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The problem investigated in this study was which of three theories of withdrawal best explained why some community college students voluntarily disengaged from school. The theories examined were Clark's (1960, 1980) "cooling-out" theory, Ogbu's (1974, 1978) "job ceiling" theory, and Willis' (1977) "counter-culture" theory. Eleven white females who originally attended the same institution in the southeastern United States primarily as full-time students and later voluntarily withdrew were selected on the basis of those who would have ordinarily been expected to persist to graduation and those who would not have been expected to do so. These two groups were also sub-divided by lower and higher social class standing. Data were collected through four interviews to provide a life history of the educational and occupational experiences, attitudes, aspirations, and beliefs of each participant. Domain analysis, a method recommended for qualitative, text-based data, was used to analyze the transcribed interview responses. The findings indicate that the three theories providing the conceptual framework do not fully explain why the women in this study chose to withdraw from college. These women did not seem to perceive that the institution had encouraged them to lower their aspirations and to relocate in the curriculum (Clark). The women also did not seem to consider the job ceiling in making their own occupational decisions (Ogbu). Further, they did not seem to be attracted to a counter-culture set of beliefs and behaviors, and in fact, seemed to accept the beliefs and behaviors of the school (Willis). Rather, the women in this study demonstrated goal confusion and indecision, confusion about the relationship between education and work, and ambivalence about the identities and roles they wanted for themselves. Although they all wanted "something special" as an occupation, they gradually narrowed their options by acting upon the messages they received from significant others and from their observations about the role of education and work in people's lives. The decision to withdraw from college was but one of the choices they made as they narrowed their l options. Factors which remain unexplained by the three theories and recommendations for community colleges hoping to improve retention rates are discussed. / Ed. D.

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.

This study investigated enrollment management practices found in higher education. The research identified enrollment management and retention practices described in the higher education literature. These suggested practices were incorporated into a sixty-six question survey that was distributed to a random sample of colleges and universities taken from the 1999 US News and World Report of college rankings. The survey data were used to identify which of the suggested enrollment management practices were of greatest utility. First, the sixty-six items were grouped into 14 categories of enrollment management strategies. Second, the institutional responses for each category were averaged and then correlated with each institution's graduation rate. Finally, each institution's "yes" responses for the entire survey were totaled and correlated with each institution's graduation rate. This study developed a list of the 26 most frequently used enrollment management practices in higher education, and as well, identified the 10 least used enrollment management practices. Given the results of this study graduation rate is not a sufficient criterion to assess enrollment management practices at a college or university. Enrollment management strategies contribute to many institutional and student outcomes; thus, multiple indicators are required to accurately evaluate enrollment management practices.

A sample of 674 first-year student-athletes at Ball State University were examined for five consecutive years (2004-2008) to determine what combination of demographic, academic, and athletic variables best predicted first-year GPA and retention into the second year of college. The dependent variables of first-year GPA and retention were chosen because they are two primary components used to calculate the Academic Progress Rate, a semester by semester evaluation of team academic performance used by the NCAA (Christianson, 2004). Results revealed college student-athletes had a higher first-year GPA if they were female (r = .36), Caucasian (r = .36), attended college relatively close to their hometown (r = .09), scored well on standardized tests (r = .49), had a respectable high school GPA (r = .65), were ranked high in their graduating high school class (r = -.58), had a large high school graduating class (r = .15), declared a major upon entering college (r = -.11), were not a member of a revenue sport (r = .37), and earned a considerable amount of playing time (r = .15). Building on the relative strengths of those relationships, first-year GPA can be predicted by knowing gender (B = .16), race (B = -.26), standardized test scores (B = .03), high school GPA (B = .41), high school rank (B < -.01), and high school size (B < .01). The retention of student-athletes into their second year of college produced a slightly different set of relationships. Student-athletes were more likely to be retained if they were Caucasian (r = .16), attended college close to their hometown (r = .09), scored well on standardized tests (r = -.11), had a respectable high school GPA (r = -.14), were ranked high in their graduating high school class (r = .12), were not a member of a revenue sport (r = -.09), and earned a considerable amount of playing time (r = -.17). Predicting retention is possible with information about race (B = 1.09), distance from hometown (B = .4), type of sport (B = .82), and amount of playing time (B = -.70). / Department of Educational Leadership

The problem with which this study is concerned is the methodology that is used to assess the relationship between student perceptions of the college environment and student attrition. The population of the study was 329 students from a metropolitan community college who took the Student Opinion Survey, a publication of the American College Testing Service. Data on course withdrawals and non-return in a subsequent long semester were collected for the student population. The data results were analyzed statistically using analyses of variance, Pearson product moment correlation, multiple regression analysis using step-wise procedures, and factor analysis. Data were considered statistically significant at the .05 level in relation to seven hypotheses on combinations of variables that include areas of student satisfaction with the college environment, student background data, course withdrawal, and non-return in a subsequent long semester.

A number of studies have been conducted on the attrition rates of undergraduate and graduate students. However, the body of knowledge concerning attrition for doctoral students, especially those who have attained the level of “all but dissertation” (ABD), is limited. The purpose of this research was to examine retention and attrition factors of doctoral candidates from a typical Higher Education Doctoral Program (Research II Public Institution) who were admitted to candidacy from 1991 through July 2000. Participation of the subject population was limited to those who had attained the level of ABD--those who had previously fulfilled the residency, coursework, foreign language or tool-subject requirements, and successfully completed the comprehensive/qualifying exams. This population included current ABDs, previously attrited ABDs, and graduates of the degree program. The research study was qualitative and intended to identify the effect of specific, predetermined factors that may have influenced or affected the progress of current, previous, and graduated students towards the doctoral degree in higher education. This study obtained responses to questions from the questionnaire/survey instrument concerning factors that affected program completion or attrition. Students had the opportunity to elaborate on factors from their dissertation, advisement, and personal, financial, and employment experiences that affected their ability to complete the program through open-ended question responses. By examining key factors in the doctoral degree experience from the three sample groups (current ABDs, previous ABDs, and graduated Ed.Ds), this study was able to draw some conclusions about doctoral attrition. Reconstructing and comparing the experiences of ABDs from the point of candidacy to the point of attrition or completion of the program determined trends, commonalities, and issues affecting achievement. Results of this study add to the limited research concerning ABD attrition and provide an insight from the student perspective as to the obstacles and support variables in the quest for the doctoral degree.