This article introduces the guiding principles of integrated multicultural instructional design (IMID), a new pedagogical model created to promote retention by addressing multicultural perspectives and social justice issues across the curriculum. To illustrate the model, specific strategies for implementing IMID in a content-based,…

Although only contributing approximately 12% to the United States population, Black Americans account for the majority (51%) of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in this country. Black women in college between the ages of 18 and 24 fall directly in the center of these alarming statistics. These young women are faced with the psychosocial manifestations of…

One of the most urgent issues facing institutions of higher learning in the United States today is the problem of college student retention. The purpose of this article is to provide a theoretically and empirically supported argument for stating that there is one potent force for retention of college students that has been as yet largely unmined:…

This research examines the relationship between college student attendance at co-curricular programs and GPA. Researchers tracked attendance of two cohorts totaling 3,000+ students through electromagnetic scanning at university-sponsored events. Analysis of GPA by attendance rate clusters revealed that students attending 5-14 events over the…

To better understand Latina/o students' needs in a predominantly White institution of higher education with low Latina/o retention rates, semistructured interviews were completed with 30 Latina/o students. The themes that emerged through qualitative analysis of the interviews were: linguistic and financial barriers; a need for unity; availability…

Students with merit-based scholarships and strong high school GPAs typically have high retention rates. Yet, many high ability students did not need to study in high school, and never developed effective academic skills. Such students may expect to excel in college with the same limited effort. Unfortunately, institutions may unintentionally…

Using a multi-method approach involving fixed effects and logistic regressions, this study examined the effect of the Oklahoma's Promise Program on student persistence in relation to the Pell and Stafford federal programs and according to socio-economic characteristics and class level. The Oklahoma's Promise is a hybrid state program that pays…

This article examines definitions, rationales, and calculations associated with higher education performance measures: persistence, retention rate, attrition rate, drop-out rate, and graduation rate. Strengths and limitations of these measures are scrutinized relative to online master's programs. Outcomes of a sample of students (N = 96) enrolled…

This study examines whether a college orientation course for online programs leads to increased self-efficacy and, if so, which course topics are related to changes in students' self-efficacy. The culminating research question explores whether self-efficacy is related to enrollment persistence. Students' self-efficacy scores improved significantly…

Along with the massification of higher education and increasing costs, the pressure on institutions to retain all students to degree completion has been mounting. Early identification of students who are at risk of leaving an institution may help institutions to target and retain these students. This study investigated whether freshmen behaviors,…

The purpose of this study is to explore how campus climate, ethnic group cohesion and cross cultural interaction influence Filipino American college students' sense of belonging in college. Specifically, we examine the impact of three environmental and behavioral factors on students' sense of belonging: 1) campus racial climate, 2) ethnic group…

While some students drop out early in their academic career, others drop out close to completion. What similarities and differences exist between these early and late dropouts? Using a sample 3,520 first-time, full-time (FTFT) students seeking a bachelor's degree at a state university, this study employs multinomial logistic regression to model…

Early alert systems offer institutions systematic approaches to identifying and intervening with students exhibiting at-risk behaviors. Many of these systems rely on a common format for student referral to central receiving point. Systems at larger institutions often use web-based technology to allow for a scalable (available campus wide) approach…

The struggle to get weak students to use learning support services plagues virtually all retention programs (Friedlander, 1980; Hodges, 2001; Karabenick & Knapp, 1988; Moore & LeDee, 2006; Simpson, Hynd, Nist, & Burrell, 1997; Webster & Dee, 1998). This study presents a cost-effective form of supplemental instruction (SI), in the form of on-line…

This article traces recent policy developments relating to full-time undergraduate student retention within the English higher education system. It focuses specifically on the changing government policies and strategies designed to influence institutional behavior to promote widening participation while attending to the student experience and…