Predicting First-Year College Student Retention: Validation of the College Persistence Questionnaire in a Spanish Sample

Rafael García-Ros,María Castillo Fuentes,Francisco Cavas-Martínez,Francisco Pérez-Gónzalez

doi:10.3390/su11164425

Rafael García-Ros, María Castillo Fuentes + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164425

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Abstract

This paper analyzes the factorial and predictive validity of a Spanish adaptation of the College Persistence Questionnaire (SCPQ) on the retention of first year students (FYS) at university. The participants were 490 FYS from two public universities in Southern Europe (Spain). Factorial analysis of the SCPQ (χ2/gl = 1.66, CFI = 0.92, NNFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.04) showed six reliable dimensions, similar to those found in the original study: Academic Integration, Social Integration, Supportive Services Satisfaction, Academic Conscientiousness, Degree Commitment and Institutional Commitment. Logistic regression showed that institutional commitment significantly predicted FYS’ permanence. The results support SCPQ’s validity as an adequate and useful tool for assessing FYS’ academic experiences involved in student retention.

Highlights

Higher Education institutions around the world are concerned about students’ permanence and academic success
SB-χ2 ratio values and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) showed a plausible fit to the model, the comparative fit index (CFI) and non-normed fit index (NNFI) values suggested that the model fit is inadequate: SB-χ2507 = 1113.23, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.85, NNFI = 0.83, RMSEA = 0.05 [0.05–0.06]
Model trimming consisted of removing the weakest path coefficients from the original model, which included four items (15, 20, 25 and 33). Removal of these items produces a six-factor oblique model for the Spanish data (SCPQ) that was supported by all the fit indices: SB-χ2386 = 642.08, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.92, NNFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.04 [0.03–0.04]

Summary

Introduction

Higher Education institutions around the world are concerned about students’ permanence and academic success. More traditional studies analyze the predictive capacity of students’ pre-university variables on academic success, concluding that High School GPA (HSGPA) results on standardized achievement tests (SAT-ACT) and socioeconomic status are significant predictors of first year students’ (FYS) achievement and permanence until graduation [8]. Another broad set of studies analyze the predictive capacity of students’ socio-personal characteristics (e.g., personality, learning styles and strategies), contextual influences (e.g., family support, financial difficulties), FYS experience variables (e.g., academic and social integration), and the effectiveness of actions taken by universities to foment students’ learning and involvement [9,10,11]. Recent meta-analytical studies highlight the incremental validity of these variables on precedents predicting both academic achievement and permanence [12,13,14]

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