ERIC Number: ED520507
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 110
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-1241-5282-0
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Predictive Factors of Premedical Student Retention and Degree Completion within a Private Undergraduate University
Carter, Frances E.
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Mercer University
Undergraduate retention and eventual graduation is of paramount importance to universities globally. Approximately 58% of students who began their college career at a four-year institution with the intention of receiving a bachelor's degree actually received that degree in a 6-year timeframe, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) annual report "The Condition of Education 2009" (Planty, 2009). In certain subgroups of the undergraduate population, this graduation rate is even lower. This dissertation presents research into the academic integration of students in premedical programs subgroup based on Vincent Tinto's Integrationist Model of Student Departure. Pre-entry factors of interest for this study included incoming high school grade point average (GPA), incoming SAT total test scores, while post-matriculation factors included grade in organic chemistry, and the initial calculus course taken. A sample of 519 students from a private coeducational institution in the southeastern United States was examined. A logistic regression was performed to determine the effect of high school GPA, SAT total scores, organic chemistry grades, and calculus-readiness on graduation. A significant regression equation was found. The findings suggest that of the four predictor variables, high school GPA and organic chemistry grade were the only variables that showed significant predictive ability based on a significance level of p less than 0.05. Further research should involve the examination of additional indicators of academic integration as well as information on the social integration of the student. Additionally, institutional leaders should continue to evaluate the premedical curriculum based on potential changes in medical school requirements. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Premedical Students, Grade Point Average, Social Integration, Medical Schools, Graduation Rate, Predictor Variables, Organic Chemistry, Educational Indicators, Calculus, Time to Degree, Regression (Statistics), Grades (Scholastic), College Admission, College Entrance Examinations, Undergraduate Students, Private Colleges
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Identifiers - Location: United States
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: SAT (College Admission Test)
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