The influence of a career exploration course on new first-time student retention at a public Midwest community college

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a relationship exists between new first- time students enrolled in a career exploration course and retention during the academic years of 2009 to 2011 at a public Midwest community college. Change of major after the first semester was also investigated. The study utilized quantitative, archival data and Chi-square test of independence for statistical analysis of the variables. Previous research indicated career exploration had a relationship with student retention, especially among undecided freshmen students. The findings of this study are consistent with prior research. The results showed new first-time students enrolled in a career exploration course retained enrollment at higher rates than students not enroll in the course. This study did not show a statistical significant relationship between change of major after first semester and a career exploration course. The study has implications for addressing challenges of student attrition and retention at community colleges.