Student Retention Rates Research Articles

Direct Educational Costs and Students’ Retention Rate in Public Boarding Secondary Schools in Kenya

Student retention in secondary school is paramount for the ultimate achievement of goals in education. This is the reason why individuals, societies, education partners and stakeholders pull together to finance education at all levels. Despite this effort, student retention in public boarding secondary schools in Kenya is wanting, Literature indicates that, costs incurred while going through secondary education may have an effect on the retention of students. This study therefore sought to establish the extent to which direct costs of education affect student retention rate in public boarding secondary schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was used to gather both the qualitative and quantitative data. The target included 31 principals and 4012 parents. All the 31 principals were purposively selected. Yamane simplified formula was used to sample 399 parents who were then distributed among the sub counties using proportionate random sampling. Questionnaires were utilized to collect quantitative data from parents while an interview schedule helped to gather qualitative data from the principals. Document analysis provided secondary data on students’ retention. Quantitative data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data on the other hand was analyzed thematically. The study findings showed that, direct educational costs are crucial predictors of students’ retention rate in public boarding secondary schools. They account for 94.1% of the variance. Costs of meals, accommodation, activity fee, parents’ association fund and the costs of repairs, maintenance and improvement all contributed to the variance. However, the cost of repairs, maintenance and improvement accounts for the highest contribution (90%) as the cost of activity fee accounts for the lowest (0.01%). The study concludes that, direct educational costs affect students’ retention rate in public boarding secondary schools. The study recommends the government through the departments of basic education and early learning to reconsider waiving all the boarding costs so as to lessen the cost burden and hence enhance student retention. Keywords : Direct educational costs, Retention, Boarding secondary schools. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-3-05 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

It Takes a Village to Retain ONE Online Student: A Comparative Study of Online and On-Campus Social Work Students at Fort Hays State University

Retention rates for online students have been found to be lower than for students enrolled in face-to-face classes (Travers, 2016; Lee & Choi, 2011). However, having a positive perception of the university environment can lead to academic persistence and less attrition (Gloria & Kurpius, 1996). This study examined whether a significant difference exists between social work students completing their degree online and those completing their degree face-to-face as it pertains to their perception of the university environment.

Student Retention in Fully Online Programmes at Two South African Universities

Literature indicates that low retention rates are evident in online modules and programmes. However, a much higher student retention rate than anticipated was observed in two fully online programmes at two South African universities. To explore this retention phenomena, a non-experimental quantitative study was done. The study uses descriptive statistics to identify trends and patterns in student retention and applies non-parametric statistics to test the significance of the observed patterns. Typically, students in a fully online carousel model programme drop out after the first module, specifically in the first two weeks of the module. After the third module, student retention stabilises. Similar patterns are visible in the year model, where students typically drop out within the first three months of their first year. Dropout continues in the second year, resulting in two distinct linear phases of dropout. However, in year 3, approximately 50% of the retained students continued. Findings reveal critical dropout periods. Further studies can be conducted to determine the causes of dropout so that measures can be implemented to improve student retention in higher education.

On the other side of the rabbit proof fence: decolonizing social work education - a framework for change

ABSTRACT The push to improve Indigenous student retention and completion rates in higher education programs is a strategic goal across Australian universities. Similarly, the notion of decolonizing education to allow for a more culturally relevant educational experience is being discussed in university curricula development. In this article, we highlight challenges within the current neoliberal political context influencing a decolonized approached to higher education. We will draw on experiences from a case study of a creative therapy course situated within a Social Work program at a regional university. A team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers will propose a framework for navigating pedagogical and administrative challenges to design a course that serves as a powerful tool to advocate for changes in higher education and social work systems. We suggest that this framework can be used to build valuable connections across Indigenous and Western knowledge systems and promote truth-telling in the social work context. Finally, we argue that our framework for decolonising education is inter-disciplinary and a useful tool in helping staff and students take back their knowledge from colonial power structures.

