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AbstractDoctoral student attrition is a consistent, ongoing problem and highest among marginalized students. Attrition results in negative consequences at multiple levels. Research documents the need for and benefits of doctoral professional development. Yet, little is known about obstacles students face in developing professional skills or students’ involvement with existing programming. The current study used mixed methods to identify students’ challenges in multiple domains and gaps in access to and utilization of professional development support from 41 doctoral students in criminal justice and related fields. It examined whether students’ confidence—a predictor of degree completion—varies by access and use, and whether differences in access, use, and confidence exist by identity characteristics known to shape experiences in academia. Results suggest that students may not receive enough professional development to best prepare for degree completion or future careers and that differences in access, utilization, and confidence vary by identity characteristics. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities and schools rely heavily on the ability to forecast student performance, as it enables them to develop efficient strategies for enhancing academic results and averting student attrition. The automation of processes and the management of large datasets generated by technology-enhanced learning tools can facilitate the analysis and processing of these data, which provides crucial insights into the knowledge of students and their engagement with academic endeavors. The method under consideration aims to forecast the academic achievement of students through an ensemble of deep neural networks. The proposed method presents a new feature-ranking mechanism based on existing approaches. This mechanism is effective in identifying the most pertinent features and their correlation with the academic performance of students. The proposed method employs an optimization strategy to concurrently configure and train the deep neural networks within our ensemble system. Furthermore, the proposed ensemble model uses weighted voting among its learning components for more accurate prediction. Put simply, the suggested approach enhances the accuracy of academic performance predictions for students not only by employing weighted ensemble techniques, but also by optimizing the parameters of deep learning models. These experimental outcomes provide evidence that the proposed method outperformed the alternative approaches, accurately predicting student performance with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) value of 1.66, a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) value of 9.75, and an R-squared value of 0.7430. These results show a significant improvement compared to the null model (RMSE = 4.05, MAPE = 24.89, and R-squared = 0.2897) and prove the efficiency of the techniques employed in the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given a myriad of recent contemporary challenges graduate students are facing as well as long-standing issues with student attrition, there is a pressing need to reexamine models of doctoral student progress. While existing research commonly examines departure or failure to meet milestones as the outcome of interest, by the time students leave their programs, it is too late for faculty or departments to offer meaningful interventions. Drawing from Girves and Wemmerus's conceptual framework for doctoral student degree progress, we leverage more recent literature to propose and test an adapted conceptual framework among a recent nationwide sample of computing doctoral students in the United States. Findings illuminate the importance of psychosocial factors (e.g., sense of belonging, researcher self-efficacy), positive perceptions of departmental community, and the role of faculty advisors in reducing doctoral students' consideration of departure. Implications for departmental efforts and faculty advising practices that can honor students' agency and identity in the computing Ph.D. process and that may affect change in doctoral education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines results from 39,538 student enrolments into mathematics or statistics intensive subjects over a seven-year period at one Australian university. Students’ interactions with mathematics and statistics support are used as a controlling variable to determine how attrition rates differ between students who utilise support and those who do not. We also investigate the differences for several student subgroups, particularly those groups who are most likely to be ‘at risk' of abandoning their studies. In almost all cases students who availed themselves of support services were significantly less likely to be attrited. On average students who did not use mathematics and statistics support were 1.5 times more likely to be attrited than those who did use support. We identify cohorts where mathematics and statistics support could be best targeted to improve retention and include several areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the role of experiential learning and peer mentors in undergraduate biology at a community college. While the impact on all students was studied, special attention was paid to the effect interventions had on underrepresented minority students. Thirty-three sections of an introductory biology class were randomly assigned to either treatment or control. Sections assigned to treatment received content enhancements geared at active learning strategies and metacognition. A portion of treatment sections also had the presence of peer mentors as part of their laboratory course. Results showed grade distributions were not significantly different when comparing control and treatment sections, but there was a significant increase in final course grade when mentors were present in the laboratory, and when enrichments alone were provided. These methods were just as impactful for minority students, indicating that active learning and peer support may help to decrease student attrition in introductory biology classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examines the expansion of two-way dual language (TWDL) programs in Los Angeles Unified School District from 2000 to 2022, analyzing their growth in relation to neighborhood change, charter school expansion, and enrollment decline. We use a novel data set combining program founding years, school-level enrollments, and neighborhood characteristics over time. Approach: We descriptively examine trends over time, and using a logistic regression framework, we analyze factors associated with program founding. Findings: We find that TWDL programs are increasingly opening in majority-Latinx neighborhoods and in neighborhoods with increasing numbers of charter schools. The emergence of TWDL programs is significantly associated with declining enrollment in traditional public schools. Implications: The findings point to the strategic use of TWDL programs to boost enrollment and attract students. We discuss the implications of these trends for the accessibility and potential benefits of TWDL programs for historically marginalized students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted to determine special education teachers' (SETs) pandemic experiences in the U.S. state of Georgia. We distributed a survey, held focus groups, and analyzed both data for complementarity. We found that SETs experienced challenges, benefits, and concerns when they returned to their classrooms. Although they reported feeling professionally supported during remote learning, they described difficulties and worries about meeting the individualized needs of students with disabilities. Special educators' increased workload and stress likely impacted attrition and student learning outcomes. Based on these pandemic-related experiences, we provided five recommendations for