adaptation in university life.
Keywords: Academic Expectations, Higher Education, College Adaptation, Structural Validity, Expectations Assessment
... Previous studies (Astin, 1975;Bean, 1983;Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Sparkman, Maulding, & Roberts, 2012;Styron, 2010;Tinto, 2010) have demonstrated that several factors contribute to students' persistence in higher institutions, including students' characteristics, academic preparedness, psychological factors, socioeconomic status, financial stress, social and academic integration, and institutional factors. ...
... Tinto (1993) shared that persistence occurs when a student is acclimated to academic and social environments within the collegiate atmosphere. While there have been critiques of Tinto's model, highlighting the concerns does not address underrepresented students' needs (Kuh & Love, 2000;Museus & Quaye, 2009), as it is still a model used for retention and persistence efforts (Braxton et al., 2004). Understanding the importance of persistence is vital to note for BGBQM to integrate into academic and social environments on college campuses. ...
Men of color (MoC) and Black male initiative (BMI) mentorship programs create a complicated experience for men who identify as gay, bisexual, and queer. The purpose of this phenomenology and arts-based research study unearths the experiences of Black gay, bisexual, and queer men (BGBQM) within these programmatic contexts. This study sought to explore the essence of gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality utilizing interviews, podcast-style focus groups, and individual art projects. Findings unearthed a complex reality, Blackness preferred, queerness deferred, to exist in the intersections of their myriad identities. Consequently, these men experience a Masc-ing Phenomenon that limits how they express their gender and sexuality within MoC and BMI programs. This study offers critical insights for practitioners, educators, and researchers to center queerness and femininity within these programmatic interventions.
... Although several factors contribute to students persisting in an institution once they are enrolled-student characteristics, academic preparedness, socioeconomic status, financial stress, and institutional characteristics (Braxton et al., 2004;Sparkman et al., 2012;Tinto, 2010)-research has found that even after all those other factors are considered, academically engaged students are more likely to persist in and complete college than disengaged students (Christenson et al., 2012;Kuh, 2005;Tinto, 2010;Morrow & Ackerman, 2012). Academic engagement is most often defined as the frequency with which students interact with faculty, contribute to course discussions, and engage with peers inside and outside the classroom (Estell & Purdue 2013;Kuh, 2005). ...
Recent research suggests that dual enrollment programs are a useful recruiting tool for colleges and universities as many high school students remain at their dual enrollment institution after high school graduation. Students staying enrolled at their dual enrollment institution for college may be beneficial for institutions, but is it beneficial for participating dual enrollment students? We find that students who participate in dual enrollment in high school are more likely to experience college undermatch than similar students who do not participate in any postsecondary acceleration opportunities. Students who participate in a dual enrollment program at a 2-year institution and stay at the institution after high school graduation are up to 29% points more likely to undermatch than the average dual enrollment student enrolling in a different postsecondary institution after high school graduation. The difference is reduced to 9% points for dual enrollment students who stay at a four-year institution. Most significantly, our research shows that the decision to stay at a 2-year dual enrollment institution has negative consequences for bachelor’s degree attainment. Students who stay at a 2-year dual enrollment institution where they are undermatched have about a 33% point lower probability of completing a bachelor’s degree when compared to similar 2-year dual enrollment students who move to a 4-year institution where they are not undermatched after high school graduation.
... Persistence theory has now been extended to other disciplines, including the field of education (Metz, 2004). Over the past several decades, there has been an abundance of research that examines why students persist in their undergraduate studies (Astin, 1993;Bean and Metzner, 1985;Braxton et al., 2004;Tinto, 1993). Tinto's (1993) model of student persistence has been widely cited by scholars examining student outcomes in the context of higher education. ...
