Factors associated with student withdrawal from community college

Community College Enterprise, The, Spring 2006 by Scoggin, Donna, Styron, Ronald A

Research was designed to identify commonalities of personal, enrollment, withdrawal, and evaluative factors as they relate to student withdrawal from community college. The study sought to identify interrelationships between identified reasons for student withdrawal and the variables of gender, race, classification status, degree sought, plans for re-enrollment, and age. A descriptive analysis of the variables reported frequencies and percentages for each. One thousand one hundred ninety-six surveys completed by students at the time of withdrawal from the college provide the data source for the study.

Introduction

Community colleges offer a wide range of educational programs and services for students and in several states account for the greater proportion of higher education enrollment. In order to meet the needs of a diverse student population and to assist students in completing their education, the curricular offerings at community colleges have proliferated (Bragg, 2001). Similar to larger four-year institutions, two-year colleges have an acute awareness of their need to increase their rates of program completion. Nationally, approximately one-third of all entering full-time students complete their programs of study (Tinto, 1994). The reality that two-year institutions face is a retention problem which affects individuals on both the micro and the macro levels (Walters, 2003). Research about retention in junior/community colleges remains relatively limited, with much of the research occurring after the early 1990s. In a study on retention at selected two-year colleges, Wyman (1997) points out that research on retention lacks volume, scope, and usability. At the same time, the significance of retention increases as it is identified as an indicator of college effectiveness. At most institutions of higher learning, evaluation of institutional effectiveness is mandated for accreditation. Careful study of student retention rates continues to be a central component in the measurement and evaluation of institutional effectiveness.

The open admissions policies of community colleges make student retention challenging. The average community college freshman is considered to be academically unprepared for higher education. Therefore, community colleges work to overcome academic deficits and retain these students (Mahon, 2003).

The current study describes data collected from voluntary surveys completed by students at a community college in southern Mississippi at the time they withdrew from the college. The study describes the commonalities found among selected personal, enrollment, withdrawal, and evaluative factors as they relate to student withdrawal, and the interrelationships between them.

Review of related literature

The declining retention rate in institutions of higher learning is not a new problem but is clearly one that needs exploration to determine possible variables that influence student retention. Umoh and Eddy (1994) state that student withdrawal from college has been recognized as a major problem for colleges and universities. Astin, Korn, and Green (1987) identify student retention and satisfaction with colleges as being urgent, complex issues that administrators must face. According to El-Khawas (1986), the intense focus on student retention is most prevalent in community colleges. Summers (2003) reports high student withdrawal rates in community colleges consistently across several decades. As Umoh and Eddy (1994) further note, the withdrawal carries with it significant social, economic, as well as educational implications. Historically, the problem of student attrition has gained attention because of the negative effect it has on institutional revenues (Polansky, Horan, & Hanish, 1993).

According to Drawer (1996), studies that investigate retention and attrition of students attending community colleges gather data to identify the typology of students who are more likely to remain in school and students who are considered to be at a higher risk of dropping out. Tinto (1975) presented a model which indicated that retention is directly influenced by pre-entry attributes, commitments, and goals that the student possesses, as well as the student's academic and social integration. Bean and Metzner (1985) formulated a model that conceptualizes persistence as dependent upon the student's background, social integration, environmental variables (such as employment and financial situation), and academic variables.

In a research study conducted by Hoyt (1999), the findings indicate that drop-out rates are higher among students who work full-time and are from lower socioeconomic levels. In an additional study conducted by Rickinson and Rutherford (1995), students who withdrew during their first term of school cited reasons for leaving the university, reasons that fall into three main categories:

1. feeling that they are not prepared academically

2. feeling that they are not prepared emotionally for the demands of school work and university life