Investigating college student attrition : a report of an internship at the College of the North Atlantic with an analysis of first-semester student attrition

Kirby, Dale (2000) Investigating college student attrition : a report of an internship at the College of the North Atlantic with an analysis of first-semester student attrition. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (13MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

This report consists of two chapters. The first chapter outlines the details of a graduate student internship at the College of the North Atlantic during the fall 1999 semester. The second chapter provides a description of a research project that was developed and carried out by the intern. -- During the internship, the intern worked in the student services offices at the Engineering Technology Centre and the Prince Philip Drive campuses of the College of the North Atlantic. The intern's duties and activities were wide-ranging and included various general duties along with involvement in the College of the North Atlantic Career and Employment Services and the College Student Success Program. -- The research project was designed to investigate various aspects of attrition of first-semester students enrolled in Engineering Technology programs at the College. The research design incorporated both qualitative and quantitative research methods including focus groups, interviews, and the collection, and statistical analysis of quantitative data. Results of this study showed that 24.9% of first-semester Engineering Technology students withdrew prior to the winter 2000 semester, and that student academic difficulties play a significant role in student decisions to withdraw or persist at the College. These results are consistent with the Student Integration Model of student attrition advanced by Tinto (1975, 1987, 1993). This model proposes that a better fit' between student and institution results in greater academic and social integration and subsequently increases the likelihood that students will persist.

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