This mixed methods study, a concurrent triangulation design, explored Tinto's integration theory as it relates to nontraditional students. The study explored the relationship of academic and social integration, defined by classroom active learning strategies and sense of belonging, with persistence. The study also expanded upon the idea of socio-academic integrative moments which might occur when social and academic integration converge or overlap. Consistent with Tinto's model, factors including initial institutional commitment, initial goal commitment, and subsequent institutional commitment were also analyzed. Multiple regression analysis of data obtained from a 38-question survey (n=299) revealed one common predictor of persistence among the three research questions: initial commitment to the educational goal. Qualitative data, interpreted from a diverse group of 10 nontraditional students, confirmed the quantitative findings and revealed that, in relation to persistence, initial commitment to the educational goal seemed to transcend all other theoretical factors including institutional commitment, social integration, academic integration, and student entry characteristics such as race, gender, parents' educational attainment, first-generation status, and high school GPA. In addition, focus group findings indicated the presence of socio-academic integrative described as academically-focused social integration. Recommendations for further exploration into the integrational convergence or non-linearity of Tinto's model are included. Recommendations for practice and future research prompt additional exploration into nontraditional student persistence including suggestions to identify factors related to meaningful integration for nontraditional students and how those factors might influence persistence.

The original goal of this project was to build a peer e-mentoring program for parents and measure the effect of the program on persistence. In spite of strong mentor participation, two terms of focused recruiting did not attract mentees. This sparked the question of why those who had successfully navigated the higher education system thought a peer e-mentoring program was needed but those in the process did not. A focused ethnography was designed to try to understand why students with children were resistant to peer e-mentoring. Students with children used technology to integrate the various roles of life. They used smart phones to organize, schedule, and research. They used them to schedule rides or childcare for children, communicated with professors and classmates, reviewed course resources, and whatever else they needed to communicate about. They solved problems by taking them one at time and planning for emergencies with contingencies. These students considered planning their best defense against failing to reach to graduation. They realized establishing and keeping communication lines open was critical. The turned most often to family for help but would reach out to professors and even staff if needed. They looked for professors who were known to go above and beyond for their students just in case they needed to reschedule exams or assignments. The overwhelming consensus about participation was that they just can’t see how it is possible make another commitment. Two mentor participants agreed to be interviewed and shared thoughts about privacy concerns but were willing to take the chance to help ease the way for another student parent. The students with children interviewed expressed the need to find solutions to constantly changing requirements but were not comfortable sharing their problems in a one to one mentoring program. Previous studies have suggested that implementing solutions for non-traditional students required a focused needs assessment. Many programs designed to increase retention for non-traditional students have resulted in exactly the results this one originally faced, a lack of participants or low results. Ultimately these students need just in time solutions for a changing myriad of road blocks to graduation.

The purpose of this study was to integrate traditional student success models with theories which focus on nontraditional students to create a model of early community college student success. The researcher sought to understand the pre-college behaviors, attitudes, and attributes, from both cognitive and noncognitive domains, which influence the success of first-time community college students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course. First-time community college students enrolled in Elementary Algebra (N=385) were surveyed on their educational goals, prior academic achievement, anticipated interactions during the first semester, and items from the Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) (Sedlacek, 2004). Institutional data supplemented the survey variables as well as provided all dependent variables. Factor analyses were conducted to reduce the number of anticipatory variables. Descriptive statistics were reported for all dependent and independent variables. Both linear regression and logistic regression were utilized to examine the six research questions. Variables were entered into the regression equations in five blocks: demographics, college plans, prior mathematics achievement, anticipated experiences and interactions, and noncognitive variables. The model proved to be statistically significant in explaining each of the six dependent measures of student success. Moreover after controlling for the first four blocks of independent variables, six of the eight noncognitive variables reached statistical significance in its relationship to at least one dependent variable, with at least one significant finding regarding the effects of noncognitive variables on each of the six outcome measures. The findings of the study suggest noncognitive variables are useful in predicting student success and persistence at least early in the community college experience. Future researchers, policymakers, and administrators will gain insights into the application of noncognitive variables with a population of community college students.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / This research paper is based on an investigation of the factors that enabled final year students to persist in a four-year degree programme (Foundation Programme). This study is important given that students who generally enrol for this programme terminate their studies before completion. This is a qualitative study in which interviewing was employed to collect the data. The conceptual framework is underpinned by Tinto’s model of student persistence with specific focus on student involvement through peer group interaction in the formal structure of the classroom. It also hones in on informal engagement which goes beyond the nature of the classroom. It further explores the relevance of academic integration, which encompasses a student’s ability to become well-grounded intellectually in the sphere of the institution in order to respond in a critical and systematic way to its educational demands. In addition, it further interrogates how peer group interaction and academic integration impact students’ ability to persist with their studies. Thus, the findings confirm that relationships exist between peer group interaction, academic integration, and persistence.