원격대학생의 장학금 수혜가 학업지속에 미치는 영향 분석

This article examined the effects of scholarships on academic persistence in distance learning environments. Student persistence is one of the most important measurements for both institutional management and student success amidst the changing educational landscape in higher education. It is a particularly important issue for open and distance universities where the student retention rates are much lower than in conventional face-to-face education. To this end, this study aimed to understand how the provision of scholarships may contribute to students' persistence, especially focusing on distance adult learners.
 Data was collected from a Korean public open university regarding students' academic and scholarship information who were enrolled in the first and second semesters in the year of 2019. Logistic regression models were applied to identify the relationship between scholarship types and students' persistence. The finding suggested that students who received need-based scholarships were more likely to continue in their studies than those who received merit-based scholarships. Additional analyses estimating the impact of specific types of scholarships on persistence highlighted the following: in comparing specific types of need-based scholarships, financial scholarship recipients compared to social scholarship recipients may increase the probability of persistence. In terms of different merit-based scholarship types, non-academic scholarship than academic scholarship may positively contribute to students' persistence, controlling for students' individual attributes. Suggestions on scholarship policy concerning open and distance universities as well as implications for future research were also discussed.

Considering Equality, Equity in Biology Instruction

Editorial| September 01 2022 Considering Equality, Equity in Biology Instruction James Coleman James Coleman JAMES COLEMAN (jscoleman@uncg.edu) is a professor of biology and former provost at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He also served as provost at the University of Arkansas and Northern Arizona University and served as dean of the college of humanities and sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (2022) 84 (7): 387–388. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2022.84.7.387 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation James Coleman; Considering Equality, Equity in Biology Instruction. The American Biology Teacher 1 September 2022; 84 (7): 387–388. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2022.84.7.387 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search I recently returned to teaching in the undergraduate biology classroom after 25 years as a university senior administrator. A great deal of my efforts as dean and provost were devoted to university programs aimed at improving diversity, inclusiveness, and equity (DEI) and the retention and graduation rates of students. Despite making these issues a high priority, often with significant investments, progress at my institutions, and in higher education more generally, has been slow. Why is making improvement in student success and DEI so hard? There are countless reasons, some tied to larger societal issues that universities and schools cannot fix. However, there are some reasons that lie in things we can control, often in our own classrooms. Here I want to discuss the perspective of equality vs. equity teaching. Equality (also known as fairness) focuses on treating each student equally, perhaps implicitly assuming that all learners enter a class with... You do not currently have access to this content.

Diversity in allied dental programs and community colleges.

Student retention is the most critical challenge facing most traditional 4- and 2-year institutions. Challenges related to student belonging and retention are among many that colleges must contend with daily. Once students arrive, they are met with an academic environment that may greatly differ from their high school and home experiences. There is evidence that classroom success is influenced by faculty tone setting and the overall campus climate. Other studies have shown that creating a sense of belonging on college campuses is essential. Classroom success can be moderated by relationships with faculty, especially with faculty of color and other minoritized groups. Given the predicted shortages of minority dental healthcare providers in the United States and the expanding diversity of the general population, it is important to recruit and retain an ethnically and culturally diverse allied dental workforce. The objectives of this research were to identify strategies to recruit underrepresented (underrepresented minority [URM]) students into health professions, understand the significance of underrepresented (URM) faculty's influence on the number of URM student recruitment, retention, and graduation rates, and how to implement best practices for overall minority student success.

Financial Literacy Programming in Higher Education: What’s There and What’s Missing

College student retention theorists have suggested that improving students’ financial literacy may improve student retention and completion rates. Before this important line of inquiry can be thoroughly examined, it is first important to understand if and how major state universities in the United States currently provide students with financial literacy education. This qualitative study investigates the existence, content, delivery modalities, and participation timing of financial literacy programs at major state institutions throughout the United States.

