Session Information
WERA SES 11 C, Higher Education Learning, Instruction and Student Preparation Across the Globe
Paper Session
Contribution
Doctoral attrition and prolonged time-to-degree can be costly to universities and the personal, professional, and economic effects on doctoral candidates are tremendous (Lovitts, 2001; Terrell, Snyder, & Dringus, 2009). Doctoral student dropout rates range between 40 and 60%, with attrition rates as high as 70% for EdD programs (Bowen & Rudenstine,1992; National Science Foundation [NSF], 2009 ; Nettles & Millet, 2006). Online doctoral programs report attrition rates 10% to 20%higher than traditional programs (Rovai, 2002; Terrell, Snyder, & Dringus 2009), and the largest degree of doctoral attrition occurs during candidacy (National Science Foundation, 1998). While developing the dissertation in the research and scholarship stage (Rockinson-Szapkiw & Spaulding, 2014),the doctoral student must make the transition “from being a consumer of knowedge….to creator…” (Gardner, 2009, p. 328) and demonstrate the ability to independently design, conduct, analyze, and present research. Writing a dissertation is difficult for many candidates as it is unlike any academic task that they have done previously. With high attrition in online, doctoral programs, particularly in the research and scholarship stage, program administrators and faculty need to identify ways to foster doctoral persistence, “the continuance of a student’s progress toward the completion of a doctoral degree” (Bair, 1999, p. 8) despite the numerous challenges faced.
While Tinto's (1975, 1993) student integration model and Bean and Metzner's (1985) student attrition model are foundational to understanding persistence in higher education, they have limited explanatory power for the persistence of online, doctoral candidates. Given the significant increase in institutions developing online and blended learning models and the unique characteristics of online, doctoral candidates and doctoral programs, a persistence model is needed to inform course, program, and institutional level strategies for improving online, doctoral persistence. Drawing from empirical and theoretical literature, a composite model to explain doctoral persistence was created and tested.
While individual characteristics are shown to consistently influence both doctoral and distance education attrition and persistence, the university has little influence over these factors. Further, institutional and integration factors exert more influence on doctoral persistence than student characteristics (Bowen & Rudenstine, 1992; Lovitts, 2001). In her classic study on doctoral attrition, Lovitts (2001) found that over 50% of dropouts cited academic or institutional reasons (e.g., isolation, loss of advisor, problems with advisor, dissatisfaction with program) and 20% of dropouts cited financial reasons. Only 20% of dropouts cited personal or environmental reasons. As such, this study’s model does not include individual variables.
Based on a synthesize of traditional attrition models and the empirical literature on online students and doctoral persistence, an online doctoral persistence model was developed archival data from 141candidates. A predictive, correlation design and hierarchical multiple regression were used to examine how the variance in likelihood of online, doctoral persistence can be explained by the linear combination of institutional (financial support; program, curriculum, and instruction; and support services) and integration variables (academic, social, economic, and familial integration). This study’s final model retained each variable with the exception of economic integration, the only variable that did not significantly contribute to the predictive model. These findings provide implications for online doctoral program administrators and faculty in terms of program supports and structures needed to foster persistence in the online doctoral candidate.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Bair, C. R. (1999). Doctoral student attrition and persistence: A meta-synthesis. (Doctoral dissertation, Loyola University, Chicago, 1999). Dissertation Abstracts International. Bean, J. P. & Metzner, B. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55, 485-540. Bowen, W., & Rudenstine, N. (1992). In pursuit of the Ph.D. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. de Valero, F. Y. (2001). Departmental factors affecting time-to-degree and completion rates of doctoral students at one land-grant research institution. The Journal of Higher Education, 72(3), 341-367. Davidson, W. B., Beck, H. P., & Milligan, M. (2009). The College Persistence Questionnaire: Development and validation of an instrument that predicts student attrition. Journal of College Student Development, 50(4): 373-390. Gardner, S. K. (2009). Student and faculty attributions of attrition in high and low-completing doctoral programs in the United States. Higher Education, 58, 97-112. Lovitts, B. E. (2001). Leaving the ivory tower: The causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study. Lanham, UK: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Nettles, M. T., & Millett, C. M. (2006). Three magic letters: Getting to Ph.D. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press. Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. J. & Spaulding, L. S. (Eds.) (2014). Navigating the doctoral journey: A handbook of strategies for success. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Rockinson-Szapkiw, A.J., Spaulding, L.S., Swezey, J.A., & Wicks, C. (2014). Poverty and persistence: A model for understanding individuals’ pursuit and persistence in a doctor of education program. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 9, 181-190. Retrieved from http://ijds.org/Volume9/IJDSv9p181-203Rockinson0606.pdf Terrell, S. R., Snyder, M. M., & Dringus, L. P. (2009). The development, validation, and application of the Doctoral Student Connectedness Scale. Internet and Higher Education, 112-116. Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89-125. Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of candidate attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. Tinto, V. (2006-2007). Research and practice of student retention: What next? Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 8(1), 1-20. Wao, H. O., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2011). A mixed research investigation of factors related to time to the doctorate in education. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 6, 115-134. Retrieved from http://ijds.org/Volume6/IJDSv6p115-134Wao320.pdf
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