The factors that determine course completion and achievement in college distance education were investigated using a sample of 25 courses offered through the Independent Learning Program at the Pennsylvania State University. The main objective was to develop a multivariate model to explain and predict outcomes of distance education. Additional…

A causal model to explain student attrition was tested at a major midwestern land-grant university with a sample of 1,513 full-time, unmarried freshmen who were 21 years old or younger. The causal model was reduced from 23 to 10 variables: an intent variable, three attitudinal variables, and two each of organizational, personal, and environmental…

This study of college students examined the effects of motivation to learn to use computers, and previous experience with computers, on three computer-related affective states: anxiety, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Discusses gender differences, path analysis, effects on academic performance, and intrinsic versus extrinsic reasons for taking the…

This report explores the student background characteristics that might be associated with success or failure in calculus and evaluates the effectiveness of remedial mathematics education. The sample consisted of two groups at the University of California, Santa Cruz: (1) all students (105) who took first quarter calculus in spring, 1985; and (2)…

Factors that affect the decision of a high school senior to attend or not to attend college were studied, using a path analysis model. Data were drawn from the 1980 High School and Beyond national survey of 58,000 high school sophomores and seniors, which was sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. The study sample was 14,287,…

Path analysis was used to explore the relationships among a number of variables related to student persistence. The subjects were freshmen in the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota. Variables that showed the largest total effects on persistence were college grade-point average and high school rank. (Author/MLW)

This research study involved a systematic investigation into the relationships among: (1) the techniques used by search analysts during preliminary interviews with users before engaging in online retrieval of bibliographic citations; (2) the amount of new information gained by the user as a result of the search; and (3) the user's ultimate…

Characteristics and attendance patterns of persisters and dropouts from college and vocational/technical schools were studied, and a model of the persistence process was tested using data from the National Longitudinal Study (NLS), which surveyed high school seniors in 1972, with followup surveys in 1973 and 1974. Student persistence was defined…

This study uses statistical data from the Current Population Survey to develop new state-by-state dropout estimates as an alternative to those published by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The following new findings are reported: (1) youth are completing high school at a higher rate than previously noted; (2) variations in dropout rates…

An assessment of a four-stage conceptual model reveals that critical thinking has indirect positive effects on political participation through its direct effects on personal control, political efficacy, and democratic attitudes. The model establishes causal relationships among selected personality variables (self-esteem, personal control, and…

A model of student attrition was synthesized from psychological, sociological, and educational sources, and contains six sets of variables: background, organizational, personal, environmental, attitudinal, and intent to leave. The model was tested with 1,909 full-time and unmarried university freshmen at a major midwestern university. The sample…

Data collected in a fall 1975 survey of the spring 1974 graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) were used to analyze the effects that various student characteristics have on the selection of post-college activities by bachelor's degree graduates. A 25-percent stratified, random sample was used with a response rate of…

This book reports on a replication of the 1963 National Opinion Research Center study of the effectiveness of the value-oriented education carried out in the Roman Catholic schools in the United States. It is part of a growing body of social change research being done by American sociologists. In Part I, the first five chapters, the context for…

Theory and research on a variety of topics in higher education are addressed in 13 articles. Titles and authors are as follows: "College Environmental Influences on Learning and Cognitive Development: A Critical Review and Synthesis" (Ernest T. Pascarella); "Learning Theory and Research" (Cameron Fincher); "Methods and…

Researchers used cross-sectional survey research to reexamine the problem of adult persistence within undergraduate degree programs. They identified a variable--perceived stress--that permitted a richer explanation of the process of student persistence. A model was presented that examined the attitudinal and behavioral impacts of unmet need,…