The Basic Communication Course and College Student Retention: A Longitudinal Analysis

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between two content formats of the basic communication course (BCC) and first-year college student retention over a 4-year period (N = 5,653). Chi-square and logistic regression models indicated students who completed the BCC were more likely to be retained than those who did not complete the BCC. While completing the BCC was associated with retention for both formats, the hybrid BCC was more consistently related to retention than the public speaking BCC. Students from certain demographic groups who completed the hybrid BCC were retained more frequently than students from the same demographic who did not complete the hybrid BCC. Demographics for the public speaking BCC revealed a different retention profile. Implications and future directions concerning the BCC are discussed.