Date of Graduation

1999

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

College of Education and Human Services

Committee Chair

David Srebalus

Committee Member

Michael Yura

Committee Member

Robert Masson

Abstract

There has been a major concern for retention in higher education, and recently the college dropout rate for students before they reach their second year has reached a record high (Geraghty, 1996). To combat this trend, a university developed a Summer Transition Entry Program (STEP) for at-risk students. The program’s mission was to help bridge the gap for students who have the academic potential but not the academic credentials to be admitted. This study investigated the utility of the STEP program in regards to retention rate and psychosocial development of first-year at-risk students. Results indicated that participation in the STEP program yielded a positive impact on students’ retention rate. Retention data revealed that the at-risk students and the comparison group had a similar attrition rate. This study also indicated that psychosocial development was an important aspect to consider when looking at retention. The Student Development Task and Lifestyle Inventory (Winston and Miller, 1987) was used to assess psychosocial development. Group differences revealed that the individuals participating in STEP surpassed the comparison group in the areas of career planning, cultural participation, educational involvement, and salubrious lifestyle. In addition, gender differences indicated that females had a higher sense of health awareness and were more likely to accept differences of others; whereas, males tended to be more educationally and culturally involved and had greater self-direction with regard to personal and vocational life plans. Finally, results also revealed that academic success was correlated to academic autonomy, peer relationships, and life management. Recommendations are made for future research directions regarding psychosocial development and retention rate.

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