researchers, administrators, and policymakers to address the SET shortage and prepare for future school closures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although most engineering graduate students are funded and usually complete their degrees faster than other disciplines, attrition remains a problem in engineering. Existing research has explored the psychological and sociological factors contributing to attrition but not the structural factors impacting attrition. Purpose/Hypothesis: Using systems theory, this study seeks to understand nuance in how underlying structural causes affect engineering graduate students' attrition experiences in ways that may differ from their official reasons for departure. Design/Methods: Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with seven departing or already departed engineering doctoral students from R1 graduate programs across the United States. Using thematic analysis, root cause analyses were conducted to understand participants' attrition experiences to explore how structures influence causes of departure. Results: The ways participants discuss root causes of their departure indicate differences in formal reasons for departure and underlying causes of departure. We highlight the role of informal and formal policy as root causes of a different attrition rationale often passed off as interpersonal issues. When interpreted as evidence of structural issues, the causes of departure show ways in which action–inaction, policy–"null" policy serve as structural features governing student attrition decision processes. We also highlight a form of benign neglect toward struggling graduate students. Conclusion: This study reveals important nuances underlying face‐value reasons of attrition indicating foundational structural issues contributing to engineering graduate student attrition. Coaching faculty in team management and encouraging close revision of departmental policies could help mitigate students' negative graduate experiences and decrease unnecessary attrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many higher education institutions have utilized one or two budgeting models for years. This may have worked for these institutions in the past, but in today's higher education roller coaster, more colleges and universities are switching to a mixed-models approach. This approach offers more benefits for many institutions. This move to a mixed-methods approach is critical for a multitude of institutions as they face the challenges of today's world. Many colleges and universities are now seeing enrollment declines and an increase in inflation. Without a new model, many schools are expected to close due to financial issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study offers a contemporary look at crisis response in higher education and demonstrates the marketing implications of universities' crisis response. Using Situational Crisis Communication Theory, the link between university crisis response and student attrition through resilient coping and trust was examined. Data collected from 340 students were analysed to determine the specific indirect and serial mediation effects of university crisis response on student attrition intention. Results revealed that students' resilient coping and trust individually and serially mediates the relationship between university crisis response and student attrition intention. A multigroup analysis also revealed that crisis response has a weaker effect on resilient coping for female students and a weaker effect on attrition intention for new students. Findings recommend among other things that crisis response mitigates student attrition through trust and coping, and that it should be tailored and gender-specific for effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Demotivation has been acknowledged as a significant factor in the decrease of student enrolment and the increase in student attrition rates within the domain of Mandarin as a foreign language (MFL) learning. This study seeks to identify the causes of demotivation among learners of MFL at a public tertiary institution in Malaysia. Methodology: The study's sample consisted of 72 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory level MFL elective course. Data were collected using online questionnaires at the end of the academic semester. The online questionnaire consisted of two sections: the first focused on the demographic information of the participants, and the second contained open-ended questions. Participants were asked to characterize the learning experience that (1) negatively impacted their motivation and (2) caused them to feel frustrated or want to quit their MFL studies. The data was subjected to thematic analysis, and the themes from the responses were identified and categorized. Findings: The factors that contribute to demotivation can be classified into two categories: internal and external. Internal categories include psychological states such as anxiety and boredom. In contrast, external categories include test performance, course content, workload, and significant others (teachers and peers). External factors, particularly test performance, course content, and workload, have a greater impact on the demotivation of MFL learners compared to internal factors. The most frequently cited factor is test performance, primarily due to the difficulty of learning course content, particularly Chinese characters. One-third of the students in this study spent more than three hours per week on MFL learning outside of class. However, many students struggle to manage their Mandarin study time due to other academic or extracurricular obligations. Contributions: The current research offers additional insights into the nature and characteristics of demotivation in foreign language learning, specifically among non-native Mandarin learners with little or no prior knowledge, in the context of MFL as an elective course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article details how multiple universities came together in 2019 during the Africa Interprofessional Education Network (AfrIPEN) conference in Nairobi, Kenya, to create an interprofessional, multi-continent, multi-university opportunity to give their students an asynchronous and synchronous virtual interprofessional experience through a programme known as VIPE (virtual interprofessional education). The programme, which was created after the conference, was entitled AFRI-VIPE (Africa virtual interprofessional education). From that conference, four AFRI-VIPE events have been implemented to date. Asynchronous material was created, and synchronous sessions were held that utilised problem-based learning to reinforce the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies. Students' competency attainment was assessed using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS), and analysis of those data showed significant improvements across all six interprofessional subscales for students at both North American- and African-based institutions, as well as across professional groups. All data were kept anonymous. Challenges experienced during AFRI-VIPE included the difference in time zones, student attrition, connectivity and survey response rates. Through their participation in the VIPE model, students and facilitators from a variety of countries and professions appreciated the opportunity to learn with, from and about other students through exposure to authentic case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical trial participation continues to be low, slowing new cancer therapy development. Few strategies have been prospectively tested to address barriers to enrollment. We investigated the effectiveness of a physician audit and feedback report to improve clinical trial enrollment. We conducted a randomized quality improvement study among radiation oncologists at a multisite tertiary cancer network. Physicians in the intervention group received quarterly audit and