This article reports the results of a longitudinal study of graduation rates at a two-year technical college where students enroll in an Associate of Applied Science terminal-degree program. The predictive ability of segmentation modeling in this study is as effective as logistic regression. However, its ability to identify discrete subgroups based on multiple independent variables is a distinct advantage over regression techniques. In addition, nonlinear relationships are easily apparent.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ACT. (2001). National Dropout and Graduation Report [On-line]. Available: http://www.act.org/news/releases/2001/update.html/11-27-01.
2.
Barefoot, B. O., Warnock, C. L., Dickinson, M. P., Richardson, S. E., & Roberts, M. R. (Eds). (1998). Exploring the evidence: Reporting outcomes of first-year seminars, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina, Volume II.
3.
Baur, R., & Kreps, G. (1996). Using TQM for retention enhancement. NACTA Journal, 40 (4), 22-26.
4.
Biggs, D., de Ville, B., & Suen, E. (1991). A method of choosing multiway partitions for classification and decision trees. Journal of Applied Statistics, 18, 49-62.
5.
Breiman, L.Freidman, J. H., Olshen, R.A., & Stone, C.J. (1984). Classification and regression trees. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
6.
Hosner, D. W., & Lemeshow, S. (1989). Applied logistic regression. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
7.
Hyers, A. D. (2001). Predictable achievement patterns for student journals in introductory earth science courses. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 25, 53-66.
8.
Hyers, A. D., & Anderson, P. S. (2001). Interpreting variability of examination scores for geography education. National Council for Geographic Education, 86th Annual Meeting. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.
9.
Hyers, A. D., & Joslin, M. (2001, April 10). Academic issues and retention. Unpublished manuscript, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
10.
Hyers, A. D., & Joslin, M. (1998). The first year seminar as a predictor of academic achievement and persistence. Journal of the Freshman Year Experience, 10 (1), 7-29.
11.
Kalsbeek, D. (1987). Campus retention: The MBTI in institutional self-studies. In J. Provost & S. Anchors (Eds.), Applications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in higher education (pp. 31-64). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Mouw, J., & Khanna, R. (1993). Prediction of academic success: a review of the literature and some recommendations. College Student Journal, 27 (3), 328-336.
14.
Noel, L., Levitz, R., & Saluri, D. (1985). Increasing student retention: New challenges and potential. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
15.
Press, S.J., & Wilson, S. (1978). Choosing between logistic regression and discriminant analysis. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 73, 699-705.
16.
Reisberg, L. (1999). Colleges struggle to keep would-be dropouts enrolled. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 46 (7), A54-A56.
17.
Schurr, K., Ruble, V., Palomba, C., Pickerill, B., & Moore, D. (1997). Relationships between the MBTI and selected aspects of Tinto's model for college attrition. Journal of Psychological Type, 40, 31-42.
18.
SPSS. (1998). AnswerTree 2.0 User's Guide. Chicago: SPSS, Inc.
19.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
20.
Tinto, V. (1975). Dropouts from higher education's theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45, 89-125.
21.
Wilkie, C., & Redondo, B. (1996). Predictors of academic success and failure of first-year students. Journal of the Freshman Year Experience, 8 (2),17-32.
22.
Zimmerman, A. (2000). A journal-based orientation course as a predictor of student success at a public, two-year, technical college. Journal of the Freshman Year Experience, 12 (1), 29-43.