Portraying the Performance of Indonesian’s Massive Open Online Course Facilitators

An Indonesian MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) aimed to give pre- and in-service English teachers a new online learning experience and equip them to master technological applications for teaching English in class. It has not always been easy for facilitators to assist students to complete MOOC programs. This paper sketches how Indonesian facilitators faced challenges in motivating MOOC students. The experience of facilitators with low and high dropout rates is shown to sharpen and deepen the differences in managing the MOOC program. This study found a relationship between facilitator performance and student retention rates.

Reading between the lines:

The aim of this paper is to explore how first-year university students at a regional university in Australia perceive and use Information Literacy (IL) as they transition from school to university. A survey method was used to gather data through pre- and post-intervention surveys with 1,333 first-year students enrolled in their first semester of study across all disciplines at the university. The study identified that between 25–35% of students did not enjoy reading, with many students preferring not to read. Students arrived at university with largely misguided confidence in their personal IL skills, especially the skills needed to meet the demands of university level coursework, with up to 47% of students unlikely to have experienced well-resourced libraries at school. The study concludes that implications for university teaching include gaining an early understanding of the IL skills students have when they arrive at university, and the explicit teaching of IL skills, given the identified impact of IL skills on student success and retention rates.

Emerging Evidence on Student Funding: A Case of a South African Historically Disadvantaged Institution

Decreasing real value in fiscal allocations to higher education is crippling the sector’s ability to effectively respond to its broader social and economic transformation mandate enjoined in the South African Constitution. Improving student access, retention, and throughput rate are leading priorities of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to achieve this mandate. Student funding, therefore, has been a shared responsibility of both the private and public sector since the dawn of democracy. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the status quo, especially with eroded income bases for most businesses and households. Despite recovering financially, the priority of the private sector has been to maintain stability and regain market share. How sustainable is student funding for historically disadvantaged institutions (HDIs) in the post-COVID epoch? The study uses descriptive analysis of quantitative data of registered first-time entering students (FTENs) at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) for 2021 and 2022 to decompose the funding dynamics and further quantify the size of FTEN debt. The study shows that about 17 per cent of the FTENs do not receive funding and that 99 per cent of the funded population are catered for by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The remaining 1 per cent is catered for by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local municipalities, and some government developmental entities. The study also shows that the size of FTEN debt incurred yearly is above R60 million and is likely to increase as the real value of government financial support decreases. The study proposes a stringent mobilisation of private sector participation, through policy commitment, to student funding to improve access.

A Degree Program in Modern Anatomical Sciences Aimed at Improving Matriculation and Retention Rates for Underrepresented Students in Medicine

BackgroundThe American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) reported that 28% of all medical school applicants for the 2018‐2019 application cycle indicated their ethnicity as different from Caucasian or Asian. Of those accepted, approximately 23% reported their ethnicity as different from Caucasian or Asian.1 Even as these numbers represent increases in total numbers of underrepresented students matriculating to medical school, they are still underrepresented as a proportion of the US population.2, 3 In 2019, a one‐year master’s degree program in Modern Anatomical Sciences (MAS) was refocused as a pathway for increasing the number of students underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) at our institution. The pathway was first implemented in the 2020 – 2021 academic year.Questions/Purposes/Hypotheses Can a master’s degree program focused on anatomical sciences increase the number of URiM students that matriculate to an affiliated medical school? Can a strategically designed master’s degree program increase the number of URiM students that successfully complete the first year of medical school? MethodsA one‐year master’s degree program that accepts no more than 16 applicants annually. Coursework includes: 21.0 credit hours of basic science content taken jointly with first‐year medical students. 6.0 credit hours and up to 40 clinical hours observing biomedical imaging. 4.0 credit hours devoted to the design, implementation, and communication of results of a scholarly project. ResultsTo date, 28 students have been admitted to the pathway program. All 12 URiM graduates of the 2020 ‐ 2021 academic year matriculated to the current first‐year medical school class. These students represent 7.5% of the class and markedly boost the historical diversity representation at the school (14% URiM over past four years). MAS pathway students consistently perform as well, or better, in coursework taken jointly with first‐year medical students. For example, among first‐year medical students taking the first gross anatomy practical exam, MAS students were 22 times more likely to score above 90% compared to a traditional first‐year medical student. Finally, of the 18 students awarded MAS degrees in 2020 and 2021, 83% have matriculated to our medical school, and cumulatively 94% have matriculated to allied health schools in Ohio.ConclusionsSince its inception in 2019, the one‐year master’s degree program in Modern Anatomical Sciences has proven effective in increasing the number of underrepresented in medicine students at our medical school. The curriculum design successfully prepares students for the rigor of the pre‐clerkship curriculum at our institution. Taking basic science courses alongside medical students builds confidence and prepares students to be class leaders in their first year of medical school. The small class size provides students greater opportunities to interface with medical school faculty and clinicians, as well as develop positive, affirming relationships with their classmates. These connections are likely to benefit the students throughout their medical school careers.References AAMC. Diversity in Medicine: Facts and Figures 2019, Washington, DC: AAMC; 2019 AAMC. Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine. Washington, DC: AAMC; 2015 Lett LA, Murdock HM, Orji WU, Aysola J, Sebro R. Trends in Racial/Ethnic Representation Among US Medical Students. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(9):e1910490. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.10490