feedback reports comparing the physician's trial enrollments with those of their peers. The primary outcome was trial enrollments. Among physicians randomized to receive the feedback report (n = 30), the median proportion of patients enrolled during the study period increased to 6.1% (IQR, 2.6%-9.3%) from 3.2% (IQR, 1.1%-10%) at baseline. Among those not receiving the feedback report (n = 29), the median proportion of patients enrolled increased to 4.1% (IQR, 1.3%-7.6%) from 1.6% (IQR, 0%-4.1%) at baseline. There was a nonsignificant change in the proportion of enrollments associated with receiving the feedback report (−0.6%; 95% CI, −3.0% to 1.8%; P =.6). Notably, there was an interaction between baseline trial accrual and receipt of feedback reports (P =.005), with enrollment declining among high accruers. There was an increase in enrollment throughout the study, regardless of study group (P =.001). In this study, a positive effect of physician audit and feedback on clinical trial enrollment was not observed. Future efforts should avoid disincentivizing high accruers and might consider pairing feedback with other patient- or physician-level strategies. The increase in trial enrollment in both groups over time highlights the importance of including a comparison group in quality improvement studies to reduce confounding from secular trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on peer coaching as a holistic approach to addressing high student attrition rates in higher education, particularly among minority and first-generation students. It examines how peer coaching programs can provide effective academic and social support, potentially increasing graduation rates by fostering a sense of community and connection among students.

Enrolment numbers in online higher education courses have continued to increase over the last decade. The challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have further accelerated the growth in online and blended course offerings. The development of institutional support services, however, does not reflect this growth. Many students are not equipped with the skills or given adequate support to engage and succeed in their courses, leading to student disengagement and attrition. This study investigated the perceptions of students in online and blended subjects, regarding both the academic and institutional support they were provided. The research team collected interview data from 41 online and blended-learning students and then analysed these data using an iterative thematic analysis approach. This article introduces the key findings with two models: one presenting support strategies at multiple levels within this university; the other presenting three key elements of subject-level teacher support, which were identified by the interviewees as the most significant, effective, and relevant support mechanism in this context. The findings will inform higher education institutions who aim to engage and support online and blended students better, through an improved understanding of how support is perceived by this student cohort. This study was conducted at one Australian university; however, the findings are relevant to higher education institutions in other countries that strive to bring about positive experiences and enhance retention rates for online and blended students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops statistical learning models to assess the probability of undergraduate students graduating within a predetermined period, utilizing admission, performance, and demographic data. The urgency of addressing student attrition is highlighted by recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), indicating a 59% completion rate by full-time undergraduates within six years. This research leverages institutional data from a Saudi University, focusing on freshmen enrolled in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 academic years, to identify students at risk of dropping out, thereby enabling timely interventions. Ten algorithms, including decision trees, ensemble models, SVM, and ANN, were built and evaluated on a test set representing 33.3% of the entire dataset using precision, recall, accuracy, and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC). The findings show that SVM and Random Forest models were the most reliable, achieving accuracies of 0.830 and 0.831 respectively, and maintaining balance in precision, recall, and MCC. Conversely, the naïve Bayes model recorded the worst performance. The comparative analysis revealed the superior performance of ensemble models over decision tree models in predicting student attrition, emphasizing the importance of model selection in developing effective early intervention strategies. In addition, our analysis revealed that academic data is a better predictor of ontime graduation than admission data, emphasizing the need for institutions to focus on continuous academic assessment data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities across the USA are experiencing a decline in foreign language enrollment and in advanced Spanish courses (Looney & Lusin, 2019; Lusin et al., 2023), with a trend of higher female enrollment (Brantmeier et al., 2019; Chavez, 2001). Literature in Second Language Acquisition and Sociopsychology has studied how beliefs can influence a student's thoughts and actions regarding their decision to enroll in a particular course (Mills & Moulton, 2017; Omrod, 2011; Taylor & Mardsen, 2014). The present study aims to investigate advanced Spanish learners' awareness, beliefs, and attitudes toward four language learning skills and their differences by gender. Overall results indicated that participants from two different advanced Spanish courses had more positive beliefs and attitudes toward speaking and listening than reading and writing. Additionally, a higher proportion of female students had more positive beliefs toward the four skills than male students. Pedagogical implications and future directions on student uptake are suggested in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada spends less of its health budget on primary care compared to other OECD countries. To improve primary care, Canada can learn from countries like the United Kingdom, Norway, Netherlands, and Finland, where over 95% of the population has a regular primary care clinician or place of care. These countries have stronger contractual agreements and accountability for family physicians, utilize capitation or salary payment models, work in interprofessional teams, and have excellent digital tools and information systems. Canada is facing challenges such as a lack of regular primary care clinicians, declining enrollment in family medicine, and retiring family physicians. The text provides data and analysis on primary care attachment in Canada compared to nine other countries, and discusses strategies that enable high primary care attachment in comparator countries. It suggests that Canada can learn from these countries to increase primary care attachment by improving accountability, funding, system organization, information systems, practice organization, and physician payment. [Extracted from the article]

