Persistence and Attrition: What is Being Measured?

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss four assumptions commonly held in relation to persistence and or attrition rates at institutions of post secondary education: that persistence is positive, that persistence is an indicator of a program's ability to satisfy student need, that persistence is lower in distance education programs and that comparisons of persistence rates have meaning. The assumptions are explored in relation to the literature and to the data generated by the first complete cohort of graduate students in the Centre for Nursing and Health Studies at Athabasca University. We further propose formulae to address both persistence and attrition in online educational programs and present the variations in rates that can be produced.The literature related to post-secondary education contains abundant opinion and speculation about persistence and attrition rates, particularly in traditional undergraduate classroom situations. With the trend toward more courses being offered through the Internet, more recent research now encompasses persistence

Prior Work and Educational Experience Are Not Associated With Successful Completion of a Master's‐Level, Distance Education Midwifery Program

“…The 62% completion rate by students who began coursework is consistent with rates of 50% to 80% reported by other graduate, health, distance education programs and likely reflects the realities of students who seek distance education . Across disciplines, on‐site programs tend to have higher completion rates than distance education programs .…”

“…Students attending the program part time were twice as likely not to complete it when compared to full‐time students, although that difference was not statistically significant. Students who choose a part‐time path, just like students who choose distance education, may have complex lives with competing responsibilities and hope that part‐time, distance education will allow them to achieve their educational goals while also fulfilling their personal responsibilities . They may have more complicated lives than students choosing full‐time study and thus may be less likely to be able to balance the competing demands.…”

“…who choose distance education, may have complex lives with competing responsibilities and hope that part-time, distance education will allow them to achieve their educational goals while also fulfilling their personal responsibilities. 17,18 They may have more complicated lives than students choosing full-time study and thus may be less likely to be able to balance the competing demands. Alternately, compared to a 2-year education program, 3 years may simply provide a 50% greater opportunity for unexpected illnesses, births, or deaths to occur, making it more difficult for students to complete their education.…”

“…18 The 62% completion rate by students who began coursework is consistent with rates of 50% to 80% reported by other graduate, health, distance education programs and likely reflects the realities of students who seek distance education. 17,18 Across disciplines, on-site programs tend to have higher completion rates than distance education programs. 18,21,22 It is thought that students choosing distance education may think they cannot succeed in traditional programs because of their complex lives involving obligations to children, aging parents, employment, and mortgages.…”

Increasing Retention Among First-Year Master's in Counseling Students: Evaluation of a Social Integration Program

“…Family expectations can deter a student from collegiate pursuits or can result in a sense of obligation for completing a college degree. Other factors that may prevent students from obtaining a college degree include difficulties obtaining financial aid, working long hours , and perceived usefulness and applicability of one's college degree (Park, Boman, Care, Edwards, & Perry, 2008). Faculty and/or staff-student interactions outside the classroom, mentoring, and student organization involvement also contribute to a student's integration and degree completion ).…”