Examines five shibboleths (common ideas) about the relationship between campus culture and student persistence. Describes a six-step approach for using the peer group and classroom as key elements in cultivating a success-oriented institutional culture. (Author/EV)

Theorizes about interrelations between "rites of passage" in Tinto's (1993) Student Integration Model, and support from significant others in Nora and Cabrera's (1996) Student Adjustment Model. Depicts how both sets of factors impact social and academic experiences and integration, commitment levels to attainment of an educational goal…

Claude Steeles' stereotype threat hypothesis posits that when there are negative stereotypes about the intellectual capacity of certain (stigmatised) groups, members of that group suffer aversive consequences; group members who are most strongly identified with the stigmatised domain in question (e.g., intellectual or academic ability) are those…

Reviews the literature on student attrition and suggests ways to increase enrollment and re-enrollment at community colleges without establishing labor-intensive programs and services. Focuses on the creation of the necessary environment for retention; the importance of campus-based research; and ways of predicting and preventing unnecessary…

Reports results of a survey of 149 undergraduates (persisters - 73 White, 9 Black) and former undergraduates (nonpersisters - 35 White, 32 Black) indicating how their perceptions of their college environment affected the decision to remain at or leave the Speed Scientific School, University of Louisville. (SK)

This study examined why Australian high school students decided to continue or discontinue their schooling, using a comprehensive theoretical model to examine the issue. Three surveys of 817 tenth-grade students over a 13-month period indicated that the theoretical model adequately and appropriately explained and predicted students' persistence…

Discusses the drop out rate and the at-risk youth problem. Summarizes what some implemented federal and state programs are doing and what some will do. Lists goals of several states. (MVL)

A study found that students, grades 8-11, leaving immersion programs were dissatisfied with the quality of instruction and the content and difficulty of immersion courses, and felt better grades would be obtained in the English program. A greater percentage of immersion students felt bilingual education would lead to better employment and…

The 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study was used to compare four alternative approaches for assessing the influence of price subsidies on within-year persistence by graduate students. Conclusions include tuition charge has a substantial negative influence on persistence; and comprehensive packages (grants, loans, plus assistantships)…

Studies attitudes and perceptions of 122 incoming African-American first-year college students at a predominantly white university in 1989. Comparison of their attrition rates with those of their counterparts in 1984 shows only a marginal decline. Despite initial favorable attitudes, many students did not have a positive first year. (SLD)

Research on dropouts at an urban, comprehensive New York City high school found a complex politics of "discharge" and low awareness on the part of students and parents of legal entitlement to education, which allowed 66 percent of a ninth grade cohort to dropout without comment or concern. (JB)

Examines issues in the retention of African-American students in predominantly white institutions of higher learning. Factors affecting retention are cataloged, and the responsiveness of existing retention programs to these factors is analyzed. Focus on African-American students who do persist is needed to create a climate of inclusion. (SLD)

A study of graduate and professional student within-year persistence, based on the 1993 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, compared three models of the impact of financial aid on persistence. It was found that financial aid significantly and positively influenced within-year persistence, with comprehensive aid packages having the greatest…

A survey of 498 undergraduate students withdrawing from a Canadian university was used to develop a model of student attrition. Students frequently attributed withdrawal to personal characteristics, institutional factors, and societal variables. Student academic performance was a causal factor for university-initiated withdrawal, and student…

A study of student failure or withdrawal from higher education in six institutions in northwestern England investigates the relative influence of 36 possible reasons for withdrawal. Respondents were 1083 full- and part-time students. Results for noncompletion, including institutional and student variables, and their cost to the public purse are…