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Theoretical Underpinnings and Research

Theoretical Underpinnings and Research. Regional Symposia on Student Success Cape Town, South Africa August 23, 2013 Vincent Tinto vtinto @syr.edu. Theoretical Underpinnings. Setting the context: Prior theories of student attrition Development of a theory of student retention

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Theoretical Underpinnings and Research

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  1. Theoretical Underpinnings and Research Regional Symposia on Student Success Cape Town, South Africa August 23, 2013 Vincent Tinto vtinto@syr.edu

  2. Theoretical Underpinnings • Setting the context: Prior theories of student attrition • Development of a theory of student retention • Evolution of a theory of student success • Future directions of theory and research 2

  3. Theory, Understanding, and Action • Moving beyond description to explanation • Theory as a guide to action 3

  4. Setting the Context • Psychology theories of student attrition • “Blaming the victim” • Emerging “anti-establishment” discourse on social inequality • Growing national concern about low rates of college completion and the need to find ways to improve student retention 4

  5. Developing a Theory of Student Retention • Analogy and the Construction of Social Theory • Competing Frames of Reference • Psychological, Economic, Sociological • Sociological grounding: Durkheim’s Theory of Suicide • The role of academic and social integration • A Theory of Student Involvement and Retention • Integration and membership in educational communities • Involvement/Engagement as vehicle to integration/membership • Membership as foundation upon which retention and learning are constructed 5

  6. Evolution of a Theory of Student Success • Role of Culture and Perceptions of Membership • Hurtado, S. & Carter, D.F. 1997. Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4): 324-345. • Kuh, G., and P. Love. 2004. A cultural perspective on student departure. In Reworking the student departure puzzle ed. J. M. Braxton. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press. 6

  7. Evolution of a Theory of Student Success • Role of Culture and Perceptions of Membership • Hurtado, S. & Carter, D.F. 1997. Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4): 324-345. • Kuh, G., and P. Love. 2004. A cultural perspective on student departure. In Reworking the student departure puzzle ed. J. M. Braxton. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press. • External verses Internal • Studies of retention and the role of external forces in student success. 7

  8. Evolution of a Theory of Student Success • Role of Culture and Perceptions of Membership • Hurtado, S. & Carter, D.F. 1997. Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4): 324-345. • Kuh, G., and P. Love. 2004. A cultural perspective on student departure. In Reworking the student departure puzzle ed. J. M. Braxton. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press. • External verses Internal • Studies of retention and the role of external forces in student success. • Role of the Classroom • Tinto, V. 1997. Classrooms as Communities: Exploring the Educational Character of Student Persistence. Journal of Higher Education, 68(6): 599-623. • Pascarella, E., T. Seifert, and E. Whitt. 2008. “Effective Instruction and College Student Persistence: Some New Evidence.” In The Role of the Classroom in College Student Persistence. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 115, edited by J. Braxton, 55–70. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 8

  9. Consequences of Theory & Research • Development of surveys of student engagement • SASSE, NSSE, CCSSE, AUSSE, etc. • Emphasis on the training of lecturers and the use of pedagogies of engagement • Focus on the development of inclusive learning environments that engage students • Interdisciplinary, inclusive learning communities, • Heightened focus on institutional practice and policy for student retention and completion. 9

  10. Research on Student Retention • Engagement and Student Retention • Pascarella, E., and D. Chapman. 1983. A Multi-Institutional, Path Analytic Validation of Tinto’s Model of College Withdrawal. American Educational Research Journal 20 (1): 87–102. • Differences in Engagement and Retention • Guiffrida, D. 2003. “African American Student Organizations as Agents of Social Integration.”Journal of College Student Development 44 (3): 304–19. • Hurtado, S., and D. Carter. 1996. “Latino Students’ Sense of Belonging in the College Community: Rethinking the Concept of Integration on Campus.” In. College Students: The Evolving Nature of Research, edited by F. Stage, J. Anaya, J. Bean, D. Hossler, and G. Kuh, 123–36. Needhan Heights, MA: Simon and Schuster Custom Publishing. • Engagement and Student Learning • Pascarella, E., T. Seifert, and E. Whitt. 2008. “Effective Instruction and College Student Persistence: Some New Evidence.” In The Role of the Classroom in College Student Persistence. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 115, edited by J. Braxton, 55–70. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Braxton, J. (1995). Faculty classroom behaviors and their influence on academic and social integration and student departure decisions. A paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. 10

  11. Evolution of Theory: Future Directions • Online education, technology, and student success • MOOCs, Predictive Analytics, Learning Analytics, and Beyond • Persistence verses completion: The impact of curricular structure • Tinto, V. 2011. Isaac Newton and College Completion.Inside Higher Education, June 8, 2012. • Persistence, student development, and learning • Crosling, G., Heagney, M. and Thomas, L.. 2009. Improving student retention in higher education: Improving Teaching and Learning. Australian Universities Review. 51(2): 9-18. • Tinto, V. 1997, Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence. Journal of Higher Education, 68 (6): 599-623. 11

  12. Evolution of Theory: Future Directions Merging frames of reference: Developing a more inclusive theory of student retention and learning 12

  13. Alternate Perspectives on Student Retention • Economic Analysis • Cost-Benefit of attendance and completion • Network Analysis • The impact of networks of affiliations on student persistence • Role Theory • Learning to play the role of “student” • Roles, values, and acculturation 13

  14. Thank You Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance. vtinto@syr.edu 14

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