| This study was conducted at selected Historically Black Colleges and Universities to identify factors that influence their students' attrition and to determine current strategies for improving their students' retention. The data for the study were collected through a qualitative method using archival institutional data and open-ended interviews to investigate the perceptions of those faculty and administrators who were involved in institutional policies and practices related to student attrition and retention. The following conclusions were derived from examining the research questions and were recommended for future consideration by Historically Black Colleges and Universities: (1) The most influential factors associated with student attrition included academic boredom and uncertainty about what to study, transition and adjustment problems, unrealistic expectations of college, lack of necessary competitive college entrance test scores, lack of satisfactory academic advising, inappropriate college retention strategies, unexpected high workload of freshmen college courses, academic under-preparedness, lack of necessary competitive high school educational background, lack of necessary parental involvement, personal and emotional depressive factors, financial difficulties, stressful family problems, lack of sufficient self-confidence, and incompatibility and irrelevancy. (2) The most effective policies and practices for improving student retention were found to be screening potential dropouts for prevention and intervention purposes, providing academic counseling to potential dropouts, implementing a combination of student and faculty feedback approaches to identify students who are likely to withdraw, establishing policies and practices at the departmental level to handle student retention problems, and analyzing exit interviews to identify the factors that are likely to influence student withdrawal. (3) Certain academic support services that were instrumental for improving student retention included student advising, counseling, mentoring, tutoring, and offering remedial courses for students especially during their freshmen education. (4) A number of financial and student support services were found to play a significant role in improving student retention at most participating institutions. These services include on campus employment, emergency loans, a merit-based scholarship, private and corporate donors, as well as provisions of state and federal aids such as Summer Bridge Programs and the U.S. Department of Education's TRIO program funded under Title IV of the 1965 Higher Education Act. |
