The Effects of Student Receptivity on College Achievement and Retention

Abstract

When students enter college, they experience a series of equally exhilarating and challenging events. Those who experience more of the latter may in fact leave. For a variety of reasons—some personal, some academic—many students dropout or transfer from their first institution. Colleges are committed to providing a quality education for all students. Particularly for students who enter the institution “at-risk” of attrition, additional resources are available to assist in the transition from high school to college. This study examined the effects of student receptivity to services on the relationship between high school achievement and college achievement and retention. The results of a study with 991 students at a four-year public institution in the Northeast suggest that variation in student receptivity to services moderate the relationship between high school achievement and college retention after five semesters. For students identified as at-risk of attrition, higher levels of receptivity were associated with an increased likelihood of being retained.