Predicting Persistence Of First-Time Freshmen At A Large-City Community College
Predicting Persistence Of First-Time Freshmen At A Large-City Community College

Author: William Laurance King III

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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The lack of student persistence is a burgeoning issue and over the last 40 years has become a national concern among researchers, administrators, policymakers and practitioners. Given the low persistence rates of first-year students at America's community colleges, leaders are searching for useful and successful strategies that will aid in closing the gap in student attrition. Successful completion of a degree or certificate is often considered the great economic equalizer in today's society from a public and cultural perspective. The purpose of this research study was to empirically investigate the odds ratio associated with predicting persistence that exists between first-time freshmen students who lived in campus housing and those who live off-campus at a large-city community college referred to as LCCC. Specifically, the focus of this study was to determine whether living in on-campus housing, receiving needs-based federal financial aid (Pell Grant), ethnicity, gender and enrolling in one or more developmental education courses are predictors of persistence. This study was predicated on the collection of quantitative data from a large-city community college's student information system from the years 2010 through 2013. The researcher has concluded based on the data analysis of this research study the results were statistically insignificant for those students living on-campus when compared to those students living off-campus. An analysis of Ethnicity as a predictor of persistence revealed that in the short-term African-American students actually persisted at higher rates than their counterparts. However, in three of the last four semesters analyzed, African-Americans persisted at significantly lower rates than White students. Lastly, an analysis of the students who were enrolled in Developmental Education (Remedial) courses suggested that the odds are significantly lower concerning persistence versus their counterparts. However, it must be noted that both Hispanic students and those receiving needs-based financial aid (Pell) attrition was no worse than their counterparts. Based on the complex nature of both the community college student and the unique opportunity for them to live on-campus, additional data is required in order to measure and evaluate whether housing status promotes improved academic persistence. The reported research studies pertaining to community colleges and living on-campus are meager at best. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/155442

Increasing Persistence
Increasing Persistence

Author: Wesley R. Habley

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-09-04

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 0470888431

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INCREASING PERSISTENCE "Of all the books addressing the puzzle of student success and persistence, I found this one to be the most helpful and believe it will be extremely useful to faculty and staff attempting to promote student success. The authors solidly ground their work in empirical research, and do a brilliant job providing both an overview of the relevant literature as well as research-based recommendations for intervention." GAIL HACKETT, PH.D., provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs; professor, counseling and educational psychology, University of Missouri, Kansas City Research indicates that approximately forty percent of all college students never earn a degree anywhere, any time in their lives. This fact has not changed since the middle of the 20th century. Written for practitioners and those who lead retention and persistence initiatives at both the institutional and public policy levels, Increasing Persistence offers a compendium on college student persistence that integrates concept, theory, and research with successful practice. It is anchored by the ACT's What Works in Student Retention (WWISR) survey of 1,100 colleges and universities, an important resource that contains insights on the causes of attrition and identifies retention interventions that are most likely to enhance student persistence.?? The authors focus on three essential conditions for student success: students must learn; students must be motivated, committed, engaged, and self-regulating; and students must connect with educational programs consistent with their interests and abilities. The authors offer a detailed discussion of the four interventions that research shows are the most effective for helping students persist and succeed: assessment and course placement, developmental education initiatives, academic advising, and student transition programming. Finally, they urge broadening the current retention construct, providing guidance to policy makers, campus leaders, and individuals on the contributions they can make to student success.

Retention and Persistence in Higher Education
Retention and Persistence in Higher Education

Author: Tyson Ray Holder

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13:

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This study investigated individual factors and milestones which may assist institutions in predicting first to second semester retention rates of freshmen students. While the data examined were limited to the student population enrolled at a rural community college, implications from the study could be meaningful for all institutions of higher education. The investigators examined extant data to determine whether exam scores, graduating high school GPAs/rank, and Pell Grant eligibility could be used as predictor variables in identifying students at-risk of leaving the institution. In addition, key milestones (time of registration, participation in a first year experience (FYE) course, declaring a major) were also examined to determine whether these events predicted retention. The study utilized a mixed methods approach analyzing quantitative data through linear regressions and Chi Squares that were obtained through agency records and closed-ended survey questions, while qualitative data was acquired through open-ended survey questions. Participants included 97 first-time freshmen enrolled at a southwest Missouri rural community college during the Fall 2015 semester and 1,150 students enrolled at the college between Fall 2011 and Fall 2013. The Fall 2015 first-time freshmen were asked to complete an online 24-item survey designed to extract both quantitative and qualitative data. The researchers found that ACT and Compass scores (with the exception of Compass Writing), and High School GPA/rank were strong predictors in determining first to second semester retention; however Pell Grant eligibility was found to be insignificant. Although the key milestones of time of registration, participation in a FYE course, and declaring a major were found to be insignificant in predicting retention rates of freshmen students, the qualitative data gathered suggested that the examined milestones had merit for a retention model.

