Community College Retention Analysis

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Importance of Community College Retention
The community college surfaced in our society in the 20th century when people faced global and economic competition (Cohen &Brawer, 2003). Community colleges, according to Cohen and Brawer (2003), are sometimes a student’s first choice or their only exposure to higher education. During the 1970s, there was an increase in funding for community college. With an increase in funding, many states opened up community colleges to address the growing concern and community colleges became plentiful. The community college system became increasingly popular because they provided an opportunity for students to attend college, earn degrees that cost less and take less time, eventually leading to the job market
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If a student withdraws, their ability to earn a degree and graduate from college decreases (DeNicco, Harrington, & Fogg, 2015). There are many theories about retention including Tinto’s (1975; 2006) conceptual models, which provides a general explanation of why students leave college before completing their course work. An overview of Tinto’s conceptual model, along with studies related to the model, further explains the theoretical framework. Other models will be presented to provide further clarification. Tinto (2006) and DeNicco, Harrington and Fogg (2015) indicated there are ways to resolve student retention rates including specific activities related to students and programs specific to institutional support. These activities would assist students with assimilating into college cultures, which can be attributed to higher retention rates. Tinto (2012) also indicated that addressing the needs of undergraduate students can help increase their ability to persist towards …show more content…
Numerous studies exist that have collected data on student retention, but not much research exist addressing why students drop out. Tinto (1975), Spady (1971) and Astin (1975) identified models of retention based on their research. Extensive research exists with a focus on student persistence and academic development, the research that exists is based on 4-year institutions with limited research on 2-year colleges. Community college do not offer the same academic and social integrations found on 4-year institutions. Research on community colleges and impact of retention is limited. Student retention efforts at the 2-year institutions differ from those at the 4-year institutions which focuses on traditional students. Community colleges have traditional and non-traditional students therefore the retention methods should differ (Belfield & Bailey,

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