... 13,30 University Success Foundation ANSEP university recruitment and retention strategies for Alaska Native and American Indian engineering and other STEM undergraduates have been developed using theories and best practices related to student involvement, 5, 6, 7, 8 student retention, 42, 43, 10, 12 a local model of student expertise, 40 the power of self-efficacy beliefs, 9 11, 44 and diverse university learner groups. 3,11,14,15,16,22,26,27,29,31,41,42,45 ANSEP components and strategies are consistent with research on best practices for STEM undergraduate success. 2,19,25,28,32,36,37 Professional guidance on diversifying the STEM workforce and pathways to the professorate 17,20,21,18,33 has also informed ANSEP faculty and staff in the best approaches to providing an effective undergraduate STEM retention program, real-world internship experiences, undergraduate research opportunities, pathways to STEM graduate studies, career mentoring and networking, and on-site job interviews for graduating seniors with employers in STEM-related fields. ...
... Social integration and the institution's committment to student academic success are considered crutial for students' persistence to degree completion. Among the components of the former researchers emphasize the relationship between peers, membership in student societies and sports clubs, the time spent on extracurricular activities (Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon, 2004) as well as the considerate and creative use of student peer groups by the institution (Astin, 1993). Bean's model on the reasons for student attrition highlights the importance of such social factors as having friends, the ability to maintain friendships, and the identification with and social integration into a campus community (Bean, 1985). ...
Educational innovation may stem from looking at everyday institutional practice from a different perspective and discover hidden possibilities for development. In this case, the third mission practice of a regional university was examined from the perspective of the participating students to discover what added values, educational or other, they have gained by contributing to its realization. Also, the wide variety of third mission activities may be considered as extra-curricular activities, which not only strengthen social integration and institutional commitment (Astin, 1993; Balyer & Gunduz, 2012; Fenyves et al., 2017; Pusztai, 2011; Tinto, 1993, 2004, 2017), but may also result in various cognitive, social and affective learning outcomes, which all increase satisfaction and may promote student retention (Duque, 2014). What do the students’ experiences reveal? How can the university utilize these insights for educational innovation?
university third mission, student participation, added values, satisfaction, retention
... This interplay between student and college is particularly salient to the current study's focus on the effect of accessing supports on college persistence for students with disabilities because accessing supports occurs only to the extent the student actively seeks help. Some researchers consider Tinto's conceptualization, particularly his concept of social integration, as being inappropriate for use with underrepresented groups of students or students at commuter and community colleges (e.g., Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;French, 2017;Guiffrida, 2006;Merriweather Hunn, 2008;Murgula, Padilla, & Pavel, 1991;Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). However, Tinto's model has been used by many researchers investigating the experiences and outcomes of college students with a range of EFFECT OF SUPPORT ON SUCCCESS 8 disabilities and from a range of institutional types (e.g., Duquette, 2000;Kim & Lee, 2016;McGregor et al., 2016;Mamiseishvili & Koch, 2012;Wessel, Jones, Markel & Westfall, 2009). ...
This study examined the effect of accessing supports available to the general student body and disability-related supports on college perseverance for students with disabilities. This secondary analysis of a nationally representative longitudinal dataset included a sample of approximately 2,330 college students with disabilities who had been identified as having a disability in secondary school. Students were included in the sample independent of their decision to disclose their disability to their college. Evidence from propensity analyses indicated that students with disabilities who had accessed universally available and/or disability-related supports were significantly more likely to persist in their 2- or 4-year college programs. Additionally, retention rates were higher for those who had accessed universally available supports only, such as writing and math centers, which do not require disclosure of a disability. Implications for higher education institutions are discussed, including the need for professional development for all administrators and staff to better understand how to respond to the needs of students with disabilities, with an emphasis on the fact that the majority of students with disabilities on a campus do not self-disclose.
... A number of scholars have studied the impact of student engagement on college students' academic performance, persistence and retention (Astin, 1993;Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon, 2004;Kuh, 2003;Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley, Bridges & Hayek, 2007;Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2008;Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Measuring first-year college students' grades and persistence between the first year and the second year, Kuh et al. (2008) found that student engagement in educationally purposeful activities has positive relationship with students' academic outcomes and persistence. ...
