This paper explores undergraduate academic probation policies in United States universities from a policy discourse analysis perspective. Academic probation policies from 32 institutions were characterized by normalization and regulation. These encompassed classification, exclusion, and sanctions of students in order to produce retention.…

Research on academic probation is a critical piece in the study of undergraduate student retention in higher education. Currently, the literature lacks empirical studies that address differences between academic units in probation rates and support for students on probationary status. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to: 1) establish…

In an effort to improve student success and thus retention, the College of Arts & Sciences at a highly selective MidAtlantic private undergraduate university in the United States developed a for-credit course titled "Psychology of Success." The course, grounded in positive psychology, adopts a strengths-based approach. Students who…

Since fewer than 13% of probationary and 40% of non-traditional students complete their undergraduate degree, educators should search for new strategies to retain probationary and non-traditional students (Hamman, 2018; Muljana & Luo, 2019). The mixed-methods study analyzes how traditional probationary and non-traditional students perceive…

The purpose of this mixed methods phenomenological study was to explore undergraduate students' experiences of academic probation by examining changes or stabilities in the quality of their motivation and students' basic psychological needs, i.e., autonomy, competency, and relatedness, using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as the theoretical…

While there has been significant research on both how academic struggles impact college students, as well as factors that impact the sense of belonging for college students, there has been little research examining how a significant academic struggle impacts a students' perception of sense of belonging at that institution. This qualitative study…

Find insights into college student persistence, progression, and retention with this benchmark report, taken from a survey of college and university officials. These benchmarks can help your institution compare your outcomes for first-time-in-college (FTIC) students as well as transfer students. This report features 12 key benchmarks in three…

In this paper, we examine how Success Training for Academic Resiliency (STAR) Lite, an advising intervention program, influenced undergraduate students to overcome academic probation into achieving good academic standing. We use descriptive quantitative methods to assess the impact of program participation for 194 undergraduate students on…

Placing students on academic probation is a pervasive practice at colleges and universities, but the lasting impact--and arguably even the purpose--of academic probation is unclear. The present study explored the influence of academic probation on four-year graduation using regression discontinuity analyses with a dataset of 9,777 undergraduates.…

Malleable, noncognitive psychological factors such as grit and resilience are seen as critical for academic success and have garnered significant attention from researchers and policymakers. However, there is nontrivial overlap between these two constructs, and it remains unclear whether grit, resilience, or both, constitute the optimal target(s)…

Undergraduate retention and persistence are richly discussed topics in higher education, and deservedly so. One specific area of study is how to increase four- and six-year graduation rates, and the usage of learning analytics to determine student pathways of success. At a flagship Midwestern US university, we studied at-risk populations…

Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) calls for motivation researchers to treat learning and motivation as inseparable from context. Previous research has examined students' expectancies and values in specific disciplines, showing dynamic changes over time. Limited research has examined students' processes of change, considered the influence of…

This study concerns students in an internationally accredited undergraduate mechanical engineering program who due to consistent poor grades are academically dismissed and, by existing policy, required to take a 1-year leave of absence. The purpose was to determine whether the policy could be improved to offer more proactive solutions to address…