Date

8-9-2024

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

David Gorman

Keywords

high-impact practice, social integration, academic integration, student dropout, retention

Disciplines

Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive-correlational research study was to examine how well a linear combination of predictor variables, including course structure, is able to predict the levels of integration and rates of reenrollment among students at a regional, comprehensive university in the southwest. Higher education has a problem with attrition. Approximately 50% of undergraduates who begin their post-secondary education leave without completing a degree. Innovative classroom techniques, like high-impact practices (HIPs), may be a way to reduce student attrition. This study sought to investigate the affect that a unique HIP has on students’ levels of integration and rate of re-enrollment. The sample was comprised of 287 undergraduate students enrolled in a general education government course during the fall 2023 semester. Data collection took place in three phases. The first two phases involved pre-test and post-test surveys taken at the beginning and end of the semester, respectively, followed by the third phase when re-enrollment data was collected for each participant. The survey compiled demographic data as well as responses to 30 prompts from the Institutional Integration Scale, measuring students’ levels of integration at the institution. Multivariate and binomial regression did not find a statistically significant relationship between HIP course structure and integration or re-enrollment; however, the results raised additional questions about the applicability of Tinto’s model to late departure students and whether the influence of HIPs on student integration levels require time to manifest.

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