Historically, retaining students and maximizing their academic achievement has been a challenge for administrators in American colleges and universities. Since the mid-twentieth century, the sophomore year has increasingly been suspected of being a gateway to declining grades, decreased morale, and increased attrition among college students.…

Examined relationship between developmental tasks and academic achievement among first-term college freshmen (n=83) enrolled in program for students at risk. Results support limited relationship between growth on developmental tasks of young adulthood and academic performance of university freshmen. Sex differences also were found on predictors of…

The relationship between grade point average, grade level, age, sex, social class, and self-concept as defined by Havighurst's Developmental Tasks for Youth was investigated. Subjects were 280 adolescents ranging in age from 13 through 18 and coming from a variety of social classes. Each subject completed a Self-Concept Scale for Adolescents,…

Knowledge of student development theory has direct practical benefits for the college financial aid administrator. Developmental theories of Arthur Chickering and William Perry provide expectations for student behavior and suggest interventions for these aid-related areas: monitoring academic progress; student employment; student debt counseling;…