Examining the student and institutional predictors of students' success in college

Zachary G. C Kornhauser, Fordham University

Abstract

Developmental theorists have examined changes that occur during late adolescence and early adulthood, and have uncovered factors related to the success of college students. In addition to the foundational work on the topic, empirical research has found a number of student and institutional level factors to be related to student success in college, such as race, gender, parental level of education, institution type, size, selectivity, and expenditures. While there is much research examining discrete student and institutional factors that contribute to students’ success in college, few studies have used multilevel approaches to examine the impacts that both student and institutional level factors might have on student outcomes. This study sought to examine the student and institutional contributors to students’ success in college through analysis of two archival data sets. Results revealed that after accounting for students’ entering academic ability, a number of student and institutional factors were related to students’ success in college. However, the factors that were implicated as being associated with students’ success in college were not necessarily consistent across both datasets, nor were they necessarily in line with the study’s hypotheses. This study has implications for policymakers, administrators, and consumers of higher education.

Subject Area

Educational tests & measurements|Higher education

Recommended Citation

Kornhauser, Zachary G. C, "Examining the student and institutional predictors of students' success in college" (2017). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI10255736.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI10255736

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