Application of a Conceptual Model of College Withdrawal to Disadvantaged Students

Abstract

This paper reports a study of retention and attrition after the freshman year among disadvantaged students at an urban, primarily non-residential, university. Economically and academically disadvantaged college students are widely known to be at risk for attrition, which highlights the need to investigate the process among members of this group. Substantial progress has been made developing and testing explanatory models of college student withdrawal, but they have only begun to be directly applied to special groups of students such as the disadvantaged. The study applies a conceptual model developed by Tinto (1975) to a group of students who, through a special program, were admitted to a senior college within The City University of New York. The paper tests the predictive validity of major constructs in the model. It was shown to be sensitive to the dimensions of student-institutional fit operating in the situation, and indicated that academic integration was the most salient aspect of development for this group of students. Social integration had limited influence, especially when considered relative to academic measures. The results were seen as reinforcing the recognition that the acquisition of academic skills and behaviors is paramount for the success of underprepared students.