Holistic Factors Related to Student Persistence at a Large, Public University

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Access, Persistence, Success, and What Works

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use a comprehensive framework to examine academic, psychosocial, noncognitive, and other background factors that are related to retention at a large, public four-year institution in the Southeast. Data for 12,342 students were drawn from institutional records, a survey instrument designed to measure psychosocial constructs, the ACT student record, and the National Center for Education Statistics. Hierarchical generalized linear models were utilized to identify important predictors of retention and ascertain the nature of the significant relationships. Findings from the study showed that nontraditional factors were significant predictors of retention along with traditional predictors such as high school GPA. The results of this study have important implications for higher education policymakers, administrators, and researchers.

Author

• Adam C. Elder, Southeastern Louisiana University