Student-faculty interaction is significantly beneficial to college students’ engagement and
success. Past studies of student-faculty interaction (SFI) have focused on the relationship
between student characteristics and SFI or faculty members’ qualities, skills or approaches and SFI. This study uses a large-scale multi-institution dataset to take a closer examination of the relationships between faculty characteristics, course characteristics, institutional characteristics, faculty course goals, and faculty values for campus support with SFI. Results suggest that several faculty, course, and institution characteristics predict increased SFI. Additionally, faculty who do more to structure their courses for student growth and development and more strongly value a supportive campus environment for students interact with students more frequently.
... Numerous studies document the importance of academic and social interactions to college student retention (Xu & Webber, 2018). Other researchers (Braxton, 2003;Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon, 2004) have proposed revisions to Tinto's theory that highlight the responsibilities of the institution in providing quality teaching, academic advising, and other functions to encourage student engagement (Xu & Webber, 2018). Student engagement includes an interaction of student behaviors (e.g., study habits, peer involvement, interaction with faculty, time management strategies, motivation) and institutional conditions (e.g., first-year experience, academic and peer support, campus environment, and teaching/learning approaches) (Kuh et al., 2006). ...
This study investigated relationships between entry-level learning processes and study strategies and student adaptation to college. A regression model consisting of the Learning and Study Skills Inventory (LASSI; Weinstein & Palmer, 2002) subscales and GPA significantly predicted student adaptation to college as measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ; Baker & Siryk, 1999). The attitude and anxiety subscales emerged as significant predictors in this model. Correlational results indicated that attitude and anxiety were significantly correlated with four specific aspects of college adaptation (i.e., academic, personal-emotional, or social adjustment; and institutional attachment). Attitude was most strongly correlated with academic adjustment. Anxiety was most strongly correlated with personal-emotional adjustment. Consideration of these findings provides practical insights into the college adjustment process. Implications are discussed and suggestions for orientation and retention programs are offered.
... Finally, it is important for scholars to explore how other models of student persistence could be integrated with the SCM and other leadership theories. Persistence models including Museus's (2014) culturally engaging campus environments (CECE) model; Milem and Berger's (1997) model related to student behavior, perceptions, and integration; and Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon's (2004) model implicating the concept of psychosocial engagement have each made a meaningful contribution to how student persistence is perceived, understood, and addressed, and examining how these and other models can intersect and integrate with different leadership frameworks offers important possibilities. ...
... Research has also shown that college students who have meaningful interactions with faculty are more likely to persist and graduate (Astin, 1999;Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley, Bridges, & Hayek, 2007). Furthermore, interaction with faculty increases students' academic and social satisfaction (Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon, 2004Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley, Bridges, & Hayek, 2006Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005); academic achievement and intellectual and personal development (Lamport, 1993;Schreiner, Noel, Anderson, & Cantwell, 2011); and global awareness (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). ...
... As not all the positions in the model received strong support, they suggested revising the model. Braxton, Hirschy and McClendon (2004) revised Tinto's model in two different ways: 1) to make it more suitable for residential colleges and universities and 2) to make it suitable for commuter colleges and universities. As the environments in residential and commuter colleges/universities are different, they created two different models. ...
... In the traditional campus setting, student persistence and retention have been a documented issue in higher education in the United States since the late 1800's [8]. Formal research studies on the topic of retention began as early as 1926 [9] but publications of research on retention escalated in the 1970's with academics such as Spady [10], Astin [11], Tinto [12,13], Pascarella [14], and Braxton [15] publishing influential research on the topic of student retention. ...
As the growth of online programs continues to rapidly accelerate, concern over retention is increasing. Models for understanding student persistence in the face-to-face environment are well established, however, the many of the variables in these constructs are not present in the online environment or they manifest in significantly different ways. With attrition rates significantly higher than in face-to-face programs, the development of models to explain online retention is considered imperative. This study moves in that direction by exploring the relationship between indicators of the Community of Inquiry Framework and student persistence. Analysis of over 28,000 student records and survey data demonstrates a significant amount of variance in re-enrollment can be accounted for by indicators of Social Presence.
... As not all the positions in the model received strong support, they suggested revising the model. Braxton, Hirschy and McClendon (2004) revised Tinto's model in two different ways: 1) to make it more suitable for residential colleges and universities and 2) to make it suitable for commuter colleges and universities. As the environments in residential and commuter colleges/universities are different, they created two different models. ...
