Higher education institutions all over the world have recognized the importance of the student retention and implemented various measurements to increase the student retention rate.To obtain effective strategies, measurements and administrative systems appropriate for the academic, social and economic environments, models and theories to explain factors affecting student persistence have been proposed especially in the western countries. Analyses of research publications showed that higher education institutions in the developed countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, have proposed strategies and measurements to improve student rate at the institutional, program and student levels. Studies showed that, at the institutional level, providing students with appropriate academic and non-academic environments could positively encourage students to persist with their studies and at the same time help develop their personalities. Whereas at the student and curriculum levels, research results have consistently indicated that academic achievement, reflected for example from GPA, and the self-regulated learning (SRL) are positively related and the issues of particular interest are the learning behavior and the life style of students.

The main objectives of this research work are: (1) to systematically study aspects and issues related to the student retention in higher-education institutions in the western countries and in Thailand; (2) to suggest effective strategies, measurements and management systems suitable and applicable for the student retention at Suranaree University of Technology (SUT).

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