This article provides a comprehensive examination of the current state of research in Polish practical theology, focusing on the significant pastoral challenges confronted by the Catholic Church in Poland today. Comprising two parts, the study begins with a descriptive analysis of the institutional framework of Polish theology. It highlights the contemporary landscape of Polish ecclesiastical universities and theological faculties, addressing concerns regarding didactics and the declining enrollment of theology students. Additionally, the article explores the recent evaluation principles employed by the Ministry of Education and Science for assessing Polish theological faculties. The second part of the article presents a research-based investigation into the primary pastoral problems in Poland, drawing on selected literature sources. These issues encompass: (1) the decreasing number of dominicantes and communicantes, (2) the Church's engagement in the digital realm, (3) challenges associated with youth ministry, (4) the decline in student participation in religious education classes, (5) the absence of adult catechesis, and (6) the complexities surrounding the use of religious language. In response to the titular inquiry regarding Poland's status as a bastion of Christendom, the study offers a cautiously affirmative response, considering certain reservations. Research findings demonstrate that the profile of Polish Catholics has undergone an inevitable evolution towards secularization in recent years, with Polish pastoral care not always keeping pace with this shifting mentality. Zusammenfassung: Dieser Aufsatz macht mit dem gegenwärtigen Forschungsstand der Praktischen Theologie in Polen und den dortigen Herausforderungen der römisch-katholischen Kirche bekannt. Ein erster Hauptteil beschreibt das institutionelle Gefüge, in dem in Polen Theologie betrieben wird, welches u. a. sinkenden Einschreibezahlen entgegensieht. Der zweite Hauptteil erörtert die wesentlichen pastoralen Problemfelder, denen sich Kirche und Theologie in Polen heute stellen müssen, auch hinsichtlich der Passung zwischen der teilweisen Säkularisierung polnischer Kirchenglieder und den an sie adressierten seelsorglichen Angeboten. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Researchers have shown that students leave undergraduate engineering programs during the first 2 years. Justifiably, many studies have tried to tackle engineering student persistence and attrition, especially during the first year, and then developed interventions to address the challenges. Although those interventions have improved freshmen retention in some institutions, less has been published on the impacts of these interventions on the sophomore student experience. Purpose: To contribute to the knowledge base about all engineering students, we examined the experiences of sophomore engineering students and explored how these experiences might be related to their identities as engineers. Design/Method: We conducted this study using photovoice, a methodology in which participants submit photographs to describe their experiences and give recommendations on improving their experiences and resolving their concerns. Participants submitted three sets of pictures (at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester) and participated in focus groups to aid in illuminating their experiences. We analyzed data using thematic analysis. Results: We inductively determined three themes: on the frame, out of focus, and prefigures. These themes illustrate the experiences of sophomore engineering students, enabling us to see what interest, competence, and recognition as engineers looked like from their perspectives. Conclusions: Participants grappled with the tension between their personal, social, and engineering identities. Photovoice empowered them to author and illustrate that they could exist beyond the murky middle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many undergraduate students who matriculated in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degree programs drop out or switch their major. Previous studies indicate that performance of students in prerequisite courses is important for attrition of students in STEM. This study analyzed demographic information, ACT/SAT score, and performance of students in freshman year courses to develop machine learning models predicting their success in earning a bachelor's degree in biology. The predictive model based on Random Forest (RF) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) showed a better performance in terms of AUC (Area Under the Curve) with more balanced sensitivity and specificity than Logistic Regression (LR), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Neural Network (NN) models. An explainable machine learning approach called break-down was employed to identify important freshman year courses that could have a larger impact on student success at the biology degree program and student levels. More important courses identified at the program level can help program coordinators to prioritize their effort in addressing student attrition while more important courses identified at the student level can help academic advisors to provide more personalized, data-driven guidance to students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attrition is a critical concern for evaluating the rigor of prevention studies, and the current study provides rates of attrition for subgroups of students and schools who are often sampled for prevention science. This is the first study to provide practical guidance for expected rates of attrition using population-level statewide data; findings indicated that researchers using K-12 school-based samples should plan for attrition rates as high as 27% during middle school and 54% during elementary school. However, researchers should consider the grade levels initially sampled, the length of follow-up, and the specific student characteristics and schools available for sampling. Postsecondary attrition ranged from 45% for bachelor's degree seekers to 73% for associate degree seekers. This practical guidance can help researchers to proactively plan for attrition in the study design phase, limiting bias and increasing the validity of prevention studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While studies examining graduate engineering student attrition have grown more prevalent, there is an incomplete understanding of the plight faced by persisting students. As mental health and well‐being crises emerge in graduate student populations, it is important to understand how students conceptualize their well‐being in relation to their decisions to persist or depart from their program. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this article is to characterize the well‐being of students who endured overwhelming difficulties in their doctoral engineering programs. The PERMA‐V framework of well‐being theory proposes that well‐being is a multifaceted construct comprised of positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment, and vitality. Design/Method: Data were collected in a mixed‐methods research design through two rounds of qualitative semistructured interviews and a survey‐based PERMA‐V profiling instrument. Interview data were analyzed thematically using the PERMA‐V framework as an a priori coding schema and narrative configuration and analysis. Results: The narratives demonstrated the interconnectedness between the different facets of well‐being and how they were influenced by various experiences the participants encountered. The participants in this study faced prolonged and extreme adversity. By understanding how the multiple dimensions of well‐being theory manifested in their narratives, we better understood and interpreted how these participants chose to persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student attrition poses a major challenge to academic institutions, funding bodies and students. With the rise of Big Data and predictive analytics, a growing body of work in higher education research has demonstrated the feasibility of predicting student dropout from readily available macro-level (e.g., socio-demographics or early performance metrics) and micro-level data (e.g., logins to learning management systems). Yet, the existing work has largely overlooked a critical meso-level element of student success known to drive retention: students' experience at university and their social embeddedness within their cohort. In partnership with a mobile application that facilitates communication between students and universities, we collected both (1) institutional macro-level data and (2) behavioral micro and meso-level engagement data (e.g., the quantity and quality of interactions with