Abstract
This paper describes the results of a replication of a study testing the predictive validity of a 34-item instrument designed to assess the fundamental constructs of Tinto's model of college student attrition. A design, variables, and analytical procedures virtually identical to those of the original study (done at a large independent university) were used, and this research was conducted at a large public university. The five-factor structure, found in the original study to underlie the 34 items, was replicated almost exactly. As in the earlier work, the Institutional and Goal Commitment Scale was a significant predictor of attendance behavior even after controlling for a variety of students' precollege characteristics. Potential institutional differences in faculty members' influence on retention were identified. A cross-validation classification procedure suggests the five factors are reasonably stable predictors of attrition.
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An earlier version of this paper was presented to the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Boston, April 1980.
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Terenzini, P.T., Lorang, W.G. & Pascarella, E.T. Predicting freshman persistence and voluntary dropout decisions: A replication. Res High Educ 15, 109–127 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00979592
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00979592