Date of Award
Fall 12-1-2015
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Human Capital Development
School
Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development
Committee Chair
Heather Annulis
Committee Chair Department
Human Capital Development
Committee Member 2
Cyndi Gaudet
Committee Member 2 Department
Human Capital Development
Committee Member 3
Quincy Brown
Committee Member 3 Department
Human Capital Development
Committee Member 4
Dale Lunsford
Committee Member 4 Department
Human Capital Development
Abstract
Student retention is a highly researched topic studied for many decades, but low retention of college students still exists today. As more states move to success-based funding formulas, it is more important than ever for higher education institutions to increase retention efforts (Swecker, 2011). Colleges and universities launch programs trying to combat and improve retention deficits. Research reveals that student engagement, academic advising, demographics, socioeconomic factors, and early selection of major within the first academic year play a role in retention.
The purpose of this study is to determine if early selection of major relates to the demographic factors of gender, ethnicity, age, first-generation college student, and Pell-eligibility. This study is a nonexperimental, descriptive research design utilizing the chi-square test of independence and binary logistic regression. Results indicate gender is independent of early selection of major, while ethnicity, age, and Pell-eligibility are dependent of early selection of major. The researcher was unable to analyze first-generation college student due to lack of data available.
ORCID ID
000-0002-6160-7610
Copyright
2015, Christy Riddle
Recommended Citation
Riddle, Christy, "How Did the Students Cross the Stage? The Relationship of Demographic Factors on Early Selection of College Major" (2015). Dissertations. 179.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/179
Updated with Edits Made. 10.17.15