Low retention rates in higher education Information Technology (IT) studies have led to an unmet demand for IT specialists. Therefore, universities need to apply interventions to increase retention rates and provide the labor market with more IT graduates. However, students with different characteristics may need different types of interventions. The current study applies a person-oriented approach and identifies the profiles of first-year IT students in order to design group-specific support. Tinto's [13, 14] integration model was used as a framework to analyze questionnaire data from 509 first-year IT students in Estonia. The students’ response profiles were distinguished through latent profile analysis, and the students were divided into four profiles based on their responses to questions about academic integration, professional integration, and graduation-related self-efficacy. The difference in academic integration was smaller among the profiles than the difference in professional integration. Knowing these profiles helps universities to design interventions for each student group and apply the interventions to increase the number of IT graduates.
... Another strategy is that when the institutions show their commitment and care for the students by providing and facilitating the best services especially during times of crisis. Consequently, students' level of commitment and social integration will increase (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004. P.73). ...
Times of crisis and the critical conditions that Syrian students have experienced during the last six years have a significant influence on their level of motivation, their academic performance and their attitudes towards their study in general and language learning in specific. This study explores the effects of project-based learning through video making on students' motivation and attitudes towards English courses in comparison to the negative effects produced by the traditional teaching which is mainly based on textbooks. This research is carried out at Arab international university, Foreign Language Center. A total of 24 intermediate students from three different majors participated in the study. Data were drawn from a number of resources including group discussions and informal notes, student self-evaluation questionnaire, and students' performance results. The learning outcomes were remarkable. The motivational level and the attitudes of the experimental group in the second part of the course in which project-based learning sessions were held improved and witnessed a difference in performance comparing it to the first eight weeks of the course in which traditional teaching approach was implemented. Moreover, the learners have improved their linguistic skills when attempting to write the video scripts in addition to developing their oral presentation skills, team work, and their organization and planning skills.
Key words: Motivation, students' attitudes and feelings, times of crisis, project-based learning, and documentary video production.
... Recognizing that academic performance in coursework, self-image, pre-college background, academic advising, financial support, and social integration in the STEM culture are all factors that have been found to significantly impact student persistence (28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33), the OSI Training Model was designed with the central hypothesis that comprehensive approaches must be employed to address the multi-faceted challenges impacting student attrition (Figure 2). For a decade, this hypothesis has been tested with cohorts of students mentored across several funding support mechanisms using four specific approaches: 1) cohort-building through structured introduction to college study within a summer bridge experience; 2) a curricular approach that integrates metacognitive and active learning strategies as well as early interventions and career opportunities into a series of professional development courses; 3) individualized faculty, staff, and peer mentoring; and 4) domestic and international undergraduate research opportunities. ...
... Despite the popularity of Tinto's (1993) student integration theory, an important part that is missing from the model is to understand how student retention and persistence applies at various types of institution. Braxton et al. (2004), for example, questioned the validity of Tinto's student integration theory at non-residential institutions and also highlight issues related to institution size. For instance, what might be an effective intervention in a small institution with 1,500 students and focusses on architectural studies might not be applicable for a large-scale institution with a more computing-oriented focus. ...
Purpose – Retention is one of the key performance indicators in university quality assurance processes. The
purpose of this paper is to identify the causes leading to low retention rates for first-year undergraduate
computing students in a UK higher education institution (HEI).
Design/methodology/approach – The study applies Tinto’s student integration theory, and connects it
with the behavioural patterns of students. Data were collected from 901 students using Pascarella and
Terenzini’s questionnaire (integration scales). This data were combined with student enrolment information
and analysed using the structural equation modelling technique.
Findings – The study results indicate that Tinto’s student integration theory is useful in analysing student
retention, but this accounts for only a modest amount of variance in retention. Nevertheless, important
relationships amongst student’s initial and later academic goals and commitments have been identified through
this new approach to analysing retention. The largest direct effect on retention was accounted for by initial
goals and institutional commitments, followed by later goals and institutional commitments. In addition, the
results show that academic and social integration constructs can have an influence on the student retention
processes. When all, or some, of these relationships are operating towards students’ benefits, appropriate
services or programmes, such as student support systems, can have their maximum benefits.