College student persistence has been the focus of much research for over 40 years, but there has been little progress in increasing the rate of student persistence. Many scholars have focused on specific student populations in particular institutional types. While the fastest growing institutional type has been the 2-year for-profit college serving primarily underserved communities, the experience of persistence among students of this population has not been studied. Accordingly, this study was conducted to explore, through a social cognitive lens, the persistence experiences of students from minority urban communities attending 2-year for-profit colleges. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data from interviews with 4 students from various schools around the country. Four common themes were found: social support, independence, growth, and conflict. All the students cited family as relevant but also as a source of conflict. All the students also expressed the importance of faculty for academic success, engagement, and fun. Participants did not mention any engagement or concern around financial policies, and social integration outside the classroom was valued more than the in-classroom experience. The results of this study will be shared to enhance understanding of persistence in 2-year schools. Insights from this study can help administrators, advisors, and instructors design and implement programs to be more closely aligned with the needs of this important student population.

Participation in non-classroom activities has been documented to extend the intellectual, social, and psychosocial outcomes of the college experience. However, the benefits of non-classroom activities are often difficult to quantify due their voluntary nature, with findings mostly related to students within four-year institutions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether rural community college full-time freshman students who participate in non-classroom activities differ from nonparticipants with regard to self-identified values of academic integration, social integration, degree commitment, collegiate stress, and institutional commitment. These five factors have been demonstrated to influence student persistence and were adopted from Davidson et al.’s (2015) College Persistence Questionnaire, Version 2 (CPQ-V2). CPQ-V2 data were collected using an electronic survey distributed during the Fall 2021 semester. Survey participants offered details about their personal background and involvement in non-classroom activities, followed by responses to a series of questions from an adapted form of the CPQ-V2. The chi-square test of independence and one-way ANOVA were used to identify significant associations or relationships between variables. Data were analyzed through the lens of Astin’s theory of student involvement and Tinto’s theory of student departure. The results of analysis detected statistically significant associations between students’ level of involvement and their program of study, residency, employment, parental education, and volume of online classes. Their type of involvement was found to have a significant association with student residency. The level of involvement among students was also found to be significantly associated with their self-reported sense of social integration and degree commitment, a finding that was accompanied by the types of involvement and their statistical significance to their sense of social integration. Results from the survey instrument can vary across institutions and student populations; still, the results further demonstrate the differences among student groups in their non-classroom involvement. Accordingly, practitioners should continuously monitor their institution’s effectiveness in providing non-classroom opportunities that meet community college students’ needs and support their persistence efforts.

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Magister Educationis - MEd / Student persistence is a thorn area which did not receive much publication in Namibia and South Africa. Many research focused on why students fail to persist in higher education opposed to why they succeed. This research paper mainly investigated the relationships between external communities, social and academic integration and student persistence among distance students. I used Tinto's theory of student persistence at institutions of higher learning as my theoretical approach. The study employed a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design. I collected data by interviewing senior distance students at a certain public university in Southern Africa. The findings of this research revealed that the majority of students are self-driven which gave an impression that self -motivation and intentions of participants contribute significantly to student persistence. Indications are that informal peer group support contributes considerably to student persistence. The overall outcomes suggest that support from family members and employers positively influence students' academic progress and success. This study generally suggests that there is a positive relationship between external communities and student persistence opposed to what many scholars suggested.

A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to understand the transition and integration experiences of first-year freshmen who participated in an outdoor orientation program at 2 higher education institutions in the Southeastern United States. Student attrition from the first year to the second year and increased time to degree completion are challenges for a number of higher education institutions in the United States (Hamilton & Hamilton, 2006; Pascarella, Terenzini, & Wolfle, 1986; Tinto, 2006). First-year to second-year attrition and lack of persistence to degree completion may be due to an unsuccessful transition to college, the inability to integrate into the campus community, or a lack of student involvement (Braxton & McClendon, 2001; Tinto, 2006). The research setting included 2 public higher education institutions that offer outdoor orientation programs for incoming first-year freshmen. The sample was purposefully selected, using 4 criterion: (1) first-year students who had participated in a university sponsored outdoor based program prior to their first year of college, (2) students who had successfully completed their first semester of college and remained enrolled as a student during the data collection term of the research, (3) students meeting the definition of traditional age (18-21 years old) college freshmen, and (4) students willing to participate in data collection. Traditional age first-year students who participated in outdoor orientation programs at 2 institutions during the summer 2015, and who were enrolled in the spring 2016, were eligible research participants. The sample chosen provided information-rich, illuminative detail on the phenomenon of first-year student transition and integration to college. Data collection included the creation of 3 concept maps followed by a semistructured in-depth interview. The highest number of mentioned areas on the research participant concept maps included friends, family, and organizations/clubs. A comprehensive support system, the right environment, and engagement in fun campus activities were found to be cornerstones of successful transition and integration to college. The study provides higher education leaders with insight on the lived experiences of first-year student transition and integration as well as evidence related to the impact of first-year experience programs that may guide and enhance institutional efforts.