An Overview and Analysis of First2 Network Campus Clubs.

Underrepresented groups often face various, tedious obstacles when pursuing postsecondary education; many times, students find it difficult to impossible to overcome these obstacles and either avoid or drop out of college. The First2 Network is a statewide network of innovative stakeholders collaborating to solve and share STEM persistence issues. At the core of network’s shared vision is the assumption that students should be co-creators of the solutions. Funded by the National Science Foundation’s INCLUDES initiative, First2 hopes to double the retention rate of first-generation, underrepresented, and/or rural STEM students in higher education through many enriching and diverse opportunities, events, and initiatives. One of the most student-led and effective methods of outreach and support is the utilization of campus clubs across the state. Participants in this presentation will hear an overview about each First2 campus club and highlights of the work they are doing, how this work can affect systems change, and the benefits for those who participate.
 Ashlea Krasnansky, Dept of Mathematics, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, 25755; Erica Harvey, Dept of Natural Sciences, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, WV, 26554; and Beth Thompson, Dept of Natural Sciences, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, WV, 26554. An Overview and Analysis of First2 Network Campus Clubs.

Student-Centered Leadership in Universities: Promoting Engagement and Academic Success through Inclusive Management

Student-centered leadership has become a key concept in modern higher education for encouraging student participation and academic performance. This method places a strong emphasis on the value of inclusive management techniques, giving students more agency over their academic careers and creating an atmosphere that is supportive of both learning and personal development. This article looks at how student-centered leadership in higher education fosters an environment that is more inclusive and interactive, which has a direct impact on academic success. It emphasizes the value of inclusive leadership in raising student engagement, retention rates, and overall academic success through a review of the research and case studies. It also addresses the difficulties colleges have putting these ideas into reality and provides helpful advice for developing a culture of student-centered leadership. According to the research, universities see better results for both individual students and the organization when leadership places a high priority on student voice, inclusivity, and cooperation.

Being different while making a difference: A qualitative analysis of underrepresented nursing faculty members’ lived experiences

There is a need to increase the number of faculty members in nursing academia from underrepresented groups. Increased numbers of nursing faculties from underrepresented groups can make an impact on the success and retention rates of students from underrepresented groups. Schools of nursing need to find better ways to be inclusive of all racial/ethnic and gender minorities. By having a better understanding of the isolation these individuals feel, nursing faculty members can make a concerted effort to better include these faculties from underrepresented groups into the organizational culture. Inclusion leads to faculty member success, which can then assist in the recruitment and retention of nursing students from underrepresented groups. This can lead to a nursing workforce better representative of the patients and communities it serves.

