A study at Barry University (Florida), a private, urban comprehensive university investigated factors in student retention. Demographic data, standardized test scores, and academic performance data were gathered for almost 3,000 students entering the university between fall 1991 and spring 1995. In addition, the students were surveyed on…

A project developed and implemented a plan to retain those adult basic education students who are likely to be successful if they stay enrolled in the program but who are likely to drop out if program staff do not intervene. The plan involved use of an assessment instrument to identify these at-risk students, development of an individualized…

This book offers suggestions to doctoral students, primarily in the social and behavioral sciences, the humanities, and such professional fields as education, counseling, and social work, to help them succeed in earning a doctoral degree. It is based on the observation that successful students not only have knowledge obtained from the books they…

This paper presents a four-fold typology developed as a general theory of student motivation to stay in school and work hard at learning tasks. Each of the four-fold categories is described with an initial statement of the specific source of student motivation, an analysis of how the source fits in more general motivational theories, and how the…

Since attrition is often a problem in adult training programs, a study was conducted to investigate the relationship between locus of control and course completion of adults enrolled in a retraining program. Rotter's Social Learning Theory of Personality was used as a starting point for the study. The study population was a sample of 108…

Recent literature demonstrates the need for closer examination of general track curriculum students' experiences in order to increase high school graduation rates. General track students' reactions to school policies and practices governing extracurricular activities and attendance are described in this report. A case study methodology involved…

A study explored the policy process that led to the development and implementation of the Virginia Student Retention Program (VSRP--a program to facilite minority student recruitment and retention projects at Virginia colleges and universities), and examined perceived institutional impacts. The study attempted to determine whether the VSRP and the…

A bibliography of research on student attrition is presented. The 175 references, most of which are dated 1970 or later, are categorized under the following headings: research design, models of the attrition process, some historical perspectives, recent reviews of research--performance variables, empirical studies for 1970-1987, and intervention…

This document outlines the Milwaukee Public Schools' proposed plan of service for children at risk. The report's organization follows the format of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction compliance form, which is included. Procedures are described for identifying children in grades 8-12 who have dropped out of school, who have been absent…

Issues concerning participation by minority groups in higher education in the United States are considered, along with some criticisms of higher education concerning: the substance and style of undergraduate education; efficiency and cost of college; a confusion of aims, missions, and goals among colleges and universities; and access, choice, and…

An overview of the theories of Tinto and Astin on student integration and involvement with references to the Chicano student dropout rate and persistence is provided. Topics include the following: the effects of integration and involvement; Tinto's theory of student departure; Astin's theory of involvement; linking integration and involvement;…

Interviews and questionnaires were administered to black students and black and white faculty and administrators at seven universities to identify the principal problems related to the retention of black undergraduate students in higher educational institutions and to propose program alternatives and strategies for their retention and graduation…

Governor Mario Cuomo has proposed that New York State guarantee enough state aid for all poor seventh graders finishing high school to attend a state college or an equal amount of money to attend a private college in the state, the first such effort at the state level. (MSE)

Due to the unusually high number of adolescent mothers in the United States, public concern surrounding the issue of teenage motherhood has accelerated. In order to understand this birth trend, an ecological framework which considers multiple aspects of the lives of teenage mothers is presented here. The study, which uses the National Education…

A discussion of the transition from high school to college outlines three principles of program planning for this group: helping first-year students see college as the beginning of a discovery process; exposing them to intellectual issues and experiences; and helping them accept responsibility for their own future. (MSE)