university services and events as well as with other students) to predict dropout after the first semester. Analyzing the records of 50,095 students from four US universities and community colleges, we demonstrate that the combined macro and meso-level data can predict dropout with high levels of predictive performance (average AUC across linear and non-linear models = 78%; max AUC = 88%). Behavioral engagement variables representing students' experience at university (e.g., network centrality, app engagement, event ratings) were found to add incremental predictive power beyond institutional variables (e.g., GPA or ethnicity). Finally, we highlight the generalizability of our results by showing that models trained on one university can predict retention at another university with reasonably high levels of predictive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colleges are currently involved in an epic struggle to keep students enrolled. One reason for student attrition involves non-academic issues such as executive functioning. In the present study, we investigated how journaling helped influence paradigm shifts in students' thinking regarding a growth mindset towards their educational performance. We used a multiple case study approach with four students from a large urban community college to explore their paradigm shifts toward a growth mindset. We found that the students' reflective journaling effectively augmented their metacognitive awareness (the ability to think about their thinking) because the students started to realize how their thoughts were not in sync with their behaviors. Consequently, these students were then able to shift their thinking as it related to success in their academic endeavors. These findings present the opportunity to gain insight regarding college retention by examining the powerful ways journaling can connect students to their thinking and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To advance understanding of doctoral student experiences and the high attrition rates among Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) doctoral students, we developed and examined the psychological profiles of different types of doctoral students. We used latent class analysis on self-reported psychological data relevant to psychological threat from 1,081 incoming doctoral students across three universities and found that the best-fitting model delineated four threat classes: Lowest Threat, Nonchalant, Engaged/Worried, and Highest Threat. These classes were associated with characteristics measured at the beginning of students' first semester of graduate school that may influence attrition risk, including differences in academic preparation (e.g., amount of research experience), self-evaluations and perceived fit (e.g., sense of belonging), attitudes towards graduate school and academia (e.g., strength of motivation), and interpersonal relations (e.g., perceived social support). Lowest Threat students tended to report the most positive characteristics and Highest Threat students the most negative characteristics, whereas the results for Nonchalant and Engaged/Worried students were more mixed. Ultimately, we suggest that Engaged/Worried and Highest Threat students are at relatively high risk of attrition. Moreover, the demographic distributions of profiles differed, with members of groups more likely to face social identity threat (e.g., women) being overrepresented in a higher threat profile (i.e., Engaged/Worried students) and underrepresented in lower threat profiles (i.e., Lowest Threat and Nonchalant students). We conclude that doctoral students meaningfully vary in their psychological threat at the beginning of graduate study and suggest that these differences may portend divergent outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreasing student attrition rates is one of the main objectives of most higher education institutions. However, to achieve this goal, universities need to accurately identify and focus their efforts on students most likely to quit their studies before they graduate. This has given rise to a need to implement forecasting models to predict which students will eventually drop out. In this paper, we present an early warning system to automatically identify first-semester students at high risk of dropping out. The system is based on a machine learning model trained from historical data on first-semester students. The results show that the system can predict "at-risk" students with a sensitivity of 61.97%, which allows early intervention for those students, thereby reducing the student attrition rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We provide a rigorous evaluation of the impacts of COVID-19 on the child care sector. • Difference-in-differences design using county administrative data in North Carolina. • The pandemic led to large drops in enrollment, and a mild effect on provider closures. • Family child care providers had less enrollment declines and closures than centers. • Counties with higher percentages of Hispanic residents had more closures. This study provides a comprehensive, census-level evaluation of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the county child care market in a large and diverse state, North Carolina, and the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on different types of providers and communities. We use county-level panel data from 2016 to 2020 and a difference-in-differences design to isolate the effects of the pandemic from unobservable seasonal trends in enrollments and closures. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic reduced county-level child care enrollment by 40% and the number of providers by 2% as of December 2020. Heterogeneity analyses revealed that the family child care sector experienced not only less severe reductions in enrollment and closure than center providers, but also a small growth in the number of family providers. Declines in enrollment were most substantial for preschool-aged children. There was a significant drop in the number of 5-star providers and an increase in the number of lower-quality providers. Provider closures were more concentrated in communities with a higher percentage of Hispanic residents. Higher-SES communities experienced larger drops in enrollment as well as provider closures. Implications for child development and future research and policies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adverse drug events are common during transitions of care. As part of the Smart Pillbox study, a cluster-randomized controlled trial of an electronic pillbox designed to reduce medication discrepancies and improve medication adherence after hospital discharge, we explored barriers to successful implementation and evaluation of this intervention.Methods: Eligible patients were those admitted to a medicine service of a large teaching hospital with a plan to be discharged home on five or more chronic medications. The intervention consisted of an electronic pillbox with pre-filled weekly blister pack medication trays given to patients prior to discharge. Pillbox features included alarms to take medications, detection of pill removal from each well, alerts to patients or caregivers by phone, email, or text if medications were not taken, and adherence reports accessible by providers. Greater than 20% missed doses for three days in a row triggered outreach from a pharmacist. To identify barriers to implementation and evaluation of the intervention, we reviewed patient exit surveys, including quantitative data on satisfaction and free-text responses regarding their experiences; technical issue logs; and team meeting minutes. Themes were derived by consensus among the study authors and organized using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.Results: Barriers to implementation included intervention characteristics such as perceived portability issues with the pillbox and time required by pharmacists to enter medication information into the software; external policies such as lack of insurance coverage for early refills and regulatory prohibitions on repackaging medications; implementation climate issues such as the incompatibility between the rushed nature of hospital discharge with the time required to deploy the intervention; and patient issues such as denial of previous problems with medication adherence. We founds several obstacles to conducting the study, including patients declining study enrollment and limited attempts by the hospital to streamline logistics by building the intervention into usual care. Several solutions to address many of these challenges were implemented or planned. Despite these challenges, many patients with the pillbox were pleased with the service and believed the intervention worked well for them.Conclusions: In this evaluation, several barriers to implementing and conducting a study of the effectiveness of the intervention were identified. Our findings provide lessons learned for others wishing to implement and evaluate HIT-related interventions designed to improve medication safety during care transitions.