THE PURPOSE OF this study was to test three core constructs of Tinto's (1993) Model of Student Departure and a Spiritual Integration construct in a Christian university of higher education. This was done in order to examine the relationship between a student's spiritual integration and Tinto's constructs of academic integration, social integration, and goal and institutional commitment. In addition, this study attempted to determine the level of importance of spiritual integration and Tinto's constructs in accessing student persistence. Survey research and quantitative data analysis were utilized. This study found that spiritual integration functioned in isolation as a significant and robust predictor of retention with the population of students tested.
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