Examining the Relationship Between Psychosocial and Academic Outcomes in Higher Education: A Descriptive Analysis (original) (raw)
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Research in Higher Education, 2008
We studied the effects of academic performance, motivation, and social connectedness on third-year retention, transfer, and dropout behavior. To accommodate the three outcome categories and nesting of data within institutions, we fit a hierarchical multinomial logistic regression path model with first-year academic performance as a mediating effect. Our sample included 6,872 students representing 23 four-year universities and colleges. This work expands the current state of persistence research by considering the effects of motivation and social connectedness on college persistence beyond the first year of college, (2) testing whether the effects of motivation and social connectedness on third-year retention and transfer are direct, indirect, or both, and (3) testing whether the effects of academic performance, motivation, and social connectedness are different for retention and transfer. We found that academic performance has large effects on likelihood of retention and transfer; academic self-discipline, pre-college academic performance, and pre-college educational development have indirect effects on retention and transfer; and college commitment and social connectedness have direct effects on retention. Academic self-discipline led to greater first-year academic performance, which suppressed its effect on retention and transfer. Practical and theoretical implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Educational Research and Evaluation, 2017
Given the large number of dropouts in the 1st year at university, it is important to identify early predictors of 1st-year academic success. The present study (n = 453 first-year students) contributes to literature on the transition from secondary to higher education by investigating how the non-cognitive factors pre-university effort and pre-university academic self-efficacy influence 1st-year retention at university. In addition, we examined pre-university reasons for attending university and whether these reasons were related to 1st-year retention. Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that pre-university effort positively predicted 1styear retention, whereas pre-university academic self-efficacy did not. With exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, we identified six pre-university reasons for attending university: career perspective, personal development, compliance with the social environment, attractiveness of the institution, recommended by others, and location. None of the pre-university reasons appeared to significantly predict 1st-year retention. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
A Longitudinal Analysis of Academic Achievement and Its Correlates in Higher Education
SAGE Open, 2021
Achievement in higher education is gaining importance and attracting attention among educational psychologists who seek for determining its correlates. This study examined longitudinal associations between academic achievement in higher education, university entrance exam performance, the psychosocial climate of the campus, and instructional behavior and socioeconomic status. Data concerning 2,361 students from three universities were collected via surveys and university records at Year 1, Year 2, and Year 4. Socioeconomic status (SES), university exam performance, perceived instructional behavior, and perceived psychosocial climate at Grade 1 were associated positively with academic achievement, perceived instructional behavior, and perceived psychosocial climate at Grade 2 and Grade 4. Indirect effects from SES, university exam performance, perceived instructional behavior, and perceived psychosocial climate at Grade 1 to Grade 4 outcomes were significant, through academic achievement, perceived instructional behavior, and perceived psychosocial climate at Grade 2. These results support that students’ SES, earlier entrance exam performance, and perceptions of their academics’ instructional behaviors and the campus’ psychosocial atmosphere at the first year of university life are associated with their academic achievement at the final year through their relations with the developing levels of academic achievement, perceived instructional behavior, and psychosocial climate of the campus toward the middle of university life.
2019
We examine the effects of a comprehensive college transition program (CCTP) on four psychosocial outcomes associated with postsecondary success: sense of belonging, mattering, and academic and social self-efficacy. The CCTP operates on three four-year campuses and includes a range of supports, including shared academic courses, peer mentoring, and residential or common community spaces. We leverage the randomization of Angrist et al. (2014), but restrict our comparison to scholarship recipients with and without CCTP exposure. To account for differential attrition from the experimental sample, we rely on a “selection on observables” assumption for our primary analysis. Results suggest that the program significantly and substantially increased students’ sense of belonging and mattering, but had no effect on academic or social self-efficacy.
2008
This study examined the relationships between 1. institutional expenditures on academic support as measured by total amount and student persistence; 2. institutional expenditures on academic support as measured by amount per student FTE and student persistence; 3. institutional expenditures on student services as measured by total amount and student persistence; and 4. institutional expenditures on student services as measured by amount per FTE. It also explored the relationship between student engagement as measured by the five benchmarks (Academic Challenge, Active & Collaborative Learning, Student Faculty Interaction, Enriching Education Experience, and Supportive Campus Environment) and student persistence. Finally, it explored relationships among institutional expenditures, student engagement and student persistence. The study is a non experimental quantitative study utilizing two data sources, NSSE 2005 survey data and IPEDS data source. The study utilized data from 71 public ...
exploration of persistence among successful low-income students in North Carolina
Community colleges serve as entryways to higher education and a sustainable future for tens of thousands of students in the United States each year and are designed to provide affordable access to education, particularly for lower-income individuals. Within the United States, postsecondary student completion is a significant issue in academia, and it presents problems of greater societal consequence. Community college students face numerous inherent risk factors, and barriers and institutions provide student support services and intervening programs to help students overcome barriers to persistence. Therefore, the purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (APA) study was to understand the experiences of successful lowincome community college students at one of the 58 two-year, public community colleges in North Carolina. This study was a guided by this research question: How do low-income community college students who are within six months of completing their degrees make sense of and explain their academic success? By helping colleges understand which services and interventions are effective at strengthening the success of lower-income students, this study informs the provision of support systems in place for low-income community college students and helps student services practitioners create and enhance programs that will help low-income students stay in school and graduate. This study shows that the imprint of growing up lowincome ultimately impacts students' postsecondary choices and their reactions to barriers jeopardizing their ability to persist. This study also affirms the importance of supportive relationships and the impact of positive institutional support systems.
Psychosocial factors impacting the college adjustment of undergraduate students: A scoping review
Journal of Psychology in Africa, 2020
Among students, pressure to perform is high since excelling academically holds the potential to lead to a variety of life-changing opportunities. Educational success "has been linked with higher future socioeconomic status (SES), prestige, and subsequently, a higher quality of life" (Munoz & Portes, 2001, p. 3). For these reasons, academic achievement is often the top priority for undergraduate students as it not only determines their academic future but may well determine their future as a whole. Clinciu (2013); Pfeiffer (2001) Robinson, Abraham, and Bond (2012); and Wintre, Dilouya, Pancer, Pratt, Birnie-Lefcovitch, Polivy, and Adams (2011) reported that students who adjusted better to university managed stress better and ultimately influenced their academic performance in a positive way. Yet, the completion rate of undergraduate students at various national-and international university programmes ranges from a mere 5% in South Africa, to 43% at universities in Ontario,