Student Retention and Persistence to Graduation: Effects of an Introductory Life Calling Course

Abstract

The researchers examined the effect of a course, Introduction to Life Calling (LDR150), on retention and persistence to graduation at a private, Midwestern university. The course emphasizes self-assessment, student-faculty engagement, personal values, and the student's developing sense of Life Calling. The subjects consisted of 3338 students who entered the university between fall 2001 and fall 2005, including 638 course participants who composed the experimental group. A significant relationship was observed between course participation and graduating status. Multivariate analysis suggests that the relationship between the course and graduation is small, relative to the effect of SAT and ACT scores. The findings are discussed in light of the many factors that commingle with student retention and graduation in higher education. A well-rounded introductory course such as LDR150 may represent another valuable resource for students and universities in the pursuit of student success.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Council on Education. (2003). Student success: Understanding graduation and persistence rates. Retrieved October 3, 2007 from http://www.acenhet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&=issue_briefs&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm?ContentFileID=411.

Astin

A. W.

(1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297–308.

Astin

A. W.

Korn

& Green

(1987). Retaining and satisfying student. Educational Record, 68, 36–42.

Barefoot

(2004). Higher education's revolving door: Confronting the problem of student drop out in US colleges and universities. Open Learning, 19(1), 9–18.

Bean

J. P.

(1980). Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a causal model of student attrition. Research in Higher Education, 12(2), 155–187.

Cabrera

A. F.

Nora

& Castaneda

M. B.

(1993). College persistence: Structural equations modeling of an integrated model of student retention. Journal of Higher Education, 64(2), 123–139.

Caison

A. L.

(2005). Determinants of systemic retention: Implications for improving retention practice in higher education. Journal of College Student Retention, 6(4), 425–441.

Folsom

Peterson

G. W.

Reardon

R. C.

& Mann

B. A.

(2005). Impact of a career planning course on academic performance and graduation rate. Journal of College Student Retention, 6(4), 461–473.

Johnson

Nichols

C. N.

Buboltz

W. C.

Jr. & Riedesel

(2002). Assessing a holistic trait and factor approach to career development of college students. Journal of College Counseling, 5, 4–14.

10.

Leppel

(2002). Similarities and differences in the college persistence of men and women. The Review of Higher Education, 25(4), 433–450.

11.

Leppel

(2005). College persistence and student attitudes toward financial success. College Student Journal, 39(2), 223–241.

12.

Milem

J. F.

& Berger

J. B.

(1997). A modified model of college student persistence: Exploring the relationship between Astin's theory of involvement and Tinto's theory of student departure. Journal of College Student Development, 38(4), 387–400.

13.

Reason

R. D.

(2003). Using an ACT-based merit-index to predict between-year retention. Journal of College Student Retention, 5(1), 71–87.

14.

Reynolds

Gross

& Millard

(2005). Indiana Wesleyan University draft research brief evaluation of the impact of LDR150 (pp. 1–6). Huntertown, IN: Wesleyan University.

15.

Richard

G. V.

(2005). International best practices in career development: Review of the literature. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 5, 189–204.

16.

Strauss

L. C.

& Volkwein

J. F.

(2004). Predictors of student commitment at two-year and four-year institutions. The Journal of Higher Education, 75(2), 203–227.

17.

Thomas

J. H.

& McDaniel

C. R.

(2004). Effectiveness of a required course in career planning for psychology majors. Teaching Psychology, 31(1), 22–27.

18.

Tinto

(1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89–125.

19.

Tinto

(1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition research (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago.

20.

Tross

S. A.

Harper

J. P.

Osher

L. W.

& Kneidinger

L. M.

(2000). Not just the usual cast of characteristics: Using personality to predict college performance and retention. Journal of College Student Development, 41, 323–334.