ERIC Number: ED233762
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1983-Aug-23
Pages: 15
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Study of Students Leaving Cerritos College, Spring 1983.
Dennis-Rounds, Jan
In spring 1983, a study was conducted at Cerritos College to gain a better understanding of students who dropped all of their classes. The study involved exit surveys administered as part of the official drop process, exit surveys used during the graduation check process, and an analysis of institutional data on the personal and academic characteristics of spring 1983 students. Results were compared with findings from a similar study conducted in 1980. Study findings, based on survey responses from 376 dropouts and 268 graduates, included the following: (1) students dropped out due to job conflict, personal reasons, illness, or dissatisfaction; (2) 26% of the dropouts originally came to Cerritos to prepare for transfer, 26% to train for a job, 23% to explore a new career or subject, and 18% for self-enrichment; (3) since spring 1980, dropouts' values had become more pragmatic and less humanitarian; (4) dropouts consistently attributed less value to educational outcomes than graduates; (5) 67% of the dropouts felt well prepared by the college and 70% were very satisfied with the instruction they received; (6) graduates were more familiar and more satisfied with support services than dropouts; (7) 94% of the dropouts said they would recommend Cerritos to another student; (8) 61% of the dropouts did not feel they had achieved their goals while at Cerritos; and (9) compared to graduates, dropouts more frequently tended to enroll full-time, be new or re-admit students, be older females, and have fewer units earned. (LL)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Cerritos Community Coll., Norwalk, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A