Originality/value – The authors mapped behavioural-related retention factors using a learning community lens. The study explored students’ social and learning experiences within the context of a UK HEI by employing Tinto’s model. This is the first time the model has been tested in this context.
... As not all the positions in the model received strong support, they suggested revising the model. Braxton, Hirschy and McClendon (2004) revised Tinto's model in two different ways: 1) to make it more suitable for residential colleges and universities and 2) to make it suitable for commuter colleges and universities. As the environments in residential and commuter colleges/universities are different, they created two different models. ...
Low graduation rates in higher education are problem in many countries. This study investigates Estonian higher education IT studies, where focus is on interaction with computers, but first-year dropout rates are very high. The aim of the study was to establish which factors influencing dropout based on the literature are associated with each other, and according to Tinto’s dropout model, to investigate the role of academic experience and social work-related experience in first-year IT students’ graduation-related self-efficacy. Data were collected from 509 Estonian first-year IT students. The initial model shows that bivariate association found in the literature give a simplified impression of the graduation-related self-efficacy. Although Tinto’s model can be implemented in first-year IT studies, IT work experience has a much greater effect on the graduation-related self-efficacy than academic experience. This means that working in IT field is very important for students in Estonian IT curricula and universities should take this into account.
... Student retention is a noteworthy issue for higher education institutions and is closely tied to accountability (Eaton, 2011). Research on student attrition has been well documented over the past few decades (Astin, 1993;Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Pascarella, 1985;Spady, 1970;Tinto, 1975Tinto, , 1993), yet the growth of online education and the heightened focus on institutional accountability adds to the complexity of this issue. There is an urgency to understand the u student risk for attrition. ...
Research was conducted to explore predictors for online higher education student attrition. This research was conducted using results from the SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator to track students in their degree programs. In addition, student outreach was conducted with an experimental group of at-risk students to determine if additional academic support promoted retention. Results demonstrated that verbal and physical learning styles and personal attributes such as procrastination increase the likelihood for attrition, while clear reasons for pursuing a degree and typing skills decrease the likelihood for attrition. Outreach to identified at-risk students did promote greater levels of student success and persistence. Recommendations for future research include comparing results from online and traditional student groups to determine if similar at-risk factors influence the likelihood of student withdrawal, and examining the characteristics of students who withdrawal before completing their first course. Moreover, qualitative research should be conducted to more deeply understand the reasons associated with online program attrition.
... 2). While some scholars have offered more comprehensive frameworks with clearer implications for institutions (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Kuh et al., 2006;Tinto & Pusser, 2006;Swail, Redd, & Perna, 2003), as Titus (2004) observes, the role of institutional contexts has not yet been systematically explored in the research on retention/graduation. The absence of systematic consideration of the role of institutional context is also reflected in the prevalence of single-institution retention studies, which inherently offer no information about whether institutional contexts explain variationsbetween institutionsin institutional outcomes (Titus, 2004). ...
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are widely credited as the primary drivers of economic growth through innovation, with engineering universally identified as especially critical. Yet as other nations have strengthened their engineering talent pools, the United States has struggled to cultivate an engineering workforce that reflects its diversity and takes full advantage of its human capital. Reflecting this dilemma, African Americans have consistently posted the weakest persistence and bachelor's degree completion rates of all racial/ethnic groups in engineering, and by some indications, their postsecondary outcomes are worsening.
The purpose of this study was to develop understanding about potential institutional levers for improving engineering bachelor's degree attainment both for underrepresented minorities (URMs) broadly and Black students specifically. Drawing on the higher education production function, I used multiple sources of institutional panel data for 324 engineering schools/colleges from 2005 to 2011 to uncover differential relationships between faculty predictors and engineering bachelor's degree production by student race/ethnicity and institutional context. I used multiple imputation to handle missing data and estimated fixed effects linear regression and dynamic panel models of engineering degree production, then I assessed institutions' degree production efficiencies using stochastic frontier analysis.
