Increasing national emphasis on college completion and affordability has prompted institutional efforts to focus on increasing efficient degree attainment within four-years. Traditional predictors of four-year graduation, Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores and high school grade point average (GPA) may disproportionately negatively impact the enrollment of African American and Latino students who are more likely to receive lower scores on these metrics. This study sought to identify quantifiable non-academic metrics that can assist to predict bachelor's degree attainment in four years for African Americans and Latinos who do not meet typical standardized testing and scoring predictors. A regression analysis was performed on CIRP Freshmen Survey data for University of Texas at Austin students first enrolled in fall 2008 to assess the strength of Freshmen Survey constructs and student-level financial aid to predict graduation within a four-year timeframe. The results showed that the combined consideration of select variables increased the accuracy of prediction by over seven percentage points; moreover, two factors, holding a positive self-concept and likelihood of college involvement, demonstrated statistical significance within the model. While there are several study limitations, the findings offer support for further exploration of a model for predicting four-year graduation that considers non-academic data elements. / text

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / The research question that guided this doctoral study is: How do pre-entry academic and non-academic factors influence teacher education students’ first-year experience and academic performance? The study was designed within the qualitative research paradigm and employed a case study strategy to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative approach included a questionnaire that was completed by 195 respondents. The qualitative data was obtained from one-on-one and focus-group interviews with eight participants that were purposively selected. The conceptual framework developed for this enquiry took into consideration the significance of student diversity in understanding first-year experience and thus employed concepts from two sociological models, Tinto’s (1975; 1993) integration model (social and academic integration) and Bourdieu’s (1984; 1990) theoretical tools of capital, habitus and field. Six key themes emerged from the data: determination, self-reliance, fitting-in, out-of-habitus experience, positioning oneself to succeed and challenges. The unequal distribution of economic, social and cultural capital created disparities between students’ habitus and schooling experiences which influenced the way they integrated into their first year at university. The study revealed that more mature students than school-leavers and gap-students are entering higher education. Further, the majority of first-year students are unable to fund their studies and source external funding or engage in part-time employment. Students pursued financial aid before focusing on academic activities. Engagement in the social domain remained marginal. Students’ determination to change their economic circumstances was the primary factor that influenced their attitudes and actions at university. Higher education needs to consider student diversity, financial constraints of disadvantaged students, first-year curriculum planning and delivery, and the high cost of university studies. It needs to move away from viewing entering students from a deficit model, to capitalise on their qualities of determination, optimism, enthusiasm and openness to learning, thereby creating an inclusive first-year experience that could encourage retention and student success.

This study examined the trend of ten dropout indicators between various grade levels and focused on those indicators that can be changed, such as attendance or grades, versus those factors that cannot be changed by the student (i.e., their socioeconomic status). The study consisted of 111 Race-to-the-Top Schools from 22 districts in the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) and the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) in Kentucky. A total of 18,072 students in fourth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and eleventh grades completed the 10-item dropout indicator survey. Results of the Chi-square analysis indicate that percentages of agreement on most of the ten dropout indicators increase by grade with some exceptions (e.g., repeated a grade and referrals). Overall, academic and non-academic factors were of equal importance for most of the grades surveyed. However, ninth grade students were twice as likely to report non-academic factors over academic.

abstract: This study determined if differences exist among the health professions advising community between factors (academic and non-academic) used as selection criteria in medical school admissions, as well as the impact of the holistic review in admissions on new admissions initiatives with respect to personal and professional backgrounds of advisors. The study examined the differences based on the gender, race and ethnicity, age, years of advising experience, institution size and type, classification and region of the population. Statistical analyses were conducted using comparison of means tests: one-sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA to determine the significance of differences for each of the variables. Significant differences were found to exist among the health professions advising community based on gender, race and ethnicity, institution type, classification of appointment, institution size and type. The findings of the study suggested that the personal and professional background of a health professions advisor did impact the perception of importance among the academic and non-academic factors used in the selection of medical students. The medical school admissions community should appreciate the unique viewpoints of the broader health professions advising community when building relationships and finding opportunities to collaborate. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2012

There are many factors that affect academic achievement among first year college students in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of academic achievement of first year college students in Saudi Arabia by investigating the relationship between a selection of demographic, academic, and psychological variables and their effects on first-year students’ GPA. All first-year students admitted to the King Saud University in fall 2016 or spring 2017 were invited to complete a self-report survey. 1457 students have completed and submitted the survey. Multiple regression analysis was performed with all independent variables in order to determine whether there were any significant relations between the independent variables and academic achievement. Among the study variables, six variables predicted first-year students’ GPA. Those variables were high school, Saudi aptitude test, Saudi achievement test, gender, stress, and mother’s education level.

