A quasi-experimental investigation assessed the impact of multiple factors, including financial aid and proactive advising, on retention of undergraduate students at a small, private university that primarily serves online learners. In-house proactive advising over three academic years was positively associated with increased retention semester-to-semester and fall-to-fall. In addition, students who received Pell Grants plus at least one other form of financial aid, completed math remediation, and transferred 30 or more credit hours persisted at higher rates semester-to-semester. Individuals identifying with historically underrepresented groups tended to persist at rates lower than their White peers’ semester-to-semester retention. These findings support the efficacy of proactive advising and financial aid, even with a population that exhibits lower retention for persons from historically underrepresented groups. Findings also suggest that students who transfer more than two full-time semesters of credit have a strong motivation to complete their course of study.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between student engagement and student retention of adult learners at community colleges. The relationship between student retention and the five Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) student engagement benchmarks (active and collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty interaction, and support for learners) was examined using binary logistic regression. This study used secondary data from the CCSSE, including 26,326 adult students (25 and older) from the 2019 CCSSE cohort who were credential-seeking at the community college (participants from 588 colleges in 46 states). This study confirmed a positive relationship between student engagement of adult learners at community colleges and student retention. Individually, each of the CCSSE benchmarks increased the likelihood of student retention. As a combined model, academic challenge and support for learners were the only significant benchmarks. This research confirmed that student engagement strategies benefit adult learners at community colleges.

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An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Developmental/Remedial Education at West Virginia Institutions of Higher Education by Blake J. Renner Underprepared college students are a continuing challenge for higher education institutions. Many students arrive at institutions of higher education with weak academic skills and are unable to do college-level school work. As a result, developmental education programs are required to address these inadequacies in student preparation. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of these developmental education programs. The goal is to determine the relationship between developmental education programs in West Virginia four-year higher education institutions and the success of the students in these programs as measured by degree completion and the terms to degree required to complete the degree program. I would first like to thank my family; Melinda (Mom), the late John (Dad), Kelly, Tyler, and Prince. Without their love, patience, and encouragement through this process I know I would not be to this point. Words cannot express how much I appreciate all you have done. I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Ernest Goeres, for his time, reassurance, and assistance during my entire program of study. I consider myself lucky to have a mentor that always took the time to talk and assist with any of the problems that I was experiencing. I consider Dr. G to be a friend and he is someone that I would like to model myself after as I become an educator. I would also like to thank Dr. Angie Bell for her help with the statistical analyses and writing of this study. Dr. Bell has shown me many of the facets that go into becoming a researcher and has taught me the application of different research techniques that were implemented in this dissertation. I am truly grateful for her willingness to help and kindness and hope that one day we can again work together on another project. Thank you to Dr. Paul Chapman for his encouragement and assistance. The suggestions and questions he raised have been tremendously helpful in allowing me consider the bigger picture and the implications of my research. I would also like to thank Dr. Ed Jacobs who has pushed me to become a better student and has taught me many valuable tools that are not only applicable to counseling but also to administration duties. His comments have helped to enrich my ideas and concepts for this study. Also, thank you to Dr. Patricia Haught for all the encouragement and support. If not for the work she is doing at West Virginia University and allowing me to work with her teaching developmental education, I would not have researched this topic. Her feedback was very helpful and provided me with good insight into developmental education. Finally, thank you to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Effectiveness of Developmental/Remedial Education iv Table of Contents Introduction of the Study .