Describes a study of 208 community college students to determine reasons given for deciding to withdraw, the relationship of student characteristics to those reasons, and patterns of reenrollment over 1 to 3 years. Discusses the relationship of gender, age, ethnicity, and academic preparedness to persistence. (58 citations) (KRG)

Compares student achievement in introductory computer science courses before and after the introduction of a competency-based course syllabus. Finds little difference in the performance of 1988 and 1989 summer students. Fall competency-based students had a higher dropout rate but increased performance. (DMM)

A study assessed the validity of the Tinto model of student attrition for community college students, and extended and refined the model by examining the mediational influences of a comprehensive set of psychological measures on the model's constructs. Results confirm the model's generalizability to this population, and show psychological measures…

A study was conducted at Shelby State Community College (SSCC) in Tennessee to determine the extent, causes, and solutions to the problem of student retention. The study involved: (1) a comparative analysis of headcounts to assess the extent of the dropout problem, which indicated that enrollments declined sharply from 5,289 in 1983 to 3,399 in…

In fall 1987, a study was conducted at Central Community College (CCC) to investigate patterns in student course withdrawals at the college's three campuses. At CCC, students may enroll in a "whole" course (i.e., all credits represented by one listing on the schedule) or in one or more parts of the course by individual units. For example,…

A study was conducted in the Marin Community Colleges to determine whether direct mail and telephone contacts with college dropouts would be perceived as demonstrating a caring attitude on the part of faculty and staff, and positively influence their rate of return. The study measured the rate of return of four groups of students who were enrolled…

A study was conducted at Butte College to determine the effectiveness of the college's assessment and placement program. Between January 1981 and summer 1982, the Nelson-Denny Reading Test and a writing sample were used in placement; while after summer 1982, the Stanford Task Tests of English and Reading Abilities were used. The primary file of…

In response to concern that some community college students were being denied access to courses because others had enrolled in more courses than they really intended to maintain, the California community college finance bill of 1983 mandated that the colleges charge students a $10 fee for each course dropped after the second week of the term (not…

These two parallel reports provide data on course attrition rates in the Maricopa County Community College District for Fall 1978 and Spring 1979. Course attrition rates were calculated by comparing high-point enrollments (which include audits and withdrawals) with end-of-semester enrollments (which do not include audits, drops, withdrawals, or…

Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) conducted a telephone survey and two focus groups to determine why students who enrolled for the first time during fall 1999 did not return for the following spring 2000 semester. The main reasons that 557 telephone survey respondents gave were that approximately: (1) 17% had either transferred to another…

This document addresses the problem of students withdrawing from courses before completion and in the process attempts to devise ways that Mendocino College can aid students complete their courses. The report uses findings from two research reports. The first report was completed at the Florida Community College (FCC), which discovered that 75% of…

This is a 2001 report on Palo Verde College (PVC) (California) student demographics, enrollment status, citizenship, educational goals, and academic persistence. Student data were collected and analyzed to meet accrediting standards, improve institutional effectiveness, and fulfill the local district's mission. The report discusses enrollment…

Presents findings from Johnson County Community College follow-up surveys of nonreturning students. Indicates that most nonreturning students had achieved their educational goals, had improved various cognitive and noncognitive behaviors because of their college experiences, and planned to reenroll in college eventually. Describes reasons for…

A study investigated the extent to which 104 community college students' experiences with key college processes during the first few weeks of school predicted their persistence or withdrawal from the college in the second semester. Results identified a small set of processes, both administrative and instructional, that differentiated between…

A study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of using the television lecture series "Introducing Biology" to traditional lecture techniques in a college-level Animal Biology course. The interest levels and subject course mastery of three groups of students were compared: (1) a control group who attended two 50-minute lectures per week; (2)…