The findings indicate that from 2005 to 2011, the number of engineering bachelor's degrees conferred to Black students declined 10%, with the smallest declines occurring at highly competitive institutions (2%) and the largest declines at HBCUs (30%). Results from the fixed effects models indicate that engineering faculty-to-student ratio was positively related and the proportion of research faculty negatively related to engineering bachelor's degree production for every student subgroup in at least one institutional setting. The share of URM faculty was positively related to degree production for URMs and Blacks in some settings. However, no faculty measure was predictive of degree output for every student subgroup across every institution type. And in every instance where a faculty variable was related to degree output for multiple student subgroups, the magnitude of the estimated effect was greatest for Black students, then URMs, then all students. Ultimately, the study suggests that leveraging institutional resources to improve student outcomes in STEM calls for targeted analyses to develop strategies that reflect the heterogeneity of STEM disciplines, STEM students, and educational settings.
... Hence, both forms of integration contribute indirectly to study success and lower dropout levels (Pascarella and Terenzini 2005). Though both types of integration appear to be meaningful for study success, Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon (2004) report that social integration is more effective in residential education, whereas in non-residential education (commuter colleges) academic integration appears to be more significant for enhancing students' study performance. ...
In higher education, departments are under increasing pressure to improve study success. Research in this field focusing on higher music education is scarce. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the predictive capability of the first year for study success of students at an academy of music in subsequent years. Data on study progression of 327 students were examined and courses with low pass rates were identified. In order to determine to what extent the first-year curriculum is selective, feasible and representative for the curriculum of subsequent years, group interviews and a survey were carried out. A clear relationship was found between study progress in year 1 and subsequent years. These results provide more insight into the predictive capability of the first year and have led to recommendations in how to improve study success in an academy of music.
... The findings of this study build on and supplement the work of student persistence researchers (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Tinto, 1986Tinto, , 1997 and others who have subsequently demonstrated the relevance of religious environmental factors to students' perceptions of fit (Morris et al. 2003;Rood, 2009). Much like Tinto's findings on persistence factors, the willingness and ability of participant students to adapt to the academic, social, and religious environmental factors and construct an acceptable degree of fit depended in part on students' background variables, personal goals, and academic and social experiences and expectations. ...
Decades of student persistence and retention literature has brought to light factors of social, academic, and religious fit that influence a student's decision to remain at or depart from an institution. At Christian institutions, increasing student pluralism raises the likelihood that students will not fit religiously. This qualitative study of 21 first-time, full-time students contributes to the existing literature by exploring how students who already feel they do not fit for religious reasons work at constructing a sense of fit at a Christian research university. Many participants coped with religious discontinuity by redefining specifically Christian practices and teachings in terms that were personally palatable: as either general moral lessons that would help them to be a better person or as cultural insights that would benefit them social and professionally in the future. In many cases, university staff were instrumental. Finally, participants worked to construct an acceptable level of fit, or fit threshold, through various combinations of social fit, academic fit, and religious fit, often compensating for one with others. As Christian institutions increasingly invite students from diverse religious backgrounds into their campus community, understanding ways that these students attempt to adapt to religious incongruence will be paramount.
... By creating small cohort groups based around academic courses, Synergy seeks to promote social and academic integration (Astin, 1999;Berger and Milem, 1999;Braxton, Hirschy and McClendon, 2004). Many at-risk students enter the university with a history of feeling overlooked for a wide range of reasons including race, social class, family or educational background, personal interests, or other factors. ...
While many universities seek to boost international enrollment,
adequate attention is not always paid to the needs of these applicants during the admission process. Due to a dearth of knowledge and support for overseas applicants to US colleges, international students are prime candidates for the kind of individualized support private counselors can provide. These counselors, known as Independent Educational Consultants (IECs), have begun to fill this niche market by providing college guidance to overseas applicants. IECs are generally employed by families to support students during the complex US college admission process and can provide valuable support to families during this rite of passage. Of course, not all students have access to IECs or choose to use them. However, the growing dependence on individuals who can provide private guidance for both domestic and international clients points to a broader challenge in the field regarding access to reliable information. It further suggests a growing chasm between those who have funds to hire these practitioners and those who do not.
