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What Works in Student Retention?

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What Works in Student Retention? ACT s Fourth National Survey on College Retention Dr. Wes Habley Principal Associate Educational Services ACT, Inc. – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: What Works in Student Retention?


1
What Works in Student Retention?
  • ACTs Fourth National Survey
  • on College Retention

Dr. Wes Habley Principal Associate Educational
Services ACT, Inc.
2
(No Transcript)
3
Types of Attrition
  • Expected and Justified
  • realized a goal other than a degree/certificate
  • Stopping Out
  • not on our timeframe
  • Unnecessary and subject to institutional
    intervention

4
RETENTION
  • The process of holding or keeping in ones
    possession

5
ATTRITION
The process or state of being gradually worn
down.
Migrant Mother, Dorothea Lange Library of
Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
reproduction number LC-USF34-9058-C
6
PERSISTENCE
To continue to exist or prevail
7
Retention Trends 1983-2009
Freshman-Sophomore Year
Highest Lowest Current
Two-Year Public 53.7(08,09) 51.3(04) 53.7
BA/BS Public 70.0(04) 66.4(96,05) 67.6
MA/MS Public 71.6(06) 68.1(89) 69.8
PhD Public 78.1(04) 72.9(08) 74.4
Two-year Private 72.6(92) 55.5(08) 55.5
BA/BS Private 74.0(89) 69.6(08) 69.9
MA/MS Private 78.0(85) 72.3(08) 72.0
PhD Private 85.0(85) 80.4(08) 80.6

8
Completion Trends 1983-2009 Two-year Colleges
Graduation in 3 years or less
Highest Lowest Current
Public 38.8(89) 27.1(07) 28.3
Private 66.4(90) 50.2(08) 51.6
ALL 44.0(89) 28.9(07) 30.8
9
Survey Details
  • Overall responses
  • Mailing 3360 institutions
  • Usable returns 1104 (32.9)
  • Community college responses
  • Mailing 949 institutions
  • 305 usable returns (32.1)

10
Survey Details
  • Survey sections
  • Background
  • Retention and degree completion rates
  • Factors affecting attrition
  • Retention practices
  • Highest impact programs

11
Section III Factors affecting attrition
  • 42 factors listed
  • To what degree does each factor affect attrition
    at your school
  • 5 Major affect on attrition
  • 4
  • 3 Moderate affect on attrition
  • 2
  • 1 Little or no effect on attrition

12
Highest Rated Contribution to Attrition
  • level of student preparation for college-level
    work (4.3)
  • student study skills (4.1)
  • adequacy of personal financial resources (4.1)
  • level of student commitment to earning a degree
    (4.0)
  • level of student motivation to succeed (3.9)
  • student family responsibilities (3.9)
  • level of job demands on students (3.8)

13
Highest Rated Contribution to Attrition
(continued)
  • student low socio-economic status (3.8)
  • amount of financial aid available to students
    (3.6)
  • student personal coping skills (3.6)
  • student educational aspirations and goals (3.6)
  • level of certainty about career goals (3.5)
  • level of emotional support from family, friends,
    and significant others (3.5)
  • student first-generation status (3.5)

14
Attrition factors highest of institutions
ranking item 4 or 5
  • student study skills (80.4)
  • level of student preparation for college-level
    work (79.1)
  • adequacy of personal financial resources (76.1)
  • level of student commitment to earning a degree
    (70.8)
  • student family responsibilities (68.6)
  • level of student motivation to succeed (68.5)
  • level of job demands on students (67.3)
  • student low socio-economic status (65.5)

15
Why do we have a problem?
  • We have..
  • a beautiful campus
  • great facilities
  • a rich set of co-curricular experiences
  • excellent academic programs
  • an outstanding faculty

16
The problem must be that we have the.
WRONG STUDENTS

17
Lowest Rated Contribution to Attrition
  • ratio of loans to other forms of financial aid
    (2.8)
  • student peer group interaction (2.7)
  • student access to needed courses in the
    appropriate sequence (2.6)
  • level of intellectual stimulation or challenge
    for students (2.6)
  • relevancy of curricula (2.6)
  • commuting/living off-campus (2.5)
  • student physical health issues (2.3)

18
Lowest Rated Contribution to Attrition
(continued)
  • extracurricular programs (2.2)
  • cultural activities (2.1)
  • distance from students' permanent homes (2.1)
  • rules and regulations governing student behavior
    (2.1)
  • campus safety and security (1.9)
  • residence hall facilities (1.5)
  • programs to support students' transition to
    residence hall living (1.4)

19
Attrition factors lowest of institutions
ranking item 4 or 5
  • extracurricular programs (10.9)
  • campus safety and security (9.5)
  • rules and regulations governing student behavior
    (8.2)
  • cultural activities (7.8)
  • residence hall facilities (7.3)
  • programs to support students' transition to
    residence hall living (3.2)

20
John Gardner comments.
  • It is disturbing to note.that in spite of all
    we know about student retention that institutions
    are still inclined to hold students responsible
    for their retention/attrition while dramatically
    minimizing the institutional role in student
    retention.

