the Occupational Status of Students (original) (raw)

Long-Term Effect of College Quality on the Occupational Status of Students

1999

This study examined whether, and to what extent, college quality has a longitudinal impact on the occupational status of students after controlling for students' background characteristics, ability, and years of schooling. The study also explored whether college quality differentially affects the long-term occupational status of students. Data for the study came from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study of 1957 and represented a sample of Wisconsin high school seniors who had graduated during the 1957 school year, had attended college and earned a postsecondary degree, and who were employed at the time of the survey.

Educational outcomes of postsecondary occupational students

This Brief discusses a research study that was conducted to determine the rates of degree completion of community college occupational students compared with other types of postsecondary students, and to identify factors that might explain those differences. Much of the existing literature on college persistence and completion is focused on baccalaureate students and pays little attention to students in community colleges, and even fewer studies consider differences by students' program of study. Therefore, it is important to investigate whether students in occupational programs in community colleges persist in postsecondary education and attain degrees at similar rates as their academic and baccalaureate peers. Community college students, as defined here, are those taking for-credit courses at a two-year or less than two-year institution, or at a four-year institution, and who are pursuing a certificate or associate degree, or seeking no degree. Thus, community college student is a descriptive term independent of the type of institution the student is attending; rather, the designation is based on the student's type of degree program. While we include some students at four-year institutions because of their stated degree objective, nearly 90 percent of all community college students fitting this definition attend two-year or less than two-year institutions, with more than threequarters attending public two-year institutions. Occupational students constitute a group within the community college student population whose self-reported major is in one of the following vocational fields of study: agricultural business and production, agricultural sciences, business, communication technologies, computer and information science, construction, engineering, engineering technologies, health professions, home economics, mechanics and repair, personal services, precision production, protective services, science technologies, or transportation. Academic students also comprise a group of community college students. Their self-reported major is in an academic field of study (humanities, mathematics, science, or social science). Baccalaureate students are those taking for-credit courses toward a bachelor's degree at a four-year institution.

Student Success in the

2005

Overview of trends in the 2012 edition (positive trends in bold):  The transfer rate for new full-time students (after three years) increased from 24.7% for the Fall 2007 cohort to 27.4% for the Fall 2008 cohort. The transfer rate for new part-time students also increased from 14.1% to 17.0%.  The mean number of credit hours completed at Tunxis by students who transfer slightly decreased from 43 for the Fall 2007 cohort to 42 for the Fall 2008 cohort.  The percent of students testing into developmental courses who enrolled in developmental courses decreased slightly from Fall 2010 (91%). For Fall 2011, 90% of new students who needed developmental courses enrolled in at least one (95% of full-time; 81% of parttime).  The percent of new students who successfully completed developmental courses their first semester decreased from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011 in English (68% vs. 59%) but increased in math (45% vs. 48%).  The percent of new developmental students who successfully complete college level math and English courses after three years increased in math from 25% to 26% and from 36% to 42% in English.  NEW MEASURE: Percent of new developmental students who TOOK and successfully completed college Math & English courses after three years (NOT including students who did not take the college level courses before leaving Tunxis). The percent decreased from Fall 2008 cohort to the Fall 2009 cohort, 63% to 62% in math and 77% to 73% in English.  Fall to Spring retention rates for new students disaggregated by the number of skill deficiencies showed both increases and decreases for full-time students (None, 83% to 89%; One, 84% to 78%; Three, 80% to 81%; Overall, 82% to 81%). The rates for part-time students increased in all categories (None, 78% to 82%; One, 62% to 67%; Three, 57% to 59%; Overall, 61% to 63%).  Fall to Fall retention rates by skill deficiency showed a slight increase for full-time students and and a slight decrease for part-time students, with variations in some categories. For full-time students, None, 67% to 61%; One, 58% to 61%; Three, 59% to 60%; Overall, 59% to 60%. The rates for part-time student groups: (None, 48% to 65%; One, 50% to 40%; Three, 38% to 39%; Overall, 43% to 41%). NOTE: The number of students who fall into the None and One Skill Deficiency groups are very small; as a result, there are large fluctuations in these rates from year to year since one or two students can cause the rates to change dramatically.  The comparison of mean cumulative GPA's of developmental (by skill deficiency) to non-developmental students after one year remained wide this year after dramatically narrowing in the 2005-2006 academic year when the gap between those with no deficiencies and those with three deficiencies narrowed from 2.80 to 2.

Answers in the tool box: Academic intensity, attendance patterns, and bachelor's degree attainment

Retrieved November, 1999

This study of degree completion followed a national cohort of students from 10th grade (in 1980) through 1993 (High School and Beyond/Sophomore data base). Data included high school and college transcripts, test scores, and surveys. Using linear regression techniques, the study identified a model that accounts for about 43 percent of the variance in degree completion. The two most important variables identified were, first, academic resources a composite measure of the academic content and performance the student brings from secondary school, and, second, continuous enrollment. Major conclusions include the following: (1) since many students attend multiple institutions, institutional graduation rates are not very meaningful; (2) college admissions formulas that emphasize test scores and high school grade point average (rather than academic intensity and curriculum quality) are likely to produce lower degree completion rates; and (3) type and amount of remediation matters in relation to degree completion. Part 1 of the report constructs an index of student academic resources; Part 2 analyzes and/or reconstructs the major variables; Part 3 examines new attendance patterns and their significance; and Part 4 builds statistical models to explain findings. Five appendices include technical notes, additional tables, and examples. (Contains 125 references.) (DB)

2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04) Field Test Methodology Report. Working Paper Series. NCES 2005-02

National Center for Education Statistics, 2005

ion method Of the 1,300 institutions that provided student record data, the majority (66 percent) did so by self-CADE. Data-CADE was the next most common method, with 21 percent of CADE completions being submitted via electronic data files. Field data collectors performed the record abstraction from the remaining 13 percent of CADE completions. Compared to NPSAS:2000, the rate at which institutions opted for the data-CADE in NPSAS:04 was significantly higher: 21 percent compared to 3 percent in NPSAS:2000 (Z = 12.27, p < 0.05). As was described earlier, student sample sizes were larger than in NPSAS:2000, making the data-CADE option more attractive. Data-CADE was also useful for institutional systems that provided data for students from multiple institutions. There was a corresponding decrease in the use of field-CADE from NPSAS:2000; 13 percent compared to 23 percent (Z = 6.0, p < 0.05). Table 14. Student record abstraction method: 2004 Institutions providing CADE Total stude...