Towards student retention: role of educational administrator,
Faculty and student
S. Suresh Kumar1, Bishwajeet
Bhattacharjee1
1Assistant
Professor, SSTC, Shri Shankaracharya
Group of Institutions, Faculty of Management Studies, Bhilai.
*Corresponding Author E-mail: suresh1210@gmail.com;
bhbishwajeet@gmail.com
ABSTRACT:
Student retention has become a concern for
the educational administrator; as such huge investment has been made with
public-private partnership in higher education. With growing importance towards
job oriented courses the retention of students have created an alarming
situation for both administrator and faculties. This paper is an effort towards
finding out the factors influencing student retention. The conceptual framework
has been developed through intensive review of literatures, which emphasize,
the role of individuals (student), institutions, social and external factors
are dominant in nature in determining the student retention. In addition to
this faculties too have to realize there responsibility towards attracting and
motivating the students while delivering lectures and mentoring sessions. The
study provide guidelines to the educational administrator, faculties and
students to work as a unit in order to achieve the educational success by the
student retention.
KEYWORDS:
Educational
administrator, retention, academic performance
REVIEW
OF LITERATURE:
Many of the theories used
in studies of college student retention2 have
been developed in reference to a theoretical model of persistence by Tinto
(1975). According to Tinto, persistence occurs when a student successfully
integrates into the institution academically and socially.
Postsecondary education is the key to a stronger workforce for our
nation and a better quality of life for our citizens. Better educated people
clearly have a greater chance of obtaining secure jobs that provide
opportunities for advancement, pay higher wages, and offer greater health and
retirement benefits than do those who are less educated (Barfield &
Beaulieu, 1999).
Student satisfaction is generally accepted as a short-term
attitude resulting from an evaluation of a student’s educational experience.
Student satisfaction results when actual performance meets or exceeds the
student’s expectations. Babin and Griffin (1998)
argue that many satisfaction measurement
scales lack face validity due to contamination of other related constructs.
According to Tinto’s (1975, 1987) theory, high levels of
integration into academic life of an institution led to a greater commitment to
the institution. A greater commitment and integration led to a greater
likelihood that the student would be retained (Braxton, 2000; Braxton &
Lien, 2000; Tinto, 1975, 1987).
In the longitudinal study, Makuakane-Drechsel
and Hagedorn (2000) found that Academic Performance
was the most significant predictor of persistence for both liberal arts and
vocational community college students of Hawaiian ancestry, with financial aid
being the second most significant predictor.
Allen et al. (2008) found that “academic self-discipline,
pre-college academic performance, and pre-college educational development have
indirect effects on retention and transfer” (p. 647). Also, they found that the
academic achievement of freshmen was influenced by academic self-discipline,
suggesting an indirect effect of academic discipline on academic performance, a
very strong predictor of college retention, for both under- and upperclassmen
in college.
Orsuwan and Cole (2007) found that
greater social connectedness or sense of belonging had a significant
association with greater educational satisfaction. They argued that academic
integration alone is not sufficient to explain the retention of ethnic minority
students, who experience different and often lower degrees of social
integration when compared to racial majority students.
Applying model developed by Townsend and Wilson (2009) found that
the social and academic integration of predominately Caucasian students in
their study were affected by “university size, the opportunity to join clubs in their major, and the
opportunity to conduct research with a professor”
Nicpon et al. (2006) found that higher
levels of social support relate to greater persistence and fewer feelings of loneliness,
but did not relate to academic achievement. Dixon, Rayle,
and Chung (2007) also found that “mattering” to the college environment,
defined as the “experience of others depending on us, being interested in us,
and being concerned with our fate” was linked to persistence
Several studies used the Bean and Metzner
or Tinto models assessing the impact of various factors on student retention
(Feldman, 1997). There were conflicting findings between many of these studies
as to whether gender, student goals, need for remedial education, student grade
point averages, contact with faculty, or hours studied were related to student
persistence. The studies were consistent in finding that older students,
part-time students, minority students, and working adults had higher drop out rates.
Athiyaman (1997) concluded that perceived
quality of an educational experience is a consequence of student satisfaction
which later resulted into the retention
in higher education.
A factor that could influence retention rates is ‘‘student
grades.’’ Most students strive for high grades, and if they are receiving them
they are more likely to stay at the university they are currently enrolled in.
Some faculty members may give higher grades to enhance the level of student satisfaction. The net effect of this over
time and faculty could very well have a positive impact on student retention
rates for a university
FINDINGS:
The review of literatures by eminent researchers reveals that
student retention has become a matter of concern in today’s competitive edge
where the public-private partnership held in education system. Thus the
educational administrator has now made effort towards finding out the causes
behind such degradation among students and developing the strategies for student
retention and encourages them towards higher education.
At the individual level student has to develop mindset, academic
performance, attitude and satisfaction towards the institutions and the faculty
members. They are required to expect for the academic excellence rather than
other factors.
Society too plays predominant role in determining the success of
student retention. As such society needs to encourage the students for higher
education and conferred those who perform well in higher education. A review of
literature revealed similar trends in retention studies, with some notable
differences. Variables related to high school achievement and race/ethnicity
were statistically significant in many retention studies Students entering
college with an “A” average from high school, for example, were seven times
more likely to graduate with a degree in four years than were students entering
with a “C” average from high school. Further, students with the highest SAT
scores were six times more likely to graduate in four years than were students
with the lowest SAT scores. Although high school achievement measures
significantly predicted retention in this study, the effect size of these
variables was relatively small.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
CONCLUSION:
Current
theoretical frameworks for understanding student retention are integrating
Indigenous perspectives on education and placing greater responsibility on
institutions to remove systematic obstacles for college retention. There are
various barriers to retention; finding ways to reduce financial, academic,
cultural, and social barriers are critical to college success. Although the
literature available and the conceptual model that address student retention
are relevant as they aim to assist students in financial and academic need and
encourage their social and cultural connectedness and integration. Student
satisfaction is generally accepted as a short-term attitude resulting from an
evaluation of a student’s educational experience. Student satisfaction results
when actual performance meets or exceeds the student’s expectations.
One
finding of this study suggests that most students will have a high level of
satisfaction with both relatively important and unimportant dimensions of their
educational experience. Moreover, students may also be dissatisfied with both
important and unimportant dimensions of their educational experience.
Performance gap scores will result depending on the range of difference between
perceived importance scores and perceived satisfaction scores.
The
results of this study also show that what students report as being important to
them in their overall educational experience is not necessarily the same
dimensions that most significantly impact their overall satisfaction with their
educational experience. The comapartaive analysis of
the available literatures suggests that individual students, institutions and
social and external factors should be
taken into consideration while developing strategies for student retention.
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Received on 15.01.2014 Modified on 28.01.2014
Accepted on 12.02.2014 © A&V Publication all right reserved
Asian J. Management 5(2):
April-June, 2014 page 205-207