An Empirical Study of Student Retention Through Academic Coaching: An External Evaluator’s Report

• In Event: Guiding Voices: The Critical Role of Coaching, Mentoring, and Advising for Student Success

Abstract

This proposal is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of academic coaching sponsored by federal grant investment to reduce student dropout rates at a Hispanic-serving institution. The retention outcome is tracked by the enrollment status of 257 students receiving InsideTrack’s coaching for seven months. A significant association has been revealed between the coach contact count and the retention results. In comparison to a past research project that lasted two years, the coaching interventions in this study were shorter but still demonstrated a moderate effect size with a 9% gap in the retention rate between Hispanic students and their peers of non-Hispanic groups. The findings are interpreted in the context of higher education and subject to reconfirmation during the five-year grant funding.

Author

• Jianjun Wang, California State University - Bakersfield