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This literature review examines student retention in higher education institutions. Specifically, it looks at the background and history of student retention, three student retention theories, and current literature on student retention within the social system. The three theories are Spady's (1970, 1971) Undergraduate Dropout Process Model, Tinto's (1975, 1993) Institutional Departure Model, and Bean's (1980, 1982) Student Attrition Model. These provide context for a literature review on current publications, focusing mainly on the social (as opposed to the academic) aspect of higher education. Major findings are that the topic of student retention is critical to higher education institutions, but it is highly complex and difficult to predict. The literature is clear that student engagement during the higher education experience leads to higher student retention rates and increased institutional commitment.
Student attrition rates have been one of the most critical issues in higher education for decades. As students fail to persist at higher education institutions, there are impacts on both the academic and social environments. Student persistence also plays a major impact in institutions' financial planning, as student tuition and fees are major drivers of institutional income. With these facts in mind, it becomes increasingly important to understand what literature and theories exist relative to increasing student success and retention within higher education. The literature is rich with theoretical frameworks as well as qualitative and quantitative research to support understandings of student persistence. This article provides an overview of student retention, some of the theoretical models that exist in the literature, and some of the applied retention research within student affairs.
Definition of Retention
Student retention in higher education is typically defined as the continued enrollment of a student from the first year to the second year (Bean 1980, 1982; Cotton, et al. 2017; Farrell 2009; Ishler and Upcraft 2005; Spady 1970; Tinto 1975, 1993). Another term that is used, sometimes interchangeably, is student persistence. However, persistence is typically used to define students' continued enrollment from years two until graduation (Belch, et al. 2001; Chambers and Paull 2008; Kerby 2015). Student retention is critical to the success of higher education institutions as the highest levels of student attrition are from year one to year two (Achinewhu-Nworgu 2017; Blue 2018; Tinto 1975, Ī993). The higher the...