Supporting student 'success': what can we learn from the persisters?

Roberts, CA; Oakey, D; Watkin, M; Fox, R

Abstract

It is suggested that the current research focus on withdrawal from the first year in higher education (HE) provides a limited account of what may influence persistence. In particular it provides little account of how persistence is facilitated in the cases where students have sometimes doubted whether they should remain at university. The aim of this study was to determine any differences in levels of satisfaction between students who considered leaving in the first year, and those who did not. A further aim was to identify whether students who had doubts about remaining differed in any significant respects from students who had no doubts. No differences were found in student characteristics between the groups. However, a marked difference was noted in attitudinal responses - with doubters responding less favourably than non-doubters across a range of measures suggested by other research to facilitate social and institutional integration.

Citation

Roberts, C., Oakey, D., Watkin, M., & Fox, R. (2003, September). Supporting student 'success': what can we learn from the persisters?. Presented at Education in a Changing Environment: Inaugural Learning and Teaching Research Conference, University of Salford, UK

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: Education in a Changing Environment: Inaugural Learning and Teaching Research Conference
• Conference Location: University of Salford, UK
• Start Date: Sep 17, 2003
• End Date: Sep 18, 2003
• Publication Date: Sep 17, 2003
• Deposit Date: Jan 21, 2009
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 21, 2009
• Publisher URL: http://www.ece.salford.ac.uk/proceedings/papers/cr_03.rtf
• Additional Information: Additional Information : ISBN: 0902896660; Event Type : Conference