Aligning the Purpose, Function & Mission of a Historically Disadvantaged South African Public University: The Case of the University of Venda

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have recently come under increased pressure to internationalize their campuses through increasing study abroad offerings and international student recruitment and retention rates. The internationalization of higher education however, has mostly been theorized from a Euro-American perspective, often not taking into account actors in periphery contexts. This paper highlights the important role of an emergent voice within the field that relies strategically on its third mission to balance transnational pressures to internationalize and local demands for education equity. Drawing on insights from a mixed-methodology case study at a historically disadvantaged public South African university, it is argued that this institution’s increased reliance on non-academic stakeholders within their internationalization decision-making processes, holds together these conflicting imperatives.

Creative Science Through Inquiry: Improving Teacher Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy Through Adaptable, Mystery-Based Professional Development

Teacher self-efficacy is an important contributor to student outcomes, school climate and teacher retention. Outcome expectancy, a construct studied more commonly in health- and behaviour-related fields, may also positively impact school-related outcomes. Research shows that professional development can increase teacher confidence, but few studies have considered this connection for science-focused professional development, specifically. Our study assesses the impact of a science-focused, mystery-based professional development workshop for upper-elementary to high-school teachers. The hands-on, collaborative nature of this workshop allowed for generalisability to classrooms of various ability levels. Using the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-A (STEBI-A) as a measure of science-teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy, we found that participants’ self-reported self-efficacy and outcome expectancy significantly increased (p < .001 for each) over the course of the two-week workshop. This outcome is especially relevant to schools and districts interested in improving student outcomes, school climate and teacher retention rates.

Experiential Learning in a Family Systems Course: Integrating the FCSfit KIDS Curriculum

Experiential learning is a pedagogical tool that aligns with the mission of family and consumer sciences (FCS) university programs because it emphasizes the role of formal education in the development of individuals, family members, and global citizens (Brooks & Simpson, 2014). College students benefit from experiential learning and field-based experiences through enhanced integration of course materials and enhanced perceptions of learning and actual learning (Langlais, 2018). There are many positive outcomes of experiential learning activities in the college classroom including high retention rates of students during and after these semesters (Darling & Cassidy, 2014), improved employability (Brooks & Simpson, 2014), and a broader global perspective (Smith & Yang, 2017). Within FCS courses, experiential learning often provides skills that prepare college students to succeed in their work with children, youth, and families (Brooks & Simpson, 2014; Taylor & Xia, 2018). This paper highlights an experiential activity provided in a Family Systems course in which students learn about family dynamics and the systematic approach of familial well-being. With its focus on the application, creativity, and linking theory to practice, the FCSfit KIDS curriculum was implemented in a Family Systems course to provide varied interactive learning activities to enhance students' understanding of the role of families on preschoolers' health and well-being.

Early Student-at-Risk Detection by Current Learning Performance and Learning Behavior Indicators

Abstract The article is focused on the problem of early prediction of students’ learning failures with the purpose of their possible prevention by timely introducing supportive measures. We propose an approach to designing a predictive model for an academic course or module taught in a blended learning format. We introduce certain requirements to predictive models concerning their applicability to the educational process such as interpretability, actionability, and adaptability to a course design. We test three types of classifiers meeting these requirements and choose the one that provides best performance starting from the early stages of the semester, and therefore provides various opportunities to timely support at-risk students. Our empirical studies confirm that the proposed approach is promising for the development of an early warning system in a higher education institution. Such systems can positively influence student retention rates and enhance learning and teaching experience for a long term.

Are You HIP?: How One Latinx Learning Community Integrates Ten High-Impact Practices to Foster Student Success

This practice report shares practices from a successful Latinx Studies learning community model at an urban research-intensive university in the Midwestern United States. The learning community model offers a tiered developmental curriculum to support the three different stages of a student’s journey, from enrollment to graduation. The three distinct phases of the learning community model are: a pre-college summer enrichment program, a first- and second-year college scholars program and a third and fourth-year college-to-career component. The model also integrates 10 out of 11 of Kuh’s (2008) high impact practices demonstrated to support student engagement and success for students making a direct transition from high school to university. The authors share gains in student retention and five-year graduation rates as evidence of effectiveness.