ERIC Number: EJ1040538
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1551-0670
EISSN: N/A
The Role of Postsecondary Institutional Urbanicity in College Persistence
Sparks, P. Johnelle; Nuñez, Anne-Marie
Journal of Research in Rural Education, v29 n6 2014
Students from rural areas are less likely than their urban or suburban counterparts to attend college (Adelman, 2002; Hu, 2003). Although theorists have postulated that institutional urbanicity directly affects college student outcomes (Berger & Milem, 2000), few, if any empirical studies have examined the relationship between an institution's urbanicity and the outcome of individual student persistence. This study employs multilevel modeling to examine the effect of attending a rural institution on individual student persistence. We find persistence does not differ by residential location; however, student level characteristics vary greatly by the location of the four-year institution attended. Additionally, several of the institutional level characteristics, including other structural, peer, and financial organizational factors, as well as local economic conditions, have an independent effect on individual student persistence. These characteristics vary significantly depending on if the institution is located in a rural, suburban, or urban location.
Descriptors: Colleges, Institutional Characteristics, Academic Persistence, Rural Schools, School Location, Suburban Schools, Urban Schools, Place of Residence, Student Characteristics, College Students, Hierarchical Linear Modeling
Penn State University College of Education, Center on Rural Education and Communities. 310B Rackley Building, University Park, PA 16802. Tel: 814-863-2031; Web site: http://www.jrre.psu.edu/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A