Linking Theory To Practice:Retention Strategies for Students Withdrawing from College

Using Arthur Chickering’s Framework

Stephanie BrigantyRachel MankowskiAmalia Trombetta

University of Central Florida

Retention, Retention, Retention

It is a success statistic.

According to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, which is the primary source of retention information for the nation,

retention is defined as follows:

A measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at an institution, expressed as a

percentage. For four-year institutions, this is the percentage of first-time bachelors (or equivalent) degree-seeking

undergraduates from the previous fall who are again enrolled in the current fall. For all other institutions this is the percentage

of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students from the previous fall who either re-enrolled or successfully completed

their program by the current fall. -Lydia Voigt, Ph. D. and Jim Hundrieser

Learning Outcomes

Participants will have the opportunity to:

Strategize initiatives specific to their campus

to aid and improve student retention using

campus resources

Learn about successful approaches that other

institutions have implemented to increase

retention rates

Connect Chickering’s theory to what students could be experiencing

within each vector

Understand nation-wide factors affecting student retention rates between first-year to second-year

students

Some Factors Influencing Student Retention

Academic Preparedness

Finances Interpersonal Skills Family Support Low Self-

Confidence Physical Disability Learning DisabilityIDENTITY CRISIS

Arthur Chickering’s Model of Identity Development

While some epiphanies are dramatic and sudden, most occur gradually and incrementally. We may not know for years that a single lecture or conversation or experience started a chain reaction that transformed some aspect of ourselves. We cannot easily discern what subtle mix of people, books, settings, or events promotes growth. Nor can we easily name changes in ways of thinking, feeling, or interpreting the world. But we can observe behavior and record words, both of which can reveal shifts from hunch to analysis, from simple to complex perceptions, from divisive bias to compassionate understanding. Theory can give us the lenses to see these changes and help them along.

-Arthur Chickering

Vector 1: Developing Competence

Three kinds of competence develop in college–intellectual competence, physical and manual skills, and interpersonal competence. Intellectual competence is skill in using one’s mind. It involves mastering content, gaining intellectual and aesthetic sophistication, and, most important, building a repertoire of skills to comprehend, analyze, and synthesize. It also entails developing new frames of reference that integrate more points of view and serve as “more adequate” structures for making sense out of our observations and experiences. Physical and manual competence can involve athletic and artistic achievement , designing and making tangible products, and gaining strength, fitness, and self-discipline. Competition and creation bring emotions to the surface since our performance and our projects are on display for others’ approval or criticism. Leisure activities can become lifelong pursuits and therefore part of identity.

Interpersonal competence entails not only the skills of listening, cooperating, and communicating effectively, but also the more complex abilities to tune in to another person and respond appropriately, to align personal agendas with the goals of the group, and to choose from a variety of strategies to help a relationship flourish or a group function.Students’ overall sense of competence increases as they learn to trust their abilities, receive accurate feedback from others, and integrate their skills into a stable self-assurance.

Vector 2: Managing Emotions

Vector 3: Moving Through Autonomy Toward Interdependence

Vector 4: Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships

Vector 5: Establishing Identity

Vector 6: Developing Purpose

Vector 7: Developing Integrity

Linking Theory to Practice: Scenerios

Learning From Each Other

What succesful approaches does your institution implement to increase student retention?

Self-Reflection

Q & A

Our Contact Information

References Chickering's seven vectors of identity development. (n.d.). Retrieved on

March 23, 2014 from http://studentdevelopmenttheory.wordpress.com/chickerings-seven-vectors/

Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K. (2010). Student development in college. (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Jensen, U. (2011). Factors influencing student retention in higher education . Kamehameha schools: Research and evaluation division, Retrieved on March 23, 2014 from http://www.ksbe.edu/spi/pdfs/retention_brief.pdf

Thomas, L. (2002). Student retention in higher education: the role of institutional habitus. J. Education Policy, 17(4), 423-442. Retrieved on March 23, 2014 from file:///C:/Users/sbriganty/Downloads/stu retention.pdf

Tinto, V. (2005). Student retention: What next?. Pell institute for the study of opportunity in higher education, Retrieved on March 23, 2014 from http://www.gvsu.edu/cms3/assets/B85DAC41-B7B8-3B9F-A116121D5AE29B05/Student Retention-What Next.pdf

(2010). What works in student retention? fourth national survey. public four-year colleges and universities report. ACT Inc, Retrieved on March 23, 2014 from file:///C:/Users/sbriganty/Downloads/PublicFour-YrColleges.pdf