<p> Students who declare a major follow a sequence of courses beginning with the introductory course in the major that is usually defined as a 100-level, or freshman level course. This introductory class is called a gateway class, as students must complete this course to register for the next sequence of courses within their major. This study examined and measured the relationship between first-time, full-time freshman, college students who attempted a gateway class within their declared major during their first semester of college and the retention of these students to their second semester. The study also analyzed retention rates for students who declared a major, completed a class, but not the gateway class in their major and the retention rate for these students. Finally, the study analyzed students who did not declare a major, completed a class, and the retention rate for these students. The findings in this study suggests first-time, full-time freshman students who declared a major and successfully completed the gateway class were more likely to persist, then students who were unsuccessful with the gateway class, or students who declared a major, completed a class, but not the gateway class in their major. To improve retention of first-time, full-time freshman students, the results of this study indicate changes are warranted in the way students are advised with regard to which classes they should complete in their first semester of college. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3585976 |
| Date | 16 April 2014 |
| Creators | Flanders, Gordon R. |
| Publisher | University of Phoenix |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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