Faculty/Student Interaction: Impact on Student Retention. AIR 1994 Annual Forum Paper.

N

26

Academic Persistence; Black Students; College Students; High Risk Students; Higher Education; Hispanic Americans; Interaction; Longitudinal Studies; Social Influences; Student Attrition; Teacher Student Relationship; Universities; Withdrawal (Education)

A longitudinal study at a large predominantly White university revealed that faculty/student interaction had a significant impact on African-American students' decision to persist. Subjects included 310 freshmen (128 African Americans, 131 Whites, 49 Hispanics, and 2 Asians). Hispanics and Whites were better retained after the 4 years than African-Americans, though African-Americans showed higher retention rates than Hispanics and Whites in the first 2 years. For all students, more dropped out at the end of the second year than any other time. High-achieving African-American students who talked with faculty outside class were better retained than those who did not. Faculty/student interaction, including advisor help in scheduling courses, knowing advisor's name, and being impressed with the faculty, was found to have significant effects on retention for all African-American students. Results indicate that there are different profiles for students who stop attending at different times during the college career, and suggest that freshman experiences can predict those students who are prone to drop out in later years. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/JDD)

1995

ED373650