Innovative Strategies for Improving Student Retention: A Question of Quality

Ruby S. Alleyne Ph.D. The University of Trinidad & Tobago (UTT) Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Higher Education EnvironmentParticipation rate in Trinidad and Tobago rose from 7% in 2001 to 40% in 2008.

Expenditure on the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE) increased exponentially from $102 m in the 2004/2005 fiscal year to $625 m in fiscal 2010/2011.

Cumulative cost to taxpayers over a seven-year period is $3 bn.

Investment in EducationIn Trinidad and Tobago, the state allocated approximately $9.1 bn to education and training out of a total budget of $58.4 bn for the fiscal year 2012/2013 (Ministry of Finance, 2012).

This represents approximately 15.6% of the national budget.

Wider access = Greater diversitySurvey of new students at the University of Trinidad and Tobago in 2011:8% - reported some form of physical, medical or other challenge

51% - first-generation (first in their family to attend a tertiary-level institution)

74% - primarily dependent on GATE

Student’s Terms and Conditions for Tertiary Tuition Funded by GATEGATE is a “loan from the Government to the Student which shall be repaid to the Government with interest”

The student agrees to refund to the government the full amount of the loan if he/she:a. Abandons the course of studyb. Fails to obtain the qualification where such

failure is due to the Student not applying himself/herself diligently to his/her studies; or

c. Fails to accept employment in the public or private sector in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago after the conclusion or termination of the programme

“As at March 2013, $16,539,931 mn was reimbursed for programmes which were incomplete”Source: FGAD

Undesirable consequences of student attrition

Unprofitable investment (state or other funding agent, personal/family)

Loss of revenue for the institution

Negatively impacts the student’s earning potential and career advancement

Global researchReport by American College Testing (ACT)25.9% of freshmen at four-year institutions do not return

Highly selective institutions reported a dropout rate of 8%

Less selective institutions – dropout rate of 35%

Open enrolment institutions – dropout rate of 50%

Source: Devarics and Roach, 2000

Retention theories and modelsRetention refers to an institution’s ability to keep students enrolled from admission to graduation.

Voluntary departure occurs when the student takes a decision not to continue the course of study to completion

Involuntary departure occurs when the student is not permitted by the institution to re-enrol

Retention theories and modelsEarly studies examined the causal relationship between student withdrawal and variables such as: gender type of institutional control geography size of student body location

Factors such as academic failure and financial difficulties were found to be linked to student withdrawal.

AstinStudies explored psychological, personal, familial, social and economic issues and environmental factors. Psychological factors included internal and external motivation.

Personal factors in Astin’s study (1975)were academic and family background, age, marital status and expectations about college. Environmental factors included employment, academic environment and characteristics of the college.

AstinExperiential factors should be taken into account as students who participated in extra-curricular activities were more likely to persist to the completion of their degrees.

He contended that these findings supported the ‘involvement theory’ that students who were more directly involved in the academic and social life of the college are more likely to persist (Astin,1985).

KamensKamens (1971) suggested that the more prestigious a college’s perceived identity, the higher the level of economic positions and occupational roles its graduates are likely to occupy.

Students were encouraged to persist because of the belief that graduation would bestow privileges and prestige that were not available to others.

SpadySpady (1970) suggested that student withdrawal is best explained by examining the interaction between the student and the academic and social systems.

He posited that students who successfully integrated into the academic and social systems were more likely to persist.

TintoTinto (1987;1993) identified the student’s experiences within the college as the most important factor affecting integration.

Quality of academic performance or intellectual development = successful integration into the academic system

Close relationships or friendships = successful social integration.

MethodologyThere were108 students who were expected to re-enrol to continue their studies in the 2012-2013 academic year but did not do so.

A telephone survey was conducted and 44 students (40.7%) participated.

A 40-item structured interview schedule with a mix of closed and open-ended questions was administered.

MethodologyThe survey probed:1. Personal and institutional factors influencing

the decision to withdraw2. Student expectations of the university3. Reasons for enrolling4. Social interaction on campus5. Assessment of in-class experience6. Assessment of out-of-class experience7. Assessment of student support

MethodologyDescriptive statistics were applied to generate percentages illustrating frequency of specific student responses.

Pearson’s Chi-Square test was also used to test for significance.

Content of responses to open-ended questions was analysed and summarised under appropriate descriptive headings.

Results and discussion

Distribution of Non-Persisters by Gender

30%Female

70%Male

Distribution of Non-Persisters by Age Group

16%32-39

32%25-31

52%18-24

Distribution of Non-Persisters by Student Status

61%Part-time

39%Full-time

Distribution of Non-Persisters by Programme Level

2%Postgraduate

48%Bachelor's

9%Certificate

41%Diploma

Reasons for withdrawalThe majority of students who were surveyed withdrew for personal reasons (81.8%).

These included:1. challenges coping with tertiary-level

studies (31.8%)2. difficulty balancing the demands of

private life, employment and study (22.7%)

3. family, medical and other issues (18.2%)4. financial problems (9.1%)

Reasons for withdrawalRemaining students (18.2%) cited institutional reasons:Academic in natureDissatisfaction with the lack of programme accreditation or academic regulations (15.9%)

Administrative in natureProblems accessing accurate student records (2.3%)

Reasons for withdrawal61.4% stated that their out-of-classexperience contributed more to their decision to withdraw than their in class experience

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

GPA (bin)

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.00%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

22%

24%

26%

% of Total Number of Records

14%14%

11%11%

2%

25%

23%

44 Students – Mean CGPA = 1.62

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 108 Students – Mean CGPA = 1.62

CGPA (bin)

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.00%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

22%

24%

26%

28%

% of Total Count of Number of Records

10%

12%12%

27%

14%

1%1%

20%

2%

Re-enrolment Potential75% of students said that they would be interested in re-enrolling at UTT and approximately half of this figure (45.5%) would want to do so within the next year.

