ERIC Number: ED194142
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1980-May
Pages: 21
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Correlates of Classroom Retention.
Rasor, Richard A.
Interviews with the day teaching faculty at American River College were conducted to determine which variables most affect class withdrawal and retention rates. During the interviews, each instructor was asked to think of any one of his/her day classes taught during the preceding semester and to answer 30 questions concerning, among other items, teaching methods and materials utilized, grading practices, the number of units awarded for successful course completion, and the time and day the course was offered. Responses to each of the 30 questions were correlated statistically with the proportion of enrolled students in each class who actually earned credit at the end of the semester. Study results, based on interviews with 189 faculty members, indicate that the mean proportion of students earning credit in the 189 courses was 64%, and that seven of the 30 interview items yielded significant correlations with completion rates. These variables were the percent of students receiving A's or B's; frequent student evaluations of the instructor; the existence of course prerequisites; volunteer work as part of the class assignments; the extent to which teachers and students interacted socially beyond class time; the frequent use of support media; and the use of prepared notes during lectures. The study report analyzes findings for each of the interview items. (JP)
Descriptors: Academic Persistence, Assignments, Community Colleges, Dropout Research, Dropouts, Grading, Influences, Predictor Variables, School Surveys, Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance, Student Teacher Relationship, Teacher Attitudes, Teaching Methods, Teaching Styles, Two Year Colleges, Withdrawal (Education)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: American River Junior Coll., Sacramento, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A