The Journey Begins
The doctoral summer residency has been a transformative experience. It was a journey of growth that challenged perspectives of the world and interactions within it. Students built relationships among peers and faculty, and by the end of two weeks, these connections forged strong lifelong bonds. Every student arrived unsure what to expect; by the end, every student grew as a person and a scholar developed friendships that will last a lifetime.
Problem of Practice
Students are unenrolling from vocational colleges more than previous years (Fain, 2012). Student retention fluctuated between 52.5% to 71.6% from 2007 to 2014 (College of Study, 2017). From 2012 to 2018 student enrollment declined 4.9%, 2.8%, 2.6%, 2.9%, and 2.0%, respectfully (College of Study, 2017). Declining enrollment and low retention impact colleges financially, leading to program closure and staff layoffs. Student retention connects directly to students’ overall satisfaction and educational experiences (Levitz, Noel, & Richter, 1999). There are many ways for vocational and technical colleges to improve student retention. Retention rates tightly tie with enrollment rates (NSC Research Center, 2019). Even though acquiring new students does not link directly to student retention, retaining current students does increase overall enrollment.
College of Study. (2017).
Fain, P. (2012). Leaving the System. Clearinghouse Study. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/10/clearinghouse-study-finds-declining-student-persistence-rates
Levitz, R., Noel, L., & Richter, B. (1999). Strategic moves for retention success. New Directions for Higher Education, 1999(108), 31–49. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.1080.
NSC Research Center. (2019). Persistence & Retention-2019. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Retrieved from https://nscresearchcenter.org/snapshotreport35-first-year-persistence-and-retention/
Research Questions
The researcher will use a triangulation approach to analyze qualitative data. Interviews, observations, and analysis of data will be the primary method of gathering data. Studying the human experience in a vocational college will develop and guide the study and towards implications, findings, and conclusions (Lochmiller & Lester, 2017). Three research questions guide this qualitative study.
RQ1: How does the student-adviser relationship impact student retention?
RQ2: How does student connectivity to their educational institutions affect student retention?
RQ3: How do different advisement methods affect student retention?