... The manner in which students' lives outside of college are referenced in college-effects models suggests some uncertainty among scholars as to which, and how, student experiences outside an institution affect college student outcomes. Aside from acknowledgements that students' pre-college characteristics affect students' college experiences and outcomes, prominent college effects models (e.g., Astin, 1993a;Bean & Eaton, 2000;Kuh et al., 2006;Terenzini & Reason, 2005;Tinto, 1993), with few exceptions (e.g., Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon, 2004;Braxton, Doyle, Hartley, Hirschy, Jones, & McLendon, 2013), make little more than passing mention of students' lives outside of college. For example, one of Bean's early models (1983), which Cabrera, Nora, & Castañeda (1993) describe as "emphasiz[ing] the role of factors external to the institution" (p. ...
Students’ lives outside of college can have dramatic effects on academic outcomes (e.g., grades, persistence, graduation). However, the manner in which students’ lives outside of college are referenced in college-effects models suggests some uncertainty among scholars as to which, and how, student experiences outside of an institution affect college student outcomes. Using longitudinal data from a racially diverse sample of 3914 students (997 White, 1051 Black, 915 Hispanic, and 951 Asian) attending 28 institutions, this study employs logistic regression models to examine relationships between three types of non-college life-events and students’ likelihood of graduation. Specifically, we examine the impact of financial disruptions, grieving a friend’s or family member’s death, and other family situations that likely cause psychological distress for students. Results suggest that major life-events are both common (i.e., affecting over 52 % of students) and consequential (i.e., negatively affecting graduation rates), thus warranting increased attention from researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners.
... Some models of retention, such as Tinto's, rest on integration and assimilation of students of color into the college environment (Oseguera, Locks, & Vega, 2008). Other scholars have argued that student departure does not rest solely with the individual; the institutional culture and context frame the individual's experiences and ability to persist (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004;Pidgeon, 2008). The challenges of finding a place on campus and feeling integrated into the culture can be particularly challenging for students who feel marginalized (Oseguera, Locks, & Vega, 2008). ...
The recent higher education market has become more competitive, and some colleges are attempting to merge with other institutions in order to survive. Those college merging and acquisition behaviors reflect on contemporary institutional needs and external pressures. This paper investigates how the merging institution executes the process and what the significant components are on the process. The different merging theories provide a general idea of merging behavior for postsecondary institutions and each stakeholder has their own characteristics and roles to merge. This paper describes detailed functional linkages between institutions through the proposed model and shows the optimal status of the strategic agreement for successful merging. The negotiation between institutions have been transformed into more interdependent figures for each need, and the merging behaviors also reflect the requirement of the external environment. This merging behavior implies that the stakeholders in the higher education systems need to understand the internal structure of each other and they can share the new organizational reform in response to external changes.
Resumen La educación universitaria vespertina, en Chile, ha presentado en los últimos años, un acentuado crecimiento en su matrícula. Sin embargo, la interrupción de los estudios de quienes estudian en este horario de 19 a 23 horas (vespertino) ha sobrepasado la cifra promedio de deserción del sistema universitario chileno. Estos estudiantes se caracterizan por combinar responsabilidades familiares, laborales y académicas, presentando mayores niveles de deserción que los estudiantes que ingresan a la modalidad universitaria diurna, debido a las particularidades y situaciones que les rodean. En este contexto, esta investigación se propuso indagar sobre los factores que intervienen en las decisiones de abandono de los estudiantes universitarios con características no tradicionales, que asisten a programas de estudios vespertinos. Metodológicamente se optó por un diseño de investigación cualitativo de tipo exploratorio debido a la escasa investigación en la temática en el país. Para ello, se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a diez estudiantes desertores vespertinos. Una vez sistematizada la información, se obtuvo cuatro dimensiones emergentes de análisis, que sintetizaron las lógicas y significados que intervienen en el fenómeno que afecta a este grupo específico. Los hallazgos sobre la decisión de abandono de los estudiantes vespertinos de características no tradicionales dan cuenta de los siguientes factores, según relevancia, condiciones y características personales, capital y desempeño académico, imprevistos y circunstancias adversas y experiencias con la oferta institucional.
