The purpose of this study was to test a model for conceptualizing the socialization experiences of new professionals in student affairs, particularly in light of the high attrition rates commonly documented in the literature. Whereas past research has examined individuals as the locus of socialization, this study analyzed organizations as the…

New student affairs professionals are critical for higher education and yet institutions continue to suffer attrition rates as high as 60%. Using cross-sectional survey, this study measured relationships between wellness and intent to leave the profession. Results showed wellness levels were considerably lower than the general population and, as…

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological research study was to discover how to improve student attrition rates of today's students attending four-year, large, public institutions by examining the Guided Pathways approach through Living Learning Communities upon academic major persistence. This research study was designed to find answers…

Objectives: Volunteering promotes well-being and may provide added purpose to life after retirement. Limited evidence exists regarding the characteristics and study adherence among those who participate in longitudinal studies while also volunteering outside the study. We assessed characteristics and adherence of older adults who volunteered…

This study situates student attrition within the strategic framework of Australian public universities. It draws on organisational theory to describe higher education within a bureaucratic framework. The study uses a quantitative approach to undertake a content analysis of attrition and retention policy statements from all Australian universities.…

Background: Youth of color from low-income urban communities are crucial participants in research, as their involvement can shape effective, culturally responsive interventions and policy to promote youth health and well-being. These young people, however, are an often-neglected research population, due in part to perceived challenges associated…

This study investigated the receptive vocabulary growth of advanced EFL learners in an English-medium degree programme. The study used the Vocabulary Size Test in a cross-sectional design to measure the vocabulary size of learners at various stages of study. The effect of word frequency on vocabulary development and the presence of an…

While composition studies researchers have examined the ways social media are impacting our lives inside and outside of the classroom, less attention has been given to the ways in which social media--specifically Social Network Sites (SNSs)--may enhance our own research methods and methodologies by helping to combat research participant attrition…

Attrition of student affairs professionals is an issue of concern for the profession. This mixed methods study highlights reasons why participants left their student affairs careers. Seven general themes emerged from the study, including burnout, salary issues, career alternatives, work/family conflict, limited advancement, supervisor issues and…

Despite decades of policy intervention to increase college entry among low-income students, substantial inequalities in college going by family income remain. Policy makers have largely overlooked the summer after high school as an important time period in students' transition to college. During the post-high school summer, however, students must…

New professionals in student affairs enter the field motivated and ready to start their new careers (Olyha, 2004), though 50-60% of new professionals end up leaving the field before they complete their fifth year of employment (Renn & Hodges, 2007). Mentoring is a suggested strategy to help with retaining professionals in the workplace…

The purpose of this dissertation was to identify factors that contribute to the attrition of new professionals in the field of student affairs. Student affairs professionals report low levels of commitment to the field and depart from the field at rates ranging from 32% to 61% (Holmes, Verrier, & Chrisholm, 1983; Rosen et al., 1980; Rosser…

This brief summarizes Internet-based research into other industries that may offer useful analogies for thinking about student attrition in higher education, in particular for setting realistic benchmarks for reductions in attrition. Reducing attrition to zero or close to zero is not a realistic possibility in higher education. Students are…

College student persistence is examined. The unique nature of the students and environment of the two-year college setting warrant concentrated research effort. The purpose of the study is to examine student variables associated with persistence and program completion to develop a pre-entrance risk assessment in the two-year college setting.…

In this chapter, the authors explore the effect of incentives on attrition and nonresponse in a multi-institutional longitudinal study. They organize this chapter into three sections. First, they review the literature regarding nonresponse among students and the effects of incentives on attrition and nonresponse in studies that employ…