The effect of multiple interventions on freshman college student engagement and retention

1 online resource (96 pages) : PDF

2010

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

College student retention has been widely studied in the past twenty five years, and institutions have developed numerous interventions aimed at improving student retention and persistence-to-degree. A number of theories have been promulgated to explain student departure. While none has proven absolutely conclusive, the concept that student engagement influences the decision to stay enrolled or depart the institution has achieved an almost universal acceptance. Most institutional programs aimed at improving retention seek to engage students on academic and social levels, following the theory that the more a student is connected to the institution, the more likely the student is to stay, and hence, graduate. Much research has been completed attesting to the efficacy of a variety of single interventions. This study determined if participating in more than one intervention significantly improves engagement and retention. Results indicated that participating in more than one intervention significantly improves retention, and that participation in an extended orientation when combined with a learning community with an embedded first-year seminar was the most effective combination. Analysis also demonstrated a relationship between engagement, expressed as the quality of interactions a student has with the institution, and retention.

doctoral dissertations

Education, Higher

D.Ed.

College
Engagement
Freshman
Intervention
Retention
Students

Educational Leadership

Gretes, John

Elling, Theodore
Hopkins, Hampton
Wang, Chuang

Thesis (D.Ed.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2010.

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Lehmuller_uncc_0694D_10151

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:407