Increasing Persistence
Research-based Strategies for College Student Success

INCREASING PERSISTENCE

"Of all the books addressing the puzzle of student success and persistence, I found this one to be the most helpful and believe it will be extremely useful to faculty and staff attempting to promote student success. The authors solidly ground their work in empirical research, and do a brilliant job providing both an overview of the relevant literature as well as research-based recommendations for intervention."
—GAIL HACKETT, PH.D., provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs; professor, counseling and educational psychology, University of Missouri, Kansas City

Research indicates that approximately forty percent of all college students never earn a degree anywhere, any time in their lives. This fact has not changed since the middle of the 20th century.

Written for practitioners and those who lead retention and persistence initiatives at both the institutional and public policy levels, Increasing Persistence offers a compendium on college student persistence that integrates concept, theory, and research with successful practice. It is anchored by the ACT's What Works in Student Retention (WWISR) survey of 1,100 colleges and universities, an important resource that contains insights on the causes of attrition and identifies retention interventions that are most likely to enhance student persistence.??

The authors focus on three essential conditions for student success: students must learn; students must be motivated, committed, engaged, and self-regulating; and students must connect with educational programs consistent with their interests and abilities. The authors offer a detailed discussion of the four interventions that research shows are the most effective for helping students persist and succeed: assessment and course placement, developmental education initiatives, academic advising, and student transition programming. Finally, they urge broadening the current retention construct, providing guidance to policy makers, campus leaders, and individuals on the contributions they can make to student success.

Preface xiii

The Authors xxix

Acknowledgments xxxiii

Section 1: What Do We Know About Retention and Persistence to Degree? 1

1 Defining, Refining Perspectives on Student Success 3

2 Overview of Theoretical Perspectives on Student Success 19

Section 2: The Case for Intensified Campus Efforts 41

3 The Demographic Challenge 43

4 Public and Private Benefits of College 63

5 Retention or Recruitment: Examining the Return on Investment 79

Section 3: Core Components of Student Success 99

6 Institutional Culture and Student Engagement 101

7 Academic Preparation 117

8 Psychosocial Characteristics 137

9 Career Development 161

10 Assessing the Impact of Academic, Psychosocial, and Career Development Factors on College Student Success 181

Section 4: Proven Student Success Practices 211

11 Historical Perspective on What Works in Student Retention 213

12 Assessment and Course Placement 235

13 Development Education Initiatives 255

14 Academic Advising 283

15 First-Year Transition Programs 311

Section 5: Making Student Success a Priority 335

16 Expanding the Retention Framework: Implications for Public and Institutional Policy 337

17 Creating a Student Success Culture 363

18 Leading the Campus to Student Success 383

Appendices

A What Works in Student Retention, 2004 Survey 397

B What Works in Student Retention? 411

References 425

Name Index 453

Subject Index 459

THE AUTHORS

WESLEY R. HABLEY is principal associate in educational services and coordinator of State Organizations at ACT, Inc. He is also coeditor of Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook??from Jossey-Bass.

JENNIFER L.??BLOOM is clinical professor and director of the Master's Degree Program in Higher Education and Student Affairs at the University of South Carolina.

STEVE ROBBINS is principal research scientist in the Center for Academic and Workforce Readiness and Success. Formerly, Robbins served as vice president of research at ACT, and as professor and chair of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University.