Statistics on the drop-add tendencies of undergraduates at Clemson University were compiled. Three semesters were compared collectively, and it was discovered that numerous students had dropped at least one course in two of the three semesters and others in all three semesters. Profiles were built on these two groups. (MLW)

A study was conducted at South Carolina's Technical College of the Lowcountry to compare the success rates of students enrolled in distance education courses to those of students in traditional courses. Average grades, completion rates, and withdrawal rates were analyzed for students in 11 courses, with outcomes compared for students enrolled in…

Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) conducted a student survey to identify causes of first-time student attrition between fall 1999 semester and the following spring semester. A Non-Returning Student Survey was mailed to 2,026 such students, 185 of whom responded by mail, and 494 more of whom were contacted for telephone interviews. Reasons…

This paper, the third in a series of Research Informing Practice Short Papers commissioned by the National TRIO Clearinghouse, reviews some of the recent literature related to student retention in higher education, with particular emphasis on factors affecting students from low income and first generation backgrounds. According to the paper, this…

This study determines the efficiency of a system containing aptitude, achievement, and noncognitive data, and a measure of college performance in predicting the long-range educational-vocational decisions of engineering students. Noncognitive data best predicts between intellectually homogeneous student groupings whereas first-semester grade point…

As expected, the general academic area appears to be the most consistent problem area for students. Use of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory scales appears promising for identifying students who are currently having difficulty or are likely to have difficulty in the future with psychological adjustment. (Author)

Variables associated with the school leaving process are examined, particularly as it operates similarly or differentially for male and female adolescents. Using a stepwise solution method of discriminant analysis, two significant functions were identified: the first suggesting a sex dimension, the second a stayer-leaver dimension. (Author/PN)

A survey of students and personnel from 28 schools in 20 counties to assess the impact of the Florida State Student Assessment Test and remedial practices on vocational enrollments revealed that, contrary to belief, vocational education enrollments increased while total school enrollments declined. (Author)

A study of the persistence behavior of students who drop college courses included predictions concerning which students were most likely to drop courses, which courses were most likely to be dropped, and at what point in the semester students were most likely to drop courses. (Author/MLW)

The utility of personality measures as predictors of voluntary withdrawal from college was investigated. Four criterion groups were formed: high-achieving persisters and withdrawals, and low-achieving persisters and withdrawals. Two significant discriminant functions were found and interpreted as academic aptitude and social immaturity. (Author/GK)

Compared the characteristics of friends, the environments of the friendship network, and the nature of peer relations of students (N=191) at-risk and not at risk of leaving high school. Results indicate that at risk students had more dropout friends, more working friends, fewer school friends, and fewer same-sex friends. (RJM)

Examined 600 student and 300 faculty perceptions of the environment at the University of Wyoming as it relates to student retention and attrition. Results suggest that perceptions of persistors and subsequent dropouts differ less than expected. (TE)

A study of factors affecting high school students' language study persistence indicated that students continuing foreign language study were motivated by practical, utilitarian reasons, while students discontinuing language study cited course difficulty and preferences for other courses as reasons for withdrawal. (Author/CB)

Assessed frequency and nature of mandatory psychiatric withdrawal policies at Kansas colleges and universities. Forty-five of 52 colleges and universities responded to survey; of those, only 5 had specific policy for dismissing students for psychological reasons. Most respondents relied exclusively on their behavioral codes of conduct and their…