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Localizing College Retention Efforts: The Distance between Theoretical Orientation and Institution-Specific Needs

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Abstract

The study used a theoretically guided questionnaire to examine student experience in college and to gain a better understanding about how college environment affects student persistence. Data were collected from a single four-year institution; the findings suggest that institutional control over academic quality is the most critical factor in reducing students’ dropout intention along with their ability to pay for college education. The results highlight the inconsistency between the specific needs of students in their particular academic settings and the dominant theoretical frameworks that focus on academic and social engagement, and these results offer encouragement for localized retention interventions based on sufficient understanding of students’ experiences.

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Notes

  1. The email address provided in the article (2002) is out of date, and the authors tried three different email addresses based on a Google search but were unsuccessful in reaching S. Beekhoven for a written permission regarding modification and/or reuse of their survey items.

  2. This study was funded by the Faculty Research Grants Program at the University of Memphis.

  3. Because the College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and has a variety of academic majors, the data are presented separately for arts and science majors.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported in full or in part by a grant from The University of Memphis Faculty Research Grant Fund. This support does not necessarily imply endorsement by the University of research conclusions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, University of Memphis, Ball Hall 100, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    Yonghong Jade Xu

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  1. Yonghong Jade Xu
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Correspondence to Yonghong Jade Xu.

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Xu, Y.J. Localizing College Retention Efforts: The Distance between Theoretical Orientation and Institution-Specific Needs. Innov High Educ 42, 49–63 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-016-9364-9

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