A study was conducted at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to determine if minority students were at greater risk for dropping out, to explore student experiences, and to evaluate existing support services. The survey consisted of telephone interviews conducted with 431 Caucasian and 360 ethnic minority students enrolled at the graduate and…

In 1990, a study was conducted at Illinois Central College (ICC) to identify pre- and post-enrollment variables that could serve as predictors of student persistence and to compare persistence between vocational and academic program students. From a population of 656 Applied Science students and 671 Arts and Science students who were first-time,…

The number of American Indian and Alaska Native students who leave the Anchorage School District without graduating or transferring to another school system has shown a slight but steady decline since the completion of "Alaskan Native Early School Leavers Study" in May 1982. The reasons for students leaving school have remained much the…

This bibliography update contains information on dropout attitudes, prevention, programs, rates, and research, as well as school-holding power at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Citations include conference papers, program descriptions, research reports, and statistical materials. Materials for inclusion in this bibliography were located…

A study was conducted at the City University of New York (CUNY) to investigate graduation and persistence over a 5-year period among students enrolled as freshmen in fall 1980, and to compare findings with a previous study of fall 1978 freshmen. The study drew from routine information on high school background; scores on CUNY skills assessment…

A 1993-97 study researched the evolution of Intermediate and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) in Britain. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 225 centers; 5,100 GNVQ students were surveyed individually. Findings indicated that, of the 5 original and 10 added GNVQ subjects, GNVQ programs were…

In an effort to determine the causes of student attrition, a study was conducted at American River College (ARC) in December 1979, involving: (1) a survey of 1,174 students who had dropped at least one class while at ARC, and (2) a categorization of the reasons for college withdrawal indicated by 591 students on ARC's standardized withdrawal form.…

Attrition among urban engineering students at Stevens Institute of Technology was studied. At the time of the student's college entry, various ability, achievement, personality, interest, and biographical factors were analyzed in an effort to predict student persistence, withdrawal, or academic failure. For the 381 male students who entered the…

This publication provides a synopsis of the issues, as identified in recent research reports, relating to non-completion of New Apprenticeships and Traineeships in Australia. Some of the key findings of the research reports are the following: (1) during the mid-1990s, non-completion rates were approximately 45 percent for trainees and between…

Australian young people take five major transition pathways when they reach the end of compulsory schooling: compulsory to postcompulsory school, school-to-university/higher-education, school-to-vocational education and training, apprenticeship/traineeship, and school-to-work. In 1997, 97.2 percent were retained to Year 10; in Year 11, 84.4…

A study examined individual student, institutional, and environmental factors influencing student non-completions and determined strategies that Western Australia's Central TAFE (technical and further education) might introduce to improve student retention. After completing a multivariate analysis of module completion rates, further data for a…

The extent to which Tinto's model of college withdrawal has predictive validity in different types of postsecondary institutions was tested during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 academic years. Secondary analyses were conducted on a sample of 2,326 freshman students from 11 diverse institutions participating in project CHOICE (to better inform…

Results are presented for a study of the in- and out-of-class literacy demands made on community college students and their responses to these demands. After an executive summary, introductory material reviews the issues of adult literacy and literacy development in the community college. The first of the report's two sections describes…

Children of migrant farmworkers are among the segments of the population most difficult to educate. Data from 1974 indicates the average migrant student had a 40% chance of reaching ninth grade, an 11% chance of reaching 12th grade, and a less than 10% chance of graduating from high school. Factors correlated with students quitting school are…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for increasing student engagement and retention through the use of authentic assessment and cooperative groups. The targeted population consisted of one sixth grade class in an elementary school and two ninth grade classes in a high school located in different communities in the far…