What Works in Student Retention?

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What Works in Student Retention?

• ACTs Fourth National Survey
• on College Retention

Dr. Wes Habley Principal Associate Educational
Services ACT, Inc.
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(No Transcript)
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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

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RETENTION

• The process of holding or keeping in ones
  possession

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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
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PERSISTENCE
To continue to exist or prevail
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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

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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
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Survey Details

• Overall responses
• Mailing 3360 institutions
• Usable returns 1104 (32.9)
• Community college responses
• Mailing 949 institutions
• 305 usable returns (32.1)

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Survey Details

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

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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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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

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The problem must be that we have the.
WRONG STUDENTS

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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.

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(No Transcript)
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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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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
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This is not rocket science!
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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)

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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)

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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)

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DATA - !!_at_!
BORING!
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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

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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

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Top Four Clusters

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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High/Low Intervention Differences

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

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I have tortured the data until it confessed
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What Works in Student Retention?

• ACTs Fourth National Survey
• on College Retention