ERIC Number: EJ1128619
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0316-1218
EISSN: N/A
Who Stays and for How Long: Examining Attrition in Canadian Graduate Programs
DeClou, Lindsay
Canadian Journal of Higher Education, v46 n4 p174-198 2016
Attrition from Canadian graduate programs is a point of concern on a societal, institutional, and individual level. To improve retention in graduate school, a better understanding of what leads to withdrawal needs to be reached. This paper uses logistic regression and discrete-time survival analysis with time-varying covariates to analyze data from the Youth in Transition Survey. The pre-entry attributes identified in Tinto's (1993) model of attrition are examined to help uncover who is most likely to withdraw from graduate school. A good academic background is shown to be the strongest predictor of entering graduate school. Upon entry, demographic and background characteristics, such as being married and having children, are associated with a reduced likelihood of completing. Policy recommendations at the department and institution level are provided as well as directions for future research.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Graduate Study, Regression (Statistics), Graduate Students, Student Attrition, Dropout Rate, Dropout Characteristics, Individual Characteristics, Student Characteristics, Withdrawal (Education), Academic Persistence, Time Perspective, Cohort Analysis, Longitudinal Studies, Telephone Surveys, Predictor Variables, Educational Policy, Statistical Analysis
Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education. P.O. Box 34091, RPO Fort Richmond, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5T5, Canada. Tel: 204-474-6404; Fax: 204-474-7561; e-mail: csshe@cc.umanitoba.ca; Web site: http://csshe-scees.ca/publications/canadian-journal-of-higher-education/
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 - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A