Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / This study investigates students’ perception of factors that contributed to dropouts at a selected FET college. Despite receiving government funding, drop-out continues to increase. An understanding of perceived factors influencing drop-out rate would help to develop and deploy retention strategy for FET college students. Previous studies on drop-out shows that students that have dropped out are more likely to be unemployed and living in poverty compared to those students that have successfully completed their programmes. In 2006 the Minister of Labour declared that FET Colleges in South Africa have a major role to play in assisting youth in gaining skills and thereby halving poverty and the unemployment rate by the year 2014. This declaration highlights the importance of FET colleges and amplifies the need for a strategy to maximise students’ retention and minimise drop-out rate. This study utilise a random sampling method to select respondents. Data were collected using a questionnaire with a quantitative approach and designed in a Likert scale format. The study was limited to students at West Coast FET College’s campuses namely: Atlantis, Vredenburg, Malmesbury and Citrusdal. One hundred and fifty students were used as respondents and data were gathered from the questionnaires. The findings derived from the data revealed that multiple factors are perceived to be the cause of high student dropout. These factors are lack of finances for transport and accommodation especially for the first years and social context of individual learners. The study concludes that although finance and social context of individual learner are perceived drop-out factors, other personal attributes like learners’ attitude to learning and commitment also plays a role in students drop-out and drop-out intention.

Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed March 8, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-208).

This study examined the relationship between ten selected characteristics and persistence in different types of four-year institutions. The characteristics examined were divided into three separate clusters: personal (sex, race, religion), environmental (socioeconomic status, parents' educational level, number of children in the family), and academic (aptitude, high-school grades, size, and program). The data were extracted from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. The Carnegie classification was used to segregate four-year institutions of higher education into six major categories. Persistence in higher education was defined and examined in two different ways. In the first instance a persister was a student who enrolled in a particular institution in the fall of 1972 and graduated or continued his/her enrollment in the same type of institution according to the Carnegie classification on a full- or part-time basis through the fall of 1976. In the second instance a transfer student was defined as a student who persisted over the four-year period but moved his/her enrollment to an institution in other than the original Carnegie classification. First, data were gathered to examine the rates of student persistence. The resulting information was presented in tabular format. The second objective focused on the analysis of the relationship of the selected characteristics with persistence among and within the six classifications of institutions. The relationship of the selected characteristics and the distribution of persisting students among the six categories were analyzed. Different types of college-attendance patterns (persist, transfer, dropout) were isolated. These groups were compared using chi-square to determine significance of the comparisons. The findings were highlighted by the following statements. The recruitment and retention of black students in Research and Doctoral-Granting Universities were found ineffective. There was little difference between males and females in overall persistence rates. An association existed between religion and persistence in certain types of institutions illustrated by a strong overall persistence rate for Jewish students. High socioeconomic status students had a greater opportunity at institutional mobility by transferring into other classifications and then persisting in larger proportions than students in the low and medium range. As parental education levels increased so did the persistence rates of offspring. Aptitude and high-school grades were found strongly associated with persistence, however, different patterns were found in different institutional classifications.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of selected student background variables and traits with academic persistence of first-time, full-time, Native American students enrolled at a major Southwestern university from the 1988 to 1990 school years. The predictors associated with persistence of Native American students were identified by use of the Student Information Form, a survey questionnaire devised by Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP, 1990). The survey was administered during each Fall semester Freshmen Orientation to a total of 275 Native American students, 147 of whom voluntarily returned the questionnaire. Of this group, 83 questionnaires constituted the sample. The research centered on an examination of probability for six predictors and five psychological characteristics with academic persistence used as a dependent variable. The six predictors were: (1) high school grade point average, (2) American College Test (ACT) scores, (3) residence status, (4) parental income, (5) parental education, and (6) financial aid. The Logistic Regression Analysis was utilized to analyze data, and the obtained findings indicated that there was no significant correlation between Native American students' high school grade point average, ACT scores, parental income, parental education, residency, or financial aid and their academic persistence at a Southwestern university between 1988 to 1990. The analyses suggested a significant correlation between remaining at a university for four or more semesters and leadership, attitude, and values, and future goals. These three factors appeared to be the best predictors of academic persistence for Native American students.