Redesigning America’s Community Colleges
Redesigning America’s Community Colleges

Author: Thomas R. Bailey

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2015-04-09

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 0674368282

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In the United States, 1,200 community colleges enroll over ten million students each year—nearly half of the nation’s undergraduates. Yet fewer than 40 percent of entrants complete an undergraduate degree within six years. This fact has put pressure on community colleges to improve academic outcomes for their students. Redesigning America’s Community Colleges is a concise, evidence-based guide for educational leaders whose institutions typically receive short shrift in academic and policy discussions. It makes a compelling case that two-year colleges can substantially increase their rates of student success, if they are willing to rethink the ways in which they organize programs of study, support services, and instruction. Community colleges were originally designed to expand college enrollments at low cost, not to maximize completion of high-quality programs of study. The result was a cafeteria-style model in which students pick courses from a bewildering array of choices, with little guidance. The authors urge administrators and faculty to reject this traditional model in favor of “guided pathways”—clearer, more educationally coherent programs of study that simplify students’ choices without limiting their options and that enable them to complete credentials and advance to further education and the labor market more quickly and at less cost. Distilling a wealth of data amassed from the Community College Research Center (Teachers College, Columbia University), Redesigning America’s Community Colleges offers a fundamental redesign of the way two-year colleges operate, stressing the integration of services and instruction into more clearly structured programs of study that support every student’s goals.

Student Persistence Predictors and Community College Institutional Effectiveness
Student Persistence Predictors and Community College Institutional Effectiveness

Author: Jeffrey Lee Shelley

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13:

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The purpose of this study was to expand the literature on student persistence in community colleges through three research innovations. First, the literature on student persistence in community colleges was expanded by applying theory to the identification and testing of predictors. Second, it was expanded by validating retention prediction equations using independent data to test the generalizability of predictors. Third, it was expanded by determining the extent to which student major potentially mediates retention rates for community colleges. Aggregated student entry characteristic, external environment, and internal campus environment variables were obtained for 127 public community colleges in six states using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data for six student majors were obtained from each state's community college governance structure. Descriptive statistics, multivariate linear regressions (stepwise), and ANOVA tests were used to address five primary research questions, with significance noted at p>.05. The Braxton, Hirschy, and McClendon (2004) Theory of Student Departure at Commuter Colleges and Universities was used as the theoretical model for the study. The findings include: (a) a statistical model based on the Braxton et al. (2004) theory that can be developed to explain community college institutional retention, (b) the model equations validate with independent data, (c) the Braxton et al. (2004) model is ineffective for predicting retention by student major, and (d) retention rates differ by student major. The percentage of Black students enrolled, institutions located in small cities or suburban areas, and the number of part-time students enrolled emerged as generalizable predictors of institutional retention.

Influence of Early Intervention Career Exploration on Student Persistence
Influence of Early Intervention Career Exploration on Student Persistence

Author: Ben Littlepage

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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The study examined whether 181 academically underprepared, first-time freshmen were found to increase persistence and academic achievement due to the early intervention of a career exploration assessment. Persistence was defined as continuous, active enrollment from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011. Academic achievement was defined as grade point average. The study site was a rural community college located in northwest Tennessee where household poverty was high, educational attainment was low and 70 percent of first-time freshmen had a remedial education need in 2010. Pre-existing characteristics and the level of academic preparedness for each participant were collected. Participants were purposefully sampled by using a college transitions course required of students who test into one or more remedial subject areas. Nine independent variables were collected: gender, race, parent’s education level, enrollment status, age, Holland personality types and the number of prescribed developmental studies courses in mathematics, reading and writing. The sample largely consisted of participants who were enrolled full time and between the ages of 18 and 24. Six hypotheses were proposed. Data were analyzed using one sample t-tests, multiple linear regression, binary logistical regression, eta coefficient, and two-way chi square. Statistically significant increases in persistence and academic achievement were found in the sample when compared to the population of academically underprepared, first-time freshmen from Fall 2009. Gender, race, primary personality type and the number of prescribed developmental studies reading courses were statistically significant variables in predicting persistence. Female Caucasians with a Social primary personality type and no prescribed developmental studies reading courses were most likely to persist from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011. Age, enrollment status, race, gender, and the number of prescribed developmental studies reading courses were statistically significant variables in predicting academic achievement (grade point average). Traditional aged, full-time enrolled, Caucasian, female participants with no prescribed developmental studies reading courses were most likely to demonstrate academic achievement from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011. A statistically significant relationship between Holland personality types and academic achievement was not found. Persisters and non-persisters were not related in a comparison of Holland personality types. Recommendations to increase student exposure to career exploration and for future research were made. .