Student Withdrawal Research Articles

First Impressions Last

Low progression rates and voluntary student withdrawal are increasingly a concern as participation rates in the tertiary sector rise. Models of departure stress the importance of transition mechanisms in obtainingthe commitment which ensures persistence. This article describes an innovative induction programme which was devised by applying student persistence research findings. Sufficient details of the activity’s structure are provided to allow it to be adapted by others. The evaluation reported is based mainly on data collected after the first time the programme was run. The programme has now operated for several years and evaluations and modifications are described. The primary aim of this article is to provide guidanceon optimizing the effectiveness of the approach.

The Withdrawal of Non-traditional Students: Developing an explanatory model

In the past decade there has been a dramatic growth in UK student numbers, with students from non-traditional and under-represented groups being encouraged to participate in higher education. However, levels of withdrawal in those higher education institutions that have a greater proportion of non-traditional students have also been increasing. Higher education institutions have introduced various strategies in an effort to cope with this problem, but unfortunately current models offer little in the way of explaining the causes of (and little justification for the strategies used to reduce) withdrawal. It is proposed that in attending to the explanations of withdrawal, consideration must be given to discovering the underlying characteristics of the teaching and learning environment and the manner in which a student's perceptions and expectations of that environment may impact on their decision to withdraw. An ethnographical study using grounded theory is used to capture these underlying characteristics. This study provides an explanation of the teaching and learning environment as it relates to the student's beliefs, the actions between the student and staff and the intentions of the institution. The results of this initial study are presented. These results represent a preliminary 'grounded' model of the teaching and learning environment of the Technology Faculty at Southampton Institute.

Seeing it from both sides: reasons for withdrawing from one-year secondary postgraduate certificate in education courses

Teacher recruitment and retention are a major concern. Recruitment to Postgraduate Certificate in Education courses (PGCE), whilst improving in some subject areas, remains problematic in others; potential teachers are leaving in larger numbers than has formerly been the case. Since 1996-97, initial teacher education providers have been losing about 11% of their intake when previously they had experienced an annual withdrawal rate of 5-6%. This article describes research funded by the Teacher Training Agency which examined the question of PGCE (secondary) student withdrawal from eight higher education institutions in England. Data were obtained from both the students and from the schools in which they were working at the time of withdrawal. The main findings relate to three major concerns: the mentor/student relationship, the workload expected of students and the image of the profession as perceived by the students in schools.

Student retention in higher education: the role of institutional habitus

This paper examines some of the issues surrounding student retention in higher education. It is based on the case study of a modern university in England that has good performance indicators of both widening participation (i.e. increasing the diversity of the student intake) and student retention. The two-fold nature of this success is significant, as it has been asserted that greater diversity will necessarily lead to an increase in student withdrawal. Furthermore, changes to student funding in the UK put greater financial pressures and stress on students, especially those from low-income groups. Nevertheless, many students cope with poverty, high levels of debt and significant burdens of paid work to successfully complete their courses of study. Drawing on the work of Reay et al. (2001), this paper adopts and explores the term ‘institutional habitus’, and attempts to provide a conceptual and empirical understanding of the ways in which the values and practices of a higher education institution impact on student retention.

Collaborative learning and teaching: Reflections on a facilitated journey

This report summarises the first year of an innovative and multilayered teaching and learning collaborative experience within the context of an undergraduate unit in early childhood. The facilitative influence is two‐fold: (a) generic information skills training (GIST) project which is a joint initiative between the Institute of Early Childhood (IEC), the Library and the Centre for Flexible Learning to teach information literacy skills which are contextualised within the unit presentation mode, its requirements and assessment tasks, and (b) redesign of the unit from a former third‐year level to a first‐year level to incorporate the notion of problem‐based, collaborative teaching and learning. Many challenges were faced by those involved in the unit in its first year, mainly class size and heterogeneity of student levels, incorporation of technology into learning and teaching, and flow of information for smooth operations for students, the teaching team and Library staff. Multilevel collaborations were central to this experience, and examples of student‐student, student‐teacher, and teacher‐staff collaborations are provided. The first of the 2‐year cycle of the GIST project has generated substantive data, as has the implementation of the unit in an innovative format. The complexity and challenges presented in the unit seemed to account for student withdrawal of about 25% in the first month; final evaluations are obtained from 292 students. Survey results presented here are both from the withdrawn students, as well as those who completed the unit. Modifications to the delivery of the unit in its second year and ways of strengthening the communities of learners and teachers towards a common goal are briefly reviewed.

Student Attrition from Newfoundland and Labrador's Public College.

Educators, administrators, and government officials alike are interested in reducing the rate of student withdrawal at Canadian postsecondary institutions. Aside from the loss of financial resources, there are other negative effects associated with early departure from community college or university. This article outlines research into first-semester student withdrawal from engineering technology programs at a campus of the College of the North Atlantic in St. John's, Newfoundland. The research was designed to investigate various aspects of withdrawal of first-semester students enrolled in Engineering Technology programs at the College. The research design incorporated focus groups, interviews, and the collection and statistical analysis of quantitative data. Results of this study showed that 24.9% of first-semester Engineering Technology students withdrew before the winter 2000 semester, and that students' academic difficulties play a significant role in their decisions to withdraw or persist at the College. These results were consistent with Tinto's (1993) Student Integration Model.

