This article is designed to give the reader a conceptual, nontechnical overview of estimation and model fit issues in multilevel modeling (MLM). The process of MLM generally involves fitting a series of multilevel models that increase in complexity. When conducting multilevel analyses, it is important to balance the need for complexity and the…

This paper argues that a typical use of regression models to target student recruitment efforts is theoretically unsound and may therefore be operationally inefficient. It presents results from a study using a predictive model to identify the prospective students on whom recruitment efforts have the greatest impact. The model uses four kinds of…

Four groups of students were compared on cumulative grade point average, total credit hours attempted, and differences between predicted and actual grade point average (GPA). The four groups of students were formed by the semester in which they declared a major: students declaring in the third semester made up one group, those declaring in the…

This paper presents the rationale, research design, analytical approaches, and results of a graduate admission study which examined the motivation and enrollment decision processes of students accepted to a newly redesigned Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program. The study was developed collaboratively by the institution's Office of…

A study investigated the knowledge and skills of college and university institutional researchers (n=601) in relation to their perceptions of the effectiveness of their work. Analysis found that relationships between background characteristics, knowledge and skills in institutional research, and perceptions of effectiveness were minimal.…

This paper presents a theoretical discussion of how students make educational behavior decisions including attending a given institution, transferring, or dropping out. The theory is seen to apply to students of all ages and both sexes with implications for all areas of postsecondary education. The theory holds that educational decisions are based…

The use of certain variables in predicting the probability of persistence to graduation for students majoring in business or nonbusiness was examined at Western State College of Colorado. The study sample consisted of 131 students from the 1977-78 graduating class, of whom 52 were nonbusiness majors and 79 were business majors. Predictions of…

A study was conducted to identify the variables that are relevant to the admission of foreign students by institutional decision-makers. A profile of foreign students at North Carolina State University (NCSU) is provided. All academic departments at NCSU at Raleigh with enrollments of 10 or more foreign graduate students were contacted to…

This study examined institutional researchers' perceptions regarding their effectiveness in influencing institutional policy changes, the factors that make institutional researchers effective in the policy arena, and researchers perspectives regarding job-related rewards; challenges encountered in seeking to establish influential roles in decision…

The factors influencing attendance at Brandon University, Manitoba, Canada, by 1978 high school graduates were studied. Students who had participated in the Post-Secondary Demand and Enrollment Survey of November 1977 and had selected Brandon University as their first choice institution, and randomly selected students who had applied and been…

In response to changing management and budgetary strategies that have been driving decision making to the lowest administrative levels, institutional researchers have been attempting to identify indicators which can be used to evaluate institutional performance and progress. This paper reviews efforts to introduce departmental operational…

This paper describes a spreadsheet-based faculty flow model developed and implemented at the University of Calgary (Canada) to analyze faculty retirement, turnover, and salary issues. The study examined whether, given expected faculty turnover, the current salary increment system was sustainable in a stable or declining funding environment, and…