They May Be First But Will They Last? Retention and Transfer Behavior of First-Generation Students

Working PaperThey may be First but will They Last?Retention and Transfer Behavior of First-Generation Students2018-5JUSTINE RADUNZEL, PHDACT.org R1708© 2018 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved.ACT working papers document preliminary research. The papers are intended to promote discussion and feedback before formal publication. The research does not necessarily reflect the views of ACT.ACT WORKING PAPER SERIESThe author thanks Jeff Allen and Emily Neff for their input on earlier drafts.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSJustine Radunzel is a principal research scientist in Validity and Efficacy Research specializing in postsecondary outcomes research and validity evidence for the ACT test.ABOUT THE AUTHOR 1 Abstract First-generation (FG) students (those whose parents have no college experience) are generally less likely than their continuing generation (CG) peers to persist in college and complete a degree, especially when compared to CG students whose parents earned at least a bachelor’s degree (CG-BD). This result is often partially attributed to FG students not entering the college environment as well prepared and equipped as their CG peers; they also tend to have more financial concerns and attend college in a manner that often puts students at greater risk of not persisting and completing a degree (e.g., enrolling part-time). Building on prior research and using student attribute data available at initial enrollment, we examined the extent to which other academic and non-academic factors explain differences in student retention, transfer, and dropout rates at year two between FG students and their CG peers. The other factors included: predicted first-year grade point average (GPA) based on students’ ACT® Composite scores and high school GPA, educational goals, financial resources, gender, race/ethnicity, intentions of living on campus, number of hours planned to work while in college, full-time enrollment status, and distance between home and the initial institution attended. The last four variables were included as possible proxies of barriers to academic and social integration. Additional objectives for the study involved examining whether there were differences among parental education groups in (1) how the other student characteristics influenced student attrition and (2) the type of institution transferred to in year two. Data for the study were available for approximately 150,000 ACT-tested first-time entering college students from the 2012, 2013, and 2014 freshman cohorts of two state higher education systems. Nearly 70 two- and four-year public institutions were included in the sample. Subsequent enrollment information was supplemented with data from the National Student 2 Clearinghouse. The percentage of FG students was 15% among those beginning at a four-year institution and 27% among those beginning at a two-year institution. Study findings suggested that gaps in second-year retention rates existed among the parental education groups, primarily due to FG students being more likely to drop out in year two than CG-BD students. After statistically controlling for the other student characteristics and the institution attended, the parental education gaps in retention and dropout rates were reduced but not completely eliminated. Additionally, the effects of some of the other predictors on student attrition differed by parental education. These included: academic readiness, full-time enrollment status, gender, and race/ethnicity for both samples, and intentions of living on campus for the four-year sample. For example, while a negative association was observed between academic readiness and the likelihood of dropping out at year two for each parental education group, the strength of the relationship was weaker among FG students than it was among CG-BD students. We also found that there are parental education differences in where transfer students are going in year two. FG students were more likely than their CG-BD peers to transfer to a two-year than to a four-year institution (i.e., reverse transfer) for those beginning at a four-year institution, and less likely to transfer to a four-year than to a two-year institution (i.e., vertical transfer) for those beginning at a two-year institution. The findings illustrate how institutions and state systems might use student information available at the time of initial enrollment, including elements from the ACT record, to learn more about their incoming FG students and how to tailor their institutional supports and services and transfer policies to help FG students achieve their educational goals. The implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed. 3 They may be First but will They Last? Retention and Transfer Behavior of First-Generation Students First-generation (FG) students, or those whose parents have no college experience, are generally less likely to persist in college and complete a degree than their continuing-generation (CG) peers, tho