Four studies conducted at Harcum College (Pennsylvania) in fall 1969 were presented. From a survey to determine students' reasons for attending Harcum, it was concluded that substantial numbers of students view their college education as a means of acquiring future direct, material rewards. A study on student attrition demonstrated the variety and…

The experience of students withdrawing from a university in their first year is explored. Students' perceptions of the factors which influenced their withdrawal decisions are examined. Findings support the hypothesis that the main factor influencing withdrawal/persistence behavior is the degree to which students can adjust to the new academic and…

Graphs and charts present data on students aged 14-21 exiting special education services in Maryland during the 1993-1994 school year. Reasons for leaving special education are analyzed by local education areas and by disability, with specific charts devoted to students with mental retardation, speech or language impairments, serious emotional…

This report of the number and percentage of senior high school students who left school before graduating found that: (1) 7% of the fall 1981 high school enrollment left before the end of the 1981-1982 school year; (2) leavers accounted for 6% from regular high schools enrollment, 51% from continuation high schools, and 7% from other high schools;…

At Roane State Community College, a student attrition study was designed to monitor the dropout and/or "stopout" rates. Data was taken from school records and a questionnaire was sent to the 238 students who were enrolled during fall quarter 1973, but did not return for winter quarter 1974. The responses from 198 students indicated that…

This study was designed to measure the academic success of students who transfer to and from the various institutions of higher education in North Carolina. The long range purpose of the study is to evaluate academic performance, attrition rates, and progress toward degree completion of the various transfer groups. These groups include students…

The New York state educational system must change to reduce the devastatingly high dropout rate among Hispanic, Black and American Indian students. A dropout is defined as a student who has been dropped from a school's enrollment and who has not graduated from 12th grade nor been transferred to another school. Research into the causes of dropping…

This paper provides a synthesis of research and theory directly related to retention of adult students. In the first of five major sections, readers are provided with a brief discussion of the nature and significance of the dropout-retention problem. Section 2 reviews research findings relating to who drops out and why. Sociodemographic,…

This report focuses illustratively on two institutional concerns for which changes in the aptitude level of entering students may have implications-attrition and grading. Implications indicated that colleges, individually and collectively, need to develop systematic programs for monitoring the incidence and determining the etiology of attrition.…

Over the past decade, retention studies at Hudson County Community College (HCCC), in New Jersey, have consistently placed the college at or near the bottom of a group of 19 New Jersey community colleges in terms of retention. In an effort to determine why students were leaving and develop responses to student attrition, a presidential task force…

The study provides an overview of what national surveys and the literature say about school dropouts, defined as persons who are neither enrolled in school nor high school graduates. For the last decade, the dropout rate for youth age 16-24 has remained roughly the same, about 13-14 percent. Hispanics, Blacks, and economically and educationally…

Dropout rates were investigated with a special emphasis on comparing loan users with users of other forms of aid. Differences in dropout rates for students in the following groups were analyzed: loans only, loans in combination with other aid, other aid only, and aid from families only. Using analysis of variance the following variables were…

In order to assess the foreign language programs currently offered by Oakton Community College (OCC), a three-part investigation was undertaken in 1974. First, to examine grade distribution and drop-out rate, the records of students enrolled in language courses were compared with the records of the total student body. During the spring, summer and…

This annotated bibliography focuses on literature of student attrition at the college level published for the most part between 1965 and 1973. The articles focus mostly on research studies on attrition. Descriptive articles have been included when they were perceived to extend the concept of attrition. Dissertations and theses have not been…

Mattatuck Community College implemented non-punitive grading practices into its grading system in the Fall 1973 semester. These practices centered about the elimination of plus and minus grades, elimination of the grade of F, and liberalizing the course withdrawal policy to allow for withdrawal without penalty throughout the semester. A comparison…