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03475030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuition-dependent colleges and universities face increasing competition for students. This study examined whether accreditation sanctions might serve as signals of quality and relate to enrollment. Results of a panel analysis showed enrollment declined for institutions after being placed on sanction with their regional accreditor. Specifically, 4-year private not-for-profit institutions had a 7.7% decline in FTE enrollment 2 years after warning (p <.05) and public 4- and 2-year institutions had a 5.5% and an 9.4% relative decline in FTE 2 years after probation, respectively (p <.05). Additional results demonstrated that a relationship remained up to 4 years post-sanction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Per the Commission on Cancer, overall enrollment in clinical trials is only 20% at NCI-designated centers and only 6.3% overall, with minorities largely underrepresented. We hypothesize disparities in accrual can be reduced with institutional initiatives to achieve uniform enrollment of patients in clinical trials. At our institution, research coordinators consult with every patient before treatment to discuss enrollment in a treatment intention or registry trial. We explored the demographic composition of those who did and did not enroll and compared the two groups via chi-square analysis. Between September 2019 to December 2023, 3,755 consecutive patients were treated, all of whom were offered enrollment onto our clinical prospective registry and/or treatment-intention trials. In total, 95.5% (3,588) enrolled and 4.5% (167) declined. Of those enrolled, 59%, 12%, 10%, 8%, and 11% were White, Black, Asian, Other, and not reported/disclosed, respectively. Of the non-enrolled patients, 34%, 15%, 11%, 10%, and 30% were White, Black, Asian, Other, and not reported, respectively. The rate of decline was 2.6%, 5.4%, 4.8%, and 5.6% of White, Black, Asian, and Other, respectively. White patients were more likely to consent to research than all other groups including Asian (OR = 1.8817, 95% Cl = 1.106 to 3.199, P = 0.019), Black (OR = 2.137, 95% Cl = 1.320-3.458, P = 0.002), and Other (OR = 2.321, 95% Cl = 1.330-4.049, P = 0.003). There was no difference in enrollment between Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients (OR = 0.699 95% Cl = 0.445 to 1.092, P = 0.119). The average age for enrolled and non-enrolled patients was 52 (IQR = 31) and 51 (IQR = 33), respectively. Largest disease sites for enrolled patients included head and neck (28.6%), breast (10.6%), CNS (9.8%), prostate (8.4%) and lung (8.3%). When offered, 1.7% of head and neck, 0.71% of CNS, 0.26% of breast, 0.37% of lung, and 0.37% of prostate patients did not enroll. Breast cancer patients were more likely to enroll than for CNS, head and neck, lung, and prostate cancers (OR = 2.303, 95% Cl = 1.196 -4.431, P = 0.012). There was no significant difference of enrollment between patients being treated for CNS, head and neck, lung, and prostate cancers. Of the non-enrolled group, 54% were male and 46% were female. Among the patients who did not enroll, 68% had public insurance, 30% private and 2% were self-paying. Those declining enrollment did so due to lack of interest in research (48%), otherwise unknown reasons (40%), communication barriers (7%), and privacy concerns (5%). This study demonstrates that much higher rates of clinical trial enrollment is possible than what has historically been reported, and that minority underrepresentation can be mitigated when overall enrollment is institutionally prioritized. However, minorities still declined enrollment at a higher rate than White patients, and further investigation is needed to explore reasons and means to further reduce disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing student attrition and drop-out rates is of paramount concern for higher education scholars, policymakers, and practitioners in evaluating institutional effectiveness. There is some evidence that students’ satisfaction can be critical to the success of any postsecondary educational institution, but little is known about how campus environments shape students’ satisfaction. Using structural equation modeling techniques, the authors use multi-institutional survey data to examine the relationship between Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE), sense of belonging, and satisfaction. Specifically, we explore the direct effects of CECE indicators on satisfaction and the mediating role of sense of belonging. Our results showed that a direct effect of CECE indicators is positively associated with satisfaction. Results also indicated that an indirect effect of CECE indicators contributes to a significant increase in satisfaction through sense of belonging. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic engagement has been studied for several years because of its influence on student attrition. According to Tinto, engagement is the most important predictor for student dropout, which makes it relevant to understand how the environment influences engagement. Yet very few studies have addressed this relationship outside higher income countries. The results of a 2 × 2 factorial multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) suggest significant differences in engagement means between students from one American and one Bolivian university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the most basic level of human existence is the need to feel like one belongs. Sense of belonging is correlated with a person's motivation, drive, behavior, and identity. Research suggests institutions of higher education do much to foster students' sense of belonging and create positive learning environments in which faculty use their potential to influence student learning, motivation, and belonging. This paper uses Critical Race Theory (CRT) to examine the problems of student attrition, lack of persistence, and lack of a sense of belonging among marginalized populations undergoing science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) education within U.S. institutions of higher education. Using constructs and tenets of CRT, this paper specifically explores how race and racism in post-secondary STEM education exacerbate the problem while using contextual factors as a guide. Researchers and practitioners alike can use this critical analysis to support current and future work in understanding how educational programs are socially constructed in a way that historically excludes marginalized persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies on academic probation and dismissal have existed in the American higher education system for decades to maintain academic quality and encourage students to improve their performance. Research has aimed to clarify