This document explores the relationship between application date and early attrition in access colleges. The author notes that students applying to rolling admission colleges can be registered without demonstrating forethought or preparation. Institutions that allow late admission may be doing a disservice to students who have not adequately…

Voluntary withdrawals did not differ from the persisters on precollege ability and achievement measures. The male failures had lower achievement in high school than the withdrawals, while the female failures did less well than the withdrawals on the precollege ability tests. No generalizable differences were apparent among the groups on…

The question of how to build a student body from a large applicant pool was addressed in a 1980 study of students at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design from 1969-78. The results of the selection process are presented. (MLW)

A five-scale instrument developed from a theoretical model of college attrition correctly identified the persistence/voluntary withdrawal decisions of 78.5 percent of 773 freshmen in a large, residential university. Findings showed that student relationships with faculty were particularly important. (Author/PHR)

Using longitudinal analysis, discusses observed differences among unemployed adults, older youth, and early school-leavers (N=104). Focuses on issues surrounding self-esteem and the identification of mediators and moderators for specific populations. Evidence suggests that good psychological health contributed to gaining employment. (RJM)

Investigates a prediction model of early withdrawal from school, using a sample of low socio-economic status (SES) boys (n=751), with emphasis on the role of peer-related variables. Reports that power of early disruptiveness and early academic performance predicted dropout; but the effects of these variables depended upon the dropout age. (CMK)

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…

School Dropouts have less employment and learning potential than graduates, contribute less to the economy, and add to social service costs. To identify a set of predictive dropout characteristics for females by racial/ethnic background and a set of intervention strategies to address those factors, telephone surveys covering 52 items were…

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;…

A study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to develop a profile of students who withdrew from courses between 1982 and 1986 and to compare this profile with the results of a 1979-82 withdrawal study. For the past 4 years, each degree credit student who has officially withdrawn from a course has been asked to complete a survey…

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…

In fall 1986, a pilot honors program was initiated in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) to meet the needs of highly motivated students. A four-part evaluation of the pilot project was conducted in 1987, involving a survey of the educational and demographic background of all honors students conducted during the beginning of the…

Student attrition and retention have been familiar terms in higher education for a long time. Recently, however, there has developed an increased awareness of the cost of attrition, both to students and to community colleges. Although research has not provided any solutions to the complex problem of attrition, studies have identified some basic…

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.…

Results are reported from a study that attempted to find the objective effects of a 3-month high school teachers' strike on 134 first year university students. Findings indicate that no important differences existed between strike students and others with regard to grades, failures, or withdrawals. (IAH)