A Longitudinal Comparison of Minority and Nonminority College Dropouts: Implications for Retention Improvement Programs
Abstract
Retention statistics on 2,986 White and 208 minority college freshmen highlight the value of distinguishing between dismissal dropouts and voluntary dropouts and of screening "stop-outs" from dropouts in student attrition studies. Findings reveal that (1) minority Ss had a lower proportion of dropouts than White Ss, despite lower mean admission test scores; (2) dismissal rates were higher forminority Ss, particularly for those with low admission test scores; and (3) a lower percentage of minority Ss voluntarily discontinued enrollment. Implications for the provision of academic support services and counseling for students at risk for dropping out are discussed.
This paper has been withdrawn.
