Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention

Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student Success

2024-02-07T17:53:07-06:00

Course withdrawal is common among college students, but scant empirical research has explored the effects of course withdrawal on student outcomes (e.g., persistence, degree attainment). By using statewide administrative data from Texas (N=605,362), we estimate the relationship between course withdrawal and student outcomes, finding course withdrawal rates usually affect time to degree and degree attainment. We also find that time to degree increases as withdrawal rate increases, as the more students withdraw from courses, the fewer excess credits they accumulate. We also discover nuance in degree attainment, as data suggests a 4% withdrawal rate (about one or two courses withdrawn) may start erosion of a student’s degree progress, evidenced by the data in this study. Moreover, further course withdrawals diminished a student’s probability of earning a degree. We conclude by discussing implications for practice, policy, and future research.

College Sophomore Students’ Self-Efficacy and Intent to Persist

2024-06-21T14:49:13-05:00

This study centered on sophomore college students’ self-efficacy and intent to persist in higher education. Higher levels of self-efficacy were reported by participants who self-identified as heterosexual and on the Social Efficacy and Course Efficacy subscales. Further, the analyses revealed the distribution of scores in overall self-efficacy (p = .048) and social efficacy (p = .014) was lower among respondents who did not intend to return to higher education. These findings hold implications for the transformation of the first-year seminar, development of academic embedded seminars, and enhancement of academic and faculty relationships.

Negotiating Identity: A Pilot Study on Cultural Identity, Belonging, and College Student Retention

2024-06-21T14:50:12-05:00

Some minority/minoritized college student groups struggle to develop a sense of belonging – a factor in student attrition – at culturally homogenous U.S. colleges and universities. This pilot study tested the reliability and validity of the Cultural Responsivity Index (CRI), a quantitative data collection instrument designed to measure the cultural responsivity of students’ experiences and interactions within collegiate environments. Using the CRI, the researcher explored relationships between students’ self-reported cultural identities, structurally/culturally inflexible collegiate environments, and belonging. The researcher plans to conduct additional future research using the CRI toward further developing recommendations for higher education practitioners serving culturally diverse students.

Analysis of Engineering Student Retention Based on Math Placement and Performance

2024-06-21T16:08:51-05:00

Colleges face a demographic downturn in the total number of students incoming students, and within engineering programs, retention is particularly challenging due to the rigor of the curriculum. Mathematical proficiency has repeatedly been cited as a common indicator of engineering student success and retention within the major. This research aims to explore if math placement, and performance in mathematics courses, is a significant predictor of their fall-to-fall retention at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Using a logistic regression model, and including math placement test scores, math course grades, and other independent variables associated with student retention, the results of this study showed that only in the first year of attendance was math placement a significant predictor of engineering retention.

Effects on Students’ Holistic Development Through a Comprehensive Second-Year Program

2024-06-21T14:18:48-05:00

Though many institutions provide robust first-year experience programs to help students adjust to college life, similar programs designed for second-year students are generally limited or nonexistent. As a result, second-year students often face unique stressors and developmental milestones with diminished institutional support. This study describes how a comprehensive second-year program at one university contributes to second-year students’ holistic development: namely, their sense of belonging, perseverance, and self-efficacy. From these results, we provide implications for practitioners.

Successes and challenges of learning to support children post-COVID-19

2024-02-07T17:50:52-06:00

This study investigated the experiences of faculty mentors and college students majoring in education or social work during a four-week summer program serving children in first and second grade. The college students worked as tutors, implementing an evidence-based reading program supported by training in mental health and behavior interventions. The case study design was used to determine impacts on the college students. Observations of college students, reflections from the college students, and vignettes from the faculty mentors were the data sources for the study. The key themes resulting are challenges working with children from socioeconomically and linguistically marginalized communities; successes and rewards of working with children; confidence as teachers; and mental health. The research indicates that further study is needed on embedding social work tenets into education programs on college campuses and mental health services are needed for all students K-20 post-COVID.

The End of Bias: A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias

2024-08-13T18:00:19-05:00

The End of Bias by Jessica Nordell is a compelling examination of racism and sexism, including with relatable analogies and real-life examples to better explain scientific concepts. Nordell offers strategies grounded in research that have successfully mitigated bias and proposes methods to apply these strategies in various settings. The book is structured into three parts: How Bias Works, Changing Minds, and Making It Last. Part 1 explores the historical and psychological foundations of bias, emphasizing its cumulative nature. Part 2 presents successful interventions in police departments, communities, and schools, highlighting programs like The Madison Workshop and initiatives to reduce police stress and improve community relations. Part 3 discusses systemic changes required to sustain bias reduction, with chapters addressing healthcare inequities, the impact of diversity in professional settings, and the necessity of structural and cultural shifts within organizations. While the book effectively opens dialogue on bias and suggests practical measures for its reduction, it acknowledges that ending bias entirely requires widespread and profound societal changes. Nordell's work is a valuable resource for higher education and professional development, offering a starting point for discussions and actions aimed at reducing bias.

Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America

2024-07-17T15:47:20-05:00

Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America exposes the hidden work we benefit from in the United States. This work is termed dirty work, which is “unethical activity that [has been] delegated to certain agents and then conveniently disavowed” (Press, 2021, p. 5). From working as a mental health counselor in prisons to being on the killing floors of industrial slaughterhouses, this work is deemed essential and beneficial to society but detrimental to the physical and mental health of those who are in it. The author, Eyal Press, traveled throughout the country to interview several people who have worked and experienced dirty work. These first-hand narratives and the in-depth analysis provided an overview of inequitable and dangerous work in the United States and an included argument that these workers deserve visibility, respect, and the challenging of norms through a change in culture and policy.

Not Yet a Duck

2024-06-21T14:15:07-05:00

Online baccalaureate programs now serve a quarter of American degree-seeking students. As those programs proliferated in the past decade, host institutions tended to “unbundle” academic affairs and student affairs (often neglecting the latter in the design and delivery of online programs). And so, while online programs opened the door for students facing barriers, the programs might not be conveying the full set of social, personal, and professional benefits of a college education. Herein, we describe our initiation of a data-driven effort to enrich online degree programs.

CLASS: A Framework for Strategic Thinking and Actions during Academic and Workplace Transitions

2024-08-13T15:35:56-05:00

The CLASS framework is a versatile tool college students can use when learning how to proactively and intentionally navigate new educational and work environments. It provides a concrete strategy for strategic thought processes, routines, and dialogues that can be adapted to fit different student support models.