the relationship between academic probation, dismissal, and retention, yet differing results emerge. Furthermore, the literature is sparse on the financial implications incurred as a result of academic dismissal or student attrition once on academic probation. The aim of this study explores financial implications experienced by one college as a result of academic dismissal or dropout from 136 academic probation students among 5 years of student cohorts. Findings show a loss of $842,650 in revenue to be earned due to these 136 students not completing their baccalaureate degrees after being on academic probation. The author provides recommendations to support students on academic probation to avoid further attrition and thus loss of revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International higher education is the third largest export industry in Australia. Student attrition is an area of concern in higher education institutions. Most research undertaken so far has focused on domestic student attrition in Australia and globally. This study focuses on an Australian university to examine the causes of international students' attrition after their first year of study. It reveals that since 2018, growing numbers of international students have withdrawn from the subject university at the metropolitan campus to enrol in private colleges attracted by lower tuition fees for similar degree qualifications. The paper raises questions about the role of education agents in such student mobility and risks related to academic standards and quality in private colleges. The paper also raises questions about risks to quality and competitiveness in universities that have not sufficiently considered the academic and personal needs of international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do college students persist with their education, especially when facing challenges? We answer this question by exploring the complexities surrounding college student retention, using the organizational research lenses of job embeddedness, normative pressures, and the unfolding model of turnover. We first developed a college embeddedness scale and adapted a measure of normative pressures on college persistence. Then, we surveyed 287 first-year students from a broad range of racial and ethnic groups to understand their re-enrollment intentions and behavior. We found a positive relationship between re-enrollment intentions and normative pressures. Additionally, both college embeddedness and normative pressures predicted actual re-enrollment. Next, we examined how these forces interact with critical events (shocks) that prompt students to contemplate leaving, finding that college embeddedness and normative pressures mitigated the impact of shocks on re-enrollment intentions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, including the utility of job embeddedness theory for identifying heretofore neglected forces underlying college student retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do parental priorities for what children should learn in school differ depending on the type of school chosen by parents? Does this, in turn, have potential implications for the future of Catholic schools in the United States? This article considers these questions in the context of the long-term decline in enrollment in U.S. Catholic schools. Specifically, the article considers three questions: 1) What are the priorities of parents for what their children should learn in school in the overall population? 2) Do these priorities differ between different groups of parents, including parents with children in Catholic schools and parents willing to consider Catholic schools for their children but not having enrolled their children in one? And 3) Are there individual parental characteristics associated with particular views about what children should learn in schools? Implications of the findings are discussed, specifically concerning targeted efforts to attract new students. The analysis is based on a market research survey implemented in 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Independent school leaders are continually faced with the challenges of declining enrollment and expanding public options and currently lack a mechanism to understand what influences parents' reenrollment choices. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a theoretical framework for reenrollment decisions in secular and Catholic independent schools. Participants included parents of children currently enrolled in one of six independent elementary/middle schools in the greater metropolitan region of Upstate New York. Results confirmed that affordability, espoused values, individual attention, sense of community, development/growth, and continuity/friendships predicted parents' reenrollment intentions. Our research underscored the importance of understanding parents' motives and demonstrated the efficacy of a valid measure for independent schools to assess and act on parents' perceptions and intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the failure of the diversity in education framework in the U.S. in light of the high attrition rate for African American law students. Topics discussed include the role of the lack of continued support for Affirmative Action programs in the attrition rate, history behind the creation and implementation of the program which was inspired by the employment equality movement, and the extracurricular pressures facing African American law students.

Background: The aim of this paper is to describe the utility of various recruitment modalities utilized in the Working to Increase Stability through Exercise (WISE) study. WISE is a pragmatic randomized trial that is testing the impact of a 3-year, multicomponent (strength, balance, aerobic) physical activity program led by trained volunteers or delivered via DVD on the rate of serious fall-related injuries among adults 65 and older with a past history of fragility fractures (e.g., vertebral, fall-related). The modified goal was to recruit 1130 participants over 2 years in three regions of Pennsylvania.Methods: The at-risk population was identified primarily using letters mailed to patients of three health systems and those over 65 in each region, as well as using provider alerts in the health record, proactive recruitment phone calls, radio advertisements, and presentations at community meetings.Results: Over 24 months of recruitment, 209,301 recruitment letters were mailed, resulting in 6818 telephone interviews. The two most productive recruitment methods were letters (72% of randomized participants) and the research registries at the University of Pittsburgh (11%). An average of 211 letters were required to be mailed for each participant enrolled. Of those interviewed, 2854 were ineligible, 2,825 declined to enroll and 1139 were enrolled and randomized. Most participants were female (84.4%), under age 75 (64.2%), and 50% took an osteoporosis medication. Not having a prior fragility fracture was the most common reason for not being eligible (87.5%). The most common reason provided for declining enrollment was not feeling healthy enough to participate (12.6%).Conclusions: The WISE study achieved its overall recruitment goal. Bulk mailing was the most productive method for recruiting community-dwelling older adults at risk of serious fall-related injury into this long-term physical activity intervention trial, and electronic registries are important sources and should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appalachia has low rates of college attendance and graduation, but relevant data investigating student attrition from physiology majors in this region are lacking. This exploratory study examined freshman attrition from an undergraduate exercise physiology program in Appalachia with the goal of identifying potential strategies for improving retention across similar programs in this underserved region. Questionnaires were administered at the