Lisa MartinFollow

Date

9-2018

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Rebecca Lunde

Keywords

College Completion, Community College, Graduation, Persistence Placement

Disciplines

Community College Leadership | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods | Higher Education | Other Education

Abstract

This predictive correlative study was designed to investigate the relationship between the entry placement-test scores of community college students as measured by the ACT® COMPASS® placement exams and the students’ successful completion of a degree or certificate program at a technical (community) college in South Carolina. The study was of importance, for it was designed to determine if ACT® COMPASS® placement test scores can predict graduation from a degree or certificate program in the subject college’s programs of study. The study will utilize archival data available in the college’s retention-management system. The selected college is a mid-sized institution that enrolls approximately 5,000 students each fall. A diverse population of approximately 600 students participated in the study. The major theory guiding this study was Tinto’s persistence theory with its emphasis on the importance of understanding what causes students to not persist academically. The statistic used to determine the relationship between the criterion variable (graduation) and the combination of predictor variables (math, reading, and writing placement-test scores) for community college students who initially enrolled in the college in one of two fall semesters (2013-2014) was binary logistic regression.

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