21
(No Transcript)
22
Section IV Retention Interventions
  • 92 identified retention practices
  • 2 wild cards
  • Two sub-sections
  • Is this intervention offered? (yes or no)
  • If it is offered, rate the contribution to
    retention
  • Five-point Rating Scale
  • 5 Major Contribution to Retention
  • 4
  • 3 Moderate Contribution to Retention
  • 2
  • 1 Little or no contribution to Retention

23
Section IV Retention Interventions
  • Intervention clusters
  • First-year transition programs (8 items)
  • Academic advising (15)
  • Assessment (9)
  • Career Planning and Placement (6)
  • Learning Assistance/Academic Support (19)
  • Mentoring (4)
  • Faculty Development (7)
  • Financial Aid (3)
  • Co-curricular Services/Programs for specific
    sub-populations (10)
  • Other activities/programs (10)

24
Highest rated mean interventions
  • reading center/lab (4.1)
  • comprehensive learning assistance center/lab
    (4.1)
  • tutoring (4.1)
  • mandated placement of students in courses based
    on test scores (4.1)
  • remedial/developmental coursework (required) (4.1)

25
Highest rated mean interventions(continued)
  • increased number of academic advisors (4.0)
  • writing center/lab (4.0)
  • mathematics center/lab (4.0)
  • first-generation students (4.0)
  • advising interventions with selected student
    populations (3.9)
  • academic advising center (3.9)

26
Lowest Rated Mean Interventions
  • fraternities/sororities (2.4)
  • recognition/rewards for non-faculty academic
    advisors (2.6)
  • recognition/rewards for faculty academic advisors
    (2.6)
  • degree guarantee program (2.8)
  • freshman interest groups (FIGS) (2.9)

27
Lowest Rated Mean Interventions
  • enhanced/modified faculty reward system (3.0)
  • gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender students (3.0)
  • health and wellness course/program (3.0)
  • residence hall programs (3.0)

28
Combining Percentage of Use with Item Means
Percentage of Institutions offering a specific
intervention (INCIDENCE)
Top one-third Middle one-third Lowest one-third
Highest rated items
Lowest rated items
Good Bet
Consider
Sleeper
Everybody is doing it
Proceed with Caution
IFFY
29
This is not rocket science!
30
GOOD BET Highest ratings in top third of usage
  • comprehensive learning assistance center/lab
    (4.1)
  • tutoring (4.1)
  • mandated placement of students in courses based
    on test scores (4.1)
  • remedial/developmental coursework (required)
    (4.1)
  • writing center/lab (4.0)
  • mathematics center/lab (4.0)
  • advising interventions with selected student
    populations (3.9)
  • academic advising center (3.9)
  • supplemental instruction (3.8)

31
CONSIDER Highest Ratings in middle third of usage
  • reading center/lab (4.1)
  • increased number of academic advisors (4.0)
  • first-generation students (4.0)
  • recommended placement of students in courses
    based on test scores (3.9)
  • remedial/developmental coursework (recommended)
    (3.8)
  • international students (3.7)
  • diagnostic academic skills assessment (3.7)
  • racial/ethnic minority students (3.7)
  • freshman seminar/university 101 (credit) (3.7)

32
SLEEPER Highest ratings and bottom third of usage
  • integration of advising with first-year
    transition programs (3.9)
  • organized student study groups (3.8)
  • extended freshman orientation (credit) (3.7)
  • foreign language center/lab (3.7)
  • peer mentoring (3.7)
  • staff mentoring (3.6)

33
DATA - !!_at_!
BORING!
34
Section V Top 3 Interventions
  • mandated placement of students in courses based
    on test scores - 36
  • tutoring - 22
  • remedial/developmental coursework (required) -
    20
  • comprehensive learning assistance center/lab 4
  • academic advising center - 12

35
Section V Top 3 Interventions
  • early warning system - 12
  • freshman seminar/university 101 (credit) 10
  • summer orientation - 10
  • training for faculty academic advisors -10
  • 40 interventions between 1 and 9
  • 43 interventions not mentioned at all

36
Top Four Clusters
  • Learning Assistance/Academic Support
  • Assessment
  • Academic Advising
  • Programs/Services for specific student
    sub-populations

37
Comparing Attrition Factors
  • Top quartile first to second year retention rate
    (high performers) v. bottom quartile first to
    second year retention rates (low performers)
  • High 69 institutions
  • Low 70 institutions
  • All contributions to attrition rated 3.5 or
    higher
  • Differential between high and low performers of
    .2 or greater

38
High/Low Attrition Differences
  • ITEM
  • level of student preparation for college-level
    work
  • level of student commitment to earning a degree
  • student personal coping skills
  • HIGH LOW
  • 4.1 4.4
  • 3.8 4.1
  • 3.4 3.6

39
Comparing Intervention Practices
  • Top quartile first to second year retention rate
    (high performers) v. bottom quartile first to
    second year retention rate (low performers)
  • High 69 institutions
  • Low 70 institutions
  • Included only items with a mean gt 3.6 for all
    community colleges
  • High performer incidence rate gt 10 above low
    performer incidence rate

40
High/Low Intervention Differences
  • Intervention High Low
  • reading center/lab  61 48
  • comprehensive learning
  • assistance center/lab
    81 70
  • increased number of academic 44
    32
  • advisors
  • integration of advising with
  • first-year transition programs
    43 28
  • remedial/developmental coursework 51 37

41
High/Low Intervention Differences
  • Intervention High Low
  • pre-enrollment financial aid 93
    77
  • advising
  • diagnostic academic skills 69
    41
  • assessment
  • racial/ethnic minority students  63
    41
  • center(s) that integrates
  • advising with career/life planning 61
    45
  • staff mentoring  29 18

42
I have tortured the data until it confessed
43
What Works in Student Retention?
  • ACTs Fourth National Survey
  • on College Retention
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