The high drop out rate of black students at Universities and other tertiary institutions throughout the world has been of concern to these institutions, and has been researched for many years. This research looked at the high drop out rate of black students from the Educational Psychology Masters course during the period 2002 to 2006 at a Gauteng University in South Africa. The study investigated the experiences of the participants who dropped out or nearly dropped out of the course and attempted to identify the extrinsic and intrinsic barriers to learning that contributed to this. The researcher made use of an interpretivist, qualitative, case study design to explore the experiences of the black participants. The data collection methods included individual and paired interviews, using open-ended questions, as well as incomplete sentences questionnaires. Themes established were verified by participants at the end of the data collection process. Data was analysed using the constant comparative method and aspects of grounded theory. Six themes emerged as findings, which were discussed in detail. These included three external barriers to learning, namely, “lack of time”; “lack of resources” and “structure of the course and University factors”. Two themes emerged which were discussed as internal barriers to learning, namely “cultural factors” and “lack of skills”. The sixth and final theme fitted under the heading external and internal barriers to learning and discussed “overt and covert racism” experienced by the participants. Recommendations were made to minimise the barriers to learning experienced by the participants, and to better accommodate their needs within the course and University structure. The limitations and strengths of the research were explained and the research brought to a conclusion with recommendations for future research within this realm made. / Prof. J. Pillay & Dr. E. Fritz

The problem of this study was to determine the effectiveness of small group counseling in reducing the attrition rate and in altering the adjustment and values of freshmen in a community junior college.

This study investigated the factors related to student retention in a comprehensive community college developmental education mathematics program. The purpose was to identify and describe these factors and to develop strategies for improving retention in the community college developmental education mathematics program. Tinto's 1975 model of institutional departure was employed to examine different factors relating to retention in developmental education mathematics courses. In accordance with established criteria, data were collected using the Institutional Integration Scale (IIS) and Students Existing Records (SER). The IIS survey instrument questionnaire was completed by 41 students from a sample of 56 developmental education students enrolled in college level mathematics, and the data thus collected were used for analysis. Data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage, and the chi-square statistical analysis with a significant level of 0.05. The analysis of the data showed that the responding sample was primarily white, females aged 18 to 45. Most of the respondents had high grade point averages, did not miss any developmental education mathematics classes, and attended extra curricular activities infrequently. More fathers than mothers of the sample population had received a college education. Academic goal commitment, institutional experience, academic involvement, and placement grades were not statistically significant factors influencing retention. Among the major findings were: Development education instructors appeared to make the difference, institutional experience, academic goal commitment, and placement grades did not appear to play a major role; the students' academic involvement beyond classes appeared negligible; age, gender, grade point average, and parental educational levels were not significant factors for student retention in developmental education mathematics courses. Although statistical evidence did not support reversal of the proposed null hypotheses, pertinent issues for further research were raised.

The purpose of this study was to determine if significant differences existed in attitudes of international students concerning college withdrawal. Data collection involved 200 freshmen international students from two universities in Texas. Two questionnaires were distributed to the students to determine attitudes toward college withdrawal. The instrument used to score the attitudes was the Purdue Master Attitude Scale. The analysis of variance was used for the statistical evaluation. The statistics indicated there was no significant differences between the students tested in the study and that the students had favorable attitudes toward college and unfavorable attitudes toward college withdrawal. Based on the findings of this study, universities should devise an extensive counseling and orientation program in order to provide students opportunities to complete their college education.

The purpose of this study was to develop a prediction model for graduation rate at non-residential research universities. As well, this study investigated, described, and compared the student characteristics of non-residential and residential institutions. Making distinctions between significant predictor variables at non-residential research universities and significant predictor variables at residential institutions was also an aim. The researcher obtained data from the Integrated Postsecondary Data System. Student and institutional variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, analysis of variance, and regression analyses. Results indicated that student and institutional characteristics can be used to significantly predict graduation rate at nonresidential institutions with student variables yielding greater predictive power than institutional variables. As well, residential status was found to moderate the relationship between undergraduate enrollment and graduation rate. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This thesis tests the validity of three theories purporting to explain the attrition of stop outs -- why students interrupt their studies with the intent to return to school. Data were gathered at two schools, Portland State University and Reed College. Two theories, those of social class and involvement, were tested at each school as contending explanations of attrition by path analysis of parsimonious models derived by factor analysis. These theories were found to explain little of the variance of attendance pattern (less than 4.3 percent) at either school. No particular lines of causation could be demonstrated at either school. The third theory, that of career planning, asserts that students interrupt their studies to re-evaluate their course of action upon recognizing that chances of employment in their field are not good. This proposition was supported by the data at Portland State University.