Asserting that graduation and stopout are "competing" or correlated events and that they often should be modeled as such, this study demonstrated that factors affecting timely graduation (e.g., financial aid) often have time-varying effects, and that ignoring these time-varying effects can lead to spurious conclusions that may result in…

All first-year students enrolled in diploma and certificate programs in the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) were surveyed to determine factors that influence student persistence. A questionnaire was mailed to 2,822 students in October 1991; 1,557 completed questionnaires were received and analyzed. A follow-up…

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;…

This document presents the findings and recommendations of a study that investigated students who leave school before graduating. The study attempted to determine the proportion of young people who leave school early versus those who graduate, and examined the subsequent schooling/training and job experiences of early leavers. The study…

Students in six advanced mathematics courses at the Open University were surveyed to identify and analyze reasons for withdrawal from the courses. Specific recommendations for preventing dropout advising and readily available counseling, clarifying course sequences, avoiding assumptions about student sophistication, and developing new curriculum.…

A logit model was developed, using historical data, to identify characteristics inherent in a college student's decision to withdraw from college. Once the model was derived, predicted probabilities of retention for an incoming freshman class were computed, and a program for monitoring high-risk students' progress was developed. (Author/MSE)

In the age of dwindling resources and an ever decreasing pool of high school graduates an institutionally orchestrated student retention program can be one of the most effective survival strategies. In addition to the obvious benefit of holding more students to graduation, a campus-wide retention effort can bring about institutional renewal and…

A retention study was conducted at Tallahassee Community College (TCC) to determine reasons student withdrew from TCC prior to meeting their educational objectives. The survey population consisted of all students, apart from graduates and those who had been academically suspended, who were enrolled in winter 1981 but had not returned by winter…

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,…

Literature concerning factors associated with academic performance and withdrawal from college is reviewed separately for North American, United Kingdom, and Australian universities to help illuminate the problem of student withdrawal in Australia. V. Tinto's 1975 research review concerning North American college dropouts is summarized, and…

A study was undertaken to locate and analyze unpublished studies on student withdrawal from Canadian universities in order to determine how many studies had been completed, what research methods were used, and what results and conclusions were reached. Letters were sent to the presidents of 51 Canadian universities requesting copies of any recent…

This study attempts to deal with the pressing issues now confronting junior colleges through an investigation of the student's perception of his college experience. One hundred forty-one withdrawees who enrolled in fall 1967 as full-time, first-time freshmen in three Florida junior colleges were interviewed. They were found to be pragmatic,…

The following variables concerning school-leaving among language minority youth are discussed: background factors, academic achievement, school characteristics, school performance, and school experiences. A combination of socioeconomic disadvantage and early academic failure appear to contribute to the higher dropout rate of language minority…

This 2003 study was designed to collect data on the outcomes of short stay students, or former students who leave British Columbia's colleges, university colleges, and institutes after completing between 9 and 23 credits. Out of 2,273 former students eligible for surveying, 871 completed the survey, for a response rate of 38%. The survey collected…

A survey of students in the community and technical colleges and four-year college of the University of Akron showed withdrawal often occurred because of job conflicts, financial problems, and need for a temporary break. Nonpersisters would have been encouraged by improved counseling and advising, financial aid, and instruction. Persisters would…