The authors examined the developmental pathways between high school graduates and dropouts. The authors obtained official school data via a random sample of 119 students enrolled across 4 cohorts. The authors postulated 2 research questions: (a) Do differences exist in the developmental pathways of high school graduates in comparison with high…

The main aim of this study was to determine students' perceptions toward web-based versus paper-based homework and identify any differences based on homework performance score and grade point average. A 21-item perception of online vs. paperbased homework survey was administered to 103 students (54 were male and 49 were female) in general…

The main aim of this study was to determine students' perceptions toward web-based versus paper-based homework and identify any differences based on homework performance score and grade point average. A 21-item perception of online vs. paper-based homework survey was administered to 103 students (54 were male and 49 were female) in general…

We tested the effects of instructional method (lecture vs. mastery) and aptitude (high, medium, low GPA levels) on students' academic performance and achievement motivation goals. Students enrolled in a developmental psychology course received either traditional lecture or mastery (Keller's Personalized System of Instruction [PSI]) instruction.…

Multiple samples of university students (N = 1,537) completed the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R; R. B. Slaney, M. Mobley, J. Trippi, J. Ashby, & D. G. Johnson, 1996). Cluster analyses, cross-validated discriminant function analyses, and receiver operating characteristic curves for sensitivity and specificity of APS-R scores were used to…

This study examined the extent to which student engagement is associated with a traditional assessment of student knowledge. In this study, ETS Business Major Field Test (MFT) scores were compared to student's self-reported survey responses to specific questions on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Areas of the NSSE survey such as…

This quantitative research study used ex post facto data to analyze possible relationships between a discrete set of independent variables and academic achievement among provisionally admitted students at a public, four-year historically black university located in the mid-Atlantic United States. The independent variables were first-generation…

Prior studies have shown that students who are the first in their families to attend college fail to persist in college more so than their continuing-generation (CG) counterparts do. Prior research on this phenomenon has helped to identify various factors that contribute to the lower college persistence of first-generation (FG) students. For…

The purpose of this study was to examine how the mode of instructional delivery, campus face-to-face or online, affected dropout relative to students' academic and demographic characteristics. A quantitative study was conducted to analyze the academic and demographic characteristics of newly admitted, matriculated degree-seeking students (N = 640)…

One-hundred seventy-five students enrolled in either a traditional classroom lecture section of General Psychology or in an online section of the same course were compared on exam performance. When covariates of high school grade point average and SAT composite scores were entered into the analysis, students enrolled in the classroom based lecture…

In this study, the long-term academic effects of mentoring relationships in higher education are explored, with particular emphasis on students in ethnic categories with a low first-year retention rate. A sample of 339 undergraduate students in a student-faculty mentor program was statistically paired with 339 nonmentored controls on gender,…

This article explores how the concept of psychological well-being (PWB) relates to the religious and spiritual engagement of college students, as well as how levels of PWB vary between racial/ethnic groups over time during college. The study uses descriptive and multivariate analyses to examine PWB for White, Black, Latino/a, and Asian American…

The authors examined whether taking a first-year "Inquiry" course, Inquiry in Social Science (1SS3), makes a difference in students' learning and performance. Using five years of data from McMaster University, they compared students who took first-year "Inquiry" with comparable students who did not in terms of how well students performed during…

Given that student retention is now one of the leading challenges faced by colleges and universities, research seeking to understand students' reasons for attrition is of critical importance. Two factors influence students' underachievement and subsequent dropping-out of college: self-efficacy and goal orientation. Self-efficacy refers to peoples'…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between participation in the Summer Bridge Program, grade point averages and retention of first-year college students. Additionally, this study examined the differences in grade point averages of college students after their first semester and first-year of college with regard to their…