Student Attrition from Newfoundland and Labrador's Public College

Educators, administrators, and government officials alike are interested in reducing the rate of student withdrawal at Canadian postsecondary institutions. Aside from the loss of financial resources, there are other negative effects associated with early departure from community college or university. This article outlines research into first-semester student withdrawal from engineering technology programs at a campus of the College of the North Atlantic in St. John's, Newfoundland. The research was designed to investigate various aspects of withdrawal of first-semester students enrolled in Engineering Technology programs at the College. The research design incorporated focus groups, interviews, and the collection and statistical analysis of quantitative data. Results of this study showed that 24.9% of first-semester Engineering Technology students withdrew before the winter 2000 semester, and that students' academic difficulties play a significant role in their decisions to withdraw or persist at the College. These results were consistent with Tinto's (1993) Student Integration Model.

Conducting a Withdrawal Survey

Withdrawal of students from courses in higher education institutions is an issue that is attracting special attention in the United Kingdom. Earlier studies, primarily in the United States and Canada, have used a model that is founded on the concepts of integration and adjustment. Other perspectives can be developed by using concepts associated with motivation and service quality. The article describes a telephone survey based on semi-structured interviews, which was conducted at Edge Hill College of Higher Education and demonstrates how a withdrawal survey can be embedded in the mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the quality of the student experience. Key factors influencing withdrawal at Edge Hill are: course not as expected, travelling difficulties, institution not as expected, domestic difficulties, and financial difficulties. These factors coincide with other work on withdrawal. Issues for further development include the relationship between the withdrawal survey and the Student Charter and student satisfaction survey.

Jumping the Hurdles – Undergraduate Student Withdrawal Behaviour

This paper explores undergraduate student withdrawal behaviour in the Business School of a new university. Particular attention is given to the complex interplay of forces – personal, institutional and contextual/external – which lead up to the decision by a student to leave or to stay. Using a qualitative methodology, a comparative study is made of the experience of students who have left, and of those who have experienced similar difficulties and doubts but chose to remain. Both groups of students experience difficulties of integration within the formal and social aspects of university life, and a problematic context. However the difference between leavers and doubters is found in levels of commitment to the university experience. Homesickness, levels of perceived control over events and alienation are also found to play a role in the decision to withdraw.

Predictors of Student Withdrawal from a Self-Paced Degree Program

Self-paced post-secondary studies are expected to become much more common in the near future, yet little is known about the causes of student withdrawal from such programs. This paper studies student withdrawal from an entire degree program rather than a particular course, examining both qualitative and quantitative data. We find that staff behaviors and perceived educational quality are related to the likelihood of withdrawal. Demographic characteristics (gender, full-time employment, and marital status) are unrelated to the likelihood of withdrawal. Implications for research and practice are also discussed.

White Enrollment in Nonpublic Schools, Public School Racial Composition, and Student Performance

This research note presents preliminary research into the relationship between the racial composition of public schools in school districts and the percentages of white students in nonpublic schools in those districts. Specifically, we ask two questions: Is the enrollment of whites in non-public schools associated with minority predominance in public schools? Is there an association between the enrollment of whites outside of the public school system and the academic performance of students in the public school system? Using two- and three-level hierarchical linear models, we find that school districts that have more whites in nonpublic schools tend to contain public schools with larger percentages of minority students. Further, at both the school and individual levels, achievement test scores tend to be lower in districts in which white students tend to be enrolled outside of the public school system. In addition, the achievement gap between white and minority students tends to be greater in districts with relatively more students in nonpublic schools. These findings are consistent with the argument that the withdrawal of white students from the public school system is negatively related to academic achievement because it tends to concentrate minority students in public schools.

Christian Psychology Graduate School's Impact on Marriage: Nonstudent Spouses Speak

Although many empirical studies have investigated marital distress and marital satisfaction, no research has been conducted on the impact of graduate school on marriage for students-in-training, particularly from the viewpoint of the nonstudent spouse. Using a qualitative research methodology, six male and six female spouses of third and fourth year graduate students at an APA-approved program in clinical psychology were subjects in the present study. Three hypotheses investigated were: (a) graduate training would have a detrimental effect on student marriages, (b) nonstudent spouses would report marital strain due to student spouses' emotional isolation and withdrawal, and (c) due to the process of acculturation into organized secular psychology, students' emphasis on personal religious faith would decrease. The first hypothesis was supported, the second was unsupported, and the third received mixed support. Three recommendations to support student marriages within graduate educational settings are offered in conclusion.

Withdrawal from vocational courses in colleges of Further and Higher Education in Northern Ireland

This article is concerned with factors likely to contribute to student withdrawal from vocational courses in colleges of further and higher education. The method involved posting questionnaires to all noncompleting students from colleges across Northern Ireland. The questionnaire was designed to elicit responses in six specific areas: biographical details; motivational disposition; initial interactions; perceived satisfaction with course and college; reasons for terminating; and current status. The aim was to provide an account of students' backgrounds, their expectations, perceptions and experiences of both the vocational course and college, and to compare reasons for withdrawal with previous findings from research. One-hundred-and-sixty-five non-completing students responded. Findings indicated that non-completion was not driven by preentry deterministic factors, but, rather, appears to occur as a result of a complex decision-making process with an array of factors impacting on the student.

ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY

The literature suggests that most studies on student retention have focused on student satisfaction at 4-year institutions where students tend to be more traditional in nature. The study discussed in this article investigated how Tinto's (Tinto, Russo, & Kadel, 1994) model of retention could be applied to 2-year institutions. It explored academic and social integration and their effects on student withdrawal rates as well as the effect of background skills on withdrawal rates. Study participants were 462 second-semester degree-seeking community college students who completed a survey regarding their satisfaction with the academic and social climate of the community college. Performance on Computer Placement Tests (CPTs) were correlated with withdrawal rates to determine the association between background skill levels and withdrawal patterns. No correlation was found between academic and social integration and withdrawal rates. However, findings did show that the poorer the CPT performance, the more likely students were to withdraw from courses.

Why Students Withdraw from Initial Teacher Training

Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in England is experiencing a crisis in recruitment to one-year postgraduate courses of training for specialist subject teaching in secondary schools (post 11 years). Against this background, it is important that those students who are admitted to ITT courses are retained. However, ITT providers are experiencing increased withdrawal rates. This article reports on a small-scale research project focusing on the following: the reasons why students withdraw from courses; how these reasons correlate with the views of schools where students are on teaching practice; and what measures course management could take to reduce the rate of withdrawal.

REVISING TINTO'S INTERACTIONALIST THEORY OF STUDENT DEPARTURE THROUGH THEORY ELABORATION: Examining the Role of Organizational Attributes in the Persistence Process

The purpose of this study is to estimate the effects of organizational attributes on social integration in particular, and more generally on the student withdrawal process. Theory elaboration (the application of new concepts borrowed from other theoretical perspectives to explain the focal phenomenon) is used to help with the revision of Tinto's interactionalist theory of individual student departure. The existence of empirical evidence supporting the importance of organizational attributes in the persistence process makes the addition of organizational characteristics a logical choice as a possible source of social integration in an elaboration of Tinto's theory. The results from this study provide strong support for elaborating the revised version of Tinto's theory through the inclusion of concepts from organizational theory. The findings from this study also indicate that future research should use theory elaboration to look for other potential sources of social integration.

Identification with School

The emotional and physical withdrawal of many students from school may be associated with students' failure to identify with school. Identification was defined as having a sense of belonging in school and valuing school and school-related outcomes. This study investigated the antecedents of students' identification with school, namely, longitudinal patterns of academic achievement and classroom participation among 1,335 white and African-American students. Since many researchers have asserted that disidentification from school is particularly prevalent among African-American students, racial group differences were also examined. African-American and female students had higher levels of identification with school than did white and male students, respectively. Classroom participation and academic achievement were significant predictors of identification. While African-American students had higher levels of identification than did white students, their positive feelings were not attributable to prior academic achievement. Research implications include early efforts to interrupt the process of disidentification, such as encouraging students' classroom participation.

Induction of New Students to Higher Education

SUMMARY International work on the transition into higher education is summarized, together with data on early student withdrawal and attempts to explain this and to make productive interventions. The results presented are of a nine‐month study by a project team, working on total quality principles, of the induction of new students to the University of Westminster from 1993 to 1995. The findings lead to a number of suggestions about good practice, in particular: the importance of social integration for full‐time students; the need for peer support networks and a consistently understood and applied tutorial system; the need for understanding and diagnosis of students’ previous knowledge and skills; making induction student‐centred and recognizing the diverse needs of students; not attempting everything in week 1; making the university's expectations of students explicit; and the need for induction to be integrated into courses but to be monitored for consistency and effectiveness.

ESL students in first-year writing courses: ESL versus mainstream classes

In first-year writing courses, ESL students are usually mainstreamed or placed in specially designated ESL classes. Although ESL writing specialists, backed by research into second language writing, strongly advocate the placement of ESL students in ESL classes, mainstreaming appears to be the norm. This article is based on a year-long study conducted at a medium-size university where ESL students have the option of mainstreaming or enrolling in ESL classes in first-year writing courses. The study describes the preferences of ESL students for ESL or mainstream classes, their performance on a holistically scored exit examination, and the reasons for the high rate of withdrawal of ESL students from mainstream classes. The study shows that the majority of ESL students preferred to enroll in ESL classes and performed better on the exit exam in these classes.

Student Withdrawal from Higher Education

Each year, significant numbers of students withdraw from higher education. Each withdrawal represents to the individual student a considerable cost. To the institution, each withdrawal raises questions on admissions procedures, course and institutional information, student care and finance. In addition, recent quality assurance initiatives require institutions to reflect upon what they offer to students, and when students withdraw, it is necessary to investigate the reasons for this. These concerns formed the basis of this study of withdrawal at a UK institution, which attempted to determine whether more support could be provided to students.