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This paper investigates the factors that influence in the drop-out of university students, of the first cycle of distance education belonging to the administration school of the university Lord of Sipán, between 2011-I to 2013-I. It addresses the individual, socio-economic, academic and finally institutional factors.Among the individual factors, the one that most influenced the drop-out was the lack of time dedicated to the study (53% of the total respondents). With regard to socio-economic factors such as: employment status, salaries received, dependents, etc. none of them influenced student dropouts (79.3% of all respondents). Among institutional factors such as: care received, administrative support, virtual environment, etc. did not influence desertion. Finally, academic factors such as: conformity with curriculum, training received, etc., were not relevant in desertion. / En el presente trabajo se investiga los factores que influyen en la deserción de los estudiantes universitarios del primer ciclo de educación a distancia, pertenecientes a la Escuela de Administración de la Universidad Señor de Sipán, entre los semestres 2011-I y 2013-I. Del mismo modo se aborda los factores individuales, socioeconómicos, académicos y finalmente los institucionales.Dentro de los factores individuales, el que más influyó en la deserción fue la falta de tiempo dedicado al estudio (53% del total de encuestados). Respecto a los factores socioeconómicos, como situación laboral, sueldos percibidos, personas a cargo, etc., ninguno de ellos influyó en la deserción de la mayoría de estudiantes (79,3% del total de encuestados). Los factores institucionales como la atención recibida, el apoyo administrativo, el entorno virtual, entre otros, no influyeron en la deserción. Finalmente, los factores académicos, como la conformidad con el plan de estudios, la capacitación recibida, etc., no fueron influyentes para la deserción. / Este trabalho investiga os fatores que influenciam o abandono de estudantes universitários do primeiro ciclo de ensino à distância, pertencentes à escola de administração da universidade Senhor do Sipán, entre 2011-I a 2013-I. Aborda os fatores individuais, socioeconômicos, acadêmicos e, finalmente, institucionais.Entre os fatores individuais, o que mais influenciou o abandono foi a falta de tempo dedicado ao estudo (53% do total de inquiridos). No que diz respeito a fatores socioeconômicos, tais como: status de emprego, salários recebidos, dependentes, etc. nenhum deles influenciou o abandono escolar (79,3% de todos os entrevistados). Fatores institucionais, tais como: cuidados recebidos, suporte administrativo, ambiente virtual, etc. não influenciou a deserção. Finalmente, fatores acadêmicos, tais como: conformidade com currículo, treinamento recebido, etc. não eram relevantes em deserção.

Cubans arrive in the U.S. with more formal education than other Latino immigrants, and they arrive to communities with long standing networks of support. Though their baccalaureate degree attainment is better than their non-Cuban Latina counterparts, Cuban women still lag behind White, non-Latina women. The qualitative study aims to explore the principal influences and non-academic factors that 15 adult Cuban non-native English-speaking women in South Florida attribute to the successful attainment of their baccalaureate degree. There are many differences among the various immigrant Latino communities in the U.S., and Cuban women are largely absent from the research. Nearly 75% of Cuban women who start Miami Dade College with English as a second language course-work drop out within one year of matriculation. Understanding the principal influences and non-academic factors related to the baccalaureate attainment rate of this group may assist educators and administrators in providing the support these women need to enhance their degree completion. The literature says that the baccalaureate degree attainment of Latinos is influenced by age-at-the-time-of-immigration, country of origin, and gender, yet little research was found on the degree attainment specifically of female Cubans who entered the U.S. having already completed most of their education in Cuba. My dissertation explores the journey of 15 Cuban women who arrived in the U.S. as teens during the 1990s and had to learn English as a second language at an urban community college prior to completing a baccalaureate degree. The purpose of the research is to describe the principal influences and non-academic factors that these women attribute to their baccalaureate degree attainment.