Of those students who do not wish to re-enroll at UTT, 35.7% of them would prefer to enroll at another local institution. 60% of that figure reported that they have already done so.

UTT could encourage them to re-enroll by:

Providing more academic advisement and support for part-time students, freshers and younger students (50%)

Improving programme administration (25%)

Getting specialised accreditation for specific engineering programmes (12.5%)

UTT could encourage them to re-enroll by:

Monitoring more closely the ability of students to cope with the demands of university life (4.2%)

Providing small group tutoring to support instruction particularly when class size is large (4.2%)

Offering programmes at different geographical locations to make it easier for students to commute (4.2%)

Academic IntegrationA clear majority of students expressed satisfaction in the following areas:1. Useful feedback from lecturers on

assignments (84.1%)2. Fair assessment of student

academic performance (81.8%)3. Quality of instruction (75%)4. Grades earned (65.9%)

Academic IntegrationWhen asked whether they had problems coping with the academic demands, 59.1% said they had.

Only 47.7% of that figure sought any academic advice or mentoring.

Of 38.6% of students whose personal problems made it difficult for them to study, only 11.8% reported that they sought counselling.

Social integrationBond of social relationships with peers and family members appeared to be strong among respondents.

90.9% benefited from the timespent at UTT. Of this figure, 62.5% said major benefits were friendships andother positive social interactions

Remaining 32.5% said that they had acquired useful knowledge and practical skills.

Social integration47.7 % did not think there were adequate opportunities for social interaction/extra-curricular activities

Only 25% were actually involved in clubs or student committees.

In making the decision to withdraw from UTT, 84.1% had consulted primarily with their peers, 9.1% with family members and only 6.8% with UTT faculty.

Student characteristicsEmployment status

63.6% of students were working while studying at UTT (54.5% full-time and 9.1% part-time).

Following their withdrawal, the figure for those employed rose to 72.7%.

Student characteristicsFirst generation students40.9% were the first person in their family to enroll in a tertiary level institution.

Geographic location of Secondary school70.5% completed their secondary schooling at a school in south or central Trinidad.

Reasons for enrolment at UTT

The majority of students (77.3%) indicated that their course of study at UTT was relevant to their current career or their career aspirations. Among the specific reasons why respondents had enrolled were:

1. Study was related to career choice or current employment (40.9%)

2. UTT offered a programme in an area of interest (34.1%)

3. Coercion or influence by family members or friends (15.9%)

4. UTT was the only institution offering the programme (9.1%)

Expectation of the University experience

65.9% said the experience at UTT met their expectations.

Proportionally males who withdrew appeared to be less satisfied with the UTT experience than females.

Retention strategies and programmes

Retention strategies and programmesSeidman Formula and Success Model (2012)

Ret = Early ID + (E+In+C)IV

Early identification is assessment of student skill levels

Early intervention starts an intervention at the earliest time possible after identification

Intensive intervention creates an intervention that is intensive or strong enough to effect the desired change

Continuous intervention persists until the change is effected.

Recommendations

1. Pre-enrolment Skills Assessment2. Modular Skills Mastery

programmes3. Transition Assistance4. Early Alert System5. Active Learner Communities

Pre-enrolment Skills AssessmentFocus on the reading, writing, computation and information technology skills required for successful academic integration into tertiary level institutions.

Purpose of the assessment is to identify skill gaps that must be filled for the student to cope with the academic requirements of the programme in which he/she is seeking to be enrolled.

Modular Skills Mastery Programmes

Intervention must be designed to bring about the desired improvement in the student’s academic performance or personal behaviour.

It must also be sustained until the desired outcome has been satisfactorily achieved.

Transition assistanceAreas that should be emphasised for successful academic integration are: study skills and habits time management use of libraries and other institutional resources

Areas that should be emphasised for successful social integration are: Stress-management healthy lifestyles personal goal-setting emotional intelligence interpersonal skills

Early Alert SystemStudent performance and conduct should be monitored by faculty and staff and early signs of problems must be addressed.

An Early Alert System can be set up using the university’s website so that it is widely accessible and offers the student a less intrusive, or observable, avenue for requesting support or assistance eg. Web Adviser - an online academic advisement system or Web Counsellor – an online personal guidance and support portal.

Active Learner CommunitiesMany students experience difficulty coping with the multiple demands of family, employment, studying and commuting to classes, particularly during late evening and night.

Learner communities can make instruction more effective by facilitating and encouraging active learning and developing collaboration and cooperation among students and faculty.

Active Learner CommunitiesInformation technology allows students to:

collaborate in real time video chat and participate in online meetings create and share documents and work

collaboratively communicate and work as teams on projects or

assignments

Clubs and committees can meet as virtual communities

These communities would reduce the need for face-to-face contact, not replace it, as they facilitate higher levels of student interaction, engagement and participation.

Many students drop out of college instead of seeking help

Research also shows that students are surprised when contacted by an institution to discuss their reasons for leaving and many of them often re-enroll (Seidman, 2012).

Many students drop out of college instead of seeking helpIn this survey:88.6% of students said that they were surprised that UTT had called them

99.3% said that they appreciated UTT’s interest in their reasons for leaving

75% of students said that they would be interested in re-enrolling

Many students drop out of college instead of seeking helpWhen students enrol at university they assume that university personnel will provide the assistance they need but this is often not so.

Are you listening to what your retention statistics are saying?

AcknowledgementsThe Student Retention Survey for the study was administered by the Office of Quality Assurance and Institutional Effectiveness at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION