The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between student persistence and financial aid through a meta-analysis of existing empirical research. The significance of the study was that financial aid policy would be enhanced if the facts regarding the relationship were clearly known. The meta-analysis assessed forty-nine studies, representing seventy samples. Studies were organized into two categories: (1) studies that compared financial aid recipients to nonrecipients and (2) studies that examined persistence differences among financial aid recipients. Studies were integrated by converting each study result into the common metric of effect size. The meta-analysis results were reported in average unweighted and weighted effect sizes. In the latter case results were weighted by the number in the treatment group. Average effect sizes were interpreted by (1) absolute magnitude of effect sizes, (2) graphic representation, and (3) an elasticity measure. The meta-analysis examining the total sample found financial aid to have a small, but significant, positive effect on student persistence, thereby enabling lower income students to persist at a rate roughly equal to that of middle and upper income students. The average unweighted and weighted effect sizes of the total sample were +.13 and +.06, respectively. The length of persistence measured, the type of institution attended, and whether studies controlled for academic ability were found to be mediators influencing the magnitude and direction of the effect size. When results of studies that examined persistence differences among financial aid recipients were integrated, the following conclusions were reached: (1) there was little difference in the persistence of males and females, (2) minority students persisted significantly less than white students, and (3) the amount of financial aid had a significant positive effect on persistence. When forms of financial aid were analyzed, although the effect sizes were reasonably small and the differences in effect sizes among forms were minimal, combinations of aid were determined to be more effective than single forms. This finding probably reflects more the amount of financial aid than the form of financial aid.

The purpose of the study was threefold: (a) to determine the amount of student financial aid received by undergraduate students in targeted groups to see who benefits, (b) to identify a limited number of variables that account for a significant portion of differences in aid distribution, and (c) to examine alternative models that might clarify suspicions of substantive bias in aid distribution. The research questions addressed the variability among aid recipients in amount of student financial aid, the variables most closely related to aid differences, and the extent to which these variables are included in financial aid formulas. This study employed data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, which collected enrollment and financial aid information for 59,886 postsecondary education students in Fall, 1986. In this study, several samples of aided undergraduate students from public and private, non-profit, institutions were used. Methods included: 1. A large number of variables, selected because of their close association with aid distribution, were reduced through factor analysis to support descriptive analysis. 2. The resulting factors and variables were used to create competing models to predict variability in aid distribution. 3. Regression models were tested using SAS regression procedures. 4. Significant variables were used to aggregate the amounts of aid received by each class of recipient. The major finding was that the amount of aid appeared to be primarily a function of institutional price/control. Income was related to the amount of aid, as were type of institution and attendance pattern, but these variables played a lesser role in accounting for aid differences. Student demographic variables, such as race and sex, accounted for little of the differences in the regression models. Yet differences were apparent when descriptive profiles were drawn. It was shown in the profiles that minorities and males generally received higher amounts of aid. Students at four-year institutions and at private institutions appeared to have a smaller percentage of their costs met by aid. Although aid was being distributed to need-based recipients largely in the manner intended by the Higher Education Act, some inequities in distribution were observed. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to describe the state competitive scholarship programs of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia. The coordination and the impact of the respective programs at selected public and non-public colleges and universities within the four states were also studied. The description of the state competitive scholarship programs consisted of the: (1) origin and purpose, (2) superior body and professional staff, (3) selection of the recipients, (4) growth, (5) administration, (6) state grant and/or state loan program(s), (7) problems, (8) recommendations, and (9) future directions. The descriptive information was gathered by private interviews with each of the four state competitive scholarship directors and the eight college student financial aid directors.The review of related literature consisted of three parts: (1) the significance of the state scholarship programs, (2) the National Association of State Scholarship Programs, (3) federal student financial aid programs.The conclusions of the study were:1. The state competitive scholarship programs have a common objective to assist qualified students obtain a college education.2. The monetary scholarships are awarded according to academic ability and demonstrated financial need relative to the approved college choice.3. Applicants who are academically qualified but unable to demonstrate financial need are awarded honorary scholarships.4. Sufficient monies should be available to assist applicants at in-state institutions before consideration be given to using scholarships at out-of-state institutions.5. Concentrated efforts are made to simplify application procedures for state scholarships.6. The state scholarship programs are free from political pressure in the selection of recipients.7. The state grant awards should be used at approved public and non-public institutions.8. The state grant program should make awards on the demonstration of financial need relative to the approved college choice.9. The state loan program should make student loans only on the basis of financial need.10. The state scholarship program directors agreed that the:A. high school counselors are instrumental in the success of the state scholarship program;B. high school counselors should meet at least annually with the state scholarship personnel;C. college student financial aids officers usually coordinate the state scholarship programs satisfactorily;D. college student financial aids officers should meet at least annually with the state scholarship personnel;E. college student financial aids officer who is a generalist is more competent than a specialist11. The college student financial aids officers were in disagreement regarding the success of the state scholarship program in providing a free choice of colleges within the state.12. The college student financial aids directors agreed that an institutional scholarship should beto a state scholar if the additional need was demonstrated.13. Coordination should exist between the United States Office of Education and the state scholarship offices since the mutual concern is to financially assist qualified applicants.A recommended basic design for a state competitive scholarship program was a part of the study. The design was primarily based upon the characteristics of the Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia programs.The recommendations for further study are:1. A descriptive study of selected competitive scholarship programs of states which have membership another geographical association of student financial aid administrators.2. An in-depth study of the grant programs which are administered by the state scholarship commissions.3. A study to analyze a state scholarship or grant program for graduate students.4. An attitudinal study of former college students who are now repaying the guaranteed bank loans.5. A study to determine why there has been no apparent coordination between the federal government and the state scholarship commissions.

Not available / text

The Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) is intended to help student parents to persist with their course of study and graduate as soon as possible. This study was done to gain further insight into the service needs of the parents who participate in the program.

The purpose of this study was to test a conceptual model for assessing the effects of student aid on community college student persistence. A sample consisting of all students who had entered a public community college during the 1980 fall term was drawn from the database of High School and Beyond, 1980 Senior Cohort. Omitting transfer students brought the sample size to 1,364 students. The model of student persistence was based on Tinto's theory of student integration and prior research that suggested student aid may be related to the persistence of community college students. Persistence was defined as the number of terms of enrollment over a two year period (1980-81 and 1981-82). Receipt of aid was associated with lower socioeconomic status, higher tuition charges, above average high school grades, and an ethnic background other than Asian or non-Hispanic white. Aid recipients considered college costs and the availability of aid more important factors in their college choice. A model of student persistence composed of eight exogenous and five endogenous variables was tested through path analysis. It was found that the receipt of student aid did not have significant effects on any of the subsequent variables in the model. Estimation of a reduced path model omitting the aid variable did not result in a significant reduction in explained variance. Degree goals, initial expectation regarding higher education, encouragement to attend college, academic integration, and full-time work were the most important influences on persistence. These findings validated the importance of some of the major constructs in the theory of student integration, but they did not support the research hypothesis that student aid recipients would have a higher rate of persistence than nonrecipients when other factors were held constant. Since encouragement from significant others had a strong and positive association with student persistence, it was suggested that future research consider the role of encouragement on persistence. / Ph. D.