ERIC Number: ED373619
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1994-May
Pages: 15
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Testing the Limits of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire. AIR 1994 Annual Forum Paper.
Kaase, Kristopher J.
This study tested the ability of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) to predict attrition for first-time, full-time freshmen at a predominantly white, medium-sized, liberal arts, denominational college in the southeast. A random sample of 100 students were surveyed of which 84 returned usable questionnaires (57 females, 27 male, 59 white, 23 black, 2 Hispanic). Attrition after 1 and 2 years was 32.1 percent and 55.9 percent respectively. Using logistic regression, five predictive models of the SACQ were tested and compared to other predictors of attrition. The study found that the claim that the SACQ can identify at-risk students in all institutional settings is not supported. Generally, unique combinations of SACQ items were the best predictors of attrition at both 1 and 2 year time intervals. The Attachment subscale of the SACQ did not appear to be an effective predictor of attrition. The best predictors came primarily from the Academic and Social Adjustment subscales. Generally, none of the models predicted attrition with a high degree of accuracy. Colleges should use caution when using the SACQ to target at-risk students for early intervention. (Contains 12 references.) (JB)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A