Glendale (Arizona) Community College (GCC) conducted a survey of students who attended the college in fall 1984 and did not return for the spring 1985 term to determine former students' perceptions of GCC, reasons for not reenrolling, educational goals, transfer and employment experiences, salaries, and characteristics. Study findings, based on…

A sample of students who withdrew from Mesa (Arizona) Community College (MCC) during spring 1986 was surveyed to determine reasons for withdrawal and dropout characteristics. Study findings included the following: (1) the primary reason for withdrawing was conflicting job hours, with 52% of the students who were employed working over 40 hours per…

Drawing from literature and research conducted at Prince George's Community College (PGCC), this report discusses student retention in community colleges in the U.S.; outlines retention indicators and strategies; and presents a summary of findings from PGCC's retention studies. After a brief overview of the challenge of student retention in the…

An analysis is presented of factors and conditions affecting student completion rates in the remedial mathematics program (Mathematics 1403) in the Tarrant County (Texas) Junior College District. Following introductory material on the purposes of the study and the tasks of five project teams, chapter I examines the purpose and historical…

This brief focuses on student attrition and retention in the two-year college. An introductory section discusses the definitions of attrition used in studies of student persistence; and how these definitions, which often include students who are actually completers in terms of their own educational goals, may exaggerate attrition rates, which are…

A survey involving 125 students who voluntarily withdrew from the State University College at Oswego, was conducted to determine student characteristics and their reasons for withdrawing, as well as to examine suggestions for reducing attrition. Examination of the data suggests that seniors withdrew less frequently than did members of other…

The validity of Tinto's model of college withdrawal was investigated with 100 4-year public college women and 165 2-year private college women. Institutional commitment was most directly affected by social integration. This commitment was seen as pivotal to retention. (IAH)

Describes a study applying the Tinto Model to predict student persistence/exit in a community college setting. A questionnaire assessing background, environmental, and integration variables was administered to full-time students during their first semester, successfully predicting subsequent persistence/exit behavior and affirming the utility of…

Describes the psychological processes that lead to academic and social integration based on a retention model proposed by the authors. Describes how successful retention programs such as learning communities, freshman interest groups, tutoring, and orientation rely on psychological processes. Four psychological theories form the basis for…

The School District of the City of Saginaw (Michigan) has annually reported on the rate and nature of the dropout population; this dropout report is the fourth edition of the State defined generation of dropout reports. Two hundred twenty-four, or 8% of Saginaw's 2,805 students in grades 9-12, voluntarily terminated their high school education…

Intended as a resource to help decrease student withdrawal and increase student success at California's Santa Monica College, this report presents results from a study of student withdrawal and success rates for 8 sessions, from winter 1994 through fall 1994. Following an overview of the project and general observations based on findings, tables…

In fall 1995, Virginia's Mountain Empire Community College conducted a study to determine the reasons behind an unusually high rate of student attrition. Withdrawal forms were reviewed for all students who withdrew from all classes before the end of the semester and telephone surveys were conducted with a representative sample of the students. In…

This paper presents a study designed to determine the reason first and post-first year students (N=61) chose to leave Chicago Urban University (CUU) prior to graduation. Data were sought from a random sample of 100 students via either a mailed or a telephone survey, with a 61% response rate. The 54-question interview/survey instrument examined the…

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…

In October 1990, Johnson County Community College (JCCC) conducted a study of students enrolled during the previous 12 months who did not re-enroll in the fall of 1990. Surveys were mailed to 1,746 former students, requesting information on reasons for discontinuing study at JCCC, educational experiences and objectives, level of satisfaction with…