beginning and end of the fall semester to freshman (n = 247) and students transferring out of the major [Transferred group (T); n = 50] by the end of their first semester were compared against those that remained [Retained group (R); n = 190]. The Transferred group was invited to participate in qualitative interviews. Fewer Transferred students reported feeling underprepared in academic preparedness skills, but more reported feeling underprepared in math. At the end of the semester, more in the Transferred group reported doing worse than expected in math and in getting good grades and had a lower grade point average (R: 3.27 ± 0.05; T: 2.62 ± 0.15; P < 0.01). More in the Transferred group were first-generation (FG) college students (R: 17%; T: 30%). Transferred FG had lower academic preparation and performance and more financial need than Retained FG. In interviews (n = 35), most students expressed a change in career goals and many noted the academic rigor of the program, while academic advising, faculty, and the major received generally positive praise. This study identified several factors that would allow for early identification of incoming freshmen at risk for attrition and proposes strategies for improving retention within Appalachian physiology programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to personalise mass higher education systems have received increasing attention as universities compete to attract students. In the United Kingdom (UK), most higher education institutions have a system of personalised supported learning, usually called personal tutoring. Personal tutors are typically academic members of staff who support students to integrate into the university academic community. Institutions assume that a system of personal tutoring enables student satisfaction, progression and attainment – key performance indicators in competitive higher education landscapes. Personal tutors support their tutees in achieving their personal, academic or professional goals. Systems of personal tutoring are often designed around what role the personal tutor should perform, rather than what purpose the role should serve. This paper uses thematic analysis of students' perceptions of personalised support for university learning, to elucidate improvements to its' design and contributes to theorising effective personalised student support mechanisms. Insights from this analysis showed students could detect design that lacked sincerity, particularly in relation to adequate resourcing. A central contradiction may therefore exist in resourcing personalised support within a mass higher education experience. A design tool using the dimensions to be considered in the approach to creating systems of personalised supported learning is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the retention problems of at-risk students in the Foundation Year Program at the Bahrain Teachers' College. Data were collected from the instructors and the students using questionnaires and focus group interviews. Findings show that both instructors and students think the college could play a more active role to increase the readiness of the students for undergraduate work in teacher education. They indicate that major areas where students need instructional support include the language arts (Arabic and English language), maths, science, and the skills for group work and oral presentations. However, students and instructors had opposing viewpoints regarding the expected level of support provided by the instructors as well as the level of assessment and its alignment with course content. Taking the students' and the instructors' views into consideration, the researchers conclude the study with a recommendation for the restructuring of the foundation year curriculum to align with the needs of the students and for the inclusion of regular and relevant professional development for instructors. The significance of this study is that it serves as a microcosm for the challenges faced by in-coming students in other teacher training programs in the Arabian Gulf region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. Catholic school enrollment has declined significantly from a peak in the 1960s. Schools attempting to reverse that trend have relied on marketing and promotion. We use survey data from Chicago Catholic schools to compare Rasch measures of school climate to student growth, school enrollment, and closure. We find that these measures are reliable indicators of students' and teachers' experiences, and they are related to enrollment change. These findings provide some validation of survey measures that were previously validated in public schools. Thus Catholic schools seeking to increase enrollment might move beyond marketing and achievement to examine school climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies private school market behavior. If school quality is a normal good and schools have market power, profit‐maximizing schools may lower enrollment when incomes rise given parents' preferences for small class sizes and high‐socioeconomic status (SES) classmates. To demonstrate the possibility of such a response, I present simulations based on a stylized model of school pricing. Using data on local income variation in Chile, I show that positive income shocks cause private school prices to rise and enrollments to fall. Enrollment declines are concentrated among low‐SES students, who do not experience the same test score gains as their higher‐SES peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University counseling centers (UCCs) are tasked with delivering effective mental health interventions amidst increasing enrollment and declining resources. A growing number of UCCs have implemented session limits to meet demand with limited resources. To further understand the impact of this trend, we examined data obtained from a nationwide sample of 15,802 clients seeking treatment from 580 therapists at 32 UCCs utilizing the Behavioral Health Measure-20 (BHM-20). We compared psychotherapy outcomes to the number of clinical staff at UCCs utilizing either explicitly defined session limits or ambiguously defined session limits. There was a significant interaction between the way the sample of UCCs defined annual session limits, number of staff, and therapy outcomes. Specifically, higher therapy outcomes were observed at UCCs with explicitly defined session limits and fewer available staff. The ratio of enrolled students to clinical staff was not a predictor of outcome. Implications for clinical practice and agency session limits policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry's long-term health depends upon continued efforts to understand historically excluded students' attrition from engineering programs. For women, lack of identification with engineering may motivate their departure. Because professional persistence relates to engineering identity, it benefits attrition interventions to understand this identity development. Focusing upon students demonstrating some persistence in engineering, this research examines if and how engineering identity differs across gender among upper-division undergraduates. Surveying 11 American public university civil and construction engineering programs, the authors capture how central engineering is to self-concept, how positively students view engineers and perceive others to view engineers, and how students feel they belong. Using structural equation modeling, the authors find that among upper-division students and compared with cis men, cis women more strongly define themselves as engineers, are more confident of their place among fellow engineers, and feel more positively about engineers. A stronger engineering identity may help cis women cope with marginalization and may be limited to the upper-division undergraduate years. This study offers guidance for sustaining upper-division cis women's strong engineering identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]