While studies largely support Tinto's model of student retention, consistent estimates of effects are lacking. Furthermore, many two-year institutions are largely commuter institutions, bringing into question the usefulness of a retention model which stresses social integration. Consequently, the problem is that the effects of academic and social integration on student persistence among residential, two-year college students are uncertain since this population has not specifically been targeted in the field of student retention research. / The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the problem of student departure at Abraham Baldwin College (ABAC), a two-year residential college in Tifton, Georgia, by studying the patterns of student persistence among four student groups: commuting students, residential students, academically high-risk students and students considered not to be at risk academically. / Abraham Baldwin College's student database was the source of data for this study. An institutional survey was conducted during the spring quarter 1991 of 846 students (39.4 percent of the student population) which added to this database items concerning the academic and social integration of the students. The hypotheses were tested using a t-test for contrasting beta weights. / Even though only two of the six hypotheses were statistically significant, the results provided by the standardized regression coefficients were consistent with much of the previous research on student retention. These results indicated that social integration served as a greater estimate of effect on persistence among both the residential students and those students considered to be "not-at-risk" academically. Social integration had a negative effect on persistence among the developmental studies students (academically at-risk students). / Academic integration served as a greater estimate of effect for the commuting students and the developmental studies students. Consequently, the commuting student group and the developmental studies students share patterns of persistence and a mutual need: academic integration. The necessity for all students to become integrated into the academics of college life is vital but more so for the academically at-risk and commuting students. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-03, Section: A, page: 0682. / Major Professor: Louis Bender. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76605 |
| Contributors | Ross, Chrystle M., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 102 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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