Supporting students through their transition into Higher Education is a vital function of any successful university business. An interconnected series of interventions have been tested at Birmingham City University, UK, as part of a national project, based on peer-led models of student support piloted in the Built Environment school. We reflect in particular upon our pre-arrival mentoring program, our work to reach out to disengaged students, and our broader efforts to build connected student communities, and show that challenges in both academic and social spheres can be tackled through well designed interventions. In part this work has been enabled through a new staff post, that of Graduate Student Success Advisors. Survey work with the pilot cohort has indicated steadily rising and above sector average levels of engagement and self-confidence, and the interventions described are now part of an embedded approach to supporting students through the early stages of their studies, across all subject areas in our department.
Today, there are more Latinos1
going to college than ever before. The majority of these
Hispanic students begin their education at community colleges. While enrollment rates for
Latinos have steadily increased since the 1970s, college completion rates have remained
stagnant. This article seeks to examine strategies to ensure Latino student success at community
colleges. Success is defined as enrollment, persistence and completion at a community college
and transfer to a four-year institution. A guiding framework for the article is an analysis of
empirical literature through three perspectives: individual factors, institutional factors and
environmental factors. The article concludes by providing recommendations for practitioners and
policymakers on initiatives to ensure Latino student success at community colleges
Nationwide, only 17% of community college students go on to complete a bachelor's degree within six years of enrolling at a community college and even a fewer number in the STEM fields. Community college students are more likely to be non-traditional, who are coincidentally comprised mostly of members of underrepresented groups. In this work, we examined the academic development of a cohort of non-traditional students as they transferred to an elite four-year institution from local community colleges. Drawing from educational and psychological research, we evaluated student motivation, resilience, and self-regulated learning habits throughout the first year of their transfer. The broader goal of this project is to better understand the self-regulated learning skills and motivation of non-traditional students from the point of transfer to degree completion. This in turn will foster the development of pedagogical techniques and support systems that are better suited for non-traditional students, with the ultimate goal of on-time degree completion and entrance into the STEM workforce.
In this paper, we employ Critical Race Theory theoretically and methodologically to examine the racialized experiences of students of color in higher education and student affairs (HESA) graduate preparation programs. We employ counter-storytelling as a method for constructing narratives that disrupt the master narrative found within HESA graduate preparation programs, which often boast an espoused commitment to diversity and social justice. Based on a study of 29 graduate students of color in 21 master’s programs across the United States, the counter-stories reflect the endemic nature of racism in graduate education including the classroom, academic program, and campus. Students expressed experiences of tokenization, disappointment, feelings of frustration, anger, and racial battle fatigue. Implications for improving racial climates in graduate education are also shared.
In this study, an online survey was constructed based on the extant literature on college student success. The survey was used to collect data from a sample of college students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors in order to examine their learning experiences and to identify the factors that may influence their persistence to degree completion. The findings support the theoretical modeling of the academic and social aspects of student college experience. Nonetheless, it is the institutional conditions, particularly the quality of academic program and faculty teaching and accessibility, which dominate the STEM students’ college experience and their persistence in academic major and to graduation. Therefore, it is critical for academic institutions to invest in a supportive learning environment by emphasizing quality teaching, accessible academic advising, and related functions in order to successfully engage STEM students in college education and increase their likelihood of degree completion.
The study used a theoretically guided questionnaire to examine student experience in college and to gain a better understanding about how college environment affects student persistence. Data were collected from a single four-year institution; the findings suggest that institutional control over academic quality is the most critical factor in reducing students’ dropout intention along with their ability to pay for college education. The results highlight the inconsistency between the specific needs of students in their particular academic settings and the dominant theoretical frameworks that focus on academic and social engagement, and these results offer encouragement for localized retention interventions based on sufficient understanding of students’ experiences.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.